Plain Beautiful: The Life of Peggy Ann Garner

by Sandra Grabman

Coming into our hearts first as the young Jane Eyre, twelve-year-old Peggy Ann Garner then proceeded to give an Oscar-winning performance in the 1945 film A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The studio execs were so pleased that they then put her in a movie bought especially for her, Junior Miss. Before long, however, the studio system broke up, throwing many contract players out on the streets. Peggy was among them. She took her talents to the stage and ended up on Broadway. We also saw her in many top television series over the next few Studio One, The US Steel Hour, Bonanza, Naked City, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Untouchables, Batman, Police Woman, etc. Sure, Peggy Ann made newspaper headlines occasionally. Her flamboyant mother made more. Strong-willed Mrs. Garner's ambitions for her little girl resulted in the Hollywood career she craved, but also caused what was once a loving mother-daughter relationship to take on nightmarish overtones. She went too far, and pain and estrangement was the end product. Were Peggy Ann's inner strength and caring nature enough to help her overcome this handicap? Would she ever achieve contentment? Sandra Grabman (author of Spotlights & The Albert Salmi Story and Pat Buttram, The Rocking-Chair Humorist, and co-author of No Retakes!) has painted a loving, but even-handed portrait through family letters and communication with friends Carol Burnett, Gregory Peck, Johnny Sheffield, Margaret O'Brien, and others. Once you get to know her, you'll fall in love with Peggy Ann all over again. Foreword by Margaret O'Brien.

Genres: Nonfiction

252 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2005

About the author

I formerly authored biographies of Albert Salmi, Peggy Ann Garner, and Pat Buttram, while also collaborating with retired actor Wright King on "No Retakes!" about the era of live television and with radio-man Joel Blumberg on "Lloyd Nolan: An Actor's Life With Meaning." Once my publisher hired me as his secretary, I wrote one more book, Petrocelli: San Remo Justice (aka An Episode Guide and Much More), then retired from writing to concentrate on processing book orders and handling the company's phone calls.

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author drank the stage-mom's Koolaide before she wrote this book. According to Graham, Peggy's mother was a trusting, loving soul who only had her daughter's best interests at heart. Never mind that she was in jail several times for writing bad checks, drank heavily, and spent money they didn't have - she has no idea what happened to the money Peggy earned, and can't understand why her daughter ran away to New York at age 17! Plot holes and unverified statements abound, since the author would quote mom's letters full of paranoia and blame as gospel truth. A waste of what could have been a good story.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not terribly interesting, even though "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" is one of my favorite movies. The author should have co-credited Peggy's mother; a pretty good chunk of the book is made up of her letters. Overall, a pretty sad life for Peggy, her mother, her daughter, and her ex-husband.

[Britt · Rating 1 out of 5]

For old Hollywood books, this one is pretty dull, but it does involve an actress I don't really care much about. I was surprised that there was so much scandal if you want to call it that. Peggy seemed like such a wholesome child actor so I was surprised to hear her mom was constantly in jail and such.