The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. The campaign ran from 1922 to 1934, except for 1930 and 1933.

Most failed to live up to their promotion; a small number of the selections went on to become major movie stars: Colleen Moore (1922), Jobyna Ralston (1923), Clara Bow (1924), Janet Gaynor (1926), Fay Wray (1926), Dolores del Rio (1926), Dolores Costello (1926), Mary Astor (1926), Joan Crawford (1926), Lupe Vélez (1928), Loretta Young (1929), Jean Arthur (1929), Joan Blondell (1931) and Ginger Rogers (1932). Gaynor, Astor, Crawford, Young and Rogers all were awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress during their careers, with Gaynor receiving the first one during the first year of the award's existence.

Clara Bow was a Silent era star known as The It Girl. She was Hollywood's greatest female draw at her peak and her final film was in 1933. Bow was also in the first movie to receive the Academy Award for Outstanding Picture, Wings, in 1929. Arthur and Blondell had long and fruitful careers in Hollywood, the former as a lead actress, the latter usually in supporting roles after the Pre-Code era.

Others with significant Hollywood careers included Evelyn Brent (1923), Joyce Compton (1926), Constance Cummings (1931, who decamped to England), Frances Dee (1931), and Gloria Stuart (1932, whose career revived in the 1990s when she received an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her role in Titanic).

Overview

1922—1935 The WAMPAS Baby Stars campaign began in 1922. Every year, publicists chose a group of young actresses who were under contract at major studios that they felt were on the threshold of stardom. Awardees were honored at a party called the "WAMPAS Frolic" and were given extensive media coverage. The awards were not given in 1930 and 1933 due to objections from independent film studios. When the campaign was revived in 1934, freelance actresses, along with studio contract players, were included as the chosen "Baby Stars". The campaign was discarded in 1935, after which the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers disbanded.

1956 In 1956, a group of veteran stars, among them 1932 WAMPAS Baby Star Ginger Rogers, chose a group of young actresses supposed to be known as The Wampas Baby Stars of 1956. The Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers no longer existed so the idea fizzled. The selection took place nevertheless;15 "babies" were chosen: Phyllis Applegate, Roxanne Arlen, Jolene Brand, Donna Cooke, Barbara Huffman (later known as Barbara Eden), Jewell Lain, Barbara Marks, Lita Milan, Norma Nilsson, Ina Poindexter, Violet Rensin, Dawn Richard, and Delfin Thursday.

Last The last surviving original WAMPAS Baby Star, Mary Carlisle, died at the age of 104 on August 1, 2018.

List +Key Denotes actress born outside the United States

1922 Actress Lifespan Birthplace Image 19031951 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. 19011977 Decatur, Illinois, U.S. 19051973 Union Hill, New Jersey, U.S. 19041983 Corsicana, Texas, U.S. 19041981 San Francisco, California, U.S. 18981986 Midland, Texas, U.S. 19031978 Peoria, Illinois, U.S. 19041995 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. 18991988 Port Huron, Michigan, U.S. 19021993 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. 19011977 Joplin, Missouri, U.S. 18941988 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. 18921972 Marvin, Kansas, U.S.

1923 Actress Lifespan Birthplace Image 18981991 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. 18951975 Tampa, Florida, U.S. 18991976 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. 19041980 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. 19001950 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. 19001965 Montreal, Quebec, Canada 19031954 Buffalo, New York, U.S. 19041996 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. ‡ 19021967 London, England, U.K. 19001965 Billings, Montana, U.S. 19021989 Los Angeles, California, U.S. 18991967 South Pittsburg, Tennessee, U.S. 18981951 Denver, Colorado, U.S.

1924 Actress Lifespan Birthplace Image 19051965 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. 19031957 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. 19011966 Rushville, Indiana, U.S. 19091947 Portland, Oregon, U.S. 19061994 Cripple Creek, Colorado, U.S. 19001988 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. 19041979 Fairbury, Illinois, U.S. 19031990 Kingston upon Hull, England, U.K. 19081968 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. 18981968 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. 19041983 Superior, Wisconsin, U.S. 19101925 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. 19041992 Ashland, Kentucky, U.S.

