Phyllis Brooks (July 18, 1915 – August 1, 1995) was an American actress and model. She was born in

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

. Some sources have also inaccurately cited 1914 as her year of birth, but 1915 is the correct year according to Social Security records.

Career

Modeling

She was a model for two years before progressing to a career in film. She stated, "I started posing for photographers as a lark, and it was a lot of fun." She had been known as the "

Ipana Ipana was a toothpaste product manufactured by Bristol-Myers Company. The wintergreen flavored toothpaste (0.243% sodium fluoride was its active ingredient) reached its peak market penetration during the 1950s in North America. Marketing of Ipan ...

Toothpaste Girl", due to her work for that product.Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books; , pg. 170.

Film

Initially known as Mary Brooks, she began her career in films in 1934 at age 20, in '' I've Been Around''. Brooks, who had about 30 performances in films, was a B-movie leading lady during the 1930s and 1940s, with roles in such films as ''

In Old Chicago ''In Old Chicago'' is a 1938 American disaster musical drama film directed by Henry King. The screenplay by Sonya Levien and Lamar Trotti was based on the Niven Busch story, "We the O'Learys". The film is a fictionalized account about the G ...

'' (1937), ''

Little Miss Broadway ''Little Miss Broadway'' is a 1938 American musical drama film directed by Irving Cummings. The screenplay was written by Harry Tugend and Jack Yellen. The film stars Shirley Temple in a story about a theatrical boarding house and its occupants ...

'' (1938) and ''

The Shanghai Gesture ''The Shanghai Gesture'' is a 1941 American film noir directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, Victor Mature, and Ona Munson. It is based on a Broadway play of the same name by John Colton, which was adapted fo ...

'' (1941). Cesar Romero and Phyllis Brooks

She appeared in

Sidney Toler Sidney Toler (born Hooper G. Toler Jr., April 28, 1874 – February 12, 1947) was an American actor, playwright, and theatre director. The second European-American actor to play the role of Charlie Chan on screen, he is best remembered for his ...

's ''

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alter ...

'' series, in the

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...

films ''

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' is a classic American 1903 children's novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin that tells the story of Rebecca Rowena Randall and her aunts, one stern and one kind, in the fictional village of Riverboro, Maine. Rebecca's joy ...

'' and in ''

''.

Stage

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 ...

, Brooks appeared in ''Stage Door'' (1936–37), ''

Panama Hattie ''Panama Hattie'' is a 1940 American musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Herbert Fields and B. G. DeSylva. The musical is about a nightclub owner, Hattie Maloney, who lives in the Panama Canal Zone and ends up dealing with ...

'' (1940–42), ''The Night Before Christmas'' (1941), and ''Round Trip'' (1945).

Wartime activities

Gary Cooper Phyllis Brooks Una Merkel, Brisbane 1943 (1)

Brooks was reported (UK ''Sunday Telegraph'' December 1942) as being president of Parties Unlimited Inc. in an article about Hollywood at war. Along with actress

Una Merkel Una Merkel (December 10, 1903 – January 2, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress. Merkel was born in Kentucky and acted on stage in New York in the 1920s. She went to Hollywood in 1930 and became a popular film ...

and accompanied by film star

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

, Brooks was the first civilian woman to travel to the Pacific theater of war during World War II on a

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

tour.

Personal life

Brooks was engaged at one time to

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 ...

. She married

Torbert Macdonald Torbert Hart Macdonald (June 6, 1917 – May 21, 1976) was an American Democratic politician from Massachusetts. He represented the northern suburbs of Boston, including his home town of Malden, in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1955 un ...

on June 23, 1945, in

Tarrytown, New York Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North ...

. Macdonald, who had been

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

's roommate at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, went on to become an 11-term

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

. Brooks moved East to

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

with her new husband in 1945 so that he could complete his studies at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

. He had been a Harvard football captain and a decorated

PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the wa ...

captain in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He died in office in 1976.

Death

Brooks died on August 1, 1995, in

Cape Neddick, Maine Cape Neddick is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of York in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,568 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statisti ...

, aged 80.

Partial filmography

* ''

One Exciting Adventure ''One Exciting Adventure'' is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Ernst L. Frank and starring Binnie Barnes, Neil Hamilton and Paul Cavanagh.Goble p.229 It is a remake of the 1933 German film ''What Women Dream''. Cast * Binnie Barnes as R ...

'' (1934) - Minor Role (uncredited) * ''

Strange Wives ''Strange Wives'' is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Richard Thorpe, written by James Mulhauser, Barry Trivers, and Gladys Buchanan Unger, and starring Roger Pryor, June Clayworth, Esther Ralston, Hugh O'Connell, Ralph Forbes, and Cesa ...

'' (1934) - The Actress * ''

The Man Who Reclaimed His Head ''The Man Who Reclaimed His Head'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by Edward Ludwig and written by Jean Bart and Samuel Ornitz. The film stars Claude Rains, Joan Bennett, Lionel Atwill, Juanita Quigley, Henry O'Neill and Henry Armetta. T ...

'' (1934) - Secretary (uncredited) * '' I've Been Around'' (1935) - Gay Blackstone * ''

McFadden's Flats McFadden's Flats may refer to: * McFadden's Flats (1927 film), an American silent film * McFadden's Flats (1935 film) ''McFadden's Flats'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Ralph Murphy and written by Arthur Caesar, Edward Kaufman, A ...

'' (1935) - Mary Ellis Hall * ''

Lady Tubbs ''Lady Tubbs'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Alan Crosland and written by Barry Trivers. The film stars Alice Brady, Douglass Montgomery, Anita Louise, Alan Mowbray, June Clayworth and Hedda Hopper. The film was released on July 2, 1 ...

