Charles David Farrell (August 9, 1900 – May 6, 1990) was an American film actor whose height was in the 1920s and 1930s and the Mayor of Palm Springs from 1947 to 1955. Farrell was known for his onscreen romances with actress Janet Gaynor in more than a dozen films, including '' 7th Heaven'', '' Street Angel'', and '' Lucky Star.'' Later in life, he starred on TV in the 1950s

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

s '' My Little Margie'' and played himself in ''The Charles Farrell Show''. He was also among the early developers of Palm Springs.

Early life

Farrell was born on August 9, 1900, in South Walpole, Massachusetts, the younger of two. The family moved to East Walpole when Farrell was 4 and he later attended Walpole High School, where he played football and graduated in 1918. He attended

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

's business administration program but dropped out. Following this, he traveled to California to pursue a career in the business end of the motion-picture industry. Farrell's father variously owned restaurants, a drug store, and several movie theaters, including one in Onset and at Revere Beach. The family moved to Onset around 1920 and, by 1927, the Farrells owned three theaters.

Career

Charles Farrell The Man Who Came Back 1931

Farrell began his career as an

extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

and bit player for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

in films such as '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'', '' The Ten Commandments'', and '' The Cheat''. After signing on with Fox Studios, he was paired with fellow newcomer Janet Gaynor in the romantic drama '' 7th Heaven''. The film's success meant they went on to star opposite one another in more than a dozen films in the late 1920s and into the

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

era of the early 1930s. While his initial years in the talkies were not much of an issue, Farrell's "

Boston Brahmin The Boston Brahmins are members of Boston's historic upper class. From the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, they were often associated with a cultivated New England accent, Harvard University, Anglicanism, and traditional Britis ...

" eventually fell out of favor with Fox and he was offered a number of roles he refused, as he felt they were beneath him. In 1934, as his acting career started winding down, he and

Ralph Bellamy Ralph Rexford Bellamy (June 17, 1904 – November 29, 1991) was an American actor whose career spanned 65 years on stage, film, and television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as supporting roles, garnering acclaim and award ...

opened the Palm Springs Racquet Club in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...