Leading Ladies Bonita Granville
These Three/ Mary Tilford
Nancy Drew- Detective/ Nancy Drew
Now, Voyager/ June Vale
The Mortal Storm/ Elsa
Per Quinlan's Film Stars:
Long nosed, lantern jawed ( but attractive) American actress with light brown hair. Played brats and smart alec teenagers through the 1930's, most notably the abhorrent Mary in These Three (1936) which won her an Oscar nomination.
Bonita Granville was born at Santa Monica, CA in 1923.
Born into an acting family, Ms. Granville became a child actor debuting at age 9 in the film Westward Passage. She was normally cast regularly as naughty girls and brats,
Ms. Granville was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mary in These Three as a very obnoxious girl who spreads lies about her teachers.
She was later upgraded to the bright and feisty detective/reporter Nancy Drew in the Nancy Drew series of the late 1930's for which she is now best remembered.
Some of the film roles of Bonita Granville were:
Westward Passage (1932) as Little Olivia Allen ( Age 9)
Cavalcade (1933) as Fanny
Little Women (1933) as Amy's Classmate
Anne Of Green Gables (1934) as School Girl
Ah, Wilderness (1935) as Mildred
Song Of The Saddle (1936) as Jen As A Child
These Three (1936) as Mary Tilford
Maid Of Salem (1937) as Ann
Call It A Day (1937) as Ann Hilton
It's Love I'm After (1937) as Gracie Kane
White Banners (1938) as Sally Ward
Merrily We Live (1938) as Marion Kilbourne
The Beloved Brat (1938) as Roberta
My Bill (1938) as Gwen Colbrook
Hard To Get (1938) as Connie
Nancy Drew- Detective (1939) as Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew- Reporter (1939) as Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew -Trouble Shooter ( 1939) as Nancy Drew
The Angels Wash Their Faces (1939) as Peggy Finnegan
Nancy Drew And The Hidden Staircase (1939) as Nancy Drew
Forty Little Mothers (1940) as Doris
The Mortal Storm (1940) as Elsa
Those Were The Days! (1940) as Martha Scroggs
Third Finger, Left Hand (1940) as Vicky Sherwood
Escape (1940) as Ursula
Gallant Sons (1940) as Kate Pendleton
The Wild Man Of Borneo (1941) as Francise Diamond
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare (1941) as Frances Marlowe
Down In San Diego (1941) as Betty Haines
H. M. Pulham, Esq. (1941) as Mary Pullham
Syncopation (1942) as Kit Latimer
The Glass Key (1942) as Opal "Snip" Madwig
Now, Voyager (1942) as June Vale
Seven Miles From Alcatraz (1942) as Ann Porter
Hitler's Children (1943) as Anna Miller
Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944) as Kay Wilson
Song Of The Open Road (1944) as Bonnie
Youth Runs Wild (1944) as Toddy Jones
The Beautiful Cheat (1945) as Alice
Senorita From The West (1945) as Jeannie Blake
Breakfast In Hollywood (1946) as Dorothy Larson
The Truth About Murder (1946) as Christine Allen
Suspense (1946) as Ronnie
Love Laughs At Andy Hardy (1946) as Kay Wilson
The Guilty (1947) as Estelle Mitchell/ Linda Mitchell
Strike It Rich (1948) as June Brady
Guilty Of Treason (1950) as Stephanie Varna
The Lone Ranger (1956) as Welcome Kilgore
Ms. Granville also appeared on early television in such programs as Armstrong Circle Theater, The Unexpected, The Ford Television Theater, Broadway Television Theater, Schlitz Playhouse Of Stars, Climax, The United States Steel Hour, Science Ficction Theater, Studio One And Lassie.
Ms. Granville married oil millionaire/ producer Jack Wrather in 1947. In the mid 1950's she retired from acting. She was married to Wrather until his death in 1984. The couple had four children.
Ms. Granville became an executive in the Wrather Corporation and was executive producer of the Lassie TV series.
Active also with many civic and cultural groups, Ms. Granville was at one time the chair of The American Film Institute.
Bonita Granville passed away from cancer in 1988.
To me her most impressive performances were in These Three, The Nancy Drew series, Now Voyager and the Glass Key but I also enjoyed her in such films as The Mortal Storm, Hitler's Children, Maid Of Salem and The People Vs. Dr. Kildaqre.
Louie The Movie Buff