Helen Mack (born Helen McDougall; November 13, 1913 – August 13, 1986) was an American actress. She started her career as a child actress in
silent films
A silent film is a film with no synchronized 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) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...
, moving to
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
plays and touring one of the
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
circuits. Her greater success as an actress was as a leading lady in the 1930s. She made the transition to performing on radio and then into writing, directing, and producing shows during the
Golden Age of Radio. She later wrote for Broadway, stage and television. Her career spanned the infancy of the motion picture industry, the beginnings of Broadway, the final days of vaudeville, the transition to sound movies, the Golden Age of Radio, and the rise of television.
Youth and stage
Mack was born in
Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island. The popul ...
,
the daughter of William George McDougall, a
barber
A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...
, and Regina (née Lenzer) McDougall, who had a repressed desire to become an actress. She attended the
Professional Children's School of New York City.
[ Her friend Vera Gordon helped her along as a child actress.] She appeared on Broadway and in vaudeville and debuted in films at age 10 in 1925.[ Her stage debut was in ''The Idle Inn'' with Jacob Benami. She performed with ]Roland Young
Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...
in ''The Idle Inn'' and toured America with William Hodge in ''Straight Through The Door''.
Film actress
Mack began her film career, first billed as Helen Macks, at the age of 10 in the 1923 silent '' Success'', featuring Brandon Tynan
Brandon Tynan (born James William Tynan; April 11, 1875 – March 19, 1967) was an Irish-born American stage and screen actor. In his early stage career he appeared with Alla Nazimova on Broadway in her early years after migrating from Russia. He ...
, Naomi Childers
Naomi Weston Childers (November 15, 1892 – May 9, 1964), was an American silent film actress whose career lasted until the mid-20th century.
English ancestry, child actress
She was born of English parentage in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Later ...
and Mary Astor
Mary Astor (born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke; May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an American actress. Although her career spanned several decades, she may be best remembered for her performance as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in '' The Maltese ...
. In ''Zaza'', Mack worked with Gloria Swanson
Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most f ...
. She had a small role in D.W. Griffith
David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...
's last film '' The Struggle'' (1931).
Her Fox Film
The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film C ...
screen test came in March 1931, and within three weeks she was on the studio lot. She made her debut as a leading lady opposite Victor McLaglen
Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen (10 December 1886 – 7 November 1959) was a British boxer-turned-Hollywood actor.Obituary ''Variety'', 11 November 1959, page 79. He was known as a character actor, particularly in Westerns, and made sev ...
in '' While Paris Sleeps'' (1932) and was cast with John Boles in his initial Fox Film venture ''Scotch Valley''. She played in several westerns in the early 1930s, including ''Fargo Express
''Fargo Express'' is a 1933 American pre-Code Western film directed by Alan James and starring Ken Maynard, Helen Mack and Roy Stewart.Darby, p. 355
Cast
* Ken Maynard as Ken Benton
* Helen Mack as Helen Clark
* Roy Stewart as Sam Goss
* ...
'' (1933) with Ken Maynard and '' The California Trail'' with Buck Jones
Buck Jones (born Charles Frederick Gebhart; December 12, 1891 – November 30, 1942) was an American actor, known for his work in many popular Western movies. In his early film appearances, he was credited as Charles Jones.
Early life, milita ...
.
Before the film ''Sweepings'' (1933), Mack's career had declined for three years. Three of her productions failed. One reason was that she was usually a character star, and her employers had used her as an ingenue. RKO Radio Pictures Inc. offered her a second chance as Mamie Donahue in '' Sweepings
''Sweepings'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by John Cromwell, written by Lester Cohen, and starring Lionel Barrymore, Eric Linden, William Gargan, Gloria Stuart and Alan Dinehart. It was released on April 14, 1933, by RKO Pictu ...
''.
She may be best remembered for the 1933 movie sequel ''The Son of Kong
''The Son of Kong'' (also known and publicized simply as ''Son of Kong'') is a 1933 American Pre-Code adventure monster film produced by RKO Pictures. Directed by Ernest Schoedsack and featuring special effects by Willis O'Brien and Buzz Gibson ...
'', as 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 co ...
's sister in ''The Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye. ...
'' (1936), and as suicidal Molly Malloy in the screwball crime comedy ''His Girl Friday
''His Girl Friday'' is a 1940 American screwball comedy directed by Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell and featuring Ralph Bellamy and Gene Lockhart. It was released by Columbia Pictures. The plot centers on a newspaper edito ...
