Silents Are Golden: Silent Superstars: The Classy Bebe Daniels

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.

…

–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.