Sybil Jason
| Sybil Jason | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Sybil Jacobson 23 November 1927 Cape Town, South Africa |
| Died |
23 August 2011 (aged 83)[1] Northridge, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Natural causes |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1931-1940 |
| Spouse(s) |
Anthony Drake (m. 1947-2005; his death) |
Sybil Jason (born Sybil Jacobson; 23 November 1927 – 23 August 2011) was a South African-born American motion-picture child actress who, in the late 1930s, was presented as a rival to Shirley Temple.[2]
Career
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, she began playing the piano at age two and, a year later, began making public appearances doing impersonations of Maurice Chevalier. She was introduced to the theatre-going public of London by way of her uncle, Harry Jacobson, a then-popular London orchestra leader and also pianist to Gracie Fields. The apex of her career came with a concert performance with Frances Day at London's Palace Theatre. Jason's theatre work led to appearances on radio and phonograph records, and a supporting role in the film Barnacle Bill (1935).
Irving Asher, the head of Warner Bros.' London studio, saw Jason's performance in Barnacle Bill and subsequently arranged for her to make a screen test for the studio. The test was a success, resulting in Warner Bros. signing her to a contract. Her American film debut came as the lead in Little Big Shot (1935), directed by Michael Curtiz and co-starring Glenda Farrell, Robert Armstrong, and Edward Everett Horton. Jason followed this with supporting roles opposite some of Warner Bros. most popular stars, including Kay Francis in I Found Stella Parish (1935), Al Jolson in The Singing Kid (1936), Pat O'Brien and Humphrey Bogart in The Great O'Malley (1937), and again with Kay Francis in Comet Over Broadway (1938). Warners also starred her in The Captain's Kid (1937), and four Vitaphone two-reelers filmed in Technicolor: Changing of the Guard, A Day at Santa Anita, Little Pioneer, and The Littlest Diplomat.
Jason, however, never became the major rival to Shirley Temple that Warner Bros. had hoped for and, her film career ended after playing two supporting roles at 20th-Century Fox. These films — The Little Princess (1939) and The Blue Bird (1940) — were in support of Temple, who became her lifelong friend.
Personal life
Jason married Anthony Albert Fromlak (aka Anthony Drake) on 30 December 1950. He died in 2005.[3] Their daughter, Toni Maryanna Rossi, is married to Phillip W. Rossi, producer of The New Price is Right.[4]
Sybil Jason became a naturalized United States citizen in 1952.[5]
Legacy
- Sybil Jason was an active member in the International Al Jolson Society and also made frequent appearances at celebrity shows throughout the United States.
- Her autobiography, My Fifteen Minutes: An Autobiography of a child star of the Golden Era of Hollywood, was published in 2005. She also authored a stage musical entitled Garage Sale.
- In 1983, a Sybil Jason Fan Club was established in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Barnacle Bill | Jill as a child |
| Dance Band | Girl on train | |
| Little Big Shot | Gloria "Countess" Gibbs | |
| A Dream Comes True | Herself | |
| I Found Stella Parish | Gloria Parish | |
| 1936 | The Singing Kid | Sybil Haines |
| Changing of the Guard | Sybil | |
| The Captain's Kid | Abigail Prentiss | |
| 1937 | A Day at Santa Anita | Peaches Blackburn |
| The Great O'Malley | Barbara "Babs" Phillips | |
| Little Pioneer | Betsy Manning | |
| The Littlest Diplomat | Sybil Hardwick | |
| 1938 | Comet Over Broadway | Jacqueline "Jackie" Appleton |
| 1939 | Woman Doctor | Elsa Graeme |
| The Little Princess | Becky, Servant at Minchin Seminary | |
| 1940 | The Blue Bird | Angela Berlingot |
References
- ↑ Pershing, Ben (28 August 2011). "Sybil Jason, child star and screen rival to Shirley Temple, dies at 83 - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
- ↑ Jason, Sybil (2005). My Fifteen Minutes: An Autobiography of a Child Star of the Golden Era of Hollywood. Bear Manor Media. ISBN 1-59393-023-2.
- ↑ Slotnik, Daniel E. (29 August 2011). "Sybil Jason, Cherubic Child Actress, Dies at 83". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
- ↑ Sybil Jason at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Sybil Jason Fromlak's Petition for Naturalization as a United States Citizen (dated 16 September 1952), #154384, ancestry.com; accessed 14 October 2015.
Bibliography
- Best, Marc. Those Endearing Young Charms: Child Performers of the Screen, South Brunswick and New York: Barnes & Co., 1971, pp. 128-133.
External links
- Sybil Jason at the Internet Movie Database
- Sybil Jason at the TCM Movie Database
