Virginia Weidler Contents Early life and career Family Marriage Death Legacy Partial filmography Radio...
1927 births1968 deathsAmerican child actressesAmerican film actressesAmerican people of German descentActresses from Los AngelesActresses of German descentMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players20th-century American actresses
child actressHollywoodAlfred WeidlerGary CooperGeorge RaftParamountRKO-Radio PicturesMetro-Goldwyn-MayerMickey Rooney1939Norma ShearerKatharine Hepburn1943Clark GableMyrna LoyBette DavisJudy GarlandGeorgeGeorgeDoris Day20th Century FoxFox'sShirley TempleJane Withers
Virginia Weidler | |
|---|---|
 With Terry, who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz, in a Christmas publicity shot (1939) | |
| Born | Virginia Anna Adeleid Weidler (1927-03-21)March 21, 1927 Eagle Rock, Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
| Died | July 1, 1968(1968-07-01) (aged 41) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1931–1943 |
| Spouse(s) | Lionel Krisel (m. 1947–1968) (her death) |
| Children | 2 |
Virginia Anna Adeleid Weidler (March 21, 1927[1] – July 1, 1968) was an American child actress, popular in Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s.[2]
Contents
1 Early life and career
2 Family
3 Marriage
4 Death
5 Legacy
6 Partial filmography
7 Radio appearances
8 References
9 Bibliography
10 External links
Early life and career
Virginia was the sixth and final child born to Alfred Weidler, an architect, and Margaret Weidler (born Margarete Therese Louise Radon; 1890-1987), a former opera singer.[3] She was the second Weidler child born in the United States after the family emigrated from Germany in 1923.[4]
She made her first film appearance in 1931. Her first credited role was as Europena in Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1934) a role she won at age seven after having been seen in the play Autumn Crocus.[5] Virginia made a big impression on audiences as the little girl who would "hold my breath 'til I am black in the face" to get her way.[6]
For the next several years, she would appear in many memorable films from George Stevens' Laddie (1935) to a pivotal supporting role in Souls at Sea (1938) starring Gary Cooper and George Raft.[7] Despite being under contract to Paramount, just as many of her roles of the period took place while on loan to RKO-Radio Pictures.
When Paramount did not extend her contract, she was signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1938. Her first film for MGM was with their leading male star Mickey Rooney in Love Is a Headache (1938). The film was a success and Weidler was later cast in larger roles. She was one of the all-female cast of the 1939 film The Women, as the daughter of Norma Shearer's character.[8]
In The Philadelphia Story (1940) at the left, with Mary Nash, Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn
Her next major success was The Philadelphia Story (1940) in which she played Dinah Lord, the witty younger sister of Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn). Her film career ended with the 1943 film Best Foot Forward.[8]
At her retirement from the screen at age 16, she had appeared in more than forty films, and had acted with some of the biggest stars of the day, including Clark Gable and Myrna Loy in Too Hot to Handle, Bette Davis in All This and Heaven Too, and Judy Garland in Babes on Broadway.[8]
Family
Brother George William Weidler (whose first wife was Doris Day)
In addition to her parents, Virginia had three brothers and two sisters. Her brothers Warner (born Werner), Walter (born Wolfgang), and George were successful musicians after some child acting work, eventually owning their own recording studio.[9] Her brother George was married to singer-actress Doris Day from 1946-49 (his first marriage, her second). Her sisters, Sylvia (born Waltraud) and Renee (born Verena), also were involved in show business prior to their marriages.[10]
Her father turned his architectural skills into a career building miniature sets for 20th Century Fox.[11]
Marriage
On March 27, 1947, aged 20, Weidler married Lionel Krisel. They had two sons, Ron and Gary.[12]
Death
After her retirement, Weidler gave no interviews for the remainder of her life. She was married to Krisel until her death at age 41 in Los Angeles on July 1, 1968.
