Patricia Ellis
| Patricia Ellis | |
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| Born | Patricia O'Brien (1918-05-20)May 20, 1918[1][2] Birmingham, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | March 26, 1970(1970-03-26) (aged 51) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Other names | Patricia Leftwich |
| Occupation | American film actress |
| Years active | 1932–1939 |
| Spouse(s) | George T. O'Maley (m. 1941) |
Patricia Ellis (born Patricia O'Brien, May 20, 1918 – March 26, 1970) was an American film actress of the 1930s.
Contents
1 Early years
2 Stage
3 Film
4 Singing
5 Personal life
6 Death
7 Partial filmography
8 References
9 External links
Early years
Born in Birmingham, Michigan,[3][4] Ellis was the oldest of four children born to Eugene Gladstone O'Brien, a Detroit insurance salesman, and Florence Calkins.[5][6] She was later known as Patricia Leftwich[7] after her step-father, Alexander Leftwich,[8] "an eminent New York producer of musical shows."[9] She had a step-brother, Alexander Leftwich Jr.[8] Her childhood activities included singing and dancing, and she learned French and German.[10]
A 1932 newspaper article said, "Since she was able to walk, Patricia has been familiar with the world of the theater, accompanying her father constantly to rehearsals and performances."[11]
Also in 1932, another newspaper reported, "She understudied all her father's leading women in the last few years, assisted him with lighting and costuming and knows stage production, too."[10]
Ellis attended Brantwood Hall School and Gardner School for Girls[11] and began her stage career after leaving school. She took classes in studio facilities while pursuing her acting career.[12]
Stage
Ellis "appeared with Chamberlain Browns stock company at Mount Vernon, N.Y., and at the Riviera Theater, New York City."[11]
Film
Given a film test while appearing on stage in New York City,[9] Ellis was put under contract by Warner Bros..[11] In 1932, she had two small parts, both uncredited, in the films Three on a Match and Central Park. That same year, she was one of fourteen girls chosen as WAMPAS Baby Stars; Ellis, at 14, was the youngest. Her first credited role was in the 1933 film The King's Vacation, starring George Arliss and Marjorie Gateson.
After that film, her career took off, with her starring mostly in lower-budget B-movies but still working steadily. She had roles in eight films in 1933, co-starring that year with James Cagney in Picture Snatcher, and in another seven in 1934. She started 1935 off with A Night at the Ritz, in which she had the lead female role, opposite William Gargan.[13]
She starred in seven films that year and another seven in 1936. Starring alongside some of Hollywood's biggest names, including James Cagney, Ricardo Cortez, and Bela Lugosi, Ellis's career was at its peak by 1937. Most of her roles were in comedy films, along with some mysteries and crime dramas, and by 1936 she was playing the female lead in almost all her films. She starred in five films that year, then only three in 1938, and finally just two in 1939.[13]
Singing
After her work in film, Ellis ventured into music saying, "I was just getting into a rut in Hollywood. ... I want to start a new career -- singing."[14] She made a soundie in 1941. A review in the trade publication Billboard commented: "Miss Ellis isn't bad on voice and excells (sic) on appearance. Men will pay attention to her."[15] In 1941, she and Blue Barron and his Orchestra were headliners, along with Henny Youngman, at Hamid's Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey[16] and appeared in the top-grossing Broadway hit, Louisiana Purchase, a musical comedy.[citation needed]
Personal life
Ellis retired in 1939 leaving Hollywood behind and on July 12, 1941,[14][17] married George T. O'Maley, a successful businessman from Kansas City, Missouri.[18][19] She settled into private life,[20] raising her family in Kansas City. The O'Maleys had one daughter.[14]
Death
Ellis remained married to O'Maley for the remainder of her life, dying of cancer at age 51 on March 26, 1970, in Kansas City.[21] George O'Maley died thirty years later, in 2000.[22] She was cremated.[2]
Partial filmography
Three on a Match (1932) (uncredited)
The King's Vacation (1933)
42nd Street (1933) (uncredited)
Elmer, the Great (1933)
Picture Snatcher (1933)
The Narrow Corner (1933)
The World Changes (1933)
Convention City (1933)
Easy to Love (1934)
The Circus Clown (1934)
Big Hearted Herbert (1934)
The St. Louis Kid (1934)
While the Patient Slept (1935)
Stranded (1935)
Bright Lights (1935)
The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935)
A Night at the Ritz (1935)
Freshman Love (1936)
Snowed Under (1936)
Postal Inspector (1936)
Step Lively, Jeeves! (1937)
Paradise for Two (1937)
Melody for Two (1937)
Rhythm in the Clouds (1937)
Block-Heads (1938) with Laurel and Hardy- Romance on the Run (1938)
Back Door to Heaven (1939)
Fugitive at Large (1939)
References
^ https://books.google.com/books?id=eSIhzKnNUf4C&pg=PA163&lpg=PA163&dq=Patricia+Ellis+1916+1970&source=bl&ots=C7GLD5BhkI&sig=QwDi1vxP-EBGKur2r5MmG1GH-xw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiRg9bnkdvYAhWPYt8KHXhrAjc4ChDoAQg2MAM#v=onepage&q=Patricia%20Ellis%201916%201970&f=false
^ ab https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA225&lpg=PA225&dq=Patricia+Ellis+1916+1970+cremated&source=bl&ots=UkPHMDFEG1&sig=MajuYDG3G3uxZ_x01mWZsKs5Tz0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiK8LqUktvYAhXHRN8KHf2oApwQ6AEIVzAO#v=onepage&q=Patricia%20Ellis%201916%201970%20cremated&f=false
^ "The Cincinnati Enquirer, December 8, 1935, p.100, "Only 17, But Going Places"".
