A Shout-Out for Shirley Grey

Shirley Grey (Agnes Zetterstrand, 1902-1981) appeared in nearly 50 films over a six year period, and it’s quite a respectable footprint, though hers is a name that has hardly been etched into the public’s memory. Some of her notable pictures include W.C. Fields’ first talkie The Golf Specialist (1930); a screen adaptation of William Gillette’s Secret Service (1931), with Richard Dix and Nance O’Neil; Out All Night (1933) with Slim Summerville and Zasu Pitts; and the all-star musical Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round (1934), with Jack Benny, the Boswell Sisters, Gene Raymond,Nancy Carroll,Sidney Blackmer,Mitzi Green, Sid Silvers,Frank Parker, Ralph Morgan,Patsy Kelly, and Sam Hardy.

The child of Swedish immigrants, Grey grew up in Waterbury, Connecticut where she got her professional start with Sylvester Poli’s stock company. She toured the New England circuit with the Poli Players through 1924 whereupon Crane Wilbur cast her in his play The Imported Wife. She toured throughout the country with her own company the Shirley Grey Players through the late ’20s. Her own production of Chicago brought her to the attention of Samuel Goldwyn, at whose independent studio she made many of her pictures. She was the leading lady in westerns starring the likes of Buck Jones and Tim McCoy; she also costarred with Jack Oakie in the melodrama Uptown New York (1932). But more frequently she was a supporting player a little further down in the credits, anywhere from 4th to 8th in the billing. Most of the pictures are forgotten but she frequently supported stars like Irene Dunne, Carole Lombard, Lee Tracy, Edward G. Robinson,James Dunn, Lew Ayres,Bing Crosby, Ralph Bellamy, et al.

Grey’s last film was Phantom Ship, a.k.a. The Mystery of the Mary Celeste (1935) with Bela Lugosi and ArthurMargetson (1887-1951). She retired to marry Margetson in 1936. Margetson’s screen career lasted another half dozen years. His last picture was Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943) with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. He then went on to star as Phileas Fogg in Orson Welles’ 1946 Broadway production of Around the World in 80 Days.