Silent Superstars: The Classy Bebe Daniels

Often overshadowed by the major names like Clara Bow or Louise Brooks, Bebe Daniels is mainly familiar to fans of old Hollywood. But back in the 1920s she was one of the era’s brightest stars, and she and husband Ben Lyon were one of Movieland’s most beloved–and authentic!–celebrity couples. Beautiful and versatile, she was able to transition to both radio and television later in life, enjoying a happier fate than some of her forgotten contemporaries.

Daniels always maintained that she was born in Dallas, Texas, although her family’s exact whereabouts in Texas at the time are a bit of a mystery. Her birthdate was likely 1900, not 1901 as was usually claimed, and according to census records she was apparently christened Eva after her grandmother (although some sources say Phyllis). Her theater manager father Melville was Scottish, and her actress mother Phyllis was born in Columbia and had both Colombian and Welsh ancestry. “Bebe” was a Spanish-inspired nickname that stuck.
An only child, little Bebe was neglected at times until her father realized he could incorporate her into his stage shows. After the Daniels marriage ended in divorce Bebe and Phyllis moved to Los Angeles and eked out a living working in stock companies. Eventually they would be hired by Colonel Selig, builder of the first permanent movie studio in L.A. Bebe always said that her first film was Selig’s The Common Enemy (1910), although some historians allege she starred in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910) around the same time. Since she never mentioned the Oz film herself and since it was most likely filmed at Selig’s Chicago studio, it might always be impossible to confirm.

Her stint at Selig was followed by work at Kalem, Vitagraph, Pathé, and obscure studios like the Albuquerque Film Manufacturing Company. When she heard that the little Rolin comedy studio was looking for a leading lady to play opposite their one-reeler star Harold Lloyd, 14-year-old Bebe instantly went and asked for the job. Her confidence impressed manager Hal Roach enough that she was hired. Bebe and Harold got along famously and also had a good rapport with Rolin’s third star, vaudevillian Snub Pollard. The trio would end up starring in dozens of comedy shorts where Lloyd was billed as “Lonesome Luke” before transitioning to his familiar “Glasses” character, often known simply as “The Boy.”

In time Harold and Bebe became an item, often winning dance trophies together at local contests. By now Bebe was quickly becoming a comedy favorite, to the point where Cecil B. DeMille tried to tempt her away from Rolin in 1917. She stayed loyal to her contract, and to Harold. It wasn’t until 1919, with her Rolin contract expired, that she decided to finally take up DeMille on an impressive offer of $1000 a week. She and Harold broke up around this time, although they would maintain a warm friendship to the end of their lives.

Bebe’s beauty and confident air lead to “vamp” roles in DeMille’s Male and Female (1919) and Why Change Your Wife? (1920). She then starred in a series of light comedies such as She Couldn’t Help It (1921) where she tended to play a succession of “good little bad girls.” She also earned the nickname “The Speed Girl” after an incident in 1921 when she was caught speeding (not a rare occurrence for the thrill-loving star.). The unmoving judge sentenced her to 10 days in jail, and naturally every bit of publicity was squeezed out of this stay. Bebe’s cell was luxuriously furnished by a local store, she was serenaded by musicians outside her jail window, and she received dozens of visitors a day. The whole circus only increased her fame–and showed her good sense of humor about herself.

For much of the 1920s she was a Paramount star, by now commanding a high weekly salary and drawing legions of fans. She was paired with other major stars like Wallace Reid and Rudolph Valentino, and was romantically linked with boxer Jack Dempsey and athlete-turned-actor Charles Paddock. In the late ‘20s she became involved with fellow actor Ben Lyon, and on June 14, 1930 they tied the knot. It was the beginning of a long and happy marriage, as well as a fruitful partnership in the entertainment industry.

With the talkies in full swing, Bebe starred in the early version of The Maltese Falcon (1931) and a number of musicals, the most famous one today being 42nd Street (1933). She and Ben welcomed their first child, Barbara, in 1931. After worrying run-ins with stalkers and a growing dissatisfaction with Hollywood, Bebe decided to retire from Hollywood in 1935. The Lyons would appear together onstage and eventually move to England, where they were already very popular with the British public.
The Lyons would adopt a son, Richard, and continue their careers by starring in radio programs such as Rinso Radio Review, Hi Gang! and the long-running Life With the Lyons. During World War II they refused to return to the U.S., choosing to stay and contribute to the war effort. Their show Stars and Stripes in Britain featured interviews with soldiers, nurses and doctors, and Daniels was apparently the first female civilian to interview wounded soldiers after the invasion of Normandy. For her efforts she would be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1946, and Ben would receive the Legion of Merit for his service as a lieutenant colonel in the US Army Air Forces Special Services.

After Life With the Lyons enjoyed a stint as a television series, the Lyons began to withdraw from the spotlight, especially after Bebe suffered a stroke in the early 1960s. She and Ben’s love for each other never dimmed in their decades of marriage, and they arguably remained “the happiest couple in Hollywood” right up until Bebe’s death from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1971. Bebe’s legacy as a great star–and a truly great lady–has also remained undimmed.

Note: The book Bebe Daniels: Hollywood’s Good Little Bad Girl by Charles Epting was a very helpful source for this post.
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–Lea Stans for Classic Movie Hub
You can read all of Lea’s Silents are Golden articles here.
Lea Stans is a born-and-raised Minnesotan with a degree in English and an obsessive interest in the silent film era (which she largely blames on Buster Keaton). In addition to blogging about her passion at her site Silent-ology, she is a columnist for the Silent Film Quarterly and has also written for The Keaton Chronicle.