'' (1935) - Debutante (uncredited) * ''

Another Face ''Another Face'' (released in the UK as ''It Happened in Hollywood'')''Another Face' ...

'' (1935) - Sheila Barry * ''

To Beat the Band ''To Beat the Band'' is a 1935 American romantic comedy directed by Benjamin Stoloff using a screenplay by Rian James based on a story by George Marion, Jr. The film stars Hugh Herbert, Helen Broderick, Roger Pryor, and Fred Keating, and featu ...

'' (1935) - Rowena * ''

Two in the Dark ''Two in the Dark'' is a 1936 American mystery film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and starring Walter Abel, Margot Grahame, Wallace Ford, Gail Patrick, and Alan Hale. The screenplay concerns an amnesiac suspected of murder. In 1945, Stoloff ...

'' (1936) - Minor Role * ''

Follow the Fleet ''Follow the Fleet'' is a 1936 American RKO musical comedy film with a nautical theme starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their fifth collaboration as dance partners. It also features Randolph Scott, Harriet Hilliard, and Astrid Allwyn, ...

'' (1936) - Minor Role (uncredited) * ''

You Can't Have Everything ''You Can't Have Everything'' is a 1937 Fox musical film directed by Norman Taurog and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. The film stars Alice Faye and Don Ameche, and was the film debut for Gypsy Rose Lee credited as Louise Hovick part of her bir ...

'' (1937) - Evelyn Moore * '' Dangerously Yours'' (1937) - Valerie Barton * ''

Ali Baba Goes to Town ''Ali Baba Goes to Town'' is a 1937 musical film directed by David Butler and starring Eddie Cantor, Tony Martin, and Roland Young. Cantor plays a hobo named Aloysius "Al" Babson, who walks into the camp of a movie company that is making th ...

'' (1937) - Phyllis Brooks - at Premiere (uncredited) * ''

'' (1938) - Ann Colby * '' City Girl'' (1938) - Ellen Ward * ''

Walking Down Broadway Walking Down Broadway is a 1938 American film drama made by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation and directed by Norman Foster. Plot A quintet of New York City chorus girls plan a reunion for the one-year anniversary of their show's closing. ...

'' (1938) - Vicki Stone * ''

'' (1938) - Lola Lee * ''

'' (1938) - Barbara Shea * '' Straight Place and Show'' (1938) - Barbara 'Babs' Drake * ''

Up the River ''Up the River'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by John Ford, and starring Claire Luce, Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart. The plot concerns escaped convicts, as well as a female convict. It was the feature film debut role of ...

'' (1938) - Helen Lindsay * ''

Charlie Chan in Honolulu ''Charlie Chan in Honolulu'' is a 1939 American film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, starring Sidney Toler as the fictional Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan. The film is the first appearance of both Toler as Chan and Victor Sen Yung as ...

'' (1938) - Judy Hayes * ''

Charlie Chan in Reno ''Charlie Chan in Reno'' is a 1939 American mystery film directed by Norman Foster, starring Sidney Toler as the fictional Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan, based on an original story "Death Makes a Decree" by Philip Wylie. Plot Mary W ...

'' (1939) - Vivian Wells * ''

Lucky to Me ''Lucky to Me'' is a 1939 British musical comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Stanley Lupino, Phyllis Brooks and Barbara Blair. It was based on Lupino's own 1928 stage show ''So This is Love'' which he had co-written with actor ...

'' (1939) - Pamela Stuart * '' Slightly Honorable'' (1939) - Sarilla Cushing * '' The Flying Squad'' (1940) - Ann Perryman * ''

'' (1941) - The Chorus Girl * ''

No Place for a Lady ''No Place for a Lady'' is a 1943 black and white mystery film, directed by James P. Hogan. Plot At a warehouse in Los Angeles, trucks are loaded with stacks of tires to be delivered to a San Francisco warehouse. On a country road under cover ...

'' (1943) - Dolly Adair * '' Silver Spurs'' (1943) - Mary Hardigan * ''

Hi'ya, Sailor ''Hi'ya, Sailor'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough and written by Stanley Roberts. The film stars Donald Woods, Elyse Knox, Eddie Quillan, Frank Jenks, Phyllis Brooks and Jerome Cowan. The film was released on October 8 ...

'' (1943) - Nanette * ''

Lady in the Dark ''Lady in the Dark'' is a musical with music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book and direction by Moss Hart. It was produced by Sam Harris. The protagonist, Liza Elliott, is the unhappy female editor of a fictional fashion magazine ...

'' (1944) - Allison DuBois * '' Wilson'' (1944) - Granddaughter (uncredited) * ''

Dangerous Passage ''Dangerous Passage'' is a 1944 American film noir drama film directed by William Berke, starring Robert Lowery and Phyllis Brooks. Plot summary Oil company employee Joe Beck ( Robert Lowery) is stationed in the jungle in Honduras. When his g ...

'' (1944) - Nita Paxton * ''

High Powered ''High Powered'' is a 1945 American adventure film directed by William Berke starring Robert Lowery and Phyllis Brooks. It is also known as ''High Man''. Plot Marian Blair and Cassie McQuade are running a small lunch establishment in their tr ...

'' (1945) - Marian Blair * '' The Unseen'' (1945) - Maxine

References

External links

* * * *
Photos of Phyllis Brooks from ''The Shanghai Gesture''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Phyllis 1915 births 1995 deaths Actresses from Idaho Female models from Idaho American film actresses American stage actresses Spouses of Massachusetts politicians People from Boise, Idaho 20th-century American actresses