1925 Actress Lifespan Birthplace Image 19091966 Providence, Kentucky, U.S. 19061947 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. 18971980 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. 19061993 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 18971989 Federalsburg, Maryland, U.S. 19021992 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. 19081984 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. 19031984 St. Cloud, Minnesota, U.S. 19071980 Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S. 19081960 Del Rio, Texas, U.S. 19041993 San Francisco, California, U.S. 19031970 Red Oak, Iowa, U.S. 19041995 New York City, U.S.

1926 Actress Lifespan Birthplace Image 19061987 Quincy, Illinois, U.S. 19062002 Corsicana, Texas, U.S. 19071997 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. 19031979 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. 1905?1977 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. 19082000 Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. 19041983 Durango, Mexico 19061984 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. 19011987 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. 19061957 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. 19081968 Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S. 18991962 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. 19072004 Cardston, Alberta, Canada

1927 Actress Lifespan Birthplace Image 19021973 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. 19091955 New York City, U.S. 19061957 New York City, U.S. 19072011 Gadsby, Alberta, Canada 19051991 Vallejo, California, U.S. 19062000 Eagle Grove, Iowa, U.S. 19091991 Los Angeles, California, U.S. 19051979 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. 19111978 Oakland, California, U.S. 19041979 Elkton, Missouri, U.S. 19101983 Lake Bluff, Illinois, U.S. 19031936 New York City, U.S. 19051943 Ashland, Kentucky, U.S.

1928 Actress Lifespan Birthplace Image 19071994 San Mateo, California, U.S. 19091993 London, England, U.K. 19061982 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. 19051987 Logansport, Indiana, U.S. 19061968 New York City, U.S. 19051995 Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. 19081978 New York City, U.S. 19091990 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. 19081997 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. 19041961 Hastings, Nebraska, U.S. 19091998 Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S. 19051984 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. 19081944 San Luis Potosí, Mexico

1929 Actress Lifespan Birthplace Image 19001991 Plattsburgh, New York, U.S. 19101997 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. 19081971 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. 19041996 Talladega, Alabama, U.S. 19051986 Goldfield, Nevada, U.S. 19061983 New York City, U.S. 19061982 Independence, Kansas, U.S. 19051976 Roswell, New Mexico, U.S. 19031983 Oakland, California, U.S. 19102008 Queens, New York City, U.S. 19071994 Mexico City, Mexico 19081958 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. 19132000 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

1931 Actress Lifespan Birthplace Image 19061979 New York City, U.S. 19102005 Seattle, Washington, U.S. 19101968 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. 19092004 Los Angeles, California, U.S. 19071942 New York City, U.S. 19161972 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. 19151970 New York City, U.S. 19132000 Porterville, California, U.S. 19132006 Trinidad and Tobago 19092003 Ottumwa, Iowa, U.S. 19102004 Denver, Colorado, U.S. 19132003 Somerville, Massachusetts, U.S. 19062002 New York City, U.S.

1932 Actress Lifespan Birthplace Image 19151992 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. 19081991 London, England, U.K. 19142018 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. 19091987 St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S. 19181970 Birmingham, Michigan, U.S. 19102003 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. 19122004 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. 19061981 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. 19122009 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. 19131958 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. 19121995 Kyoto, Japan 19111995 Independence, Missouri, U.S. 19111981 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. 19102010 Santa Monica, California, U.S. 19091998 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

1934

From hundreds of entrants, thirty-eight actresses paraded, and thirteen were chosen, by more than 100 Hollywood press agents at The Writers' Club, in Hollywood, California, to comprise the 1934 edition of the Wampas Baby stars.

Actress Lifespan Birthplace Image 19141968 Hollywood, Los Angeles, U.S. Betty Bryson 19111984 Los Angeles, California, U.S. 19131993 Portland, Oregon, U.S. 19101996 New York City, U.S. Dorothy Drake 19162005 Santa Monica, California, U.S. 19121974 San Francisco, California, U.S. Hazel Hayes 19101974 La Crosse, Kansas, U.S. 19112007 Mount Vernon, Indiana, U.S. 19081978 Mitchell, South Dakota, U.S. 19132002 Buckley, Washington, U.S. 19131998 Dallas, Texas, U.S. 19122006 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. 19142001 Denver, Colorado, U.S. Katherine Williams 19081982 Seattle, Washington, U.S.

References

Works cited

External links

The WAMPAS Baby Stars