The Wampas Baby Stars of 1934

The Western Association of Motion Picture AdvertiserS, or WAMPAS, sponsored an annual showcase of twelve to fourteen most promising new female movie stars for Hollywood producers to meet and hopefully launch their careers in motion pictures. Started in 1922, the event took place every year until 1934, the year that this motion picture was filmed. A stage burlesque style event was held each year with comic skits alternating with dance and performances by the Wampas stars titled the "WAMPAS Frolic".

The famous ‘it’ girl Clara Bow was a Wampas Baby Star in 1924. Mary Astor and Joan Crawford, Janet Gaynor and Fay Wray were in the class of 1926. Sally Rand, the burlesque dancer who created the fan dance and the bubble dance was a Baby Star in 1927. Jean Arthur and Loretta Young were part of the 1930 group. Ginger Rogers was a Wampas Baby Star in 1933.

This movie showcases eleven of the Baby Stars of 1934. Missing from this movie are Gigi Parrish from Cambridge Massachusetts, Jacqueline Wells from Denver, Colorado and Helen Cohan from New York City. The story is a fascinating peek at Behind-the-Scenes Hollywood and the making of motion picture stars. In the story that was created around that year’s WAMPAS Frolic we meet a Hollywood publicity man Bob Preston, played by actor William Haines, and he is determined to promote the career of one of the lucky starlets called June Dale, played by Judith Allen. Judith Allen was never a Wampas Baby Star, but the rest of the girls are the actual WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1934.

They all get their close-up shots and script lines to show the world their acting ability and their screen beauty, and all are called by their real names. The other ‘real’ person in the story is Ted Fio Rito, a famous radio band leader of the time. One of his female singers, Betty Grable, would go on to become the most famous pin-up girl for World War II soldiers to take with them in the bunkers of war. Pop a big bowl of white kernel popcorn with plenty of warm melted butter drizzled over it and enjoy a time-machine visit to 1934 Hollywood and the thirteen young, beautiful and most promising female starlets.

Judith Arlen, 1914-1968, Hollywood	Betty Bryson, 1911-1984, Los Angeles, CA
Jean Carmen, 1913-1993, Portland, Oregon	Dorothy Drake, 1916-2005, Santa Monica, CA
Jean Gale, 1912-1974, San Francisco, CA	Hazel Hayes, 1910-1974, La Crosse, Kansas
	Ann Hovey, 1911-2007, Mount Vernon, Indiana
Naomi Judge, 1908-1978, Mitchell, South Dakota	Lucille Lund, 1913-2002, Buckley, Washington
Lu Ann Meredith, 1913-1998, Dallas, Texas	Katherine Williams, 1908-1982, Seattle, Washington
Al Shaw, Sam Lee	Ann Hovey
Betty Bryson	Dorothy Drake
Edward Hearn
Franklin Pangborn	Franklin Pangborn
Fred Kelsey, William Haines	Harry Tenbrook, Katherine Williams, Judith Allen
Hazel Hayes	James P. Burtis, Syd Saylor
	Jean Carmen
Jean Carmen, William Haines	Jean Carmen
Jean Gale	John Miljan, Judith Allen
Joseph Cawthorn	Joseph Cawthorn, Greta Meyer
Joseph Cawthorn
Judith Allen	Judith Allen, William Haines
Judith Allen	Judith Allen
Judith Allen	Judith Allen
	Katherine Williams
Katherine Williams, Judith Allen	Katherine Williams
Katherine Willliams, Judith Allen	Katherine Williams
Lenore Keef	Lu Ann Meredith
Lucille Lund	Naomi Judge
Rolfe Sedan, William Haines	Ted Fio Rito
Vince Barnett	Vince Barnett, William Haines
Vince Barnett	William Haines
William Haines, James Bush	William Haines, Judith Allen
William Haines, Judith Allen	William Haines