Adrienne Ames
Encyclopedia
Adrienne Ames was an American film actress.
, Ames began her film career in 1927 as a stand-in
for Pola Negri
. Ames was soon cast in small film roles in silent film
s.
With the advent of talking pictures
, Ames' popularity grew and she was usually cast as society women, or in musicals. She made thirty films during the 1930s with her biggest success in George White's Scandals (1934), a film which was also notable as the debut of Alice Faye
. Ames also appeared with the three leading men from the 1931 version of Dracula
(Bela Lugosi
, David Manners
, and Edward Van Sloan
) in The Death Kiss
(1932). By the end of the decade Ames' popularity had diminished and, discouraged, she left Hollywood for New York.
In 1941 she became a radio personality, headlining a talk show on station WHN in New York City. Her program was successful, and was scheduled regularly until just before her death in 1947.
from 1933 until 1937. Ames died of cancer on May 31, 1947 in New York City
. She is interred in the Oakwood Cemetery in her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas.
For her contributions to the motion picture industry, Adrienne Ames has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 1612 Vine Street
.
Life and career
Born Adrienne Ruth McClure in Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, Ames began her film career in 1927 as a stand-in
Stand-in
A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting.Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of production. Lighting setup can be a slow and tedious process; during this time the actor will often be somewhere else...
for Pola Negri
Pola Negri
Pola Negri was a Polish stage and film actress who achieved worldwide fame for her tragedienne and femme fatale roles from the 1910s through the 1940s during the Golden Era of Hollywood film. She was the first European film star to be invited to Hollywood, and became a great American star. She...
. Ames was soon cast in small film roles in silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s.
With the advent of talking pictures
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
, Ames' popularity grew and she was usually cast as society women, or in musicals. She made thirty films during the 1930s with her biggest success in George White's Scandals (1934), a film which was also notable as the debut of Alice Faye
Alice Faye
Alice Faye was an American actress and singer, called by The New York Times "one of the few movie stars to walk away from stardom at the peak of her career." She is remembered first for her stardom at 20th Century Fox and, later, as the radio comedy partner of her husband, bandleader and comedian...
. Ames also appeared with the three leading men from the 1931 version of Dracula
Dracula (1931 film)
Dracula is a 1931 vampire-horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi as the title character. The film was produced by Universal and is based on the stage play of the same name by Hamilton Deane and John L...
(Bela Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
, David Manners
David Manners
David Manners was a Canadian - American film actor.Born Rauff de Ryther Daun Acklom in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Manners came to Hollywood at the beginning of the talking films revolution after studying acting with Eva Le Gallienne, and acting on stage with Helen Hayes...
, and Edward Van Sloan
Edward Van Sloan
Edward Van Sloan was an American film character actor best remembered for his roles in Universal Studios horror films.-Career:...
) in The Death Kiss
The Death Kiss
The Death Kiss is a mystery film starring David Manners as a crusading studio writer, Adrienne Ames as an actress, Bela Lugosi as a studio manager, and Edward Van Sloan as a film director. The comedy thriller features three leading players from the previous year's Dracula , and was the first film...
(1932). By the end of the decade Ames' popularity had diminished and, discouraged, she left Hollywood for New York.
In 1941 she became a radio personality, headlining a talk show on station WHN in New York City. Her program was successful, and was scheduled regularly until just before her death in 1947.
Personal life and death
Ames was married three times, including to actor Bruce CabotBruce Cabot
Bruce Cabot was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll in King Kong . He is also known for his roles in films such as the sixth version of Last of the Mohicans, Fritz Lang's Fury and the western Dodge City.-Early life:Cabot was born Etienne Pelissier Jacques de Bujac in Carlsbad,...
from 1933 until 1937. Ames died of cancer on May 31, 1947 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She is interred in the Oakwood Cemetery in her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas.
For her contributions to the motion picture industry, Adrienne Ames has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 1612 Vine Street
Vine Street
Vine is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California that runs north-south from Melrose Avenue up past Hollywood Boulevard. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine was once a symbol of Hollywood itself...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | Sally | Bit Part | Uncredited |
| 1931 | |||
| 1931 | 24 Hours 24 Hours (film) 24 Hours is a 1931 drama film starring Clive Brook, Kay Francis, and Miriam Hopkins. It was based on the novel Twenty-Four Hours by Louis Bromfield and the play Shattered Glass by Will D. Lengle and Lew Levenson... |
Ruby Wintryingham | |
| 1931 | Girls About Town Girls About Town (film) Girls About Town is a 1931 comedy film directed by George Cukor and starring Kay Francis.-Cast:*Kay Francis as Wanda Howard*Joel McCrea as Jim Baker*Lilyan Tashman as Marie Bailey*Eugene Pallette as Benjamin Thomas*Alan Dinehart as Jerry Chase... |
Anne | |
| 1931 | Working Girls | Bit | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Husband's Holiday | Myrtle | |
| 1932 | Two Kinds of Women | Jean Mars | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Sinners in the Sun Sinners in the Sun Sinners in the Sun is a 1932 movie starring Carole Lombard and Chester Morris, and directed by Alexander Hall. The film is notable for featuring the second screen appearance of Cary Grant.-Cast:*Carole Lombard ... Doris Blake... |
Claire Kinkaid | |
| 1932 | Merrily We Go to Hell Merrily We Go to Hell Merrily We Go to Hell is a 1932 Pre-Code film starring Academy Award winning actor Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney. The film was directed by Dorothy Arzner. The film's title is an example of the sensationalistic titles that were common in the Pre-Code era. Many newspapers refused to publicize the... |
||
| 1932 | Guilty as Hell | Vera Marsh | |
| 1932 | Marcia Lane | ||
| 1933 | From Hell to Heaven | Joan Burt | |
| 1933 | Broadway Bad | Aileen | |
| 1933 | Paulette | ||
| 1933 | Disgraced! | Julia Thorndyke | |
| 1933 | Ruth Knowles | ||
| 1934 | George White's Scandals | Barbara Loraine | |
| 1934 | You're Telling Me! You're Telling Me! You’re Telling Me! is a 1934 comedy film released by Paramount Pictures, and starring W. C. Fields; this film is a remake of his earlier silent film So's Your Old Man , and both films are adapted from the story Mr. Bisbee’s Princess by Julian Leonard Street.-Synopsis:Sam Bisbee is an optometrist... |
Princess Lescaboura | |
| 1934 | Girl in audience | Uncredited | |
| 1935 | Gigolette | Kay Parrish | |
| 1935 | Black Sheep | Mrs. Millicent Caldwell Bath | |
| 1935 | Woman Wanted | Betty Randolph | |
| 1935 | Ladies Love Danger | Adele Michel | |
| 1935 | Abdul the Damned | Therese Alder | |
| 1935 | Harmony Lane | Jane McDowell | |
| 1938 | City Girl | Vivian Ross | Uncredited |
| 1938 | Fugitives for a Night | Eileen Baker | Credited as Adrianne Ames |
| 1938 | Slander House | Helen 'Mme. Helene' Smith | |
| 1939 | Panama Patrol | Lia Maing | |
| 1939 | Susan | ||
| 1940 | I Take This Woman I Take This Woman (1940 film) I Take This Woman is a 1940 drama film starring Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr.-Cast:*Spencer Tracy as Dr. Karl Decker*Hedy Lamarr as Georgi Gragore Decker*Verree Teasdale as Madame "Cesca" Marcesca*Kent Taylor as Phil Mayberry... |
Lola Estermonte | Scenes deleted |