Allene Ray

Allene Ray made her reputation as a star of action serials in the '20s, and she had the background for it. She was born and raised on a ranch outside of San Antonio, Texas, and could not only ride horses at an early age, but learned to tame bucking broncs, a very unusual thing to do for women in those times. A local theatrical impresario discovered that Allene could also sing and dance well, and she was offered a part in his productions. It was while appearing in them in 1919 that a western actor and writer, Tex O'Reilly, who was shooting two-reel westerns in San Antonio, spotted her, and she was soon appearing with him in those films. The next year she traveled to New York where she was contracted to make one film, but stayed there for several more. By 1924 she was making serials for Pathe, where she found her niche. Her natural athletic ability led to her often refusing to use a double, as she wanted to perform her own stunts. Pathe teamed her with actor Walter Miller, a successful effort that resulted in their making eight serials together. When Pathe gave up makng serials in 1929, Ray moved to Universal, which was still actively engaged in making them. Unfortunately, her career did not survive the sound era, as she had a high-pitched, squeaky voce that did not come out well on film. She made her last film in 1930, retired, and was never heard from again.