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Lassie Lou Ahern

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Lassie Lou Ahern
Lassie Lou Ahern in mid-1920s
Born(1920-06-25)June 25, 1920
Los Angeles,California,U.S.
DiedFebruary 15, 2018(2018-02-15)(aged 97)
Prescott, Arizona,U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1923–1975
RelativesPeggy Ahern(sister)

Lassie Lou Ahern(June 25, 1920 – February 15, 2018) was an Americanactress.Originally discovered byWill Rogers,she was best known for her role as Little Harry in the 1927 silent filmUncle Tom's Cabinand also for her recurring appearances in theOur Gangfilms. Except for"Baby Peggy",Ahern was the last living performer who had a substantial career during Hollywood's silent era.

Early life

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Ahern was born on June 25, 1920, in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Fred and Elizabeth Wilson Ahern.[1][2]She was the third in a family of four children; one of her siblings wasPeggy Ahern.[1]

Career

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Ahern got her acting career started in 1923 in thesilent filmThe Call of the Wild,produced byHal Roach.It was the first full-length motion picture made at his studio.[3]Also making her first screen appearance was her older sisterPeggy Ahern.[4]It was the actorWill Rogerswho recommended that Ahern's father put Ahern and her sister in show business.[4]She appeared in numerousOur Gangfilms with Hal Roach Studios, includingCradle Robbers,and was one of the last survivingOur Gangmembers.[5]

Before coming under contract at Universal, Ahern freelanced and appeared in a variety of wide-ranging productions. She appeared in fiveWill Rogerscomedies, includingJubilo, Jr.(1923) andGoing to Congress(1924), as well as inCharley Chaseshorts likeSweet Daddy(1924),The Family Entrance(1925), andHis Wooden Wedding(1925). Like most child actors she not only had a flair for comedy, but also for melodrama and actioners, too. In her work with female action figureHelen Holmes,Ahern, like Holmes, did her own dangerous stunts, particularly inWebs of Steel(1925), but also inThe Lost Express(1925). Besides serials and one-reel comedies, her work extended to both independent features as well as A-list motion pictures for the major studios. Her versatility allowed her to work with some of the leading film artists of the decade:Ronald ColmanandVilma BankyinThe Dark Angel(1925),John FordinThank You(1925),Norma ShearerandRenée AdoréeinExcuse Me(1925),Leatrice JoyinHell's Highroad(1925),Ivan Mozzhukhin(notable for being his only appearance in an American film) andMary PhilbininSurrender!(1927),Jetta GoudalinThe Forbidden Woman(1927), andJobyna RalstoninLittle Mickey Grogan(1927).

In 1927,Universal Studioswas in the process of makingUncle Tom's Cabin.[3]Not satisfied with the boys who auditioned for the role as Little Harry, her agent suggested that she try out for the part. Her acting in the film, which involved an 18-month engagement with filming on theMississippi Riveras well at Universal studios, turned out to be a success, and she won the best reviews of her career.[5]Despite this, her career as a child actress ended the same year, withLittle Mickey Groganbeing her last silent film and her only movie to feature her in a starring role (alongsideFrankie Darro).[6]Acrowdfundingcampaign was started in 2016 to finance a restoration project for the film, following a similar campaign in 2015 to acquire a digital copy ofLittle Mickey Groganin Paris.[7]At the request ofCecil B. DeMille,Ahern was asked to test for the role as the Blind Girl in his 1927 biblical epicThe King of Kings,but she turned down the part as Ahern's father pulled his daughters from Hollywood acting owing to his belief that pictures had turned too violent.

At her height, as film historian Jeffrey Crouse notes, "She got her own dressing room and a star on the door. An entire clothing line was named after her ('Lassie Lou Classics'), and her name and image were used to endorse such famous brands as Buster Brown shoes, Jean Carol frocks andSunkistoranges. "[8]

