MARGARET PAULINE ROSS CARTWRIGHT, or Little "Peggy" Cartwright, famous child-actress, the six-year-old daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Conway Cartwright of Vancouver, and granddaughter of Sir Richard Cartwright, the well-known Canadian statesman, returns with laurels to her native city.
Blue foothills clear out against the blue California sky made a fitting background for the scene of a child's drama, being played in the Lasky open-air studio, Hollywood, California, when the writer first met little "Peggy," who has just returned to the city after an absence of two years in the moving picture world.
Peggy was born in the Bute street hospital, Vancouver, and named after Pauline Johnston, the Indian poetess, who was there as a patient at the time. Was it an inspirational thought or the spirit of prophecy that prompted the Indian poetess, who was an old personal friend of the Cartwrights, to remark jocularly after hearing Peggy exercising her lungs one day, "Well, she has certainly her grandfather's gift of oratory." Strange to say, this is one of her talents.
This famous emotional child-actress began her career with the Christies, well-known Canadians, through whose pictures she became familiar to the public. Later she played a prominent role with Harold Lloyd in his latest and greatest comedy entitled "From Hand to Mouth," also taking a leading part in the "Third Generation," under the direction of Henry Kolker, and with Bert Lytell in "Alias Jimmy Valentine." She was also featured with Clara Kimball Young.
Last summer, J. Parker Read, Jr., selected little Peggy to play an important part with Louise Glaum in one of her coming releases, and just prior to her return to Vancouver, she took part with the following actors: Fay Lambert, Philip Sleeman, Harry De Roy, Alfred Cross, Florence Hart, Bert Lindley, C. E. Hatton and A. Willey, in the unique prologue to the educational picture, "A Trip Through the Inces's Studios," at Grauman's million dollar theatre. In this prologue she is introduced as the budding "Sarah Bernhardt of the screen."
Peggy never talks about herself or her successes as a movie actress. One of her many traits is her great devotion and admiration for her brother Dick, who is a clever boy of eight years. In the climax of a love scene in "The Third Generation," between the man and woman, Peggy remarked, "When I grow up my brother will be my 'double,' for all the men who make love to me."
On "location" between the scenes, when box lunches are served, an actor with a surplus of sandwiches turned to Peggy and said, "Would you like one?" "No thank you," Peggy replied, "but my brother, Dick, would."
This gifted little girl is one of the members of the Los Angeles Actors' association. She is a talented dancer and fond of outdoor sports, rides, swims, and dives. She introduced a new style of swimming in a swimming club contest and won a diploma of proficiency. Yet withal, Peggy is a natural, happy child, absolutely free from self-consciousness, playing with her dolls and still mourning the loss of her famous dog and inseparable companion, "Teddy," who often appeared with her in pictures, and who was unfortunately lost in California.
A fact which will interest many British Columbians is that Peggy, who loves her "daddy," was winning fame in California while her father, Major Cartwright, was serving overseas.