Baby Peggy, the Elephant in the Room

Baby Peggy, the Elephant in the Room (2012)

*** (out of 4)

Good, hour long documentary taking a look at the career and life of Diana Serra Cary, better known to silent film buffs as Baby Peggy. The documentary covers Peggy's rise to fame at such a young age before she was pretty much thrown out of Hollywood, lost all her money and had to see her family struggle for years to come. BABY PEGGY, ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM is a pretty good documentary that features the woman herself looking back over her career and commenting on everything from fame to being forgotten to knowing you're the one supporting your entire family. I thought the documentary really did a good job when it comes to detail because not only do we get clips from her movies but we also get some terrific photos, production cards as well as various articles that were written throughout the 20s. It's also interesting hearing from the lady herself as she looks back on her career and in the film tries explaining it to her young granddaughter. As with most child actors, there were some dark times that are covered in fine detail as well as the downside of fame on her family.

"Baby Peggy, the Elephant in the Room" is a documentary about a very famous child star from the silent era who is pretty much unknown today. Now, thanks to this film and Turner Classic Movies, the world is now getting reacquainted with this fascinating but very sad story.

Starting at 19 months, Peggy starred in film after film--and soon began raking in a major star's family. However, she became a thing to her parents--a thing to bring them wealth and her own feelings or needs went ignored. For example, she received almost no education at all during her time in Hollywood. However, after the days of stardom were over (at age 9!), came the grim realization that the money was gone--and the family would not let go of their cash cow. Now, Baby Peggy was sent to vaudeville--where she performed much like a trained dog. How did all this sad exploitation turn out--see the film for yourself! It's not all bad--and, fortunately, we see a vivacious and rather young looking Peggy to tell us herself--at 93 years-young.

While I think the film perhaps went too fast through her life AFTER films, it was a very well done film. Much of it is that the narration was kept to a minimum and they just let her speak. Well worth seeing and, following the initial broadcast of this film, TCM showed several Baby Peggy films--making this a great night for silent movie fans.

Before there was famed child-star, Shirley Temple, there was the tiny-tot actress, Baby Peggy (birth name - Peggy-Jean Montgomery) whose Hollywood career began for her at the tender age of just 19 months.

During Hollywood's silent-era - Baby Peggy appeared in 150 short comedy films (most of which no longer survive) where she endlessly entertained movie audiences with her adorable cuteness and wide-eyed precociousness.

Through stills, archival footage, and interviews - This engaging, 54-minute celebrity bio-documentary looks at the life and times of Peggy-Jean Montgomery (who died on February 24, 2020 at the age of 101).

This disc also includes 4 "Baby Peggy" shorts for your viewing pleasure.

The highs and lows of growing up as a child star during silent movies. Very emotional life story of a still living legend. Film history in the making.

"Baby Peggy, the Elephant in the Room" does what a good documentary should; it sheds light on a little-known subject. I like to fancy myself a film buff especially when it comes to the silent era, but I don't recall having heard of child-star Baby Peggy until recently, with the real-life former actress turned writer, Diana Serra Cary, having recently, as of this posting, become 100 years old--claimed as the last surviving star of the silent age of Hollywood. At the peak of her stardom in the early 1920s, as an article displayed in the movie estimates, she was making $1.5 million annually. Her father and family squandered it all, and, along with the Hollywood system and vaudeville circuit, squandered her childhood, to boot.

I find it difficult to be charmed by movies featuring child stars for this reason and, as this documentary also demonstrates, Baby Peggy was hardly the only underage performer to have their childhood, fortunes and futures mishandled, as well as to be placed in hazardous working conditions. I doubt things are much better nowadays. Even with revisions to California's Coogan Bill, named after Baby Peggy's contemporary child star Jackie Coogan, who likewise had his earnings stolen by his parents, that only covers part of the financial problem. And, sure, education and labor laws may be more protective today generally than they were in the early 20th century, but one doesn't need to look very much into charges and convictions, which have gained more attention since the MeToo movement, to see how abusive show business remains, even ignoring the question of whether childhood stardom can ever be healthy. It's a wonder there's any charm left in child-star movies, as it is, let alone modeling or the reality-TV trash.

Less remarked upon here is how Baby Peggy's childhood has been squandered twice over by the general loss of most silent films. This documentary reports that 12 of Baby Peggy's short films had so far been found, which is hardly the worst survival rate for a filmmaker of that era when films were made on inflammable nitrate and otherwise largely considered disposable. The remarkable thing about this documentary is that despite this doubled mistreatment of Baby Peggy, this is a story that celebrates survival. Cary, herself, has led the way in the preservation of her films, and footage here reveals her attending exhibitions of her work (both the films and her subsequent books) and answering letters from and interacting with fans. Much of the movie also focuses on her relationship with her granddaughter, and Cary's hard-earned appreciation for the preservation of childhood. And, of course, 100 years and going is a significant achievement of survival in itself.