Jean Darling
| Jean Darling | |
|---|---|
 Darling in the 1920s |
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| Born | August 23, 1922 Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1927-present |
| Spouse | Reuben Bowen (1954-present) |
| Website | |
| http://indigo.ie/~jdarling/ | |
Jean Darling (born August 23, 1922) is a former American child actress who was a regular in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1927 to 1929. She remains the last surviving cast member from the silent era.
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[edit] Career
Born as Dorothy Jean LeVake, Jean Darling began in movies at six months old as a freelance baby got her break in 1926 when she passed her screen test and was accepted for a part in the Hal Roach Our Gang series. By that stage her name had been changed to Jean Darling. Darling appeared in 46 silents and 6 talkies with Our Gang" during this period.
She continued to appear in films after leaving the gang, including an appearance in Laurel & Hardy's adaptation of Babes in Toyland (uncredited) and as the young Jane in Jane Eyre, both in 1934. A round of stage and radio shows followed. Stage shows involved up to seven performances a day. It was a punishing schedule for a fourteen-year-old, and that was not taking into account her educational studies. Darling began to study singing, and in 1940 she was given a scholarship by the New York Municipal Opera Association. She turned down an offer to play alongside Mickey Rooney in one of the MGM Andy Hardy movies.[citation needed]
Instead, she went on Broadway, making her debut in the musical Count Me In in 1942. Darling's stage career hit a real high when she landed the role of Carrie Pipperidge in the original Broadway production of Carousel in 1945. She appeared in 850 consecutive performances.[1]
Her role as Carrie helped her with parts for radio and TV in the 1950s and Jean hosted her own television show for NBC in New York City, A Date with Jean Darling. Her daily TV show for women, The Singing Knit-Witch, was aired on KHJ-TV in Hollywood.
[edit] Personal life
Jean Darling married Reuben Bowen (aka Kajer the Magician); they had one son, Roy.
Jean has outlived every original Our Gang member.
[edit] Later years
Since 1974, Darling has been living in Dublin, Ireland, where she has written mystery stories and has had over 50 short stories published in the Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Whispers.
As "Aunty Poppy", she reads stories, which she wrote herself, on RTÉ radio and TV. She has also written plays for radio and has worked as a journalist.
[edit] References
- ^ Green, Stanley. Encyclopedia of The Musical Theatre: An Updated Reference (1980). Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306801132. pp. 63–64.
[edit] External links
- Jean Darling at the Internet Movie Database
- Jean Darling at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jean Darling at AllRovi
- Her Website
