Molly O'Day

Molly O'Day
O'Day in 1928
Born	Suzanne Dobson Noonan (1909-10-16)October 16, 1909 Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	October 22, 1998(1998-10-22) (aged 89) Avila Beach, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Spouse(s)	Jack Durant (m. 1934; div. 1951) James Kenaston (m. 1952; div. 1956)
Children	4
Relatives	Sally O'Neil (sister)

Molly O'Day (born Suzanne Dobson Noonan; October 16, 1909^[1] – October 22, 1998) was an American film actress and the younger sister of Sally O'Neil.^[2]

Biography

Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, she was the youngest of 11 children of Judge Thomas Francis Patrick Noonan and his wife, Hannah Kelly, a Metropolitan Opera singer. After their father's death, O'Day and her two sisters moved to Hollywood. Besides O'Neil, another sister, Isabelle, also acted in films.^[3]

O'Day's first appearance was in the Laurel and Hardy short 45 Minutes from Hollywood in 1926. She also appeared in Hal Roach's Our Gang series.

Only 16, she defeated 2,000 contenders in an audition for the tough girl heroine in the 1927 prizefighter movie The Patent Leather Kid.

Like O'Neil in 1926, O'Day became one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1928.^[4] Also in 1928, she had surgery to "remove several pounds of flesh from her hips and legs."^[5] An Associated Press news story reported: "The actress has been gaining weight steadily for the last year and although under contract to a film studio has been idle. Her excessive weight was the cause of her lack of work, Miss O'Day said, and after other flesh reducing methods failed she decided on the surgeon's knife as the final resort."^[5]

After appearing in a few dozen films in the 1930s she retired.

Personal life and death

O'Day married actor Jack Durant in 1934 in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.^[6] They divorced July 10, 1951, in Los Angeles, California.^[7] They had 4 children together.

O'Day died in Avila Beach, California, one day before her 89th birthday.^{[citation needed]}

Recognition

On the cover of Motion Picture (July 1928)

O'Day has a star at 1708 Vine Street in the Motion Pictures category on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was dedicated February 8, 1960.^[8]

Filmography

O'Day and Richard Barthelmess in The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1928)

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1926	45 Minutes from Hollywood		Short
1927	The Patent Leather Kid	Curley Boyle, the Golden Dancer
1927	Hard-Boiled Haggerty	Germaine Benoit
1927	The Lovelorn	Ann Hastings
1928	The Shepherd of the Hills	Sammy Lane
1928	The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come	Melissa Turner
1929	The Show of Shows	Performer in 'Meet My Sister' Number
1930	Sisters	Molly Shannon
1931	Sea Devils	Ann McCall
1931	Sob Sister	Daisy
1932	Devil on Deck	Kay Wheeler
1933	Playthings of Desire	Renee Grant
1933	Get That Venus	Belle
1933	Gigolettes of Paris	Paulette
1934	Hired Wife	Pat Sullivan
1934	Chloe, Love Is Calling You	Joyce Gordon
1934	The Life of Vergie Winters	Sadie
1935	Bars of Hate	Gertie
1935	The Law of 45's	Joan Hayden
1935	Lawless Border	Mary Warren
1935	Skull and Crown	Ann Norton	(final film role)

References

^ Obituary (October 28, 1998). "Independent.co.uk". Independent.co.uk.
^ "Easy Come, Easy Go in Movies; Sisters Now Are Bankrupt". Albuquerque Journal. New Mexico, Albuquerque. United Press. November 10, 1930. p. 2. Retrieved October 18, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Villecco, Tony (2001). Silent Stars Speak: Interviews with Twelve Cinema Pioneers. McFarland. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-7864-8209-2. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
^ Thomas, Dan (July 11, 1934). "The Tough Job of Being a Prophet in Hollywood". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. Illinois, Edwardsville. p. 5.
^ ^a ^b "Pound of Flesh". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. Associated Press. September 3, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved October 19, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Molly O'Day, Screen Player, Weds Actor". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. Associated Press. December 17, 1937. p. 10. Retrieved October 19, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Divorces". Billboard. July 28, 1951. p. 48. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
^ "Molly O'Day". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved October 19, 2016.