Peggy Ryan

Born: 1924-08-28

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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The Grapes of Wrath

as Hungry Girl (uncredited)
Released: 1940-03-15

Tom Joad returns to his home after a jail sentence to find his family kicked out of their farm...

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All Ashore

as Gay Night
Released: 1953-03-03

Three sailors finally get some shore leave, and go in search of fun and girls.

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Here Come the Co-eds

as Patty Gayle
Released: 1945-02-02

Molly, her brother, Slats, and his pal, Oliver, are taxi dancers at the Miramar Ballroom. As a...

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Miss Annie Rooney

as Myrtle
Released: 1942-05-29

A poor girl falls for a wealthy young man. He invites her to his gala birthday party, but she...

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On Stage Everybody

as Molly Sullivan
Released: 1945-07-13

Radio's miracle show is on the screen.

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Chip Off the Old Block

as Peggy Flaherty
Released: 1944-02-01

The son of a strict Navy officer falls for the daughter of a musical-comedy star.

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The Flying Irishman

as Edith Corrigan
Released: 1939-04-07

This is the story of the historic 1938 flight of Douglas 'Wrong Way' Corrigan. Mr. Corrigan...

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Follow the Boys

as Peggy Ryan
Released: 1944-05-05

During World War II, all the studios put out "all-star" vehicles which featured virtually every...

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The Merry Monahans

as Patsy Monahan
Released: 1944-09-15

The film concerns a family vaudeville troupe headed by patriarch Pete Monahan. Because of his...

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Top of the Town

as Peggy
Released: 1937-04-17

In this musical set in swingin' Manhattan, an heiress plans a ballet in the famous Moonbeam...

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Get Hep to Love

as Betty Blake
Released: 1942-10-02

Orphan prodigy singer runs away from her oppressive aunt and tricks a rural couple into adopting...

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She Married a Cop

as Trudy
Released: 1939-07-11

This comedy is set in New York and centers upon a singing Irish cop who causes quite a sensation...

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Private Buckaroo

as Peggy
Released: 1942-06-12

The film tells the story of army recruits following basic training, with the Andrew Sisters...

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The Women Men Marry

as Mary Jane
Released: 1937-09-10

A newsman with a no-good wife exposes a religious racket with a newswoman who loves him.

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Bowery to Broadway

as Specialty dancer
Released: 1944-11-03

Two Bowery vaudevillians find success in producing shows on Broadway, but when one of them...

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Pleasure Palace

as Elderly Woman
Released: 1980-10-22

Story of a professional gambler, connoisseur, gourmet and sportsman who sets out to help a Las...

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When Johnny Comes Marching Home

as Dusty
Released: 1942-12-24

By popular consensus, Allan Jones' best Universal mini-musical of the 1940s was the timely When...

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That's the Spirit

as Sheila Gogarty
Released: 1945-06-01

A vaudeville performer returns from the dead to help his wife and daughter, who are being...

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Mister Big

as Peggy
Released: 1943-05-28

Students at the Davis School of the Theatre are assigned "Antigone" as their class play, but...

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What's Cookin'?

as Peggy
Released: 1942-02-20

J. P. Courtney wants to update the music on the radio program he sponsors, but his wife, Agatha...

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This Is the Life

as Sally McGuire
Released: 1944-06-01

18-year-old Angela, reared in a New England town by her Aunt Betsy, receives an inheritance...

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Patrick the Great

as Judy Watkin
Released: 1945-05-04

A famous stage actor hopes to land the lead role in a big new Broadway musical, but he's unaware...

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Top Man

as Jane Warren
Released: 1943-09-17

In this WW II musical, a young man suddenly finds himself in charge of his family when his...

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Men in Her Diary

as Doris Mann
Released: 1945-09-14

Singer/Dancer Peggy Ryan neither sings nor dances in this comedy in which she plays a secretary,...

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There's a Girl in My Heart

as Sally Mullin
Released: 1949-12-19

A Gay-Nineties musical set in NYC's Bowery and East-Side explores the life of its...

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Billy Rose's Casa Mañana Revue

as Peggy Dixon
Released: 1938-04-26

The scene is set at Billy Rose's Casa Manana Revue, filmed at the Fort Worth Frontier Fiesta...

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Babes on Swing Street

as Trudy Costello
Released: 1944-10-27

The president of a settlement-house group puts on a benefit variety show.

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Shamrock Hill

as Eileen Rogan
Released: 1949-02-01

A young girl holds a special place in her heart for a place called Shamrock HIll, and she tries...

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Sailor's Lady

as Ellen
Released: 1940-07-05

Sailor is going to marry his girlfriend when he returns, but she becomes foster mother to baby...

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Hawaii Five-O

as Jenny
First aired: 1968-09-20

Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and...

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Simon & Simon

as uncredited
First aired: 1981-11-24

Simon & Simon is an American detective television series that originally ran from November 24,...

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