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| Pauline High |
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born:
07 September 1907 Borden County, Texas, United States of America |
died:
09 January 1994 Los Angeles, California, United States of America (age 86) |
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American actress. Family tree researchers claim, without a birth certificate or newspaper reference, that Pauline Cleo Stevens was born in Borden County TX in the unincorporated county seat of Gail. There are no incorporated towns in Borden County. Including Gail, there are 3 towns in the entire county and one has been a "ghost town" since 1965. Borden County is almost the size of the State of Rhode Island!
Pauline's Dad, Cleburne Stevens (1881-1963) worked on the railroad. His parents had an established farm in the vicinity of Gail where they were married in 1906. Pauline was the first born of her 5 sisters and 2 brothers. About 1913 the family moved with the Dad's railroad job until he settled down to farming in the 1920's in Garza county taking his parents with. By 1930 he worked as a butcher, settling near Amarillo. Pauline had left for California about 1927/28. In LA, July of 1929, she married George L.High. He owned a dry-cleaning establishment and she was listed as "actress" Pauline Stevens in the LA City Directory. They resided in Santa Monica where Pauline won 3rd place in a bathing beauty contest for "Miss Hollywood" in August 1931. Before 1940, they were separated. She was in LA ("married") as a movie "extra" and he was living in Monterey in a hotel with his brother operating a dry-cleaning business. In September of 1942 he enlisted in the Army as "separated: no dependents". He and his brother operated the dry-cleaning concession at Ft. Lewis, Tacoma, WA. The couple probably separated before 1935. The Census indicates that he was living in NV and she in CA in 1935. Evidently they never divorced nor re-married. He died in OR in 1962 (born 1903). The Santa Maria CA Times, March 6, 1937 (p.8) carried a syndicated column about film extras, particularly females working in the movie "A Star is Born". Pauline is one of those quoted: "One girl, Pauline High, working on Selznick International's "A Star Is Born," which is itself a story of Hollywood and motion pictures, has been playing in bit parts and as an extra for more than three years. During that time she has worked in no less than 100 pictures. In telling her story, Miss High said she came to California chiefly to get away from Amarillo, Texas, and had no thought of entering pictures. 'I had lived in Hollywood almost six years before I worked in my first picture. I'd heard of the heartbreaks that went with the business,so I resolved to stay completely out of it,' she said. 'One day, though, a friend of mine convinced me that the screen was badly in need of my talents, which was a bad mistake; but anyway I took a bit part. I've been at it ever since.' A lovely brunette, Miss High averred that her ambition was some day to play "exotic" roles.'But don't get me wrong,' she continued, 'After three years I realize how slender my chances are to succeed, and I tell myself continually that it is merely a method of making a living. If I looked at it from any other angle I should probably make myself very unhappy.'" |
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Real name: Pauline Cleo Stevens |
Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography. |
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