Image of Peggy Ryan

Peggy Ryan

A vastly talented musical performer, Peggy Ryan found stardom dancing alongside partner Donald O'Connor as Universal's answer to Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. Paired up in many a low-budget WWII-era musical, she was best known for her dancing feet, but she was no slouch in the singing department and her buoyant personality added plenty of zest to the escapist fare she appeared in. Christened Margaret O'Rene Ryan, Peggy was, as they say, born in a trunk in 1924 to a pair of vaudeville dancers ("The Merry Dancing Ryans") and, by age two, the pint-sized scene-stealer was already selling her heart out on stage alongside her parents. No glamor girl, Peggy had a very plaintive face, prominent nose and gangly figure, similar to a Virginia Weidler, so she was wise enough to play it up for laughs. Discovered by George Murphy, the young girl earned a part in Universal's enjoyable tune fest Top of the Town(1937), where the little Irish charmer managed to steal a dance alongside Murphy. Other movies beckoned, sometimes in teary dramas such as The Women Men Marry (1937) and The Grapes of Wrath (1940). With the movie What's Cookin'? (1942), she teamed with O'Connor for the first time. The two were a sensation and sparked many musical programmers with their clowning, mugging, intricate dance steps, and indefatigable style. The jitterbugging twosome romped through Private Buckaroo (1942), Give Out, Sisters(1942), Get Hep to Love (1942), Top Man (1943), The Merry Monahans (1944), Chip Off the Old Block (1944) and Bowery to Broadway (1944) during their peak. During this period she married James Cross and had a son, James Michael Cross, who later died in a 1987 car accident. Peggy began to freelance in post-war years and found employment with other studios. She was paired up with dancer Ray McDonald for the films Shamrock Hill (1949) and All Ashore (1953) and began seeing him off screen as well. They eventually married, had a child named Kerry, and toured together across the U.S. in a nightclub act for a few years until their marriage folded. She decided to retire from films following her third marriage to Hawaiian announcer/emcee/columnist Eddie Sherman. She choreographed book shows here and there ("The Music Man", "Funny Girl"), but basically settled down in Hawaii. In later years, she came out of semi-retirement to appear in a small recurring part as the Governor of Hawaii's secretary, Millie, on TV's popular Hawaii Five-O (1968) in 1968. She remained a sporadic presence throughout the run of the show. After teaching tap dancing for decades on the sly, Peggy moved to Las Vegas with her family. A trouper to the end, she formed a group of middle-aged dancers called "The TNT's" and performed in and about town. In 2003, she suffered her first mini-stroke, dying a year later in what was reported to be complications from multiple strokes on October 30, 2004.


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Born:
Aug 28, 1924 In Long Beach, California
Movie/TV Credits:
31
First Appeared:
In the movie Top of the Town 1937-04-17
Latest Project:
Series Simon & Simon 1981-11-24
Known For
Poster of All Ashore
Poster of That's the Spirit
Poster of Here Come the Co-eds
Poster of The Women Men Marry
Filmography
Series Simon & Simon Unknown 1981-11-24
Movie Pleasure Palace Elderly Woman 1980-10-22
Series Hawaii Five-O 1968-09-20
Movie All Ashore Gay Night 1953-03-03
Movie There's a Girl in My Heart Sally Mullin 1949-12-19
Movie Here Come the Co-eds Patty Gayle 1945-02-02
Movie Patrick the Great Judy Watkin 1945-05-04
Movie Men in Her Diary Doris Mann 1945-09-14
Movie That's the Spirit Sheila Gogarty 1945-06-01
Movie On Stage Everybody Molly Sullivan 1945-07-13
Movie Follow the Boys Peggy Ryan 1944-05-05
Movie This Is the Life Sally McGuire 1944-06-01
Movie Chip Off the Old Block Peggy Flaherty 1944-02-01
Movie The Merry Monahans Patsy Monahan 1944-09-15
Movie Bowery to Broadway Specialty dancer 1944-11-03
Movie Babes on Swing Street Trudy Costello 1944-10-27
Movie Mister Big Peggy 1943-05-28
Movie Top Man Jane Warren 1943-09-17
Movie Girls' Town Penny 1942-03-06
Movie What's Cookin'? Peggy 1942-02-20
Movie Miss Annie Rooney Myrtle 1942-05-29
Movie When Johnny Comes Marching Home Dusty 1942-12-24
Movie Get Hep to Love Betty Blake 1942-10-02
Movie Private Buckaroo Peggy 1942-06-12
Movie The Grapes of Wrath Hungry Girl (uncredited) 1940-03-15
Movie Sailor's Lady Ellen 1940-07-05
Movie The Flying Irishman Edith Corrigan 1939-04-07
Movie She Married a Cop Trudy 1939-07-11
Movie Billy Rose's Casa Mañana Revue Peggy Dixon 1938-04-26
Movie Top of the Town Peggy 1937-04-17
Movie The Women Men Marry Mary Jane 1937-09-10