Boots Mallory

Boots Mallory
Mallory in 1934
Born
Patricia Mallory

(1913-10-22)October 22, 1913
DiedDecember 1, 1958(1958-12-01) (aged 45)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Years active1932–1938
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1933; div. 1946)​
​
(m. 1947)​
Children2
Boots Mallory, by Luther S. White,[1] 1930s

Patricia "Boots" Mallory (October 22, 1913 – December 1, 1958) was an American film actress, dancer, and model.

Career

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Mallory was born on October 22, 1913.[2] She grew up in Mobile, Alabama, where her father operated a tugboat.[3] She became a model for the Walter Thornton Modeling Agency in New York.[4]

Moving to Hollywood, she found employment with Fox Films and was cast in the film version of Dawn Powell's play Walking Down Broadway. This was the first sound film by Erich von Stroheim. He shared both screenwriting and directing credits and regarded Mallory as his discovery. The play told the story of a young unmarried woman involved in a love triangle who becomes pregnant. The finished film, however, strongly suggested a lesbian relationship between Mallory's character and the character played by ZaSu Pitts. Other sexual themes involving the character played by James Dunn were considered too daring. Fox executives brought in director Alfred L. Werker to drastically cut Von Stroheim's version and to shoot additional scenes. The film was finally released under the new title Hello, Sister! (1933) with little promotion and was not a success. Von Stroheim's original version was neither copyrighted nor released, and is considered lost.[5]

In 1932 her second completed film, Handle with Care, also co-starring James Dunn, was released and marked her debut. Mallory was chosen as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1932.[6]

A tall blonde, Mallory was well regarded for her striking looks and was photographed by such photographers as Alfred Cheney Johnston, Hal Phyfe, and George Hurrell.[7][8] She also was painted nude by the pin-up artist Rolf Armstrong.[9]

Over the next few years, Mallory played the lead in several "B" pictures, including the Rin Tin Tin serial The Wolf Dog (1933), and received top-billing in Carnival Lady (1934) and The Big Race (1934). On radio she worked with James Cagney in productions for Lux Radio Theatre.[10][11] She made her final film appearance in an uncredited role in the Laurel and Hardy film Swiss Miss (1938).

Personal life

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Mallory was first married at the age of 16, and by 1933 had married her second husband, film producer William Cagney, brother of James Cagney. She and William Cagney had two children, fraternal twins Jill and Stephan.[12] She was married to Herbert Marshall.[13] She died after a long illness in Santa Monica, California, on December 1, 1958.[2]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^
    • "Luther S. White". International Center of Photography. March 2, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
    • "Studios, White". Photography & The American Stage. Broadway Photographers. University of South Carolina. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
    • "NO SHOT, SAYS DOULL, IN THAT STUDIO FUSS; Didn't Know the Women Who Quarreled While He Was in the Place. AND SO SAYS HIS WIFE It All Happened So Quickly While We Were Chatting Around the Table, Says Mr. White -- Manager Angry". The New York Times. December 7, 1908. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
    • File:Luther S. White (1857-1936) obituary in the Times Union of Brooklyn, New York on 25 August 1936.jpg
    • https://www.ebay.com/itm/323871581657
  2. ^ a b Ellenberger, Allan R. (May 2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-7864-0983-9. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  3. ^ "'Boots' Mallory, Nell O'Day Went From South To Stardom In Movies". The Montgomery Advertiser. Alabama, Montgomery. Associated Press. August 7, 1932. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Just a Man Girls Forget, Models' Agent Complains". Daily News. New York, New York City. December 8, 1934. p. 15. Retrieved June 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ MSN Movies Hello Sister! Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved May 6, 2006.
  6. ^ "Presenting Boots Mallory, film debutante". The Indianapolis Star. December 13, 1932. p. 10. Retrieved September 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Japan, Alice (November 10, 2008). "Boots Mallory". flickr. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  8. ^ Japan, Alice (November 10, 2008). "Portraits of Boots Mallory by George Hurrell". flickr. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  9. ^ "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOOTS MALLORY". pillartopost.org. October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  10. ^ Audio Classics Archive - Lux Radio Theatre. Retrieved May 6, 2006.
  11. ^ "The Lux Radio Theatre". RadioGOLDINdex. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  12. ^ "Movie producer William Cagney dies". UPI.
  13. ^ Kear, Lynn; Rossman, John (March 30, 2016). The Complete Kay Francis Career Record: All Film, Stage, Radio and Television Appearances. McFarland. p. 251. ISBN 978-1-4766-0287-5. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
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