The Engagement Of Mary Pickford & Buddy Rogers – 1936
“America’s Sweetheart” Formally Announces Engagement
Hollywood, Calif – Photo shows: Mary Pickford, “America’s Sweetheart” and Charles “Buddy” Rogers film actor and orchestra leader at the dinner party formally announcing their engagement. They expect to be married in the spring, in Hollywood. He must be in London for a film production January 4. She expects to go abroad, possibly with her niece, and Rogers’ mother in December. photo Wide World Photos 11/21/1936
Here is the Hollywood publicity machine at work showing the happy couple playing a piano duet. For Mary Pickford (born Gladys Smith, April 8, 1892) it would be her third and final marriage. Pickford’s two previous marriages to actor’s Owen Moore (1911 – 1920) ) and Douglas Fairbanks Sr. (1920 – 1936) both ended in divorce.
Rogers and Pickford married on June 26, 1937.
Pickford appeared in nearly 250 films. Her final feature, was Secrets, in 1933. In 1949 Pickford was offered the lead role of Norma Desmond in director Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, but she turned it down. Gloria Swanson got the part. Maybe the script hit too close to home for Pickford. Norma Desmond was a washed up silent film actress wanting to return to movie-making. In truth there were few similarities between Pickford and Desmond. Pickford was extremely wealthy, had co-founded United Artists and left acting behind on her own terms.
But, Pickford did have her real life demons and hid a drinking problem with a bathroom cabinet full of liquor concealed in medicine bottles. As she aged, Pickford became more reclusive keeping a fairly low profile for the remainder of her life.
Among Pickford’s final public appearances was during the 1976 Academy Awards accepting an honorary Oscar from producer Walter Mirisch at her legendary home, Pickfair.
Pickford was so ill she did not want to attend the ceremony in person and have the audience see her in a wheelchair. Mirisch incidentally just passed away this year at the age of 101.
Buddy Rogers and Mary Pickford remained married until Pickford’s death on May 29, 1979 at age 89 from complications of a cerebral hemorrhage. Buddy Rogers died April 21, 1999 at age 94.
