Peggy Shannon (born Winona Sammon; January 10, 1907[1] [2] – May 11, 1941) was an American actress. She appeared on the stage and screen of the 1920s and 1930s.

Peggy Shannon
Portrait of Shannon by John de Mirjian
Born
Winona Sammon

(1907-01-10)January 10, 1907
DiedMay 11, 1941(1941-05-11) (aged 34)
Resting placeHollywood Forever Cemetery
OccupationActress
Years active1923–1940
Spouses
Alan Davis
(m. 1926; div. 1940)
Albert G. Roberts
(m. 1940)

Shannon began her career as a Ziegfeld girl in 1923 before moving on to Broadway productions. She was signed to Paramount Pictures and groomed to replace Clara Bow as the newest "It girl", whom she replaced in the 1931 film, The Secret Call. Her growing dependency on alcohol eventually derailed her career. She appeared in her final film Triple Justice in 1940. In May 1941, Shannon died at the age of 34 from a heart attack, brought on by alcoholism. Her husband Albert G. Roberts shot himself three weeks after her death.

Career

edit
 
Shannon in 1930s

Shannon was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1907[1][3] (some sources erroneously cite 1909[4] or 1910[5]) to Edward and Nannie Sammon. She had a younger sister, Carol. She attended Annunciation Academy Catholic School and Pine Bluff High School and then was hired as a chorus girl by Florenz Ziegfeld while visiting her aunt in New York in 1923.[2] The following year, she was cast in the Ziegfeld Follies followed by a role in Earl Carroll's Vanities. While on Broadway in 1927, she was spotted by B.P. Schulberg, production head of Paramount Pictures, and was offered a contract. When she arrived in Hollywood, she was hailed as the next "It girl", replacing Clara Bow.[6] Before the shooting of The Secret Call, Bow had suffered a nervous breakdown, and Shannon was hired to replace her only two days after her arrival in Hollywood.[2][7]

Shannon sometimes worked 16-hour days (from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. the next day) while shooting a film, and when shooting wrapped, rushed to begin another film. She occasionally worked on two separate films in one day. Through films and publicity, Shannon became known as a fashion plate, wearing styles three months before they became popular. In 1932, she signed a new contract at Fox and became known as difficult and temperamental on the set and was rumored to have had a drinking problem. In 1934, Shannon returned to New York City to do the Broadway show, Page Miss Glory.[2]

In 1935, she continued on Broadway with The Light Behind the Shadow, but was soon replaced, with a press release claiming a tooth infection, though rumors claimed it was her drinking. In 1936, she returned to Hollywood with Youth on Parole. She found it harder to conceal her drinking. Fewer movie roles were offered, and her drinking worsened. She made her last film appearance in the 1940 film Triple Justice, opposite George O'Brien. [citation needed]

Personal life

edit

In 1926, Shannon married actor Alan Davis. The marriage ended in July 1940. She married cameraman Albert G. Roberts, later that year.[2][8]

Death

edit

On May 11, 1941, Shannon's husband Albert Roberts and a fellow studio worker returned from a fishing trip to find Shannon dead in their North Hollywood apartment. She was slumped over the kitchen table, a cigarette in her mouth and an empty glass in her hand. She had been dead for approximately 12 hours. An autopsy revealed that she had died of a heart attack brought on by a liver ailment and a run-down condition.[2]

She is interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Three weeks after Shannon's death, her husband committed suicide by shooting himself with a .22 rifle in the same chair in which she had died. His suicide note read "I am very much in love with my wife, Peggy Shannon. In this spot she died, so in reverence to her, you will find me in the same spot."[9]

Broadway credits

edit
Date Production Role
October 20, 1923 - May 10, 1924 Ziegfeld Follies of 1923 Performer
January 11 - March 19, 1927 Piggy Performer
February 21 - May 1927 What Ann Brought Home Alma
October 6 - Oct 1927 High Gear Florence Ainslee
November 26 - December 1928 Back Here Sally
August 5 - August 1929 Now-a-Days Jean Wing
November 11 - December 1929 Cross Roads Dora
December 30, 1929 – January 1930 Damn Your Honor Michel Du Fresne
December 22, 1930 – Jan 1931 Life Is Like That Jane Barton
March 11 – March 1931 Napi La George
November 27, 1934 - March 1935 Page Miss Glory Gladys Russell
February 10 - February 1936 Alice Takat Kitty Linderman

Filmography

edit
Films
Year Title Role Notes
1930 The Gob Short film
1931 Opening Night Short film
The Meal Ticket Friend Short film
The Secret Call Wanda Kelly
Silence Norma Davis/Norma Powers
The Road to Reno Lee Millet
Touchdown Mary Gehring
1932 This Reckless Age Mary Burke
Hotel Continental Ruth Carleton
Society Girl Judy Gelett
The Painted Woman Kiddo
False Faces Elsie Fryer
1933 Girl Missing Daisy Bradford
Deluge Claire Arlington
Devil's Mate Nancy Weaver
Turn Back the Clock Elvina Evans Wright/Elvina Evans Gimlet
Fury of the Jungle Joan Leesom
1934 Back Page Jerry Hampton
1935 Night Life of the Gods Daphne Lambert
Fighting Lady Dora Hart
The Case of the Lucky Legs Thelma Bell
1936 The Man I Marry Margot Potts
Ellis Island Betty Parker
1937 Romancing Along Margot Potts
Youth on Parole Peggy
1938 Girls on Probation Inmate Ruth Uncredited
1939 Blackwell's Island Pearl Murray
The Adventures of Jane Arden Lola Martin
Fixer Dugan Aggie Moreno
The Women Mrs. Jones Uncredited
Dad for a Day Mary Baker
The Amazing Mr. Williams Kitty Uncredited
1940 Cafe Hostess Nellie
The House Across the Bay Alice
All About Hash Edith Henry Short film
Triple Justice Susan

Footnotes

edit
  1. ^ a b (Liebman 2003, p. 383)
  2. ^ a b c d e f "The Private Life and Times of Peggy Shannon". glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com.
  3. ^ (Springer & Hamilton 1974, p. 327)
  4. ^ (Halliwell & Walker 2003, p. 422)
  5. ^ (Donnelley 2003, p. 847)
  6. ^ (Brettell et al. 2006, p. 252)
  7. ^ (Soister 2004, p. 148)
  8. ^ (Starr 2001, p. 198)
  9. ^ (Frasier 2005, p. 267)

Sources

edit
edit