Shannon was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1907[1][3] (some sources erroneously cite 1909[4] or 1910[5]) to Edward and Nannie Sammon.

[6] Before the shooting of The Secret Call, Bow had suffered a nervous breakdown, and Shannon was hired to replace her only two days after her arrival in Hollywood.

Through films and publicity, Shannon became known as a fashion plate, wearing styles three months before they became popular.

In 1932, she signed a new contract at Fox and became known as difficult and temperamental on the set and was rumored to have had a drinking problem.

In 1934, Shannon returned to New York City to do the Broadway show, Page Miss Glory.

An autopsy revealed that she had died of a heart attack brought on by a liver ailment and a run-down condition.

Three weeks after Shannon's death, her husband committed suicide by shooting himself with a .22 rifle in the same chair in which she had died.