Evalyn Knapp (born Evelyn Pauline Knapp; June 17, 1906 – June 12, 1981) was an American film actress of the late 1920s, 1930s and into the 1940s. She was a leading

B-movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

serial actress in the 1930s. She was the younger sister of the orchestra leader

Orville Knapp Orville Knapp (January 1, 1904 - July 16, 1936) was an American dance bandleader born in Kansas City, Missouri. He was the brother of Evalyn Knapp. Orville Knapp was an autodidact on saxophone, and moved to New York City in the early 1920s, where ...

Life and career

Knapp started acting in silent films, her first role being in the 1929 film ''At the Dentist's''. She was cast as leading lady in '' Smart Money'' in 1931, the only film starring both Edward G. Robinson and

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

. In 1932, Knapp was one of 14 girls, along with

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

and

Gloria Stuart Gloria Frances Stuart (born Gloria Stewart; July 4, 1910 – September 26, 2010) was an American actress, visual artist, and activist. She was known for her roles in pre-code films, and garnered renewed fame late in life for her portrayal of Ro ...

, selected as

WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...

. She achieved success in

cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...

serials, which were popular at the time. She played the title character in the 1933 serial '' The Perils of Pauline''. The same year, she starred, with top billing, alongside 26-year-old

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

in '' His Private Secretary'', a light comedy in which Wayne portrays a playboy determined to win her over. She also appeared in ''

Corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

'' that year opposite Preston Foster. One of her better known film roles was opposite

Ken Maynard Kenneth Olin Maynard (July 21, 1895 – March 23, 1973) was an American actor and producer. He was mostly active from the 1920s to the 1940s and considered one of the biggest Western (genre), Western stars in Hollywood. Maynard was also an occa ...

in the 1934 film '' In Old Santa Fe'' featuring

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...

in his first screen appearance, in which he sang with a bluegrass band. She worked through 1941, but her career slowed afterward. In 1943, she played her last role, uncredited, in ''Two Weeks to Live'', one of the '' Lum and Abner'' films starring

Chester Lauck Chester "Chet" Lauck (February 9, 1902 – February 21, 1980) was a comic actor who played the character of Lum Edwards on the classic American radio comedy '' Lum and Abner''. Early life and career Chester Lauck was born in Alleene, Arkansa ...

and

Norris Goff Norris Goff (May 30, 1906 – June 7, 1978) was an American comedian in radio and film best known for his portrayal of Abner Peabody on the rural comedy '' Lum and Abner''. Biography Nicknamed "Tuffy," Goff was born in Cove, Arkansas, but s ...

Personal life

In 1931, Knapp spent several months in the hospital after she fell from a cliff during a hike with her brother, Orville. Two vertebrae were fractured. Knapp married Dr. George A. Snyder in 1934.

Death

Knapp died on June 12, 1981 of heart disease at St. Vincent's Hospital in Los Angeles, California, 5 days before her 75th birthday. Her death was not widely reported at the time. She was cremated and her ashes were buried at sea.

Partial filmography

*''At the Dentist's'' (1929) *'' Sinners' Holiday'' (1930) – Jennie Delano *'' River's End'' (1930) – Miriam McDowell *'' Mothers Cry'' (1930) – Jenny Williams *'' 50 Million Frenchmen'' (1931) – Miss Wheeler-Smith *'' The Millionaire'' (1931) – Barbara Alden *'' Smart Money'' (1931) – Irene Graham *'' The Bargain'' (1931) – Vorencia *'' Side Show'' (1931) – Irene *''

Taxi! ''Taxi!'' is a 1932 American pre-Code film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring James Cagney and Loretta Young. The film includes a famous, and often misquoted, line with Cagney speaking to his brother's killer through a locked closet door: ...

'' (1931) – Actress in Movie Clip (uncredited) *''

High Pressure In science and engineering the study of high pressure examines its effects on materials and the design and construction of devices, such as a diamond anvil cell, which can create high pressure. ''High pressure'' usually means pressures of thousan ...

