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You are here: Home / Movie Star Biographies / Mary Carlisle, Former Wampas Baby Star, Bing Crosby Co-Star Turns 100 Today

Mary Carlisle, Former Wampas Baby Star, Bing Crosby Co-Star Turns 100 Today

February 3, 2013 By Cliff Aliperti 4 Comments

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Mary Carlisle 1930s Godfrey Phillips Beauties of To-Day Series 7 Tobacco Card

“This girl has the most angelic face I ever saw. I’ve got to make a test of her right away.” — Attributed to Carl Laemmle, Jr.

Mary Carlisle 1930s 8x10 Theater Handout Premium

Born in Boston, Massachussets, February 3, 1914, beautiful Mary Carlisle, who appeared in the bulk of her sixty-plus films during the 1930s, turns 100 years old today!

Mary Carlisle 1936 Godfrey Phillips Stars of the Screen Tobacco CardBest remembered today as a Wampas Baby Star of 1932, a class that also included stars such as Patricia Ellis, Gloria Stuart and Ginger Rogers, and for appearing in three Bing Crosby films: College Humor (1933), Double or Nothing (1937) and Dr. Rhythm (1938), the petite Carlisle retired from films after appearing in the PRC low budget horror film Dead Men Walk (1943) starring George Zucco.

On March 14, 1942 Carlisle married James Blakely and was gone from movies soon after. The couple had been connected by the press as an item since Blakely’s arrival from England for Hollywood in 1934. Blakely had acted in over a dozen movies himself during the ’30s, though by the time of his marriage to Carlisle he was referred to as a British-born aviator in most reports. It was World War II after all. Blakely resumed his Hollywood career as a 20th Century-Fox executive in the 1960s. Carlisle widowed him in 2007.

After their marriage and the birth of son, James, Jr., Mary Carlisle busied herself in a new career for the Elizabeth Arden Salon in Beverly Hills. A 1958 news clipping reported her to be one of the “most efficient and charming salon hostesses.” Newspaper articles still have her affiliated with the Salon as late as 1972.

Lionel Barrymore and Mary Carlisle 1935 Carreras Famous Film Stars Tobacco CardBesides her Crosby efforts and the public domain PRC film you may have seen the petite ingenue with Wheeler in Woolsey in Kentucky Kernels (1934), with Jimmy Durante and Lupe Velez in Palooka (1934) or as Lionel Barrymore and Alice Brady’s daughter in Should Ladies Behave (1933).

She’s Barrymore’s daughter again the following year in This Side of Heaven (1934) and pals with a co-star of that film, Una Merkel, in Murder in the Private Car later in 1934. The pair also appeared in It’s in the Air (1935) starring Jack Benny. Carlisle is featured in support in 1935’s Kind Lady, her only film credit that has been covered in detail on this site HERE.

She had pre-WAMPAS bits in Madam Satan (1930) and Grand Hotel (1932) and meatier early parts in titles such as Night Court (1932) starring Walter Huston, Down to Earth (1932) starring Will Rogers and Men Must Fight (1933) with Lewis Stone and Diana Wynyard. Then came College Humor with Crosby after which the busiest part of her career developed, most immediately into those few better known roles listed above.

Mary Carlisle was awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in, according to the official website, 1960. Wikipedia notes the date as 2010, but my immediate assumption that this is an error caused by the date that this Los Angeles Times Star Walk profile was posted.

Mary Carlisle was one of those beauties of the 1930s who seemingly left the screen on her own terms for marriage and family. Watching the eye popping movie starlet today she’s got enough presence and talent on top of those looks to make you wonder why you don’t know her better than you do. While her film credits lack a signature title, she’s appeared alongside enough legends to sustain at least some movie immortality.

Happy 100th!

Mary Carlisle MGM Promotional Portrait from the early 1930s.

Glamorous Mary Carlisle MGM Promotional Portrait from the early 1930s.

Mary Carlisle 1940 Godfrey Phillips Beauties Tobacco Card

This 1940 Godfrey Phillips tobacco card of Mary Carlisle presents a colorized image of the same photo used in the black & white card from the same issuer shown at the top of this page.

Mary Carlisle 1933 Lux Soap 5x7 Premium

Ruth Channing and Mary Carlisle 1930s MGM Promotional Photo

Early 1930s MGM Promotional Photo puts Mary Carlisle on the beach with fellow starlet Ruth Channing.

Mary Carlisle 1939 Rothmans Beauties Tobacco Card

Mary Carlisle tobacco card from a very popular circular set issued by Rothmans in 1939.

Jean Parker and Mary Carlisle 1930s Promotional Portrait

Mary Carlisle with another young MGMer made good, Jean Parker, on an early 1930s Promotional Portrait.

Mary Carlisle 1930s A. Batschari German Tobacco Card

1930s A. Batschari German Tobacco Card

Mary Carlisle 1938 Movie Millions Game Card

1938 Game Card from Movie Millions set.

Mary Carlisle 1930s BAT Modern Beauties Series 1 Tobacco Card
[phpbaysidebar title=”Mary Carlise on eBay” keywords=”Mary Carlisle,Mary Carlyle” num=”5″ siteid=”1″ category=”45100″ sort=”EndTimeSoonest” minprice=”29″ maxprice=”499″ id=”2″]

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Filed Under: Movie Star Biographies, News - Notes Tagged With: Bing Crosby, Birthdays, calendar, elizabeth arden, james blakely, Mary Carlisle, mary carlyle

← TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar – 3 Lists, 18 Picks for February 2013 on TCM Wampas Baby Star Resource Page Posted to Immortal Ephemera →

About Cliff

I write about old movies and movie stars from the 1920s to the 1950s. I also sell movie cards, still photos and other ephemera. Immortal Ephemera connects the stories with the collectibles. Read More…



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Comments

  1. Larry B. Larson says

    November 3, 2014 at 1:26 am

    Hi, Was looking at an old photo of myself today framed in 1942-3, I was about two or three years old, and underneath was a picture of MaryCarlisle. I was amazed at how pretty she is. I hope she is well and doing fine. Thank you. Larry

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    • Cliff Aliperti says

      November 4, 2014 at 4:13 pm

      Hi Larry, every so often I see notice from a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend (etc.) on Facebook that she’s doing fine, and I too hope that continue to be the case! She really radiated youth in the early ’30s and, I agree, very pretty.

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  2. Anonymous says

    August 5, 2016 at 9:11 pm

    Hi; do you know if Mary Carlisle ever had a last name of Blakeley? thanks, Joyce Granville

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  1. Mary Carlisle at 101: The Last of the WAMPAS Stars | Nitrate Diva says:
    February 3, 2015 at 11:06 pm

    […] For more information about Carlisle, I strongly recommend this typically thorough post at Immortal Ephemera. […]

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