Coogee teenager Pyhllis Gibbs seemed set for international film stardom in 1927 when she was selected for Hollywood roles. In the end Hollywood was not for her and she
returned to Coogee to work as a hairdresser.
Phyllis Gibbs was born Phyllis Clare Wynne in Sydney 1908, the daughter of Ethel Cora Wynne from Ballarat in Victoria. There is no father listed on the NSW index of births and
probably her mother had come to stay in Sydney to have her child and avoid the embarrassment of having a child and being unwed. Ethel Wynne married an insurance
salesman, Henry Leslie Gibbs (d,1962) (sometimes known as Henry Salter-Gibbs) in Sydney in 1910. From then on Phyllis always seems to have been known as "Phyllis Gibbs".
According to Sydney Sands Directory, the family lived in a flat at "Dudley Court" in Havelock Avenue Coogee. Ethel and Henry had their own child, Enid Gibbs, usually
described as being Phyllis' "younger sister". From then on the family lived as a stable, and presumably, happy unit together. Phyllis was educated at nearby Coogee Public School.
Star Quest
The Hollywood studio 'First National Pictures' conducted 'The Australian Film Star Quest', promoted in Australia by Evening News, in Sydney in 1927.
In May that year, beautiful nineteen year old Phyllis Gibbs, was announced the winner. This Coogee girl was feted as a glamorous new member of the film star set,
and went to Hollywood and gained a contract with Cecile B. DeMille.
After screen testing and winning minor roles in four feature films, the homesick Gibbs returned to Australia after only eight weeks in the US.
'It was all like a dream', she said: Hollywood was not for her. Hollywood, especially in the 1920s, could be a dangerous and exploitative experience for young
inexperienced actors; Gibbs did not say as much, but wasted no time in returning home.
Gibbs then appeared in the Australian-made feature film Odds On (1928) and toured Australia,making personal appearances to
promote the film. Newspapers reported that she 'charmed the South Coast', was a 'super-attraction' in Dubbo, and Forbes was
'agog with excitement'.
Odds On Film Odds On is a 1928 Australian silent film starring Arthur Tauchert set in the world of horse racing. Phyllis Gibbs, who was still under contract
to Cecil D. Demille, played the female lead Betty Grayson. The film was shot in June 1928 at Randwick Racecourse, and the nearby by Australasian Film Studios
at 65 Ebley Street, Bondi Junction, which now houses the Spotlight homewares store. In 1925 the Studios purchased the Centennial Roller Skating Rink which
operated on site and converted it into a film studio, although they used it as a skating rink during the night and a studio during the day
Plot
Sydney Baxter, a jockey, tries to shield a friend by allowing
himself to be suspended for six months for improper riding. He joins up with racecourse "urger" (See Note 1 Grafter Jones and sets off to tour country race meetings. Baxter goes
to work in the stables of a family friend, John Grayson, and falls in love with his daughter, Betty. Grayson gives Baxter the chance
to ride his horse, Brigade, in a local derby and Baxter is victorious. Gibbs seems to have impressed all by her performance.
Phyllis Gibbs Receives Star Treatment "If the public are pleased with the picture and appreciate the work I have done in it, I will be the happiest girl in the world" she said in Rockhampton
when praised by the local Mayor. Mayors all over the country were keen to praise her. When she won the National Film Quest, the local Randwick Council decided
to send a letter congratulating her as a Coogee girl. A testimonial fund was opened for her at Coogee.
With the decline of the Australian Film industry in the late 1920s and the swamping of Australian content with American product, and the introduction of
new "talkie" technology, Gibbs and other Australian film actors found it very difficult to find any roles. Gibbs disappeared from the news once the popularity
of Odds On waned.
Hairdressing Salon in Havelock Avenue
Gibbs seems to have worked as a hairdresser before stardom attracted her, and after her movie career returned to the trade. She developed a hairdressing salon in Havelock Avenue in Coogee,
in the same street as her family home. which traded under the name of "Phyllis Gibbs". Newspaper ads, for instance, from 1937 and 1938 show her seeking experienced staff for her shop.
Later Life
She married Charles H. Young at St Judes Anglican Church, Randwick in 1933 under the name 'Phyllis Gibbs'. They had a son, Barry, in 1935. The couple lived at Coogee until about 1939 when they moved
to Springwood in the Blue Mountains. She died at Springwood in May 1943 aged only 35 and her funeral took place at the Rookwood Crematorium. Her obituary states:
A very esteemed resident of Springwood, Mrs Phyllis Clare Young, wife of Mr Charles H. Young, died on Tuesday. Mr and Mrs Young had been residing in Sprlngwood
for about the last four years, and previous to that were at Coogee. Mr and Mrs H. L. Salter-Gibbs, parents of deceased, and Mrs Davis, sister, are residing at
Sprlngwood. A son, Barry, also survives.
References
Starstruck: Australian Movie Portraits Exhibition, (National Film and Sound Archive of Australia)
at www.starstruck.gov.au. Slide No. 11 (accessed 16 June 2019)
'Randwick Tribute to Coogee Film Star', Evening News (Sydney, NSW) Wed 13 Apr 1927, Page 22
'Miss P. Gibbs wedded', The Daily Telegraph, Thu 13 Apr 1933, Page 5
'Obituary', Nepean Times Thu 6 May 1943 Page 4
'Advertising' [for Phyllis Gibbs salon]. The Sydney Morning Herald, Wed 28 Apr 1937, Page 26
Note 1: 'Urger'', in the Dictionary Of Racing Slang by Ned Wallish, is defined as ''a racecourse conman who will urge an unsuspecting punter to back a horse
with an impressive story. If the horse wins, the urger is present when the punter collects to get a commission.''
