Classic Movie Travels: Marcia Mae Jones
Marcia Mae Jones was born on August 1, 1924, in Los Angeles, California, to William and Margaret Freda Jones. She was the youngest of four children, with siblings Margaret, Macon, and Marvin.
When Jones was two years old, she made her film debut playing a baby in Mannequin (1926). Reportedly, director James Cruze saw her in her baby carriage and she received the role. Largely propelled by her mother, who was also an actress, Jones was soon routinely appearing in films from this point onward. She had a bit part as a flower girl in King of Jazz (1930) during the “My Bridal Veil” sequence, in addition to roles in Street Scene (1931) and Night Nurse (1931). Incidentally, she portrayed a flower girl again in What Price Hollywood? (1932) and Employee’s Entrance (1933). At age 6, she was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild.
By the 1930s, she was established as a child star. She performed in The Champ (1931) and worked alongside Shirley Temple in Heidi (1937) and The Little Princess (1939). Along the way, she could also be spotted in These Three (1936), The Garden of Allah (1936), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), and Anne of the Windy Poplars (1940).
As entered her teenage years, her film career continued with First Love (1939) alongside Deanna Durbin. She signed with Monogram Pictures in 1940, where she appeared in romances and action-comedies.
In 1943, she married Merchant Marine Robert Chic, with whom she had two children: Robert “Denny” and Tim. They divorced in 1951.
By the 1950s, she appeared on television, including working as Buster Keaton’s comic foil in his television series. She also performed in other hit shows, including The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Peyton Place, and General Hospital. In 1952, she was simultaneously working as a switchboard operator for the Greg Bautzer Law Firm.
In 1955, she married television writer William Davenport. Tragically, Davenport committed suicide in 1989. Moreover, Jones struggled with alcoholism as acting roles waned. After turning to pursuing a degree in religious science, she later addressed and conquered her dependency issues. Her final feature film role was in The Way They Were (1973), though she continued appearing on television into the 1980s.
Jones became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She passed away on September 2, 2007, at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, from complications from pneumonia. She was 83 years old.
In 1930, Jones and her family lived at 907 N. Stanley Ave., West Hollywood, California. The home stands today.
In 1940, the family relocated to 726 N. Curson Ave., Los Angeles, California. This home also exists.
In 1950, Jones and Chic resided at 840 S. Dunsmuir Ave., Los Angeles, California, along with her parents. This home also stands.
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–Annette Bochenek for Classic Movie Hub
Annette Bochenek pens our monthly Classic Movie Travels column. You can read all of Annette’s Classic Movie Travel articles here.
Annette Bochenek of Chicago, Illinois, is a PhD student at Dominican University and an independent scholar of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She manages the Hometowns to Hollywood blog, in which she writes about her trips exploring the legacies and hometowns of Golden Age stars. Annette also hosts the “Hometowns to Hollywood” film series throughout the Chicago area. She has been featured on Turner Classic Movies and is the president of TCM Backlot’s Chicago chapter. In addition to writing for Classic Movie Hub, she also writes for Silent Film Quarterly, Nostalgia Digest, and Chicago Art Deco SocietyMagazine.
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