Marion Aye

Marion Aye (April 5, 1903 – July 21, 1951) was an American actress of screen and stage who starred in several films during the 1920s, mostly comedies. She was sometimes credited as Maryon Aye.

Marion Aye
Aye in 1924
Born	April 5, 1903 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	July 21, 1951 (aged 48) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Suicide
Other names	Maryon Aye
Occupation	Actress, model, vaudeville performer
Years active	1919–1926
Spouse(s)	Sherman William Plaskett ​ ​ (m. 1918; died 1918)​ Harry Wilson ​ ​ (m. 1920; div. 1924)​ Ross Wilson Forrester ​ ​ (m. 1936)​

Early life

Born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of attorney James H. Aye,[1] she began her career at Balboa Studios in Long Beach.[2] She was later "discovered" by producer Mack Sennett, who made her one of his Bathing Beauties.[3]

Career

Aye in 1922

Aye was selected as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1922. She was a capable dancer, a talent she exhibited in several films. Aye was Larry Semon's leading lady in The Hick and worked with Stan Laurel in The Weak-End Party. She appeared in eighteen western shorts opposite Bob Reeves. When she signed a long-term film contract she became the first Hollywood star to agree to a morality clause.[4][5] Her last film role was in the 1926 comedy Irene, starring Colleen Moore, although she continued to work in vaudeville.

In November 1927, Aye was one of six people arrested for their participation in presenting the play The Married Virgin at the Green Street Theater in San Francisco; the charge was that the play was immoral. The other five had been arrested on the charge once before, but it was Aye's first time.[6]

Personal life

She married her first husband, Sherman William Plaskett, when she was a teenager. He died just seven months after their wedding when he contracted Spanish influenza.[2] Her second husband was publicist Harry Wilson; they were married from 1920 until 1924.[7] She married stage actor Ross Wilson Forrester on September 22, 1936.[5]

Later years and death

Following retirement, she suffered depression from her isolation from the film industry. In 1935, she attempted suicide by swallowing poison. She continued to suffer from depression and on July 10, 1951, Aye was found in a "semi-conscious condition" after swallowing a handful of bi-chloride of mercury tablets in a motel room in Culver City, California.[8] Her last words to her husband were: "I dropped one of the tablets on the floor and I'm afraid the dog will get it."[9] She died eleven days later in a Los Angeles County hospital. Her father reported that she was despondent after failing to get a part in a television play.[1] Her third husband, comedian Ross Forrester, was distraught, stating that he thought his wife was only joking about taking her life.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1919	A Yankee Doodle in Berlin	Bathing Beauty	Uncredited
1921	The Hick	The Farmer's Daughter
	Montana Bill
	The Vengeance Trail	Grace Winwood	Credited as Maryon Aye
1922	Streak of Yellow
	Double Reward
	No Man's Gold
	Phantom of the Hills
	West Meets East
	His Brother's Blood
	The Claim Jumpers
	The Weak-End Party	Lily, the birthday girl
	The Punctured Prince
1923	The Eternal Three	Maid	Credited as Maryon Aye
	The Meanest Man in the World	Nellie Clarke	Credited as Maryon Aye
1924	The Last Man on Earth	Red Sal
	The Roughneck	Marrat's Girl	Credited as Maryon Aye
1926	Irene	Helen Cheston	Credited as Maryon Aye

References

1. "Marion Aye, Former Screen Star, Dies". Rome News-Tribune. Rome, Georgia. INS. July 22, 1951. p. 5. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
2. "Photographic image of newspaper cutting" (JPG). 2.bp.blogspot.com. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
3. http://maryonaye.blogspot.com/
4. "Maryon Aye Signs with Sol Lesser". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. February 5, 1923. p. 32. Retrieved June 24, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Maryon Aye ~ Bathing Beauty". Maryonaye.blogspot.com. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
6. "S.F. theater cast again arrested". The San Francisco Examiner. California, San Francisco. November 21, 1927. p. 15. Retrieved June 24, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "VAUDEVILLE" (PDF). Fultonhistory.com. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
8. "Actress Marion Aye's Death Seems Suicide". The Gazette. Iowa, Cedar Rapids. International News Service. July 22, 1951. p. 3. Retrieved June 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Marion Aye, Tragic Film Player" (PDF). bizarrela.com. Retrieved May 3, 2019.

External links

• Marion Aye at IMDb
• Marion Aye at AllMovie
• Marion Aye at Find a Grave