Virginia Elizabeth Marshall (October 1, 1918 – January 30, 1982), also known as Little Virginia Marshall, was an American
child actress
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...
in the
silent film era
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
between 1924 and 1930.
Biography
Virginia Elizabeth Marshall was born on October 1, 1918 in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
to Virginia G. Wallace of
Cuba, Missouri
Cuba is a city in Crawford County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,356 at the 2010 census. Cuba is the largest city situated entirely in Crawford County.
History
Cuba was platted in 1857 when it was certain the railroad would be ...
, and Wallace L. Marshall of
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the 33rd most populous city in Texas and 2 ...
.
Marshall appeared in a ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' feature entitled ''Stars Tomorrow?'' in April 1925.Los Angeles Times, ''Stars Tomorrow?'', April 1, 1925, Page C4. She was among a group of children that included
Vonda Phelps
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
Phel ...
and
Virginia Davis
Virginia Davis (December 31, 1918 – August 15, 2009) was an American child actress in films. She is best known for working with Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks on the animated short series Alice Comedies, in which she portrayed the protagonist Alic ...
. The article questioned whether their stardom would continue or fade away with time. In fact the nine youth performers profiled only remained popular with theatre and film audiences for a brief time, Marshall's motion picture career lasted from 1924 through 1930.
She performed in thirteen screenplays. The films include comedy shorts like ''Little Robinson Corkscrew'' (1924), the
melodrama
A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exce ...
The Arizona Wildcat
''The Arizona Wildcat'' is a 1939 American comedy Western film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and starring Leo Carrillo and Jane Withers.
Plot
The orphaned Mary Jane Patterson ( Jane Withers) is under the guardianship of Manuel Hernandez (Leo ...
'' (1927). Marshall was given the opportunity to act with many stars of her era, such as
Tom Mix
Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...
,
Alma Rubens
Alma Rubens (born Alma Genevieve Reubens; February 19, 1897 – January 21, 1931) was an American film actress and stage performer.
Rubens began her career in the mid 1910s. She quickly rose to stardom in 1916 after appearing opposite Douglas F ...
,
Edmund Lowe
Edmund Dantes Lowe (March 3, 1890 – April 21, 1971) was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film.
Biography
Lowe was born in San Jose, California. His father was a local judge. His childhood home was a ...
, and
Dorothy Revier
Dorothy Revier (born Doris Valerga; April 18, 1904 – November 19, 1993) was an American actress.
Early years
Born as Doris Valerga in San Francisco on April 18, 1904, Revier was one of five siblings of the famous Valerga performing fami ...
.
Around 1940 she married Ray G. Montgomery, Jr. (1913 – 1995) of Denver, Colorado.
Marshall died on January 30, 1982 in
Hemet, California
Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California. It covers a total area of , about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto. The population was 89,833 at the 2020 census.
The foundi ...
at the age of 63.
Partial filmography
* ''
Romance of the Wasteland
''Romance of the Wasteland'', originally known as ''Hidden Law'', is a 1924 American silent film starring Art Mix and Alma Rayford. It premiered on October 10, 1924.
Cast list
*Art Mix as Ned Davis
*Alma Rayford
Alma Rayford (March 24, 1903 ...
'' (1924)
* ''
The Only Woman
''The Only Woman'' is a 1924 American silent drama film produced by Joseph M. Schenck for Norma Talmadge Productions and distributed by First National. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Norma Talmadge as the leading woman.Daddy's Gone A-Hunting'' (1925)
* ''
An Enemy Of Men
''An Enemy Of Men'' is a 1925 American silent melodrama film directed by Frank R. Strayer from an original script by Douglas Bronston. It stars Dorothy Revier, Cullen Landis, and Caesare Gravina, and was released by Columbia Pictures on July ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Sweet Marie
''Sweet Marie'' is a 1925 American short silent comedy film directed by Philadelphian director Benjamin Stoloff and starring Sid Smith.
Cast
* Sid Smith as Doughboy
* Judy King as Sweet Marie
* Jules Cowles as The Top Sergeant
* Pal the Dog ...
My Own Pal
''My Own Pal'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by John G. Blystone and written by Lillie Hayward. The film stars Tom Mix, Olive Borden, Tom Santschi, Virginia Marshall, Ben Bard, and William Colvin. The film was released on F ...
Silence
Silence is the absence of ambient audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be extended to apply to the c ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Flesh and the Devil
''Flesh and the Devil'' is an American silent romantic drama film released in 1927 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and stars Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lars Hanson, and Barbara Kent, directed by Clarence Brown, and based on the novel ''The Undying ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Outlaws of Red River
''Outlaws of Red River'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Lewis Seiler and written by Harold Shumate and Malcolm Stuart Boylan. The film stars Tom Mix, Marjorie Daw, Arthur Clayton, William Conklin, Duke R. Lee, and Fran ...
'' (1927)
* ''
The Arizona Wildcat
''The Arizona Wildcat'' is a 1939 American comedy Western film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and starring Leo Carrillo and Jane Withers.
Plot
The orphaned Mary Jane Patterson ( Jane Withers) is under the guardianship of Manuel Hernandez (Leo ...
'' (1927)
* ''
The Younger Generation
''The Younger Generation'' is a 1929 American part-talkie drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Ricardo Cortez. It was produced by Jack Cohn for Columbia Pictures. It was Capra's first sound film. While mostly silent, the film has ...