The Legend Of Peg Entwistle
For many people, the Hollywood sign is a symbol of the glitter and glamour of the western film industry. For others, it represents the harsh reality of the entertainment industry. In 1932, one of those people was the talented young actress Peg Entwistle, whose tragic death still looms over the famous landmark.
Millicent
Millicent Lilian Entwistle was born on February 5th, 1908. She was the daughter of two actors, Emily Stevenson and Robert Symes Entwistle. Little is known about her mother, but her father earned a living with small roles and designing sets. When he didn’t have any acting jobs, he worked in his fathers’ stationery shop to make ends meet. The couple divorced in 1910 and Robert won sole custody, raising little Millicent in a theatrical environment. She would never see her mother again; it is likely the girl was told that she had died.
In 1913, Robert Entwistle accepted a job on Broadway and travelled with his young daughter to New York. The next year, he married Lauretta Ross, the sister of his brother Charles’ wife. Six-year-old Millicent took an immediate liking to her stepmother. Soon she had two brothers, Robert and Milton.
Growing up in the theatre world, the young girl was inspired to become an actress herself. She played her first role aged twelve, as Peter Pan in a school production. She mimicked famous actors in the mirror, read about them in magazines, played out scripts and often went to plays. After seeing Peg O’ My Heart she renamed herself, Peg Entwistle.
Things were going well for the family until Lauretta died of meningitis in 1921. Only a year later, Robert succumbed to the injuries he sustained after a hit-and-run accident. Fourteen-year-old Peg and her little brothers were left, orphans. Fortunately, they could live with their aunt Jane and uncle Charles, who Peg was very fond of.
New York Success
Charles Entwistle was active in show business, mainly as an actor and manager. At the time he and his wife took the three children under their care, they resided in Ohio. When they moved to Hollywood, Peg decided to go back to New York. She still aspired to be an actress and longed for the prestigious stages of Broadway. She briefly trained at an acting school, before entering a theatre group in Boston. At the age of 17, she was recruited by the New York Theatre Guild and began her career, often playing with well-known actors and getting critical acclaim for her performances. She even inspired a young Bette Davis, who during a performance of The Wild Duck turned to her mother and said: “I want to be exactly like Peg Entwistle.”
In 1927, Peg married fellow actor Robert Lee Keith. The marriage ended in divorce merely two years later, at the charges of cruelty and deception. Keith, a decade older than his bride, had not been honest about the life he led before they met. He had never mentioned his two previous wives or his six-year-old son. On top of that, he was unfaithful and didn’t shy away from beating her. He apparently also made her give up her career since Peg accepted no new roles during the short marriage.
Emotionally damaged and short on money, Peg Entwistle tried to resurrect her acting career after the painful divorce. This was not entirely successful and things only turned for the worse when the Great Depression hit. By 1931 plays struggled to stay in production and roles were scarce. The young actress made her way to LA to pursue a career on the silver screen.
The Hollywood Struggle
By the 1930s, the talkies reigned in Hollywood. The silent era had ended, movies were full of talking and singing. Many out-of-work Broadway stars rushed to Hollywood, where their experience gave them an advantage over the silent stars.
Being a skilled actress, Peg soon signed a studio contract with RKO Pictures. Shortly after, she was cast in a supporting role in Thirteen Women, based on the 1930 bestselling novel of the same name. The psychological thriller was one of the first female ensemble films and an early influence on the slasher film genre. But the editors cut most of Pegs’ plotlines, largely because they included taboo subjects, like lesbianism. Where her screentime originally consisted of sixteen minutes, it was reduced to a mere four.
After this umpteenth blow, the actress learned that RKO did not renew her contract.
Her Final Days
It is said that after her professional misfortune, Peg had been forlorn during the hot summer of 1932. While she had not been in LA for very long, it seems that she had given up on her dreams. On the night of September 16th, Peg told her uncle she was going to meet up with some friends and left the house. She made her way up the Hollywood Hills, all the way to the 50 feet letters. A workman’s ladder was standing against the H. Possibly intoxicated, she climbed up to the top and leapt to her death.
About two days later, a woman who was hiking in the area came across a ladies’ shoe, jacket, and purse. Looking around, she realized there was a body lying about a hundred feet down the mountain. She called the police, who were not able to identify the body. A note was found in the purse, reading: “I am afraid, I am a coward. I am sorry for everything. If I had done this a long time ago, it would have saved me a lot of pain. PE”
Peg’s uncle Charles read about the incident in the newspaper and made the connection to his niece, who by then had been missing for days. Making his way to the police station, he was able to identify the body in the morgue as twenty-four-year-old Peg Entwistle.
During the autopsy, it was determined that the unfortunate actress was heavily wounded after her leap and had been alive for a while, before succumbing to her injuries.
Peg Entwistle was cremated. Her remains were brought to Ohio, where she was interred alongside her father in Oak Hill Cemetery in Glendale.
The Hollywood Sign Girl
Within days, the story of the ‘Hollywood Sign Girl’ was splashed across newspapers and tabloids across the US. Much of it has become legend. There have been claims that a couple of days after Peg took her own life, her uncle received a letter from a theatre company offering her the lead role in a play about a woman driven to suicide. Apparently, Milton Entwistle – 12 years old at the time of his sisters’ death – recalled that a letter did arrive for her shortly after. In the letter, RKO was offering her the lead role in a movie, though Milton couldn’t remember which one. However, he did recall the rage of his uncle Charles and aunt Jane towards the studio for not simply calling with the offer instead of sending it in the mail.
A month after Peg’s death, Thirteen Women premiered – her only Hollywood credit. It received little critical and commercial success.
A big part of the myth of Peg Entwistle revolves around her alleged ghost. To this day, many attribute strange happenings at the landmark to the actress. There are plenty of stories about sightings of a blonde lady dressed in 1930s fashion. Some people claim to be overcome with the scent of gardenias – supposedly Peg’s signature perfume and her favourite flower – sometimes accompanied by a ghost sighting.
Peg
Despite a promising start to her career and obvious love and talent for acting, Peg Entwistle suffered heavy blows at every point in life – from the loss of her parents to a destructive marriage and multiple professional setbacks.
Peg’s name lives on ‘till this day, but sadly only because of her tragic ending. Articles and biographies are written about her, plays and (short) films inspired by her story. Only a couple of years ago she was an inspiration for Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood. Peg wanted recognition for her acting talents and built out a successful career. It is a tremendous and ironic pity she only received fame after her death – for very different reasons. Peg Entwistle still stands as a symbol for the broken dreams and shattered hopes of Hollywood.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or fear someone you know is, there is always help to be found. Please contact professionals or a suicide prevention line.
