Little Girl in Big Pictures

From humble beginnings as a baby contest winner to her 1931 debut in Women Love Once, Marilyn Knowlden was an "Alice" dropped into a giant, wonderland known as Hollywood. In that topsy-turvy world, she appeared in films with The Marx Brothers, Greta Garbo, Clara Bow, Katherine Hepburn, Shirley Temple, Claudette Colbert, Fredric March, Charles Laughton, Norma Shearer, Bobby Breen, Tyrone Power, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and Bette Davis. She was sought after by producers Darryl F. Zanuck, David O Selznick, and Jack Warner, and shepherded by directors such as Mervyn LeRoy, William Wellman, Richard Boleslawski, and George Cukor through six films nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as Best Production of the Year. Marilyn appeared in some of the most famous films from Hollywood's Golden Years, including Imitation of Life, David Copperfield, Les Misérables, Anthony Adverse, Showboat, Marie Antoinette, Angels With Dirty Faces, and All This and Heaven Too. Greta Garbo warned her, "In Hollywood, don't count on anything!" After appearing in more than fifty films, Marilyn emerged from the sound stages to embark on worldwide journeys that spanned encounters with General MacArthur in his battle with sea serpents to a thrilling return onstage under the spotlights. Actress, songwriter, and author, Marilyn Knowlden was more than a little girl in big pictures; she achieved a lasting legacy that still thrills audiences today.