^ New York Times (March 28, 1970). "'Patricia Ellis Dies; A Screen Actress'". p. 27.
^ United States Bureau of the Census (1930). 15th census population, Vol. 168. p. Enumeration District 82–551, Sheet 12-A.
^ ""Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," database with images, image 154 of 355". FamilySearch. county courthouses, Ohio. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
^ Roy Liebman (January 1, 2000). The Wampas Baby Stars: A Biographical Dictionary, 1922-1934. McFarland. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-7864-0756-9.
^ ab "The Final Curtain". Billboard. January 25, 1947. p. 43. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
^ ab "Portrait of Young Girl On Her Way Somewhere". Utah, Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake Tribune. October 30, 1932. p. 38. Retrieved December 15, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ab "Baby Role Irks Patricia Ellis; Grown-Up Film Parts Her Goal". North Carolina, Statesville. Statesville Record And Landmark. October 11, 1932. p. 14. Retrieved December 15, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ abcd "Daughter of Famous Director Is Signed by Picture Company". Montana, Butte. Montana Butte Standard. June 5, 1932. p. 23. Retrieved December 15, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Takes Schoolbooks to Studio". Pennsylvania, Gettysburg. The Gettysburg Times. May 24, 1932. p. 3. Retrieved December 15, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ab Patricia Ellis on IMDb
^ abc Wagner, Laura (Fall 2015). "Patricia Ellis: "I'd Like to Do Characters"". Films of the Golden Age (82): 55–56.
^ "Movie Machine Reviews: Reel 1035" (PDF). Billboard. October 25, 1941. p. 72. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
^ "AC Trade Best in 12 Seasons" (PDF). Billboard. August 9, 1941. p. 50. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
^ "Patricia Ellis Weds in the East" (July 15, 1941). "Los Angeles Times p. A1" – via Proquest.
^ George had previously married in 1937 to Edith Marie Banks.
^ George's first marriage in 1937 to Edith Marie Banks was likely annulled
^ Polk's Kansas City Directory1955, page 714.
^ U.S. Social Security Death Index; accessed May 6, 2017.
^ George O'Maley, findagrave.com; accessed May 6, 2017.
External links
Patricia Ellis at AllMovie- Patricia Ellis brief bio
Patricia Ellis at Virtual History- Patricia Ellis O'Brien "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957" https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24KT-TRM
- Patricia Ellis, evidence supporting 1918 birth year: 1. www.ancestry.com, 1920 US Census Data for Patricia O'Brien, daughter of Eugene and Florence O'Brien, Detroit, Michigan (Patricia Ellis's birthplace, Birmingham, Wayne County, is a suburb of Detroit, Michigan). 2. www.newspapers.com, "Patricia Ellis Feels No Older As She Turns 21" Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), June 15, 1939, p. 20. 3. www.newspapers.com "Marriage Revealed by Patricia Ellis", Detroit Free Press (Detroit, Michigan), July 15, 1941, p. 4. 4. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24KT-TRM, USS Roma ship manifest, arriving New York October 1, 1937, listed passenger Patricia Ellis O'Brien, age 19, as born May 20, 1918, Detroit, Michigan, and living in Beverly Hills, California. 5. www.newspapers.com "Hollywood's Youngest Leading Lady" St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri), April 10, 1935, p. 37. 6. www.newspapers.com "Only 17, But Going Places" Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, Ohio), December 8, 1935, p. 100. 7. www.newspapers.com "Patricia Ellis Weds in East", Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California), July 15, 1941, p. 23.
- Patricia Ellis (using her birth name Patricia Gene O'Brien), July 12, 1941 marriage certificate, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-B59Y-J?i=153&cc=1614804
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