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Monica Bannister
A white woman with dark hair and eyes
Bannister in The Flying Deuces (1939)
Born
Monica Joyce Bannister

(1910-09-08)September 8, 1910
Forward, Saskatchewan, Canada
DiedJune 17, 2002(2002-06-17) (aged 91)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Other namesMonica Wilbanks, Monica Cherkhose, Monica Van Munster
OccupationActress
Notable workMystery of the Wax Museum (1933), The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941)

Monica Bannister (September 8, 1910 – June 17, 2002) was a Canadian-born American actress, best known for her role in Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933).

Early life and education

Bannister was born in Forward, Saskatchewan, and raised in the Pacific Northwest, the daughter of Harry Frederick Bannister and Josephine Mathilda Hagen Bannister. Her father was a candy maker.[1] She graduated from Tillamook High School in Oregon, in 1928.[2]

Career

Bannister was an actress, signed to a contract at the Warner First National studio in 1932.[3][4] She played "Joan Gale" in Michael Curtiz's Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933),[5][6] and "Maybelle" and The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941). She also made many smaller appearances in films of the 1930s and 1940s, including Hypnotized (1932),[7] Jimmy the Gent (1934),[8] The Great Ziegfeld (1936),[9] Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937),[10] Flowing Gold (1940),[11][12] Accent on Love (1941),[7] and Quiet Please, Murder (1942).[13]

In addition to her film work, Bannister was considered a stylish beauty, and was often photographed in swimsuits or gowns.[14] She worked as a showgirl in the Hollywood Restaurant and Cabaret, a popular New York supper club in the 1930s.[15] In 1932, Bannister was named Queen of the Los Angeles Dahlia Show, and photographs of her wearing a dress made entirely from dahlias appeared in newspapers.[16] Her beauty hints were also featured in newspapers in the 1930s.[17][18] She was said to enjoy boxing for fitness.[19]

Personal life

Bannister married several times. Her first husband was Eugene Willbanks; they divorced in 1935.[20] She married again in 1937, to actor and writer Eddie Cherkose.[21] They divorced in 1939,[22] reconciled, and divorced again in 1940.[23] Her third husband was Max Nolan Lanier;[24] they divorced in the 1940s. In 1952 she married machinist Johan Hendrik Van Munster. He died in 2001,[25] and she died in 2002, in San Diego, California, at the age of 91.[26] "She was a Zigfield girl, and worked on the first space shuttle," said her obituary.[27]

References

  1. ^ Parents' names and father's occupation from 1930 United States census, via Ancestry.
  2. ^ Tillamook High School, Kilchis (1928 yearbook): 14. via Ancestry
  3. ^ Thomas, Dan (September 8, 1932). "These Movie People". The Daily Times. p. 3. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "She Lands a Movie Job". Healdsburg Tribune. October 21, 1932. p. 2 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  5. ^ Palmer, R. Barton; Pomerance, Murray (July 2, 2018). The Many Cinemas of Michael Curtiz. University of Texas Press. p. 285. ISBN 978-1-4773-1555-2.
  6. ^ "At the New Family". The Record American. March 11, 1933. p. 4. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b Gevinson, Alan (1997). Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911-1960. University of California Press. pp. 45, 479. ISBN 978-0-520-20964-0.
  8. ^ Neibaur, James L. (October 3, 2014). James Cagney Films of the 1930s. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-4220-3.
  9. ^ Merrill, Jane (December 17, 2018). The Showgirl Costume: An Illustrated History. McFarland. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-4766-7174-1.
  10. ^ Neibaur, James L. (September 19, 2022). The Films of Judy Garland. McFarland. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-4766-4702-9.
  11. ^ Shelley, Peter (January 10, 2014). Frances Farmer: The Life and Films of a Troubled Star. McFarland. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-7864-5777-9.
  12. ^ "Hollywood Gossip". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. August 14, 1940. p. 21. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Mavis, Paul (June 8, 2015). The Espionage Filmography: United States Releases, 1898 through 1999. McFarland. p. 254. ISBN 978-1-4766-0427-5.
  14. ^ "Named Typical Glorified Girl". Napa Journal. August 25, 1936. p. 1. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/A2UAAOSwZ3pb21wy/s-l1600.jpg
  16. ^ "Mother Eve Up to Date". Oakland Tribune. October 9, 1932. p. 63. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Bannister, Monica (December 28, 1932). "My Beauty Hint". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 6. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Bannister, Monica (November 28, 1934). "My Beauty Hint". Wausau Daily Herald. p. 5. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Grandon, Robert (June 18, 1934). "Boxing Brings Screen Fame". Argus-Leader. p. 5. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Obtains Her Third Divorce; Monica Bannister, Film Actress, Says It Will be the Last". The Baltimore Sun. August 15, 1940. p. 11. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Actress Ends Marital Rift; Monica Bannister Withdraws Divorce Action Against Mate". The Los Angeles Times. February 11, 1938. p. 35. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Monica Bannister Granted Divorce". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. July 31, 1939. p. 8. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Actress Gets Third Divorce; Monica Bannister's Two Reconciliations with Husband Fail". The Los Angeles Times. August 15, 1940. p. 20. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Untitled society item". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 28, 1945. p. 34. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Obituary for Johan Van Munster II". North County Times. November 14, 2001. p. 21. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Wilson, Scott (September 5, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4.
  27. ^ "Obituary for Monica J. Van Munster". North County Times. June 19, 2002. p. 17. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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