Sally Long

Sally Long (December 5, 1901 – August 12, 1987) was a dancer and motion picture actress from Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from Eden Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1921.

Dancer

Florenz Ziegfeld insured Long for $100,000 against the possibility of her falling in love or marrying when she danced for his Ziegfeld Follies in the early 1920s. After performing with the Follies, Long appeared in the New York City comedy production of "Scandals". Her rising popularity secured her a role in the cast of "Kid Boots". Composer Milton Ager said Long was the inspiration for his song, "I Wonder What's Become of Sally".

Film star

Long's first film experience came when Jesse Lasky secured fourteen of the prettiest women for parts in his "The Dressmaker from Paris" (1925). Produced by Famous Players, Long's character was noticed on the screen by filmmaker D.W. Griffith. Soon she appeared in a motion picture with Leatrice Joy.

Rudolph Valentino picked Long to play the leading feminine role in "The Hooded Falcon". However her contract with Valentino expired before the film was made. Valentino changed his mind about the movie he wished to make. He decided to do a motion picture which called for a blond feminine lead.

Long opted to sign with A. H. Sebastian, Hollywood producer and executive head of Sebastian-Belasco Productions. Her first part with Sebastian was in "Fifth Avenue" (1926), playing a Greenwich Village girl. She next starred with Buck Jones in a Pathe Pictures production of the comedy, "The Fighting Buckaroo" (1926).

She was selected as one of the Wampas Stars of 1926 along with Fay Wray, Mary Brian, Joyce Compton, and nine others. In 1927 she appeared in the serial "King of the Jungle" with Elmo Lincoln. Long's final screen appearances came in "Cock o' the Walk" (1930) and "Traffic Tangle" (1930). She studied voice beginning in 1932 with director Mitchell Leisen.

Personal life

Long married Leo Bovette Tuey in Kansas City in 1916, when she was fifteen years old. The couple had two children. Long divorced Tuey in December 1926. Long explained that she kept her marriage to Tuey a secret because it might have inhibited her career advancement.

She resided for a time with her mother in a large Spanish home at 628 Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California. In August 1926 she moved to a "cozier" home in the Mexican Village a few blocks away, at 251 Crescent Drive.

Sally Long died in Newport Beach, California in 1987, aged 85.

References

* "Los Angeles Times", "Former Follies Beauty Engaged for Lasky Film", January 25, 1925, Page 35.
* "Los Angeles Times", "Sally Is Found! Valentino Casts Her In New Film", February 28, 1925, Page 14.
* "Los Angeles Times", "Star Draws Pay With No Work To Do", August 11, 1925, Page A1.
* "Los Angeles Times", "Sally Long Signs Sebastian Contract", September 18, 1925, Page A11.
* "Los Angeles Times", "Wampas Stars of 1926 Named", December 8, 1925, Page A1.
* "Los Angeles Times", "Studio and Stage", September 28, 1925, Page A7.
* "Los Angeles Times", "Studio and Stage", August 6, 1926, Page A9.
* "Los Angeles Times", "Long Distance Separates Them", August 7, 1937, Page A7.
* "New York Times", "Love Insurance Of No Use", December 9, 1926, Page 33.