Peggy Shannon
Actor · Died May 11, 1941, aged 34 · Pine Bluff, Arkansas, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Peggy Shannon (born Winona Sammon, January 10, 1907 – May 11, 1941) was an American actress. She appeared on the stage and screen of the 1920s and 1930s. Shannon began her career as a Ziegfeld girl in 1923 before moving on to Broadway productions. She was signed to Paramount Pictures and groomed to replace Clara Bow as the newest "It girl", whom she replaced in the 1931 film, The Secret Call. Her growing dependency on alcohol eventually derailed her career. She appeared in her final film, Triple Justice, in 1940. In May 1941, Shannon died at the age of 34 from a heart attack, brought on by alcoholism. Her husband, Albert G. Roberts, shot himself three weeks after her death. Shannon was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1907[ (some sources erroneously cite 1909 or 1910) to Edward and Nannie Sammon. She had a younger sister, Carol. She attended Annunciation Academy Catholic School and Pine Bluff High School before being hired as a chorus girl by Florenz Ziegfeld while visiting her aunt in New York in 1923. The following year she was cast in the Ziegfeld Follies followed by a role in Earl Carroll's Vanities. While on Broadway in 1927, she was spotted by B. P. Schulberg, production head of Paramount Pictures, and was offered a contract. When she arrived in Hollywood, she was hailed as the next "It girl", replacing the former, Clara Bow. Prior to the shooting of The Secret Call, Bow had suffered a nervous breakdown and Shannon was hired to replace her only two days after her arrival in Hollywood. Shannon would sometimes work sixteen-hour days (from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. the next day) while shooting a film, and when shooting wrapped, would rush to begin another film. She would occasionally work on two separate films in one day. Through films and publicity, Shannon became known as a fashion plate, wearing styles three months before they became popular. In 1932, she signed a new contract at Fox and became known as difficult and temperamental on the set and was rumored to have had a drinking problem. In 1934, Shannon returned to New York City to do the Broadway show, Page Miss Glory. In 1935, she continued on Broadway with The Light Behind the Shadow, but was soon replaced, with a press release claiming a tooth infection, though rumors claimed it was her drinking. In 1936, she returned to Hollywood with Youth on Parole. She found it harder to conceal her drinking. Fewer movie roles were offered, while her drinking worsened. She made her last film appearance in the 1940 film, Triple Justice, opposite George O'Brien.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 10, 1907
- May 11, 1941 (aged 34)
- Pine Bluff, Arkansas, USA
- Actor
- 8 on MovieCove · 30 credits in all
What are Peggy Shannon's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
Grounded 3 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 0
Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 0
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Shadowas Elvina Wright in Turn Back the Clock (1933)
- Heroas Jerry Hampton in Back Page (1933)
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet2
- Tragic1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Peggy Shannon's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Peggy Shannon's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
30 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.
Triple Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
All About Hash (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
The House Across the Bay(1940)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Cafe Hostess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
The Amazing Mr. Williams(1939)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Dad for a Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
The Women(1939)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Fixer Dugan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
The Adventures of Jane Arden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
Blackwell's Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
Girls on Probation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Youth on Parole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
Ellis Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
Night Life of the Gods (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
Back Page(1933)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Fury of the Jungle(1933)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Turn Back the Clock(1933)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
The Devil's Mate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Deluge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Girl Missing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
False Faces (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
The Painted Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Society Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Hotel Continental (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
This Reckless Age (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Touchdown! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
The Road to Reno(1931)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
The Secret Call (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Career shape
A full career of 30 titles from 1931 to 1940.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Peggy Shannon's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Peggy Shannon work with?
People who share at least 2 of Peggy Shannon's MovieCove titles; Archie Mayo shares the most, 2.
- Archie MayoShared titles: The House Across the Bay (1940), The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935)See all 2 shared titles with Archie Mayo
