The Life of Nellie Bly Baker O'Bryan
Chaplin aficionados may remember Nellie Bly Baker as the delightfully funny masseuse in Charlie Chaplin’s A Woman of Paris.
Now, a new book by Bonnie Henderson tells the remarkable story of the woman behind the role: These Are My Mountains: From the Chaplin Studios to the High Sierra: The Life of Nellie Bly Baker O’Bryan.
Nellie’s life extended far beyond Hollywood. In California’s Eastern Sierra, she became a resort owner, licensed hunting and fishing guide, businesswoman and local historian. Quite a life!
Bonnie Henderson brings this independent and enterprising woman back into view in a book spanning silent cinema and the High Sierra — a fascinating chapter of film history and a life well worth rediscovering.