© Copyright Harutyunyan 2024

sunfilm-logo
Home/Madge Evans
Madge Evans‌

Gender

Female

Birthday

calendar1909-07-01

Popularity

star3.1

Madge Evans

New York City, New York, USA

Madge Evans

New York City, New York, USA

Gender

Female

Birthday

calendar1909-07-01

Popularity

star3.1

Biography

Lovely Madge Evans was the perennial nice girl in films of the 1930s. By then, she had been in front of the camera for many years, starting with Fairy Soap commercials at the age of two (she sat on a bar of soap holding a bunch of violets with the tag line reading "have you a little fairy in your home?"). 'Baby Madge' also lent her name to a children's hat company. In 1914, aged five, she was picked out by talent scouts to appear in the William Farnum movie The Sign of the Cross (1914), followed by The Seven Sisters (1915) with Marguerite Clark. By the end of the following year, she had amassed some twenty film credits, appearing with such noted contemporary stars as Pauline Frederick or Alice Brady. All of her early films were made on the East Coast, at studios in Ft.Lee, New Jersey. In 1917 (aged eight), Madge made her Broadway debut in 'Peter Ibbetson' with John Barrymore and Lionel Barrymore. She resumed her stage career in 1926 as an ingenue with 'Daisy Mayme' and the following year appeared with Billie Burke in Noel Coward's costume drama 'The Marquise' (1927). Her pleasing looks and personality soon attracted the attention of Hollywood and she was eventually signed by MGM in 1931. During the next decade, she appeared in several A-grade productions, notably as Lionel Barrymore's daughter in MGM's Dinner at Eight (1933) and as the dependable Agnes Wickfield in one of the best-ever filmed versions of David Copperfield (1935). She co-starred opposite James Cagney in the gangster movie The Mayor of Hell (1933), Spencer Tracy in The Show-Off (1934) and listened to Bing Crosby crooning the title song in Pennies from Heaven (1936). Madge received praise for her performance as the star of Beauty for Sale (1933) and The New York Times review of January 13 1934 described her acting in Fugitive Lovers (1934) (opposite Robert Montgomery ) as 'spontaneous and captivating'. Many of her 'typical American girl' roles did not allow her to express aspects of the greater acting range she undoubtedly possessed. Too often she was cast as the 'nice girl' - and those rarely make much of a dramatic impact. On the few occasions she was assigned the role of 'other woman' , such as the Helen Hayes-starrer What Every Woman Knows (1934), audiences found her character difficult to believe and disassociate from her all-round wholesome image. When her contract with MGM expired in 1937, Madge wound down her film career and, following her 1939 marriage, concentrated on being the wife of celebrated playwright Sidney Kingsley. She last appeared on stage in one of his plays, "The Patriots", in 1943.

Movie Credits

The Volunteer

The Volunteer‌
star0.0
calendar 1917

The Bard of Broadway

The Bard of Broadway‌
star0.0
calendar 1930

The Tunnel

The Tunnel‌
star5.3
calendar 1935

The Greeks Had a Word for Them

The Greeks Had a Word for Them‌
star4.8
calendar 1932

David Copperfield

David Copperfield‌
star6.5
calendar 1935

Dinner at Eight

Dinner at Eight‌
star6.7
calendar 1933

True Blue

True Blue‌
star0.0
calendar 1918

Helldorado

Helldorado‌
star0.0
calendar 1935

Heartbreak

Heartbreak‌
star0.0
calendar 1931

Broadway to Hollywood

Broadway to Hollywood‌
star4.6
calendar 1933

The Mayor of Hell

The Mayor of Hell‌
star7.1
calendar 1933

Love Net

Love Net‌
star0.0
calendar 1918

Death on the Diamond

Death on the Diamond‌
star7.0
calendar 1934

The New South

The New South‌
star0.0
calendar 1916

Hallelujah, I'm a Bum

Hallelujah, I'm a Bum‌
star7.5
calendar 1933

The Nuisance

The Nuisance‌
star5.0
calendar 1933

Piccadilly Jim

Piccadilly Jim‌
star6.5
calendar 1936

Guilty Hands

Guilty Hands‌
star5.8
calendar 1931

Sinners in Paradise

Sinners in Paradise‌
star5.3
calendar 1938

Are You Listening?

