Ann Christy (born Gladys Cronin; May 31, 1905 – November 14, 1987) was an American motion picture actress, whose screen career was relatively brief, spanning only five years, from 1927 in the late

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

to the early years of

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by ...

Career

Born Gladys Cronin in

Logansport, Indiana Logansport is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Indiana, United States. The population was 18,366 at the 2020 census. Logansport is located in northern Indiana at the junction of the Wabash and Eel rivers, northwest of Kokomo. H ...

, Christy left Indiana and relocated to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

where she attended Polytechnic High School in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

. She intended to pursue a career in business, but was persuaded by friends to try acting. She made her film debut in a bit part in the 1927 film ''

Long Pants ''Long Pants'' (also known as ''Johnny Newcomer'') is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Frank Capra and starring Harry Langdon. Additional cast members include Gladys Brockwell, Alan Roscoe, and Priscilla Bonner. Plot The sile ...

'', starring

Harry Langdon Harry Philmore Langdon (June 15, 1884 – December 22, 1944) was an American comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films (where he had his greatest fame), and talkies.Obituary ''Variety'', December 27, 1944, page 39. Life and career Bor ...

. That same year, she was awarded an

Al Christie Charles Herbert Christie (April 13, 1882 – October 1, 1955) and Alfred Ernest Christie (November 23, 1886 – April 14, 1951) were Canadian motion picture entrepreneurs. Early life Charles Herbert Christie was born between April 13, 1 ...

comedy leading lady film contract in May 1927. She appeared in film comedies with

Bobby Vernon Bobby Vernon (born Sylvion de Jardin) (March 9, 1897 – June 28, 1939) was an American comedic actor in silent films. He later became a writer and comedy supervisor at Paramount for W. C. Fields and Bing Crosby, when the sound era arrived. Blu ...

and Neal Burns. In 1928, Christy was selected by

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary '' Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film c ...

from more than fifty applicants to play his leading lady in the comedy ''

Speedy Speedy refers to something or someone moving at high speed. Speedy may refer to: Ships * HMS Speedy, HMS ''Speedy'', nine ships of the Royal Navy * Speedy-class brig, ''Speedy''-class brig, a class of naval ship * Speedy (1779 ship), ''Speedy' ...

'' (1928). That same year, she was selected one of thirteen

WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...

. Following her success in ''Speedy'', Christy vacationed in New York. When she returned to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

, she discovered that she had been forgotten. She returned to acting with parts in collegian film serials with

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

. In 1931, Christy sued the

Herbert M. Baruch Corporation The Herbert M. Baruch Corporation (commonly the ''Baruch Corporation'') was one of the largest general contractors in Southern California during the early to mid-20th century. During its existence from 1920 to 1955 the company constructed over 50 ...

for $100,730 in damages. She said she sustained multiple fractures and other injuries when she drove her car into a ditching machine, which she contended was left on the highway by the defendants, without the proper lights. It is not clear what the verdict was. She made her last onscreen appearance in the 1932 film '' Behind Stone Walls'', starring Edward J. Nugent.

Personal life and death

Christy married Robert Lee More Jr., and they lived on the

Waggoner Ranch The Waggoner Ranch is a historic north Texas ranch located 13 miles south of Vernon, Texas. The land was used primarily to raise crops, beef cattle and horses as well as for oil production. It was notable for being the largest ranch within one fen ...

in Texas. She died in

Vernon, Texas Vernon is a city and the county seat of Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. and as of the 2010 Census had a population of 11,002. History The original town was called Eagle Springs by the indigenous community as early as 1858. After the ...

of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

in 1987, aged 82.

Filmography

References

* ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'', "Harold Lloyd Finds Lead In Ann Christy", July 9, 1927, Page A7. * ''Los Angeles Times'', "Comedy Recruits", July 17, 1927, Page J4. * ''Los Angeles Times'', "World Travel Is Cherished Ambition Of Leading Lady", July 24, 1927, Page C13. * ''Los Angeles Times'', "Jury Hearing Ann Christy Tale of Crash", April 15, 1931, Page A5. * '' Olean, New York Evening Times'', "Movie Chat", June 5, 1930, Page 11.

External links

*
Ann Christy
at Virtual History 1905 births 1987 deaths Actresses from California American film actresses American silent film actresses People from Logansport, Indiana 20th-century American actresses WAMPAS Baby Stars {{US-film-actor-1900s-stub