'' (1940) with Cary Grant
Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...
and Rosalind Russell
Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, comedienne, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary ''Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in the H ...
. She also played an important role as Tanya in Merian C. Cooper
Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American filmmaker and Academy Award winner, as well as a former aviator who served as an officer in the United States Air Force and Polish Air Force. In film, he is credited a ...
's production of H. Rider Haggard's ''She
She most commonly refers to:
*She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English.
She or S.H.E. may also refer to:
Literature and films
*'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...
'' (1935). Her other roles included the bank-robbing ingenue opposite Richard Cromwell
Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who was the second and last Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and son of the first Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell.
On his father's death ...
and Lionel Atwill
Lionel Alfred William Atwill (1 March 1885 – 22 April 1946) was an English stage and screen actor. He began his acting career at the Garrick Theatre. After coming to the U.S., he subsequently appeared in various Broadway plays and Hollywood f ...
in 1937's ''The Wrong Road
''The Wrong Road'' is a 1937 American crime drama film directed by James Cruze and starring Richard Cromwell, Helen Mack, and Lionel Atwill. The film is now in the public domain.
Plot
A young unmarried couple (Cromwell and Mack), whose plans ...
'' for RKO
RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...
.
Later career
In the early 1940s, Mack performed in the radio series '' Myrt and Marge'', replacing actress Donna Damerel after Damerel's sudden death in childbirth. She was chosen from more than 200 applicants for the role.
During that decade and the next, Mack also worked as a producer and director of radio programs, including such series as ''Richard Diamond, Private Detective
''Richard Diamond, Private Detective'' is an American detective drama, created by Blake Edwards, which aired on radio from 1949 to 1953, and on television from 1957 to 1960.
Radio
Dick Powell starred in the ''Richard Diamond, Private Detective' ...
''; ''The Saint
The Saint may refer to:
Fiction
* Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations:
** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...
''; and ''Meet Corliss Archer
''Meet Corliss Archer'' is an American radio program from radio's Golden Age that ran from January 7, 1943, to September 30, 1956. Although it was CBS's answer to NBC's ''A Date with Judy'', it was also broadcast by NBC in 1948 as a summer repla ...
''. She also co-wrote ''A Date with Judy
''A Date with Judy'' is a comedy radio series aimed at a teenage audience which ran from 1941 to 1950.
The series was co-created by Jerome Lawrence and Aleen Leslie, and based on Leslie's “One Girl Chorus” column in the Pittsburgh Press. La ...
'' with Aleen Leslie. As TV displaced radio, Mack continued to write plays and TV episodes until her death.
In 1949, she collaborated with Roger Price in writing the children's record ''Gossamer Wump
''Gossamer Wump'' is a children's record, published in 1949 by Capitol Records, about a boy who learns to play the triangle. The story is narrated by Frank Morgan, a Hollywood actor best known for his role as the Wizard in the classic film '' The ...
'', narrated by Frank Morgan
Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound ...
and released by Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
.
Private life
Mack married lawyer Charles Irwin in San Francisco in February 1935 at age 21, when she was under contract to Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
. He was a bankruptcy trustee for Fox Film West Coast Theaters. They had a son in 1936 and divorced in 1938. In 1940, she married Thomas McAvity in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...
. He later became a vice president of NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
. They had one son. McAvity died in 1972.
Mack died from cancer at her home in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...
on August 13, 1986.
Filmography
* '' Success'' (1923) as Ruth
* ''Zaza
Zaza may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Zazas, a group of people in eastern Anatolia (southeastern Turkey)
* Zaza–Gorani languages, Indo-Iranian languages
** Zaza language, spoken by the Zazas
People Given name
* Zaza Sor. Aree (born 1993), Thai k ...
'' (1923) as Lucille Dufresne (uncredited)
* '' Under the Red Robe'' (1923) (uncredited)
* '' Grit'' (1924) (uncredited)
* '' Pied Piper Malone'' (1924) as Child
* '' The Struggle'' (1931) as A catty girl
*'' The Silent Witness'' (1932) as Sylvia Pierce
* '' While Paris Sleeps'' (1932) as Manon Cortaud
* ''Sweepings
''Sweepings'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by John Cromwell, written by Lester Cohen, and starring Lionel Barrymore, Eric Linden, William Gargan, Gloria Stuart and Alan Dinehart. It was released on April 14, 1933, by RKO Pictu ...
