Margaret Style

Amidst all the beauty and glamour of the grown women of the golden age of Hollywood were some of the most memorable and talented child stars of all time. Many of them had short careers, reaching great success at a young age, then growing out of their popular roles and having to live in the shadow of their younger selves for the rest of their lives. None the less, they all played a vital part in the development of the motion picture industry and made a few special classics along the way.

I believe that one of the most endearing and talented child stars of all time was Margaret O'Brien. Catapulting to stardom at the age of five years old in the film A Journey for Margaret (after which she changed her named from Maxine to Margaret), she hammered out an impressive resume over the next seven years (she appeared in six films in 1943 alone), including some pretty nice classics, and was awarded a special Juvenile Award for Outstanding Child Actress of 1944. (Her very first appearance onscreen was actually in the Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney film, Babes on Broadway, and is a hilarious 60 seconds. ;)

Margaret, unlike the bubbly Shirley Temple of the previous decade, was a highly talented dramatic actress (boy, could she cry!) who excelled in a wide range of roles, from devilish imp to tearful orphan to the cutie-pie next-door. Her comedic timing was excellent and one look from those dark eyes or a flash of her winning smile was enough to steal a scene.

Of course, child stars' fashions had as much of an influence on the styles of the era as the grown-ups, and Margaret modeled her fair share of the short, full-skirted dresses of the period, as well as enough oversized bows for a whole family of girls.

Even though Margaret wasn't able to make the transition from child to adult roles and her career went nowhere after the year 1950, she left her stamp on the movies and raised the bar for child actors of the next generation. And she did grow into a very pretty young woman (see right). Here you can take a peek at an "older" Margaret's appearance on What's My Line?

And now I'd like to share one of my favorite clips of this lady, in which  Margaret (as the precocious "Tootie") dances the cake walk with always-the-greatest Judy Garland. The film is the classic Meet Me In St. Louis.

The most important reason that Margaret O'Brien is a special favorite of mine is because she reminds me so much of my (now nine-year-old) sister Maggie. This makes watching (and listening - love that voice) to Margaret on screen twice as fun. (And the name coincidence is really something!)

Now we've just got to learn the cake walk together. I don't mind being Judy's character one bit... ;)





P.S. Don't forget the Masquerade event next Tuesday! I'd appreciate anyone who shares the banner and a link on their blog - spread the word!

Also, remember that the Leaf Earrings are still on sale for $6 through the end of September. They make a great gift for a fashionista friend... or yourself. ;)