Legacy
While not the box office draw of Fox's Shirley Temple or Jane Withers, Virginia Weidler still has a loyal following to this day. In 2012, the Virginia Weidler Remembrance Society was created to honor her life and career.[13]
In late 2016, the Los Angeles City Council honored Weidler by proclaiming March 21, 2017, which would have been her 90th birthday, as A Celebration of Virginia Weidler.[14]
Partial filmography
Surrender (1931) - Little Girl (uncredited)
After Tonight (1933) - Olga, Carla's Niece (uncredited)
Long Lost Father (1934) - Girl at Pier (uncredited)
Stamboul Quest (1934) - Child (uncredited)
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1934) - Europena Wiggs
Laddie (1935) - 'Little Sister' Stanton
The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935) - Little Girl in Hospital
Freckles (1935) - Laurie Lou Duncan
Peter Ibbetson (1935) - Mimsey - Mary Age 6
Timothy's Quest (1936) - Samantha Tarbox
Trouble for Two (1936) - Miss Vandeleur as a Child (scenes deleted)
Girl of the Ozarks (1936) - Edie Moseley
The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936) - Flower Girl
Maid of Salem (1937) - Nabby - Their Daughter
The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1937) - 'Luck'
Souls at Sea (1937) - Tina
Love Is a Headache (1938) - Jake O'Toole
Scandal Street (1938) - Wilma 'Willie' Murphy
Men with Wings (1938) - Peggy Ranson at Age 8
Mother Carey's Chickens (1938) - Lally Joy Popham
Too Hot to Handle (1938) - Hulda Harding
Out West with the Hardys (1938) - 'Jake' Holt
The Great Man Votes (1939) - Joan
The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939) - Patricia
Fixer Dugan (1939) - Ethel Myrtle 'Terry' O'Connell
The Rookie Cop (1939) - Nicey
Outside These Walls (1939) - Ellen Sparling
The Spellbinder (1939) - Girl (uncredited)
The Under-Pup (1939) - Janet Cooper
The Women (1939) - Little Mary
Bad Little Angel (1939) - Patricia Victoria 'Patsy' Sanderson
Henry Goes Arizona (1939) - Molly Cullison
Young Tom Edison (1940) - Tannie Edison
All This and Heaven Too (1940) - Louise de Praslin
Gold Rush Maisie (1940) - Jubie Davis
The Philadelphia Story (1940) - Dinah Lord
Keeping Company (1940) - Harriet Thomas
Barnacle Bill (1941) - Virginia Johansen
I'll Wait for You (1941) - Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Miller
Babes on Broadway (1941) - Barbara Jo
Born to Sing (1942) - Patsy Eastman
This Time for Keeps (1942, aka Over the Waves) - Harriett Bryant
The Affairs of Martha (1942) - Miranda Sommerfield
The Youngest Profession (1943) - Joan Lyons
Best Foot Forward (1943) - Helen Schlesinger
Radio appearances
| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | The Gulf Screen Guild Theater | Never In This World with Leslie Howard and Kay Francis, Episode 012 |
| 1941 | The Chase and Sanborn Program with Bergen and McCarthy | Guest Star with Abbott and Costello, Ray Noble and his Orchestra [15] |
| 1942 | The Kraft Music Hall with Bing Crosby | Guest Star with Carole Landis [16] |
| 1942 | Victory Theater | The Philadelphia Story with Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Lt. James Stewart and Ruth Hussey [17] |
| 1943 | Screen Guild Theater | The Youngest Profession with Edward Arnold and Jean Porter [18] |
| 1944 | Dupont's Cavalcade of America | Junior Nurse with Jane Darwell [19] |
| 1945 | Dupont's Cavalcade of America | Weapon 4-H with Skip Homeier [19] |
| 1946 | Reader's Digest-Radio Edition | Do You Remember?[20] |
References
^ [1] Archived October 6, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Class Act Featured Actress: Virginia Weidler". classicmoviemusicals.com. Retrieved April 30, 2016..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Salt Lake Tribune, page six, December 16, 1934; accessed February 20, 2017.
^ Artists in California, 1786-1940, 1st edition, Edan Milton Hughes, San Francisco: Hughes Pub. Co. (1986) OCLC 13323489
^ Detroit Free Press, October 15, 1939. Accessed on February 20, 2017.
^ "Virginia Weidler Biography". fandango.com. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
^ Variety, December 31, 1936. Accessed on February 20, 2017.
^ abc Virginia Weidler on IMDb
^ "The Wilder Brothers's Biography". Last.fm. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
^ "Virginia Weidler Remembrance Society: The Weidler family ad in the Standard Casting book..." virginiaweidler.net. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
^ "(photo caption)". Life. August 12, 1946. p. 78. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
^ Who's Who in Advertising, First edition, 1990-1991, Wilmette, Illinois: Marquis Who's Who, 1989
OCLC 21990384
^ "Virginia Weidler Remembrance Society: The Virginia Weidler Remembrance Society!". Virginiaweidler.net. January 25, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
^ Carroll County Times, January 22, 2017. Accessed on February 17, 2017.
^ "Encore - [Chase and Sanborn program. 1941-09-28] [sound recording]". Laurel.lso.missouri.edu:2083. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
^ "Copyright 2016, J. David Goldin".
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-02-18. Retrieved 2017-02-18.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
^ Classic Images Magazine 2003
^ ab American University, John R. Hickman Collection
^ "Virginia Weidler Stars In "Radio Digest" Play Thurs. 10 P.M., WHP". Harrisburg Telegraph. December 7, 1946. p. 19. Retrieved September 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
Bibliography
- Best, Marc. Those Endearing Young Charms: Child Performers of the Screen. South Brunswick and New York: Barnes & Co., 1971, pp. 260–264.
- Parish, James Robert. Great Child Stars. New York: Ace Books, 1976.
- Willson, Dixie. Little Hollywood Stars. Akron, OH, e New York: Saalfield Pub. Co., 1935.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Virginia Weidler. |
Virginia Weidler at the Internet Broadway Database
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