'' (1933) as Mamie Donahue
* '' The California Trail'' (1933) as Delores Ramirez
* ''Melody Cruise
''Melody Cruise'' is Slipping Stitches' first full-length release. Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks fame appears on the bonus tracks as producer, lyricist, and vocalist.
Track listing
Personnel
Band
* Cashmire Starz – vocals, guitar, keyboard ...
'' (1933) as Laurie Marlowe
* ''Blind Adventure
''Blind Adventure'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code film directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack and starring Robert Armstrong, Helen Mack, Ralph Bellamy, and Roland Young. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures.Christopher Bean
''Christopher Bean'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code comedy film directed by Sam Wood and written by Laurence E. Johnson and Sylvia Thalberg, based on the 1932 play, ''The Late Christopher Bean'', by Sidney Howard. The film stars ...
'' (1933) as Susan Haggett
* ''Fargo Express
''Fargo Express'' is a 1933 American pre-Code Western film directed by Alan James and starring Ken Maynard, Helen Mack and Roy Stewart.Darby, p. 355
Cast
* Ken Maynard as Ken Benton
* Helen Mack as Helen Clark
* Roy Stewart as Sam Goss
* ...
'' (1933) as Helen Clark
* ''Son of Kong
''The Son of Kong'' (also known and publicized simply as ''Son of Kong'') is a 1933 American Pre-Code adventure monster film produced by RKO Pictures. Directed by Ernest Schoedsack and featuring special effects by Willis O'Brien and Buzz Gibson ...
'' (1933) as Hilda Petersen
* '' All of Me'' (1934) as Eve Haron
* '' Kiss And Make Up'' (1934) as Anne
* '' You Belong to Me'' (1934) as Florette Faxon
* ''The Lemon Drop Kid
''The Lemon Drop Kid'' is a 1951 American comedy film based on the short story of the same name by Damon Runyon, starring Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. Although Sidney Lanfield is credited as the director, Frank Tashlin reportedly was hired, u ...
'' (1934) as Alice Deering
* ''College Rhythm
''College Rhythm'' is a 1934 American musical comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Jack Oakie, Mary Brian, and Joe Penner. The budget was $537,000. Filming started August 16, 1934.Michael A. Hoey, ''Elvis' Favorite Director: The Ama ...
'' (1934) as June Cort
* '' Captain Hurricane'' (1935) as Susan "Matey" Ann
* ''Four Hours to Kill!
''Four Hours to Kill!'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Richard Barthelmess.
Plot
Taft, a policeman, has fugitive murderer Tony Mako in custody and in handcuffs, two thousand miles from the prison from whi ...
'' (1935) as Helen
* ''She
She most commonly refers to:
*She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English.
She or S.H.E. may also refer to:
Literature and films
*'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...
'' (1935) as Tanya Dugmore
* '' The Return of Peter Grimm'' (1935) as Catherine
* ''The Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye. ...
'' (1936) as Mae Sullivan
* ''A Doctor's Diary
''A Doctor's Diary'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by Charles Vidor and written by David Boehm and Samuel Ornitz. The film stars George Bancroft, Helen Burgess, John Trent, Ruth Coleman, Ronald Sinclair and Molly Lamont. The film was ...
'' (1937) as Nurse (uncredited)
* ''I Promise to Pay
''I Promise to Pay'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by D. Ross Lederman.
Cast
* Chester Morris as Eddie Lang
* Leo Carrillo as Richard Farra
* Helen Mack as Mary Lang
* Thomas Mitchell as District Attorney J.E. Curtis
* Thurston Hall ...
'' (1937) as Mary Lang
* ''You Can't Buy Luck
''You Can't Buy Luck'' is a 1937 murder mystery film directed by Lew Landers and starring Onslow Stevens and Helen Mack.
Plot
Superstitious New York gambler Joe Baldwin (Onslow Stevens), owner of the thoroughbred racing horse Sarcasm, believes ...
'' (1937) as Betty McKay
* ''The Last Train from Madrid
''The Last Train from Madrid'' is a 1937 American war drama film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Dorothy Lamour, Lew Ayres and Gilbert Roland. It is set during the Spanish Civil War. The film was one of the few contemporary Hollywood film ...
'' (1937) as Lola
* ''Fit for a King
''Fit for a King'' is a 1937 American film starring Joe E. Brown and directed by Edward Sedgwick.
