" Babyface "
~ A Tribute to Nancy Carroll ~
Nancy Carroll was born Ann Veronica Lahiff in Manhattan on November 19, 1903. Until film historian and writer Dan Van Neste learned from Patricia Kirkland Bevan that Nancy was born in 1903, there had always been a conflict in the year of her birth. I had found that it most often alternated between 1904 and 1905 depending on the source. Nancy was born to Irish immigrant parents and came from a large Irish-Catholic family. Nancy's name may not bring instant recognition to the average movie-goer, but Nancy Carroll's star certainly has earned a spot in Hollywood Heaven. She was one of the comparatively few performers who successfully made the transition from "silents" to "talkies". At the height of her fame in the early '30s, she was rivaled only by a young Shirley Temple. Nancy could dance well, and although she wasn't a diva, her pleasant enough trill, the type of singing that was very popular for the day, helped make her an instant success in early Hollywood musicals.
Nancy Carroll should not be overlooked by anyone interested in the films of the '20s and '30s. There is no disputing the fact that Nancy's place in film history has been secured. She possibly holds the distinction of being the first actress to " sing " and " dance " on a Hollywood sound-stage, and at the very least, was one of the first stars " created " by the talkies. Her earliest roles may have been in musicals, but Nancy was also an accomplished dramatic actress. In 1930, she narrowly lost the Academy Award for the Best Performance by an Actress to Norma Shearer. Nancy's portrayal of Hallie Hobart, a manicurist in Paramount's " The Devil's Holiday " is considered to be one of her finest works. Between 1927 and 1938, which were her " career years", Nancy starred in 42 films, quite an impressive accomplishment by anyone's standards.
Ironically, I first learned of Nancy Carroll around the time of her death. I was just 11 years old. It was about that same time I met a friend whose grandparents had an ardent interest in some of the " older " stars of Hollywood -- Jean Harlow, Clara Bow and Nancy Carroll,just to name a few. My paternal grandmother "Clara" (Concetta), was also a fan of these same actresses, and actually "changed " her name to Clara in honor of Miss Bow. Grandma Clara filled my head with stories about these classic stars and I was instantly fascinated by these beautiful women who defied convention, each in her own way. It marked the beginning of my interest in early Hollywood. Clara and Jean were perhaps sexier, and certainly experienced more than their fair share of scandal, but it was Nancy Carroll -- she of the cherubic baby face, sea-blue eyes, flaming red hair and hot temper who left an indelible impression on me.
As I learned more about Nancy Carroll's life and career, what I found most impressive was her refusal to allow the studio to control her personal life. While it may be true that the very same qualities I admire in her (independence, guts, and fiery spirit-- she was most definitely a woman before her time), ultimately cost Nan her film career, thankfully, she was able to leave her mark on Hollywood during that short, but nevertheless important period of time.
Nancy very well may have been temperamental-- some sources have even said "bitchy", and she was by all means head-strong. She was also unwilling to compromise her values and beliefs. She didn't hide the fact she was married, and she refused to leave her baby daughter behind in New York with her family. This move was a major career risk. Such a revelation could have been the kiss of death for the career of a young actress because the studios wanted their stars to at least give the illusion of availabilty. Despite marriage and motherhood, her career managed to survive as her fans embraced her. In the end, it was not the love for her family that caused her star to descend, rather it was her rebellious hot-tempered nature, bad press, poor roles, and last but not least, her baby face, that ended up costing her the celluloid fame she so richly deserved. Her baby face turned out not to be a problem for photographers and cameramen as expected, but instead,it was a problem for the directors and producers, who just couldn't imagine Nancy's baby face in some of the meatier roles. This "handicap" would have been no problem for Nancy, because as a tremendously talented actress, she would have welcomed the challenge. Had she been given the opportunity to play more of the coveted dramatic roles, I am convinced she would be a household name today.
Nancy was very smart, pretty and above all, a very talented actress. But because she was a star who defied convention, she eventually paid the ultimate price for rebuffing Hollywood -- the death of her movie career. She tried to hang in there and she attempted to fight for roles she felt more befitting, but eventually mismanagement, her temperament and fierce independence caught up with her. Although for a time, some of Nancy's filming was done at Paramount's Astoria, N.Y. studio, she spent approximately 11 years in Hollywood. Many of the roles in which Nan had been cast did nothing to showcase her formidable talents, and more importantly, did nothing for her self-esteem. After several disappointing films, she left Hollywood. Nancy returned to New York, her family, and to the stage. For the remainder of her life she continued to act, sometimes on television, but mostly in live theatre productions. She had been appearing in a Nyack, New York stage production of "Never Too Late" at the time of her unexpected death in 1965. She was only 61 years old.
In the early 1970s I read a book highlighting the career of Miss Carroll. It was written by Paul Nemcek and was called simply, " The Films of Nancy Carroll " To my knowledge, it is the only book written exclusively about Nancy Carroll. After reading Mr. Nemcek's book, I was further enchanted and captivated by this gamine, curly red-headed darling of the Depression era. The book is long out of print(1969) but it may be secreted on a shelf in your local library. Information about how you can purchase this book can be found at The " Shopworn Angel's " Shoppe.
Over the years my admiration and respect for Nancy Carroll has grown, which is one of the reasons I've decided to pay tribute to her with this site. I also hope this website will introduce Miss Carroll and her films to a new generation of movie-lovers, as well as stimulate an interest in the preservation of Hollywood's classic films and vintage Hollywood.
Very few of Nancy Carroll's films are readily available on video today. To my knowledge, only four of them are available commerically ; The Dance of Life, Scarlet Dawn, Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round and That Certain Age. Several others are believed to be in public domain and can be found in the collections of private film buffs. There are a few such persons who regularly sell old movies from private collections at eBay Auctions. Some of Nancy's films have been carefully preserved, but others have deteriorated beyond repair, and some have been lost forever. Occasionally, her movies will air on a classic movie station. When they do, I advise watching them and whenever possible, taping them for your own collection. Because I haven't seen many of Nancy's movies, some of my opinions as to the full body of Nancy's work have been formed by known critiques, as well as by the opinions of my late grandparents and other fans. But as for those performances I've had the good fortune to have seen, Nancy was absolutely wonderful ! Nancy was a true talent and her reviews prove she was an extremely versatile actress who excelled in comedy, musicals and drama with aplomb. Links to websites selling videos of her readily available films can be found at The Shoppe.
Noted film critic John Springer once wrote, " She was a bigger star and better actress than her obituaries let you know." In "The Films of Nancy Carroll", Mr. Nemcek recalled how in later years Nancy accepted responsibility for her lost film career. Mr. Nemcek punctuated Ms. Carroll's revelation with the following words, " She was young, rebellious and lost the friendship of many influential executives, and when a few of her pictures failed at the box office, no attempt was made to save her. " What a travesty and a loss for us all!
**Note ~ Since creating this website, I have acquired several of Nancy's movies. In the future, I will present opinions and reviews (my own as well as others), of several of Nancy's films. I invite Nancy's fans to write me about Nancy and her movies. If you want your opinions and reviews printed at " Babyface " ~ A Tribute to Nancy Carroll, just let me know and I will do my best to honor your request.
