Peggy Moran(1918-2002)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Mary Jeanette Moran was born in Clinton, Iowa. The daughter of Louise
Moran, a dancer with the famous Denishawn Dancers, and the celebrated
artist Earl Moran, whose paintings graced many a barracks wall during
World War II. One of Earl's favorite models was Norma Jean Baker, who
later changed her name to Marilyn Monroe.
Peggy never modeled for Earl, although a publicity still of the two of
them was taken in Earl's atelier with Peggy posing.
From early childhood, she was called by the nickname, "Peggy". Peggy's
mother took six-year-old Peggy to the office of Derio, a famous psychic
of the time. Louise wanted her fortune told. Derio did not have the
time for them but, when he came out of his office into the hall, he
passed Peggy and her mother. Looking down at Peggy, he caressed her
cheek, and said, "Hmm... an actress". From that moment on, Peggy knew
she was destined to act.
Peggy appeared in some plays at school. She attended Hollywood High,
where she was squired by
Mike Stokey, founder of the original
TV show,
Stump the Stars (1947). She
also attended John Marshall High for a time. There, she appeared in
every play or show she could.
Hollywood soon beckoned. Peggy went to the front door of Warner
Brothers and told the startled guard that she wanted to get into the
lot because she was going to be a movie star. The guard introduced her
to a producer who introduced her to an agent, and her career was
started. She acted in a few clunkers at the beginning, playing mostly
bit parts and minor roles. Among them was
Ernst Lubitsch's masterpiece,
Ninotchka (1939), in which Peggy
appeared in two scenes as a cute cigarette girl. Later, when the
picture was released, it appeared in Clinton, Iowa's only movie theatre
under the marquee: "Clinton's Own Peggy Moran starring in
Ninotchka (1939), with
Greta Garbo". Peggy moved from Warner
Brothers to Universal Pictures in the late 1930s. In between, she
played the female lead in a
Gene Autry western entitled
Rhythm of the Saddle (1938).
Working now at Universal, she met the producer,
Joe Pasternak, who introduced her to his
director, Henry Koster. It was love at
first sight. Henry cast her first in a
Deanna Durbin film,
First Love (1939). She played Deanna's
schoolmate. In the meantime, Universal was keeping Peggy busy starring
in many of their "B" films. During this time, also, she starred in her
most famous movie, the one for which she would always be remembered,
The Mummy's Hand (1940). Even up
to her passing, she received four or five fan letters a week from
people who wanted photos of her from that film though it was produced
over sixty years ago. Henry had discovered two comedians,
Bud Abbott and
Lou Costello, and their first
movie,
One Night in the Tropics (1940),
starred Alan Young,
Nancy Kelly,
Robert Cummings, and Peggy
Moran. Henry did not direct that one, or any other Abbott and Costello
film, but he was responsible for their introduction to Hollywood, and
Peggy was their first film character foil. Peggy was also tapped to
star with Franchot Tone in
Trail of the Vigilantes (1940),
a Western that had all the other contract players from Universal,
whether they were cowboys or not, including
Broderick Crawford and
Mischa Auer.
A year or so later, Henry and Peggy were married.
Conrad Veidt was best man at the wedding in
Las Vegas. Peggy was soon pregnant with her first son. Just after that,
she was hired by Republic Pictures to play the female lead, opposite
Roy Rogers, in
King of the Cowboys (1943).
Henry encouraged her to take the role even though she was pregnant.
After that, whenever she saw the movie with her son,
Nicolas Koster, she always told him, "You
were there!".
That was Peggy's last film appearance except for some very recent films
about stars of the early era. Peggy's life with Henry was the picture
of marital bliss. They had two children,
Nicolas Koster, who also acted in several
of Henry's films, and Peter Koster, who
works in Contra Costa County. Henry passed away in 1988. Peggy was
quite active during these last fourteen years, playing billiards,
dancing, entertaining, and traveling around the country to attend movie
nostalgia conventions, where she invariably amazed and impressed
everyone from hardened veterans of movies to new fans, with her wit,
charm, intelligence and beauty. She was also active in her church, the
Camarillo Church of Religious Science, where she studied to become a
practitioner. On 26 August 2002, she was being driven from a friend's
apartment in Ventura back to her apartment in Woodland Hills when the
driver lost control of the car on the freeway. Peggy never recovered
from the terrible damage that accident caused. She finally left us on
24 October, one day after her 84th birthday.
Moran, a dancer with the famous Denishawn Dancers, and the celebrated
artist Earl Moran, whose paintings graced many a barracks wall during
World War II. One of Earl's favorite models was Norma Jean Baker, who
later changed her name to Marilyn Monroe.