Plot summary
Newspaper reporter "Scoop (term), Scoops" (Brown) is sent out on assignment, to investigate the failed assassination attempts on Arc ...
'' (1937) as Jane Hamilton / Princess Helen
* ''The Wrong Road
''The Wrong Road'' is a 1937 American crime drama film directed by James Cruze and starring Richard Cromwell, Helen Mack, and Lionel Atwill. The film is now in the public domain.
Plot
A young unmarried couple (Cromwell and Mack), whose plans ...
'' (1937) as Ruth Holden
* ''King of the Newsboys
''King of the Newsboys'' is a 1938 American film directed by Bernard Vorhaus.
Plot
Jerry Flynn's girlfriend leaves him for a gangster with power and money, in order to show her that she made a mistake, Jerry starts his newspaper distribution ...
'' (1938) as Mary Ellen Stephens
* '' I Stand Accused'' (1938) as Alison Cooper
* ''Secrets of a Nurse
Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret.
Secrecy is often controvers ...
'' (1938) as Katherine MacDonald
* ''Gambling Ship
A gambling ship is a sea vessel of any kind on which gambling takes place.
Historically, international waters began just from land in many countries. Gambling ships, like offshore radio stations, would usually be anchored just outside the th ...
'' (1938) as Mollie Riley
* '' Mystery of the White Room'' (1939) as Carole Dale
* '' Mickey the Kid'' (1939) as Telephone Operator (uncredited)
* ''Calling All Marines
''Calling All Marines'' is a 1939 American action film directed by John H. Auer and written by Earl Felton. The film stars Don "Red" Barry, Helen Mack, Warren Hymer, Robert Kent, Cy Kendall and Leon Ames. The film was released on September 20, ...
'' (1939) as Judy Fox
* ''His Girl Friday
''His Girl Friday'' is a 1940 American screwball comedy directed by Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell and featuring Ralph Bellamy and Gene Lockhart. It was released by Columbia Pictures. The plot centers on a newspaper edito ...
'' (1940) as Mollie Malloy
* ''Girls of the Road
Girls of the Road is a 1940 American action film, based on an original screenplay by Robert Hardy Andrews, directed by Nick Grinde, and produced by Wallace MacDonald.
The main characters of the 61–minute Columbia Pictures feature film were ten f ...
'' (1940) as Mickey
* '' Power Dive'' (1941) as Betty Coles
* ''And Now Tomorrow
''And Now Tomorrow'' is a 1944 American drama film based on the best-selling novel, published in 1942 by Rachel Field, directed by Irving Pichel and written by Raymond Chandler. Both center around one doctor's attempt for curing deafness. The fil ...
'' (1944) as Angelletta Gallo
* '' Strange Holiday'' (1945) as Miss Sims, Secretary
* ''Divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
'' (1945) as Martha Phillips
References
Sources
*''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', "The Screen", July 10, 1923, Page 22.
*''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 Un ...
'', "New Move Marks War On WAMPAS", August 24, 1931, Page A1.
*''Los Angeles Times'', "Helen Mack Wins Boles Lead", December 22, 1931, Page A7.
*''Los Angeles Times'', "Actress Assigned", November 8, 1932, Page 11.
*''Los Angeles Times'', "Newcomer, Helen Mack, Conspicuous", April 2, 1933, Page A3.
*''Los Angeles Times'', "Films' Revolting Daughters Turn Out To Be Meek Lambs", April 30, 1933, Page A7.
*''Los Angeles Times'', "Helen Mack Chimes Ring", February 14, 1935, Page 1.
*''Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...
Sun'', "Helen Mack Born Actress", January 18, 1934, Page 42.
*''Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Sheboygan () is a city in and the county seat of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a populatio ...
The Press'', "Three Debutante Stars On Way To Stardom With Fox", September 11, 1931, Page 14.
*''Picture Show'', "Helen Mack and Her Films", August 17, 1935, Page 18.
*''Syracuse Herald-Journal'', "Hollywood", November 2, 1939, Page 21.
External links
*
*
The Unofficial Helen Mack Tribute Site
Another Helen Mack Tribute Site
*Downloa
''His Girl Friday''
at the Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mack, Helen
1913 births
1986 deaths
American child actresses
American film actresses
American silent film actresses
Vaudeville performers
20th-century American actresses
Western (genre) film actresses
Deaths from cancer in California
People from Rock Island, Illinois
Actresses from Illinois
American radio directors
Women radio directors