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Patricia Ellis

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Patricia Ellis
Trailer for Bright Lights (1935)
Born
Patricia Gene O'Brien

(1918-05-20)May 20, 1918[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Birmingham, Michigan, U.S.
DiedMarch 26, 1970 (aged 51)
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Other namesPatricia Leftwich
Occupation(s)singer and film actress
Years active1932–1941
Spouse
George T. O'Maley
​
(m. 1941)​
Children1

Patricia Ellis (born Patricia Gene O'Brien; May 20, 1918 – March 26, 1970) was an American film actress from 1932 to 1939 who also maintained a brief singing career until 1941.

Early years

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Born in Birmingham, Michigan[1][10][6] in 1918 (although she provided her year of birth to the Social Security Administration as 1920), Ellis was the eldest of four children born to Eugene Gladstone O'Brien, a Detroit insurance salesman, and Florence (née Calkins).[11][12][13][14] As a child, she was often ill, later saying, "I had every disease a child can catch, sometimes two or three of them at once."[1] Her parents separated when Ellis was 10 years old, reportedly "with the understanding that during the summer months the children ... were to remain with their mother and the father was to keep them during the school year".[9][15]Open access icon Her childhood activities included singing and dancing, and she studied French and German.[16]

Ellis took the surname of Leftwich[17] after her mother married Alexander Leftwich, a New York producer of musical shows.[18] The marriage was unhappy and Ellis was exposed to many family arguments between her temperamental mother and stepfather.[1]

Ellis attended Brantwood Hall School and Gardner School for Girls.[19] At the age of 13, she persuaded her mother and stepfather to allow her to appear on stage with a theatrical stock company during her summer vacation from school. The engagement extended beyond the start of the school year, and Ellis was happy to travel with the stock company because it brought her away from her tumultuous home life.[1]

Film

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After taking a screen test in New York City,[18] Ellis was signed to a contract by Warner Bros. in 1932 at the age of 14. However, she told the studio that she was 16, a lie that was not discovered until 1934.[20] As a minor, she was required to take school classes while working at the Warner Bros. studios.[21]

In 1932, Ellis secured two small parts, both uncredited, in the films Three on a Match and Central Park. That same year, she was the youngest of the 14 girls chosen as WAMPAS Baby Stars. Her first credited role was in the 1933 film The King's Vacation, starring George Arliss and Marjorie Gateson. Ellis appeared in six other films in 1933, including a starring role as James Cagney's love interest in Picture Snatcher, despite her age of 14. Over the next five years, Ellis appeared in more than 30 feature films, most of which were comedies. By 1936, she was playing the female lead in nearly all of her films. Her last feature film appearance, at the age of 21, was in Fugitive at Large in 1939.

Singing

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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."[22] After she sang "You Appeal to Me" in a soundie film in 1941, a review in Billboard commented: "Miss Ellis isn't bad on voice and excells [sic] on appearance. Men will pay attention to her."[23] In 1941, Ellis and Henny Youngman headlined with Blue Barron and his Orchestra at Hamid's Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[24] She also appeared on Broadway in the musical comedy Louisiana Purchase.[25]

Personal life

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On July 12, 1941,[22][26] Ellis married businessman George Thomas O'Maley and settled into private life in Kansas City, Missouri. The O'Maleys had one child, a daughter.[22] Ellis remained married to O'Maley for the remainder of her life, dying of colon cancer on March 26, 1970 in Kansas City at the age of 51.[27][28]

Partial filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "The Cincinnati Enquirer, December 8, 1935, p. 100, "Only 17, But Going Places"".
  2. ^ 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.(subscription required)
  3. ^ 1920 US Census Data for Detroit Ward 17, Wayne, Michigan for Patricia O'Brien, aged 1, daughter of Eugene and Florence O'Brien (Patricia Ellis's birthplace, Birmingham, Wayne County, is a suburb of Detroit, Michigan)
  4. ^ "Patricia Ellis Feels No Older As She Turns 21", Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), June 15, 1939, p. 20.
  5. ^ "Marriage Revealed by Patricia Ellis", Detroit Free Press, July 15, 1941, p. 4.
  6. ^ a b "Hollywood's Youngest Leading Lady". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. April 10, 1935. p. 37 – via newspapers.com.(subscription required)
  7. ^ "Only 17, But Going Places", Cincinnati Enquirer, December 8, 1935, p. 100.
  8. ^ "Patricia Ellis Weds in East", Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California), July 15, 1941, p. 23
  9. ^ a b "Pat's Pal, 'Banksy'" by Jeremy Asher, Modern Screen, December 1935, pp. 20–21
  10. ^ New York Times (March 28, 1970). "Patricia Ellis Dies; A Screen Actress". p. 27.
  11. ^ Wedding announcement, Detroit Free Press via newspapers.com. April 17, 1917. Accessed March 24, 2024.(subscription required)
  12. ^ Florence Calkins in the Michigan, U.S., Marriage Records, 1867–1952, ancestrylibrary.com. Accessed June 26, 2024.
  13. ^ United States Bureau of the Census (1930). 15th census population, Vol. 168. p. Enumeration District 82–551, Sheet 12-A.
  14. ^ ""Ohio, County Marriages, 1789–2013" database with images, image 154 of 355". FamilySearch. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  15. ^ Copy of divorce decree, Wayne County, Michigan: Department of Health, Division of Vital Statistics, Docket # 163383 (April 19, 1929 date of decree or judgement)
  16. ^ "Baby Role Irks Patricia Ellis; Grown-Up Film Parts Her Goal". Statesville Record and Landmark. Statesville, North Carolina. Statesville Record And Landmark. October 11, 1932. p. 14. Retrieved December 15, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  17. ^ Roy Liebman (January 1, 2000). The Wampas Baby Stars: A Biographical Dictionary, 1922–1934. McFarland. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-7864-0756-9.
  18. ^ a b "Portrait of Young Girl On Her Way Somewhere". The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah, Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake Tribune. October 30, 1932. p. 38. Retrieved December 15, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  19. ^ "Daughter of Famous Director Is Signed by Picture Company". Montana Butte Standard. Montana, Butte. Montana Butte Standard. June 5, 1932. p. 23. Retrieved December 15, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  20. ^ Thomas, Dan (1935-12-08). "Only 17, But Going Places". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 100.
  21. ^ "Takes Schoolbooks to Studio". The Gettysburg Times. Pennsylvania, Gettysburg. The Gettysburg Times. May 24, 1932. p. 3. Retrieved December 15, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  22. ^ a b c Wagner, Laura (Fall 2015). "Patricia Ellis: "I'd Like to Do Characters"". Films of the Golden Age (82): 55–56.
  23. ^ "Movie Machine Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 1941-10-25. p. 72.
  24. ^ "AC Trade Best in 12 Seasons" (PDF). Billboard. August 9, 1941. p. 50. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  25. ^ "Patricia Ellis Gets New Broadway Musical Role". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. May 9, 1941. p. 8. Retrieved June 26, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Patricia Ellis Weds in the East (July 15, 1941). "Los Angeles Times p. A1".
  27. ^ "Biography". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  28. ^ "PATRICIA ELLIS DIES; A SCREEN ACTRESS". The New York Times. 1970-03-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
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