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Baby Peggy was born, Margaret Montgomery, on October 26, 1918, in Merced, California. She was the daughter of Jack Montgomery. Known today as Diana Serra Cary, she was cast in nearly 150 shorts and features during the silent era. At just nineteen months old she was discovered on a visit to a movie studio, and her career came to an abrupt end before she was eight years of age in 1926.

During her early years Diana's father handled her career. Diana has said, "My father told the media, "She is a good actress because she is well-behaved and obedient." Diana continued, "that was my father's whole theory. He had raised horses when he was a cowboy, and he believed you could train anything. He was very strict with us, and, fortunately, my sister was very withdrawn and very shy, and I was very outgoing."

Diana made "Captain January" in 1924, which became a bigger hit than "Darling of New York." Then came "The Law Forbids," "The Family Secret," and her last major motion picture in the silents, "Helen's Babies," in 1924. With her starring career over, she made one more movie, "April Fool" (1926), for Chadwick Pictures on Poverty Row. Many people thought that Diana was still making films, but another woman nearly 21 years old was being featured in films with the name, Peggy Montgomery.

In 1932 Diana returned to Hollywood to start a comeback. But, cute little Baby Peggy was gone and in her place was a teenage has-been. She had a short success in vaudeville, periods of near-poverty, a struggle to come to terms with her self-worth, and an "identity crisis." Diana finally "found herself" as a successful writer in the late 1950's coupled with a happy marriage. About her writing, Diana said, "I was determined to become a writer by the time I was eight years old. I started writing backstage in the theatre, and I also wanted to be a historian. I was fascinated with history." But she had to do it against her parents wishes. They wanted her to continue in films, and she didn't want that.

Diana's books include: Hollywood Posse - The Story of a Gallant Band of Horsemen Who Made Movie History, Whatever Happened to Baby Peggy? The Autobiography of Hollywood's Pioneer Child Star, and Hollywood's Children. Her latest book Jackie Coogan: The World's Boy King is available below.

THE HOLLYWOOD POSSE

After 1912, when the great cattle empires began to crumble, hundreds of seasoned cowboys found themselves jobless. A handful of discarded horsemen, however, stumbled upon an entirely new frontier - Hollywood. In a rare insiders view, Ms. Cary tells the story of these cowboys, who survived for another fifty years as riders, stuntmen and doubles for the stars. Filled with humorous anecdotes, this book reveals the full story of the cowboys' long and bitter feud with autocratic director Cecil B. DeMille, their relationships with the great Western stars from the flamboyant Tom Mix to the durable John Wayne: and above all, their touching loyalty, code of honor and devotion to each other.

$ 21.95  (15.3 oz)

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY PEGGY

Long before Shirley Temple's curls bounced their way into America's heart, Baby Peggy lit up marquees from coast to coast. She was the original child star produced by Hollywood and her amazing journey set the pattern for all those who followed.

$ 25.95  (26.5 oz)

HOLLYWOOD'S CHILDREN

With chapters like Blazing the Trail, Mother know Best, The Merchants of Child-hood, Growing Pains and Comeback Country, you can see that the former Baby Peggy outlines the various elements that so many child stars dealt with in the early days of Hollywood and how in many ways it continues today with some improvements.

"With enormous perception, humor and knowledge, Diana Serra Cary has investigated the conditions and social needs that provided America with its child performers across a passage of more than a hundred years. She spins the reader along a fascinating journey of a heretofore almost completely misunderstood saga and places it all in the proper perspective."...Roddy McDowall      $14.95  (18.4 oz)

Autographed Copy:

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JACKIE COOGAN: THE WORLD'S BOY KING

Discovered by Charlie Chaplin in 1919, this four-year-old actor soared to overnight stardom through his role as the boy in the classic masterpiece, The Kid.  As a child, he earned a fortune of $4 million dollars, for which the press dubbed him "TheMillionaire Kid."

This revealing biography exposes the life of a child star, who became a sensation overnight, was idolized by his fans, yet sadly, was exploited by his parents.  He later gained unexpected but fleeting fame in the 1960s as "Uncle Fester" in the Addams Family television series.  

This is the first study of his life to be published.    $ 34.95  (18.4 oz)

Autographed Copy:

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