Mary Nolan (born Mariam Imogene Robertson;[1] December 18, 1902 – October 31, 1948) was an American stage and film actress, singer and dancer.

She was fired from the Ziegfeld Follies in 1924 for her involvement in a tumultuous, highly publicized affair with comedian Frank Tinney.

Upon returning to the United States in 1927, she attempted to break from her previous scandal-ridden past and adopted the stage name Mary Nolan.

Nolan spent the remainder of her acting career appearing in roles in low-budget films for independent studios.

After her film career ended, Nolan appeared in vaudeville and performed in nightclubs and roadhouses around the United States.

Nolan's impact was so profound that columnist Mark Hellinger stated in 1922: "Only two people in America would bring every reporter in New York to the docks to see them off.

"[5] While working in the Follies, Nolan began a tumultuous and highly publicized affair with blackface comedian and actor Frank Tinney.

He was married to former singer and dancer Edna Davenport with whom he had a young son, and he drank heavily and reportedly physically abused Nolan.

On May 28, she appeared before New York City Magistrate Thomas McAndrews to report the assault and to press charges against Tinney.

While waiting to board the ship on August 5, Tinney was served with papers informing him that his wife Edna Davenport had filed for legal separation.

She received good reviews for her work in the film, which prompted UFA to offer her a contract for $1,500 per week.

[16] Nolan's return to the United States was covered by the press, who were still interested in the scandalous "Bubbles" Wilson.

Several women's groups protested her making films in the States while Will H. Hays also expressed doubts about her embarking on a career in Hollywood.

To solve the problem of audiences connecting her with her scandalous past, United Artists suggested she change her name to Mary Nolan.

She made two films while under contract with United Artists; she appeared in an uncredited bit part in Topsy and Eva (1927), and a supporting role in Sorrell and Son (1927).

Nolan got into an argument with Ernst Laemmle, the film's director, after she learned she was the only cast member who hadn't received a close-up shot.

[20] Due to her reputation for alleged drug use and temperamental behavior, Nolan could not find work with any major studio.

For the remainder of her career, she appeared in supporting roles in low-budget films for Poverty Row studios.

[26] In December 1931, Nolan and her then husband William T. McCreary were arrested after 13 employees of their dress shop filed charges against them for failing to pay them wages.

[28] In July 1935, Nolan made news again when she filed a lawsuit against her former lover, MGM studio executive and producer Eddie Mannix.

Fleming, Mannix was incensed by the negative publicity the suit brought him and set out to discredit Nolan and ruin her reputation.

Strickling and MGM's publicity department leaked negative stories about Nolan's sexual activities and abortions to the press.

Fleming said that Nolan later dropped the suit and left Los Angeles after Mannix sent a private detective to Nolan's home who told her that if she didn't drop the suit, she would be arrested for possessing morphine (the drug she was prescribed during her hospital stays to which she eventually became addicted).

In March 1937, she was jailed in New York City for failing to pay a four-year-old dress bill to The Wilma Gowns, Inc. for $405.87.

Upon her release, Nolan told reporters that she was sent to Bellevue because the shock of her arrest caused her "severe nervous strain" which required hospitalization.

[35] In 1941, she sold her life story to The American Weekly, serialized under the title "Confessions of a Follies Girl", and appeared in several issues.

[36][37] Shortly before her death, she began working on her memoirs, titled Yesterday's Girl, with the help of writer John Preston.