Are You Listening?‌
star5.0
calendar 1932

Exclusive Story

Exclusive Story‌
star6.5
calendar 1936

Son of India

Son of India‌
star5.0
calendar 1931

Day of Reckoning

Day of Reckoning‌
star5.0
calendar 1933

The Thirteenth Chair

The Thirteenth Chair‌
star5.8
calendar 1937

West of Broadway

West of Broadway‌
star6.0
calendar 1931

Wanted, A Mother

Wanted, A Mother‌
star0.0
calendar 1918

Lovers Courageous

Lovers Courageous‌
star5.8
calendar 1932

Made on Broadway

Made on Broadway‌
star6.5
calendar 1933

Beauty for Sale

Beauty for Sale‌
star7.0
calendar 1933

Pennies from Heaven

Pennies from Heaven‌
star6.8
calendar 1936

Army Girl

Army Girl‌
star6.0
calendar 1938

Huddle

Huddle‌
star6.6
calendar 1932

Moonlight Murder

Moonlight Murder‌
star5.0
calendar 1936

Espionage

Espionage‌
star6.5
calendar 1937

Fugitive Lovers

Fugitive Lovers‌
star6.0
calendar 1934

Hell Below

Hell Below‌
star6.3
calendar 1933

Age of Indiscretion

Age of Indiscretion‌
star5.2
calendar 1935

What Every Woman Knows

What Every Woman Knows‌
star7.0
calendar 1934

On the Banks of the Wabash

On the Banks of the Wabash‌
star0.0
calendar 1923

The Show-Off

The Show-Off‌
star5.7
calendar 1934

Sporting Blood

Sporting Blood‌
star5.5
calendar 1931

Fast Life

Fast Life‌
star8.3
calendar 1932

Hollywood: The Selznick Years

Hollywood: The Selznick Years‌
star3.3
calendar 1961

Calm Yourself

Calm Yourself‌
star4.5
calendar 1935

Stolen Orders

Stolen Orders‌
star0.0
calendar 1918

The Power and the Glory

The Power and the Glory‌
star0.0
calendar 1918

Paris Interlude

Paris Interlude‌
star3.5
calendar 1934

The Web of Desire

The Web of Desire‌
star0.0
calendar 1917

Men Without Names

Men Without Names‌
star6.0
calendar 1935

The Hidden Scar

The Hidden Scar‌
star0.0
calendar 1916

Husband and Wife

Husband and Wife‌
star1.0
calendar 1916

The Revolt

The Revolt‌
star0.0
calendar 1916

Classmates

Classmates‌
star0.0
calendar 1924

The Devil's Toy

The Devil's Toy‌
star0.0
calendar 1916

Grand Canary

Grand Canary‌
star4.1
calendar 1934

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?‌
star5.7
calendar 1975

Stand Up and Cheer!

Stand Up and Cheer!‌
star4.8
calendar 1934

Envy

Envy‌
star0.0
calendar 1930

Seventeen

Seventeen‌
star0.0
calendar 1916

The Seven Sisters

The Seven Sisters‌
star2.0
calendar 1915

Tv Credits

Studio One

Studio One‌
star4.4
calendar 1948

Hallmark Hall of Fame

Hallmark Hall of Fame‌
star8.8
calendar 1951

Lux Video Theatre

Lux Video Theatre‌
star5.5
calendar 1950

Your Show of Shows

Your Show of Shows‌
star5.5
calendar 1950

The Alcoa Hour

The Alcoa Hour‌
star4.0
calendar 1955

Matinee Theater

Matinee Theater‌
star3.3
calendar 1955

The Philco Television Playhouse

The Philco Television Playhouse‌
star5.6
calendar 1948

Studio One

Studio One‌
star4.4
calendar 1948

The Philco Television Playhouse

The Philco Television Playhouse‌
star5.6
calendar 1948