Peggy never modeled for Earl, although a publicity still of the two of
them was taken in Earl's atelier with Peggy posing.
From early childhood, she was called by the nickname, "Peggy". Peggy's
mother took six-year-old Peggy to the office of Derio, a famous psychic
of the time. Louise wanted her fortune told. Derio did not have the
time for them but, when he came out of his office into the hall, he
passed Peggy and her mother. Looking down at Peggy, he caressed her
cheek, and said, "Hmm... an actress". From that moment on, Peggy knew
she was destined to act.
Peggy appeared in some plays at school. She attended Hollywood High,
where she was squired by
Mike Stokey, founder of the original
TV show,
Stump the Stars (1947). She
also attended John Marshall High for a time. There, she appeared in
every play or show she could.
Hollywood soon beckoned. Peggy went to the front door of Warner
Brothers and told the startled guard that she wanted to get into the
lot because she was going to be a movie star. The guard introduced her
to a producer who introduced her to an agent, and her career was
started. She acted in a few clunkers at the beginning, playing mostly
bit parts and minor roles. Among them was
Ernst Lubitsch's masterpiece,
Ninotchka (1939), in which Peggy
appeared in two scenes as a cute cigarette girl. Later, when the
picture was released, it appeared in Clinton, Iowa's only movie theatre
under the marquee: "Clinton's Own Peggy Moran starring in
Ninotchka (1939), with
Greta Garbo". Peggy moved from Warner
Brothers to Universal Pictures in the late 1930s. In between, she
played the female lead in a
Gene Autry western entitled
Rhythm of the Saddle (1938).
Working now at Universal, she met the producer,
Joe Pasternak, who introduced her to his
director, Henry Koster. It was love at
first sight. Henry cast her first in a
Deanna Durbin film,
First Love (1939). She played Deanna's
schoolmate. In the meantime, Universal was keeping Peggy busy starring
in many of their "B" films. During this time, also, she starred in her
most famous movie, the one for which she would always be remembered,
The Mummy's Hand (1940). Even up
to her passing, she received four or five fan letters a week from
people who wanted photos of her from that film though it was produced
over sixty years ago. Henry had discovered two comedians,
Bud Abbott and
Lou Costello, and their first
movie,
One Night in the Tropics (1940),
starred Alan Young,
Nancy Kelly,
Robert Cummings, and Peggy
Moran. Henry did not direct that one, or any other Abbott and Costello
film, but he was responsible for their introduction to Hollywood, and
Peggy was their first film character foil. Peggy was also tapped to
star with Franchot Tone in
Trail of the Vigilantes (1940),
a Western that had all the other contract players from Universal,
whether they were cowboys or not, including
Broderick Crawford and
Mischa Auer.
A year or so later, Henry and Peggy were married.
Conrad Veidt was best man at the wedding in
Las Vegas. Peggy was soon pregnant with her first son. Just after that,
she was hired by Republic Pictures to play the female lead, opposite
Roy Rogers, in
King of the Cowboys (1943).
Henry encouraged her to take the role even though she was pregnant.
After that, whenever she saw the movie with her son,
Nicolas Koster, she always told him, "You
were there!".
That was Peggy's last film appearance except for some very recent films
about stars of the early era. Peggy's life with Henry was the picture
of marital bliss. They had two children,
Nicolas Koster, who also acted in several
of Henry's films, and Peter Koster, who
works in Contra Costa County. Henry passed away in 1988. Peggy was
quite active during these last fourteen years, playing billiards,
dancing, entertaining, and traveling around the country to attend movie
nostalgia conventions, where she invariably amazed and impressed
everyone from hardened veterans of movies to new fans, with her wit,
charm, intelligence and beauty. She was also active in her church, the
Camarillo Church of Religious Science, where she studied to become a
practitioner. On 26 August 2002, she was being driven from a friend's
apartment in Ventura back to her apartment in Woodland Hills when the
driver lost control of the car on the freeway. Peggy never recovered
from the terrible damage that accident caused. She finally left us on
24 October, one day after her 84th birthday.