Dorothea Sally Eilers (December 11, 1908 – January 5, 1978) was an American actress.

Early life

Eilers was born in New York City to a Jewish-American mother, Paula (or Pauline) Schoenberger, and a German-American father, Hio Peter Eilers (an inventor). She had one sibling, a brother, Hio Peter Eilers Jr. When Eilers was young, she moved to Los Angeles with her parents, and in 1927 she graduated from Fairfax High School.

Career

She made her film debut in 1927 in '' The Red Mill'', directed by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. After several minor roles as an extra, in 1927–1928 she found work with

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American producer, director, actor, and studio head who was known as the "King of Comedy" during his career. Born in Danville, Quebec, he started acting i ...

as one of his "flaming youth" comedians in several comedy short subjects, along with Carole Lombard, who had been a school friend. In 1928, she was chosen as one of the

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. ...

, a yearly list of young actresses selected for having "shown the most promise during the past 12 months." Eilers was a popular figure in early-1930s Hollywood, known for her high spirits and vivacity. Her films were mostly comedies and crime melodramas such as '' Quick Millions'' (1931) with

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the ...

and

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. By the end of the decade, her popularity had waned, and her subsequent film appearances were few. She made her final film appearance in ''Stage to Tucson'' (1950).

Personal life

She was married four times, beginning with Western actor

Hoot Gibson Edmund Richard "Hoot" Gibson (August 6, 1892 – August 23, 1962) was an American rodeo champion, film actor, film director, and producer. While acting and stunt work began as a sideline to Gibson's focus on rodeo, he successfully transitioned ...

. She and her second husband,

Harry Joe Brown Harry Joe Brown (September 22, 1890 – April 28, 1972) was an American film producer, and earlier a theatre direction, theatre and film director. Biography Harry Joe Brown was born in 1890 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a producer, he had a p ...

, had one child, a son, Harry Joe Brown Jr. (1934–2006). She lived in a mansion in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

Victoria Talbot, 'Beverly Hills Cultural Heritage Commission Splits 2 To 2 on Mountain Drive Landmark Vote', ''The Beverly Hills Courier'', October 3, 2014, Vol. XXXXVIIII, No. 39, p. 4 designed by architect Paul R. Williams. Eilers was a Democrat who supported

Adlai Stevenson Adlai Stevenson may refer to: * Adlai Stevenson I Adlai Ewing Stevenson (October 23, 1835 – June 14, 1914) was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 23rd vice president of the United States from 1893 to 1897 under President Gr ...

's campaign during the 1952 presidential election. Like her mother, Eilers adhered to

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

Death

During her final years, Eilers suffered poor health, and died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on January 5, 1978, in Woodland Hills, California, at the age of 69. She was cremated and her remains were interred in a small niche in the Freedom Mausoleum, Columbarium of Understanding, Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California.''Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries''
/ref>

Partial filmography

* '' The Red Mill'' (1927) (uncredited) * '' Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans'' (1927) * '' Paid to Love'' (1927) * '' The Cradle Snatchers'' (1927) * '' The Campus Vamp'' (1928) (short subject) * '' Fazil'' (1928) * '' The Good-Bye Kiss'' (1928) * '' The Crowd'' (1928) * '' Dry Martini'' (1928) * '' Broadway Babies'' (1929) * '' Weary River'' (1929) * '' Sailor's Holiday'' (1929) * '' The Long Long Trail'' (1929) * '' The Show of Shows'' (1929) * '' She Couldn't Say No'' (1930) * '' Let Us Be Gay'' (1930) * '' Doughboys'' (1930) * '' Trigger Tricks'' (1930) * ''

Roaring Ranch ''Roaring Ranch'' is a 1930 American pre-Code Western film written and directed by B. Reeves Eason. The film stars Hoot Gibson. Tt was released on April 27, 1930, by Universal Pictures. Plot Cast *Hoot Gibson Edmund Richard "Hoot" Gi ...

'' (1930) * '' Clearing the Range'' (1931) * '' Parlor, Bedroom and Bath'' (1931) * '' Quick Millions'' (1931) * '' The Black Camel'' (1931) * '' A Holy Terror'' (1931) * '' Over the Hill'' (1931) * '' Reducing'' (1931) * '' Bad Girl'' (1931) * '' Disorderly Conduct'' (1932) * '' Hat Check Girl'' (1932) * '' Hold Me Tight'' (1933) * '' Made on Broadway'' (1933) * '' Sailor's Luck'' (1933) * '' Second Hand Wife'' (1933) * '' Central Airport'' (1933) * ''

State Fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in t ...

'' (1933) * '' Walls of Gold'' (1933) * '' She Made Her Bed'' (1934) * '' Three on a Honeymoon'' (1934) * '' I Spy'' (1934) * '' Pursuit'' (1935) * '' Alias Mary Dow'' (1935) * ''

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

'' (1935) * '' Remember Last Night?'' (1935) * '' Don't Get Personal'' (1936) * '' Florida Special'' (1936) * '' Talk of the Devil'' (1936) (British) * '' Without Orders'' (1936) * '' Strike Me Pink'' (1936) * '' Danger Patrol'' (1937) * '' We Have Our Moments'' (1937) * '' Lady Behave!'' (1937) * '' Tarnished Angel'' (1938) * '' Condemned Women'' (1938) * '' Everybody's Doing It'' (1938) * '' The Nurse from Brooklyn'' (1938) * '' Full Confession'' (1939) * '' They Made Her a Spy'' (1939) * '' I Was a Prisoner on Devil's Island'' (1941) * ''First Aid '' (1943) (short subject) * '' A Wave, a WAC and a Marine'' (1944) * '' Strange Illusion'' (1945) * '' Coroner Creek'' (1948) * '' Stage to Tucson'' (1950)

References

External links

*
Photographs of Sally Eilers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eilers, Sally 1908 births 1978 deaths Actresses from New York City Actresses from Beverly Hills, California American film actresses American silent film actresses American people of German descent 20th-century American actresses Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) New York (state) Democrats California Democrats Jewish American actresses Fairfax High School (Los Angeles) alumni 20th-century American Jews