Another Hollywood Romance Ended

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 654, 4 May 1929, Page 18

Another Hollywood Romance Ended

"THE TALL'AND THE SHORT OF IT' . . . MOLA DANA DIVORCES HER GIANT HUSBAND ... "THE HARD LUCK SISTERS.”

9EAXTTIFTrX< Tie** Danacured a divorce from tier giant €ft 4in cowboy bus band. Lefty Flynn, to whom she was married in IS-4. a long time ago as Hollywood marriages go.

Thus another ch.ap-i.er has been : written in the life of this lovely memj ber of a trio of film star sisters. • whose successful movie careers have 'mn almost exactly opposite to the tragedy of their lives, for both Viola | Dana, and her e-quai: y veD-ksovr sister Shirley Mason, have had their share .of domestic misfortanes. Both .rhs and he: sister Shir ” i • i ■ .. iiTt.le mors th m ; girls, and both have stfered romantic reverses since. However, fortune \ smiled upon them, with the resell that the “hard Inch sisters*’ are among the wealthiest stars in Los ; -Angeles to-day.

K Viola's real name is Ffoigarth, but only the eldest sister had the courage to stick to her name and defy the convention that an unwieldy name would not case her far up the : ladder of success. Each worked sep- ) arately and they reached the heights . of stardom. Viola was only fire years of age when she made her first debut on | the stage as a solo tarn, and the other sisters soon followed her. They toured the country in various prodnei tions, and then, Viola at the age of ! 11, secured her first introduction to i the films. Edison was the first to i give her her chance, and it was in | the Edison studios that she played ; the child part which was to make her a much-sought young lady. At the I age of 14 she had become a star, feai turning in the leading role of "'The j Poor Little Rich Girl/'

Naturally her success inspired her • sisters to try their hick on the screen, j and, with the help that Viola was | able to give them by way of intro- ! duetions, they, too, were soon safely j established.

With such loveliness of face and /form it was not to be wondered at that romance came quickly to the beautiful sisters, and it happened that i Viola, at the age of I€, was appearing in a film directed by that handsome young man, John Collins. The producer was literally swept off his feet by the beauty of bis leading lady, and before the picture was finished the wedding bells had rung for the marriage of Viola and John. This was a very happy marriage, and the pair were always seen about together. She appeared only in pictures directed by her husband. In the meantime, Shirley had made headway as a screen actress. She was introduced to Bernard Duming. also a director, and a close friend of John Collins, her sisters husband, and she promptly lost her heart to him. So that within a short time of Viola's marriage Shirley became a bride. Edna had meantime made good on the legitimate stage. Singularly enough, the man who directed her in her first picture fell in love with her. and she became the wife of Herbert Shaw. All three sisters were thus married to their respective pro- , ducers, and all within a com par a- ; tively short time of each other.

Unfortunately tragedy came early into their lives, for during an infiuenza epidemic John Collins died. Viola for a time gave up her film work, unable to carry on. Her grief was intensified not long afterward when her mother died. Then came

the death of Shirley’s husband, so that once more the history of the sisters had followed similar lines. Both sisters retired from the screen for a time, -and then came back to work with renewed vigour. Viola invested her money in a very profitable garage and a tract of real estate. At Kansas City Miss Dana chanced to meet Dick Stewart, a young and handsome vaudeville actor who was on the same bill. They became friendly and letters of a friendly nature passed between them. Viola had never inquired whether he was married —be seemed so young—and Stewart had never mentioned that he was. “There was nothing in the letters which I should not like anyone to see.” declared Miss Dana, when it was reported that she had been named by the wife of Stewart in a suit for divorce. “He just used to come into my dressing-room,” she continued, “and entertain a party of U 3 with his antics on a trick saxophone. We were never alone, and there was nothing between us.” Contrasts Nothing came of the report, and soon afterward she met Lefty Flynn, one of the greatest baseball players of his day, and a veritable giant of a man. He was a hard-riding, fastmoving cowboy. They first met when they played together in one of the Metro films, when it fell to the cowboy to rescue the tiny star. Meantime sister Shirley was also

the subject of certain romantic rumours concerning Bobby Agmew, a lithe and good-looking film actor playing in the same company. But before anything definite could materialise there appeared on the scene one Harron Fengler. the wonder of the motor-racing world. In falling in love whh Shirley the speed merchant broke every record he had made. She also lost her heart to him and they were married.

Not long afterward secured a divorce from his sented himself ax the feet ot and begged her to marry ****^£p contrast between Lefty dainty diminutive bride was subject of remark, but if was a happy one until a**® years ago. when her husb*"®, to drink heavily. On that secured her divorce-