Baby Peggy
A documentary chronicling the shared experiences of prominent former child stars and the personal and professional price of fame and failure on a child.
Documentary about an extraordinary lady, Diana Serra Cary (born Peggy-Jean Montgomery). In the early 1920s she was one of Hollywood's first major child stars, Baby Peggy.
Among the pieces featured in Fragments are the final reel of John Ford's The Village Blacksmith (1922) and a glimpse at Emil Jannings in The Way of All Flesh (1927), the only Oscar®-winning performance in a lost film. Fragments also features clips from such lost films as Cleopatra (1917), starring Theda Bara; The Miracle Man (1919), with Lon Chaney; He Comes Up Smiling (1918), starring Douglas Fairbanks; an early lost sound film, Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929), filmed in early Technicolor, and the only color footage of silent star Clara Bow, Red Hair (1928). The program is rounded out with interviews of film preservationists involved in identifying and restoring these films. Also featured is a new interview with Diana Serra Cary, best known as "Baby Peggy", one of the major American child stars of the silent era, who discusses one of the featured fragments, Darling of New York (1923).
Teddy, an overworked New York office girl, seeks 2 weeks of rest and relaxation at a camp in the Catskills. She is definitely not a happy camper because of the crowded and noisy conditions. She tries her best to fit in and, after an initial dislike, falls for college educated Chick, a waiter at the camp. Teddy becomes suspicious of his motives, however, and he becomes alarmed when she spends an innocent night in the cabin of a rival suitor. All ends happily, however, as their love proves true enough and trust triumphs over suspicions.
Michael 'Nuggin' Taylor and Powdah save lives during a sea tragedy in this story about the slave trade on the high seas during 1842.
At the turn of the century, a young man graduates high school and realizes the joys and sorrows of growing up, with some loving help and guidance from his wise father. A tender, coming-of-age story, with a wonderful look at a long-gone, but fondly remembered, small town America.
The cult of Ubasti, headquartered on the isle of Lemuria, believes that Princess Nadji of Egypt is a reincarnation of their long-dead goddess, Ossana, and intend to sacrifice her so that Ossana may be resurrected. Nadji has sought refuge at the California home of Frank Chandler, an American educated in the Ancient East and familiar with White Magic and thus calls himself "Chandu". Vindhyan, high priest of the cult's California base has learned of this, however, and works his Black Magic to gain control of Nadji. Chandu is able to rescue her but she is in a deep trance which he cannot penetrate, so attempts to move her to safety in the South Seas, unaware that the cult has a base there also and that Vindhyan has stowed aboard his chartered yacht. One of two feature films edited from the same-title, same-year movie serial, this one is comprised of the first four chapters simply edited together.
In an exclusive Swiss school for young girls, Christa Storm discovers she is going to have a baby, and keeps the secret from everyone but her lover, David Perrin, a young medical student. Having been in the private school most of her life, she can't confide in her father whom she hardly knows and, while he wishes to but can't afford to marry her, David can't get the approval of his father.a
The short plays more like a film....just very condensed. It begins with the Mustangs in trouble in their championship series...all the players are banged up and they're being clobbered. But a sports reporter (Eugene Pallette) insists that his nephew, Minor, can really play ball and will help the team win.
An out-of-work pants presser starts an umbrella business and makes a fortune. His daughter is set to marry the nephew of a rich neighbor until the nephew is accused of stealing money from his uncle--but the money was really stolen by the rich man's son.
A young man, who has vowed never to marry and doesn't particularly like children, is left in charge of his two very young nieces. At first they drive him to distraction, but then he begins to warm to them, and also to a beautiful young local girl.
During a tempestuous storm, a lighthouse keeper finds an infant girl who washes ashore tied to some wreckage. He adopts her and they become inseparable. Eventually her real family finds her and wants her to live with them.
The Family Secret is an early film adaptation of a popular 19th century melodrama. The plot concerns the daughter of a wealthy man who has secretly married a man below her station of whom her father violently disapproves. The father, in an excess of parental concern, separates the lovers by sending his daughter away so that she might forget her inamorata, unaware of their married state; during this time, she gives birth to a daughter. After some months, the young mother returns to her family manor and presents her father with his new granddaughter, which causes a most unfortunate scene. Unbeknownst to the young woman, her enraged father falsely accuses his son-in-law of theft and has him incarcerated in order to separate the lovers in an irrational attempt to force his daughter to forget this "unworthy" young man.
Paul and Rhoda Remsen, having marital difficulties, separate; and each is awarded custody of their child Peggy for 6 months of the year. Rhoda and Peggy move to a farm town, while Paul remains in the big city to write a play for actress Inez Lamont, who is in love with him. Peggy knows that her mother still loves Paul, so she flees to the big city to explain the situation to her father.
In a dual role, Baby Peggy plays the Morgan twins—one who lives with her wealthy parents, and her identical sibling, who is adopted by the impoverished owner of a small-gauge tourist train. Chaos erupts for all concerned when the chase for a lost coin and a case of mistaken identity fortuitously reunites the sisters.
The 'secretary' of a busy newspaperman is revealed to be a cherubic small child, Baby Peggy. When a rich woman's pearl necklace is stolen, Baby Peggy's employer promises to make the reporter who cracks the case Editor-in-Chief. The little girl seizes the opportunity, and -- several disguises and chases later, with the grudging aid of the office-boy -- duly returns with the jewels to achieve promotion, with all the adults scurrying to serve her.
Santussa, an orphan who becomes separated from her nurse en route to America to live with her grandfather, is cared for by gangsters who hide their stolen jewels in her ragdoll. In New York, Big Mike, finding Santussa a nuisance, dumps her and the doll in a trash can, where a newsboy finds her. After several adventures, Santussa finds her grandfather, the jewels are handed over to customs officials, and the gang of crooks is reformed.
Tommy Frazer is one of a gang of crooks lead by "Tony the Wop". Frazer gets caught and is sent up the river for three years on a forgery rap. When he gets out of prison, he finds his girl, Ann Whittaker, waiting for him -- and she's got a scheme. She is working in a bank and wants to pull an inside heist.
Baby Peggy, one of the biggest child stars in movie history, does not disappoint in this charming silent comedy, even though it only exists in fragmentary form. Through the short, she interacts with a number of animals, especially a goose she wants to cook.
A 1921 American silent short film directed by Fred Hibbard for Century Film Company and starring Baby Peggy and Brownie the dog. It was rediscovered in Switzerland in 2010.
A documentary about child actors in Hollywood, exploring their history from the early days of film.
Baby Peggy is joined by her star-making partner, Brownie the Wonder Dog and is in a circus as a junior clown.