'' (1932) – Helen Wilson *'' Strange Marriage'' (1932) �
Evalyn Knapp with Jason Robards Sr.
*'' Fireman, Save My Child'' (1932) – Sally Toby *'' The Strange Love of Molly Louvain'' (1932) – Doris *'' Madame Racketeer'' (1932) – Alice Hicks *'' The Vanishing Frontier'' (1932) – Carol Winfield *'' The Night Mayor'' (1932) – Doree Dawn *'' Big City Blues'' (1932) – Jo-Jo (uncredited) * ''

This Sporting Age ''This Sporting Age'' is a 1932 American sports film, sports drama film directed by Andrew Bennison and A.F. Erickson and starring Jack Holt (actor), Jack Holt, Evalyn Knapp and Walter Byron (actor), Walter Byron.Dooley p.540 Plot A top polo play ...

'' (1932) – Mickey Steele *'' A Successful Calamity'' (1932) – Peggy Wilton *'' Slightly Married'' (1932) – Mary Smith *''

Bachelor Mother ''Bachelor Mother'' (1939) is an American romantic comedy film directed by Garson Kanin, and starring Ginger Rogers, David Niven, and Charles Coburn. The screenplay was written by Norman Krasna from an Academy Award-nominated story by Felix ...

'' (1932) – Mary Somerset *''

'' (1933)
Evalyn Knapp with Preston Foster
*''

Air Hostess A flight attendant is a member of the aircrew whose primary responsibility is ensure the safety of passengers in the cabin of an aircraft across all stages of flight. Their secondary duty is to see to the comfort of passengers. Flight attenda ...

'' (1933) – Kitty King *''

State Trooper State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction ...

'' (1933) – June Brady *'' His Private Secretary'' (1933) – Marion Hall *''

'' (1933) – Ellen Manning *'' Dance Girl Dance'' (1933) – Sally Patter * '' Police Car 17'' (1933) – Helen Regan *'' The Perils of Pauline'' (1933, Serial) – Pauline Hargrave *'' Speed Wings'' (1934) – Mary Stuart *''

A Man's Game ''A Man's Game'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by D. Ross Lederman. Released by Columbia Pictures, the film stars Tim McCoy, Evalyn Knapp and Ward Bond. Plot A pair of firemen and friends, Tim Bradley and Dave Jordan, are both attracte ...

'' (1934) – Judy Manners *'' In Old Santa Fe'' (1934) – Lila Miller *'' One Frightened Night'' (1935) – Fake Doris Waverly *'' Ladies Crave Excitement'' (1935) – Wilma Howell *''

Confidential Confidentiality involves a set of rules or a promise sometimes executed through confidentiality agreements that limits the access to or places restrictions on the distribution of certain types of information. Legal confidentiality By law, law ...

'' (1935) – Maxine Travers *'' The Fire Trap'' (1935) – Betty Marshall *'' Laughing Irish Eyes'' (1936) – Peggy Kelly *'' Three of a Kind'' (1936) – Barbara Penfield *'' Bulldog Edition'' (1936) – Randy Burns *'' Hawaiian Buckaroo'' (1938) – Paula Harrington *''

Rawhide Rawhide may refer to: *Rawhide (material), a hide or animal skin that has not been tanned * Whip made from rawhide Entertainment * ''Rawhide'' (1926 film), a Western directed by Richard Thorpe * ''Rawhide'' (1938 film), a Western starring baseball ...

'' (1938) – Peggy Gehrig *'' Wanted by the Police'' (1938) – Kathleen Murphy *'' Idiot's Delight'' (1939) – Nurse #4 (uncredited) *''

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' is a 1939 American political comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra, starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart, and featuring Claude Rains and Edward Arnold. The film is about a naive, newly appointed United ...

'' (1939) – Reporter Asking 'What Do You Think of the Girls in This Town?' (uncredited) *''Sauce for the Gander'' (1940) – Secretary *'' Girl in 313'' (1940) – Arrested Girl *'' The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance'' (1941) – Evelyn Jordan *'' Roar of the Press'' (1941) – Evelyn *'' Two Weeks to Live'' (1943) – Miss Morris, Dr. O'Brien's Secretary (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knapp, Evalyn 1906 births 1981 deaths American people of German descent Actresses from Kansas City, Missouri American film actresses American silent film actresses 20th-century American actresses