In 1932, she teamed up with her sister Peggy and started putting on performances that included dancing, singing, acrobatics, and playing instruments.[6]The duo, billed as "The Ahern Sisters," mostly appeared in nightclubs and hotels in venues around the world. "While Peggy retired permanently from performing, Lassie returned to Hollywood in 1941 with her husband Johnny Brent, a formerDixielanddrummer whom she had married in 1938, and who was employed as a musician for studio orchestras. She danced inCity of Missing Girls(1941) and in the early musicalsDonald O'Connormade at Universal (Top ManandMister Bigin 1943 andPatrick the Greatin 1945), and had a bit part inGeorge Cukor’sGaslight(1944). Her half-brother Fred also went in the film industry, notably as a production designer forAlfred Hitchcock."[9]Lassie later went on to work as a dance teacher at the Ashram Health Spa near San Diego, where many known stars were students, includingRenée Zellweger.[6]During the 1970s, she made several guest appearances on television shows such asThe Odd Couple.[10]

Later life and death

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Ahern died inPrescott, Arizona,on February 15, 2018, of complications frominfluenzaat the age of 97.[1]At the time of her death, she was one of three surviving silent-eraOur Gangmembers.[5]Diana Serra Cary, the last silent film star, would pass away two years later on February 24, 2020.[11]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Reference
1923 Call of the Wild Baby Girl [12]
Derby Day Girl Applauding Band [12]
1924 Robes of Sin Baby [13]
That Oriental Game [12]
Cradle Robbers Little Girl in Attic [12]
Jubilo, Jr. Tiny Man Circus Performer [12]
Sweet Daddy Daughter [12]
The Fortieth Door [12]
The Sun Down Limited Passenger on train [13]
Going to Congress Little Girl [12]
Fast Company Little girl [13]
1925 Excuse Me [12]
The Family Entrance Daughter [12]
Webs of Steel McGregor's motherless child [13]
The Lost Express Alice Standish [12]
Hell's Highroad [12]
The Dark Angel Flower Girl [12]
Thank You [12]
His Wooden Wedding Fantasy Daughter [12]extant
1926 Thundering Fleas Flower Girl at the Adult Wedding [13]
1927 Surrender Little Jewish Girl [12]
The Forbidden Woman Little Arabian Girl [12]
Uncle Tom's Cabin Little Harry [13]
Little Mickey Grogan Susan Dale [13]
1937 Hollywood Party Dancer with Sister Peggy [12]
1941 City of Missing Girls Nightclub Performer [12]
1943 Top Man Dancer [12]
Mister Big Dancer [12]
1944 Gaslight Young Girl [12]
1945 Patrick the Great Dancer [12]

References

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  1. ^abc"Lassie Lou Ahern, Child Actress in the 'Our Gang' Comedies, Dies at 97".The Hollywood Reporter.February 16, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 16,2018.
  2. ^Ahern, Lassie Lou."Join Ancestry®".ancestry.
  3. ^ab"Lassie Lou Ahern hopes to finally see silent movie she acted in as a child".Review Journal.September 12, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 17,2018.
  4. ^ab"Laurel and Hardy – Newsletter Mar-Apr 1998".Wayoutwest.org.RetrievedJanuary 6,2014.
  5. ^abc"'I spent most of my life as a nobody': the last of the silent movie stars'".The Guardian.May 23, 2015.RetrievedAugust 4,2016.
  6. ^abcHedler, Ken (November 7, 2011)."Ariz. woman, 91, recalls child-acting career".Deseret News.RetrievedJanuary 6,2014.
  7. ^""Little Mickey Grogan" Restoration by Jeff Crouse ".GoFundMe.RetrievedAugust 4,2016.
  8. ^Jeffrey Crouse, "We Were All Rushing. Why? Because We Were Preparing to Go to the Movies! Actress Lassie Lou Ahern reminiscences about her gorgeous career in Hollywood silent pictures,"Film International,Vol. 13, No. 1, 2015, p. 21.
  9. ^Jeffrey Crouse, "Lassie Lou Ahern Obituary,"The Guardian,February 26, 2018. Retrieved 20-03-16.
  10. ^"Child Stars & Teen Idols".Young Hollywood Hall of Fame.RetrievedJanuary 6,2014.
  11. ^Ronald Bergan,"Diana Serra Cary Obituary,"The Guardian,February 25, 2020. Retrieved 20-03-16.
  12. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvw"Lassie Lou Ahern".Young Hollywood HOF.RetrievedFebruary 17,2018.
  13. ^abcdefg"Overview of Lassie Lou Ahern".TMC.RetrievedFebruary 17,2018.
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