Avonda Maude Phelps (April 19, 1915 – September 2, 2004), credited as Vonda Phelps, was an American child stage actress,
vaudeville performer and dancer in the 1920s. She appeared in four
silent film productions in 1922 and 1923.
[
]
Biography
Phelps was born on April 19, 1915, in Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...
, to Rinaldo Abel Phelps (1872–1951) and Lillian Maude Tiffin (1891–1983).[She appears as "Avonda Phelps", mistranscribed in the index as "Amanda Phelps", in the ]1940 United States Census
The United States census of 1940, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 132,164,569, an increase of 7.3 percent over the 1930 population of 122,775,046 people. The census date of record wa ...
and is living with her parents, Rinaldo Phelps and Lillian Tiffin, and it lists her occupation as "actress". She appears in the California Death Index as "Avonda M. Phelps" with the same parents. The Social Security Death Index has the following information: "Name: Avonda M. Phelps; SSN: Last Residence: 91042 Tujunga, Los Angeles, California, USA; Born: 19 Apr 1915; Died: 2 Sep 2004". She also applied for a new Social Security card in 1977 as "Avonda Phelps" with parents Rinaldo Phelps and Lillian Tiffin and listed her birth as April 19, 1915 in Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...
.
In May 1924 Phelps participated in ''Good Fairy'', a fantasy play in two acts, at the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. She performed along with almost twenty other children. Phelps appeared as a dancer at the Christmas program of the Cosmos Club the following December. Her presentation was highlighted by a rendition of ''Pierrotte Phantasy''. The dance was her original creation and demonstrated her unique personality. Phelps gave a similar interpretation of the dance at the Ambassador Theater in Los Angeles. Her performance was part of a concert given by ''The Children's Opera'' in June 1926.
Phelps appeared in four motion pictures in the early 1920s: in ''The Man Who Waited
''The Man Who Waited'' is a 1922 American silent Western film directed by Edward Ludwig and starring Jay Morley, Vonda Phelps and Milla Davenport.Munden, p. 487.
Cast
* Frank Braidwood as Frank Magee
* Inez MacDonald as June Rance
* Jay Morl ...
'' (1922), as "June", a baby, and in ''The Jungle Goddess'' (1922) as "Betty", a little girl, ''Strange Idols
''Strange Idols'' is a 1922 American drama film directed by Bernard Durning and written by Jules Furthman. The film stars Dustin Farnum, Doris Pawn, Philo McCullough, and Richard Tucker. The film was released on May 28, 1922, by Fox Film Corpora ...
'', as a girl at seven and ''Slippery McGee''.
Her fame as a youth performer did not endure. She had a birthday luncheon in 1928 at the ''Elite'' on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Guests were entertained at a table replete with a centerpiece of sweet peas rendered in pastel
A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...
shades. Later the celebrants went to Grauman's Chinese Theater. Fellow silent film star Virginia Marshall
Virginia Elizabeth Marshall (October 1, 1918 – January 30, 1982), also known as Little Virginia Marshall, was an American child actress in the silent film era between 1924 and 1930.
Biography
Virginia Elizabeth Marshall was born on October 1 ...
was among Phelps' birthday attendants. In 1935 she spent twelve weeks dancing in Mexico at the Paris Inn Cafe. On December 7, 1940 in Alameda, California, she married Gerald Russell Hunsaker (1919–1997).
She died in Los Angeles, California, on September 2, 2004, at the age of 89.[
]
References
Further reading
* ''Los Angeles Times'', ''Stars Tomorrow?'' April 1, 1925, Page C4.
* ''Los Angeles Times'', ''Talented Child At Benefit Dance'', June 4, 1925, Page 20.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelps, Vonda
1915 births
2004 deaths
20th-century American actresses
American child actresses
American female dancers
American silent film actresses
American stage actresses
Vaudeville performers
20th-century American dancers
21st-century American women