UNDER EIGHTEEN

Original 10 1/8 inch x 8 inch Portrait of MARIAN MARSH in the 1931 Archie Mayo Romantic Drama UNDER EIGHTEEN

A poor seamstress girl sours on her engagement to a grocery deliveryman after seeing her sister’s abusive marriage. Trying to help her sister pay for a divorce lawyer, she turns to a rich playboy she met at work.

Marian Marsh was born in Trinidad in 1913. Doll-faced leading lady of Hollywood films of the 1930s, which she entered as Marilyn Morgan. Despite appearances in 30 short films starring James Gleason and a small part in Hell’s Angels (1930), Marian’s career seemed headed to oblivion when she won the role of her life in Svengali (1931), Warner’s film remake of George L. Du Maurier’s 1894 novel “Trilby”; the tragic tale of an artists’ model who becomes a great singing diva under the hypnotic tutelage of the malevolent Svengali (charismatically portrayed by John Barrymore). According to Miss Marsh, she was tested for the plum role several times before being selected by Barrymore, apparently because she resembled his wife, Dolores Costello. After this success came a few compelling performances as the daughter of a woman driven to suicide by amoral newspaper editor Edward G. Robinson in Five Star Final (1931), a ballerina menaced by evil clubfooted puppeteer John Barrymore in The Mad Genius (1931), a sexy teen smitten with mature William Powell in The Road to Singapore (1931), and the fast talking Cinderella secretary of skirt-chasing financier Warren William in Beauty and the Boss (1932). She then played leads in mostly routine films until her retirement early in the 1940s.

The portrait is in very good condition with minor soiling in the bottom border. Reverse side blank.