“The Wizard of Oz” and “Alice in Wonderland” are two of the most popular kids’ movies and both have been remade many times over. However, some say there’s nothing like the originals with stars Judy Garland in “Oz” and Charlotte Henry in “Alice in Wonderland” (1933) even though it wasn’t as big of a hit as “Oz” (1939).

As for Henry, she began acting on stage when she was a mere 5 years old, and by 14 years old, she made her debut in the film “Courage” in 1928. In 1933 she got her big break at age 19 when Paramount wanted to cast an unknown actress in the title role of “Alice in Wonderland” and chose Henry from around 7,000 applicants worldwide (she was 57th to audition in the costume).

Although there was lots of fanfare about the film it was not successful even with its high-profile supporting cast members including W.C. Fields, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, and Edna May Oliver.

But Henry went on to appear as Bo-Peep in “March of the Wooden Soldiers” (1934) with Laurel and Hardy, but, other roles were few and far between thereafter.

With not much interest in Hollywood after the poor returns on “Alice,” Henry retired from acting and moved to San Diego. Her last film “I Live on Danger” was in 1942 and starred Chester Morris and Jean Parker.

She and her mother headed to San Diego where the young Henry would start a long tenure as a personal secretary to Charles Francis Buddy the American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of San Diego from 1936 until he died in 1966.

“I remember Charlotte as being very petite, with a blonde pageboy haircut, and very pretty,” said Elvia Aguilar, who also worked in the Diocese starting in 1952 after graduating from high school in the area.

“Charlotte was already working at the office when I started at around age 16, during the holiday season as a temporary fill-in for a secretary on leave. Charlotte was mature, carried herself well, and was in her 40s perhaps. I had heard she was an actress and was in the film ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ “

Aguilar said after leaving the chancery office to get married and have children Aguilar returned in 1978 as a secretary but Henry was no longer there.

EARLY DAYS

Charlotte Henry was born in Brooklyn on March 3, 1914, to parents Robert Emmett Henry and Charlotte Ann Sayers Henry in Brooklyn, Kings County, N.Y.

It is reported she was fascinated by the theatre and her family was amazed when as a teen she was cast in “Courage” which became a Broadway hit in 1928. The following year, Henry’s mother moved with her daughter to Hollywood where she repeated her part in the movie version of “Courage” in 1930 at age 14.

She enrolled her daughter at the Hollywood Professional School where some of her classmates included Frankie Darro, Anita Louise, and Bette Grable.

Junior Durkin, who had collaborated with her in “Courage,” is said to have suggested Henry for a play he was appearing in at the Pasadena Playhouse. By then, Henry had appeared in two more films “Huckleberry Finn” (1931) and “Lena Rivers” (1932).

A Paramount talent scout saw Henry in the play and arranged a screen test for Alice and a week later, Henry began filming the high-budget film “Alice.” The studio’s press department made a big to-do about her resemblance to the character as it appeared in the original Tenniel drawings.
While the 1933 film gave much praise for the young Henry and its big cast of impressive stars, it was reported their make-up made it hard to make out who was who, and the film bombed at the box office.
LIFELONG AFFECTS

Several articles reported that the failure of “Alice in Wonderland” had a lingering effect on Henry’s life along with her being typecast. Henry noted that from the first week of shooting “Alice,” she became aware that others around her had lost sight of her as a person.

“I no longer existed as Charlotte Henry,” she said. “With that costume, I was transformed in their minds into the creature they had read about as children. My identity was gone.”

Another article cited Henry as stating her success as a child actress left her “typed, definitely typed” and she had the difficulty of proving “that I am quite capable of playing serious adult parts.”

This all resulted in her lack of work in films and moving toward acting on stage in a production of the Federal Theatre Project.

Although the “Alice” film didn’t do well, Paramount later loaned Henry out to MGM for “Babes in Toyland” with Laurel and Hardy. Despite the success of the film the studio severed ties and released her.

Henry continued to make movies, although due to the lower budgets of some of the productions and the films not being memorable, in her own words: “I simply lost interest,” and she returned to acting in stock theater.

MOVING ON FROM PICTURES

As mentioned, Henry eventually left Hollywood and relocated to San Diego where she ran an employment agency with her mother Ann Henry for years. It was also reported Henry continued with her acting, appearing in several stage productions at the San Diego Old Globe Theatre.
But she would become the personal secretary for 15 years to Charles Francis Buddy (Oct. 4, 1887 to March 6, 1966) the American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of San Diego in California from 1936 until he died in 1966.

MARRIAGE AND VANITY PLATES

Henry married Dr. James J. Dempsey who was also in the service — TEC 4 US Army, World War II — and died in 1976. The couple had no children.
Charlotte Virginia Dempsey died on April 11, 1980, at age 66 of cancer and is buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in San Diego. At the time of her passing an obit in the San Diego Union newspaper said she was survived by her husband, Dr. James J. Dempsey, and her brother, the Rev. Robert E. Henry of St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Ventura.

Even though Henry was said to be affected by the box office failure of “Alice” throughout her life she was not sour and drove around with the vanity license plate “ECILA”, on her car which is ALICE — through the looking glass.