Mary Carlisle is going to be 100 years old soon, and she’s perhaps the last living link to and glamour girl from 1930s Hollywood. A darling actress, she starred in three movies with Bing Crosby and was featured in several other films. She lived in Beverly Hills for most of her life with her late husband, James Blakeley, an actor and later an executive at 20th Century-Fox. Beverly Hills locals might remember Mary from her second career, as the manager of the Elizabeth Arden Salon. She is the last surviving member of the elite “WAMPAS Baby Stars.”

Here’s some rare footage of her as a young girl on a trip to Europe, she was a treasured friend of actress Marion Davies and Marion’s companion William Randolph Hearst. This excerpt is from a documentary on Marion Davies made by Marion’s biggest fan, Bob Board.  We highlighted Mary’s appearance. Thanks to Darrell Rooney, co-author of the award-winning book “Harlow in Hollywood” for introducing us to this legend. http://www.angelcitypress.com/harl.html

*Note: Mary Carlisle has the distinction of being the first story on our blog NOT about a scandal in Beverly Hills! In the second photo above, Darrell Rooney and Barbara Schroeder pose for a picture with Mary. Darrell and several wonderful friends make it a point to visit Mary regularly, they delight in caring for her (one blow dries her hair, another does her laundry, a third makes sure she has a good lunch and her favorite drink, root beer!) And they all love her wonderful stories about “old Hollywood.” You can find more stories about Marion Davies and other star scandals at http://www.angelcitypress.com/bhco.html or get the book Beverly Hills Confidential at http://www.amazon.com