1. Mary Nolan began her career as a Ziegfeld girl in the 1920s performing under the stage name Imogene "Bubbles" Wilson.
45 Facts About Mary Nolan
1. 2.
Mary Nolan was fired from the Ziegfeld Follies in 1924 for her involvement in a tumultuous, highly publicized affair with comedian Frank Tinney.
3.
Mary Nolan left the United States shortly thereafter and began making films in Germany.
4.
Mary Nolan appeared in 17 German films from 1925 to 1927, using the stage name Imogene Robertson.
5.
Mary Nolan was signed to Universal Pictures in 1928 where she found some success in films.
6.
Mary Nolan returned to Hollywood in 1939 where she spent her remaining years living in obscurity.
7.
Mary Nolan died of a barbiturate overdose in 1948 at the age of 45.
8.
Mary Nolan Robertson was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on December 18,1902.
9.
Mary Nolan was one of five children of Alfcanis and Viola Robertson.
10.
Mary Nolan's mother died of cancer at the age of 41.
11.
Mary Nolan was discovered by magazine illustrator Arthur William Brown and began working as an artists' model.
12.
Mary Nolan was married to former singer and dancer Edna Davenport with whom he had a young son, and he drank heavily and reportedly physically abused Nolan.
13.
On May 24,1924, Tinney and Mary Nolan got into a physical altercation in her apartment after he awoke to find her with a male reporter.
14.
Mary Nolan maintained that Tinney beat her and "chastised" her maid Carrie Sneed.
15.
Mary Nolan had bruises on her head and body, and Sneed, who came along with her as a witness, was injured.
16.
Two days before Tinney was set to leave, he and Mary Nolan reconciled and were photographed together outside of a Broadway theatre.
17.
At 8 am the following morning, Mary Nolan showed up to bid Tinney farewell.
18.
Mary Nolan had to be physically escorted off the ship after ignoring the departure whistle.
19.
On September 20,1924, Mary Nolan set sail for France where she was scheduled to appear in vaudeville.
20.
Mary Nolan then traveled to Germany, where she worked in films for the next two years.
21.
Mary Nolan received good reviews for her work in the film, which prompted UFA to offer her a contract for $1,500 per week.
22.
Mary Nolan worked steadily in Germany from 1925 to 1927, and she continued to receive favorable reviews for her acting.
23.
Mary Nolan finally relented after Joseph M Schenck offered her a contract with United Artists.
24.
Mary Nolan returned to the United States in January 1927.
25.
Mary Nolan made two films while under contract with United Artists; she appeared in an uncredited bit part in Topsy and Eva, and a supporting role in Sorrell and Son.
26.
The film stars Lon Chaney and Lionel Barrymore, and Mary Nolan was cast as Chaney's defiled daughter Maizie.
27.
The film was a hit, and Mary Nolan received favorable reviews for her work in the film.
28.
Shortly after signing with Universal in 1927, Mary Nolan began a relationship with another married man, studio executive Eddie Mannix, who used his clout to bolster Mary Nolan's work with MGM.
29.
Mary Nolan was hospitalized for six months and required 15 surgeries to repair the damage Mannix inflicted on her abdomen.
30.
Mary Nolan eventually became addicted, which contributed to the decline of her career.
31.
Mary Nolan got into an argument with Ernst Laemmle, the film's director, after she learned she was the only cast member who hadn't received a close-up shot.
32.
Mary Nolan made her final appearance in the 1933 mystery film File 113 for Allied Pictures.
33.
Mary Nolan married stockbroker Wallace T McCreary on March 29,1931.
34.
The shop went out of business within months, and Mary Nolan filed for bankruptcy in August 1931.
35.
Hillyer, a man from whom Mary Nolan had rented a house, accused her of stealing a $200 rug from the home.
36.
The rug later turned up at the home of a doctor who claimed Mary Nolan had given it to him in exchange for payment for medical care.
37.
In July 1935, Mary Nolan made news again when she filed a lawsuit against her former lover, MGM studio executive and producer Eddie Mannix.
38.
Mary Nolan claimed that one such physical attack by Mannix required hospitalization where she underwent 20 surgeries.
39.
Eddie Mannix and Howard Strickling, the head of publicity at MGM, publicly denied Mary Nolan's claims, stating that the suit was a publicity stunt to bolster Mary Nolan's flagging career.
40.
Mary Nolan's friends supported her claims stating that while the two were together, Mary Nolan underwent three abortions, paid for by Mannix, and that she appeared on set with black eyes and bruises due to Mannix's physical abuse.
41.
Mary Nolan sang in nightclubs and roadhouses throughout the United States.
42.
Mary Nolan was transferred from the Brunswick Home in October 1937 after overdosing on sedatives.
43.
Mary Nolan moved to a bungalow court, which she later managed to earn money.
44.
On October 31,1948, Mary Nolan was found dead in a three-room bungalow court apartment, at the age of 45.
45.
An autopsy later determined that Mary Nolan had died of an overdose of Seconal.