Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers promotion
The "WAMPAS Baby Stars" of 1932. Rear row: Toshia Mori, Boots Mallory, Ruth Hall, Gloria Stuart, Patricia Ellis, Ginger Rogers, Lilian Bond, Evalyn Knapp, Marian Shockley. Front row: Dorothy Wilson, Mary Carlisle, Lona Andre, Eleanor Holm, Dorothy Layton (June Clyde is not pictured).
The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. The campaign ran from 1922 to 1934, except for 1930 and 1933.
Most failed to live up to their promotion. However, a small number of the selections went on to become major movie stars: Colleen Moore (1922), Jobyna Ralston (1923), Clara Bow (1924), Janet Gaynor (1926), Fay Wray (1926), Dolores del Rio (1926), Dolores Costello (1926), Mary Astor (1926), Joan Crawford (1926), Loretta Young (1929), Jean Arthur (1929), Joan Blondell (1931) and Ginger Rogers (1932). Gaynor, Astor, Crawford, Young and Rogers all were awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress during their careers, with Gaynor receiving the first one during the first year of the award's existence.
Clara Bow was a Silent era star known as The It Girl. She was Hollywood's greatest female draw at her peak, but her career predated the Academy Awards. Arthur and Blondell had long and fruitful careers in Hollywood, the former as a lead actress, the latter usually in supporting roles after the Pre-Code era.
Others with significant Hollywood careers included Evelyn Brent (1923), Joyce Compton (1926), Lupe Velez (1928), Constance Cummings (1931, who decamped to England), Frances Dee (1931), and Gloria Stuart (1932, whose career revived in the 1990s and she received a nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her role in Titanic).
Overview
WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1925.
1922—1935
The WAMPAS Baby Stars campaign began in 1922. Every year, publicists chose a group of young actresses who were under contract at major studios that they felt were on the threshold of stardom. Awardees were honored at a party called the "WAMPAS Frolic" and were given extensive media coverage. The awards were not given in 1930 and 1933 due to objections from independent film studios.[1] When the campaign was revived in 1934, freelance actresses, along with studio contract players, were included as the chosen "Baby Stars".[2] The campaign was discarded in 1935, after which the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers disbanded.[2]
1956
In 1956, a group of veteran stars, among them 1932 WAMPAS Baby Star Ginger Rogers, chose a group of young actresses supposed to be known as The Wampas Baby Stars of 1956.[3] The Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers no longer existed so the idea fizzled. The selection took place nevertheless;15 "babies" were chosen: Phyllis Applegate, Roxanne Arlen, Jolene Brand, Donna Cooke, Barbara Huffman (later known as Barbara Eden), Jewell Lain, Barbara Marks[3][4], Lita Milan, Norma Nilsson, Ina Poindexter, Violet Rensin, Dawn Richard, and Delfin Thursday.[5]
Last
The last surviving original WAMPAS Baby Star, Mary Carlisle, died at the age of 104 on August 1, 2018.[6]
From hundreds of entrants, thirty-eight actresses paraded, and thirteen were chosen, by more than 100 Hollywood press agents at The Writers' Club, in Hollywood, California, to comprise the 1934 edition of the Wampas Baby stars.[105]
^ abBettmann (November 1, 1955). "Wampas Baby Stars of 1956". Getty Images. Hollywood, California. Retrieved 19 July 2023. Wampas Baby Stars of 1956 pose after their selection as winners of the annual contest in Hollywood. From left: Fay Spain, 21, Phoenix, Arizona; Barbara Huffman, 21, Tucson, Arizona; Violet Rensing, 24, Berlin, Germany; Dawn Richard, 18, Los Angeles, California; Donna Cook, 18, Los Angeles, California; Norma Nillson, 18, Los Angeles, California; Ina Poindexter, 23, Covington, Tenn.; Phyllis Applegate, 22, Los Angeles; Del-Fin Thursday, 20, Honolulu; Jolene Brand, 21, Baldwin park, California; Roxanne Arlen, 21, Detroit, Michigan; Lita Milan, 21, Detroit, Michigan; Jewell Lain, 24, Indianapolis, Indiana; Doreen Stevens, 21, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Barbara Marks, 22, San Diego, California.
^Bettmann (January 1, 1956). "Winners Of Wampas Baby Stars Of 1956". Getty Images. Retrieved 19 July 2023. Left to right, front row, are Dawn Richard, 18, Los Angeles; Doreen Stevens, 21, Atlantic City, New Jersey; Barbara Marks, 22, San Diego; Second Row, Barbara Huffman, 21, Tucson; Jewell Lain, 24, Indianapolis; Fay Spain, 21, Phoenix; Jolene Brand, 21, Baldwin Park; Lita Milan, 21, New York; Third Row, Violet Rensing, 24, Berlin, Germany; Donna Cooke, 19, Los Angeles; Norma Nillson, 18, Los Angeles; Roxanne Arlen, 21, Detroit; Rear, Del-Fin Thursday, 20, Honolulu; Phyllis Applegate, 22, Los Angeles; and Ina Poindexter, 23, Covington, Tennessee.
^Bernstein, Adam (August 1, 2018). "Mary Carlisle, a perpetual ingenue in dozens of 1930s films, dies at 104". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018.
^ abcdefghijklmBettmann (1931). "A Bumper Beauty Crop". Getty Images. Retrieved 19 July 2023. Here are the thirteen lucky girls selected as the 1931 Wampas Baby Stars of Hollywood. Selection by the Wampas has many times led to stardom in the past. Left to right: Joan Blondell, First National; Constance Cummings, Columbia; Francis Dade, an independent player; Frances Dee, Paramount; Karen Morley, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Marion Shilling, Pathe; Marian Marsh, Warner Brothers; Barbara Weeks, United Artists. Front row: Anita Louise, Universal; Joan Marsh, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Sidney Fox, Universal; Rochelle Hudson, Radio; Judith Wood, Paramount.
^ abcdefghijklmBettmann (December 15, 1932). "Thirteen of the fifteen budding moving pictures stars pictured in their first get-together since their selection as Wampas baby stars by Hollywood publicity agents". Getty Images. Retrieved 19 July 2023. This year the publicity men selected fifteen girls instead of the usual thirteen. These are the girls who, in the opinion of the agents are most likely to achieve stardom in the films. Left to right front row: Dorothy Wilson, Mary Carlisle, Lona Andre, Eleanor Holm and Dorothy Layton. Rear row left to right Toshia Mori, the first Oriental girl chosen as a Wampas star; Ruth Hall, Gloria Stuart, Patricia Ellis, Ginger Rogers, Lilian Bond, Evalyn Knapp and Marion Shockley.
^Bettmann (March 30, 1934). "Wampas Baby Star Candidates Parade at Writers Club". Getty Images. Retrieved 19 July 2023. Thirty-eight beautiful young motion picture actresses parade before more than 100 Hollywood press agents at the Writers Club. From this number, 13 will be chosen to comprise the 1934 edition of the Wampas Baby stars. Results of the ballotting will be announced later. The entrants were chosen from the ranks of hundreds of youthful actresses who aspire to a career in the films.
^ abcdefghijklmBettmann (March 30, 1934). "Wampas Baby Star Layout". Getty Images. Retrieved 19 July 2023. In this array of Wampas baby stars can be seen Judith Arlen; Betty Bryson; Katherine Williams; Gi Gi Parrish; Hazel Hayes; Jean Carmen; Jean Gale; Dorothy Drake; Lu Anne Meredith; Ann Hovey; Helen Cohan; Jacqueline Wells and Lucille Lund.