Honestly this whole thing started cos my kid asked me about some old movie star, Marjorie Handel, for his history project. I figured finding her age would be a two-second Google job. Boy, was I wrong.
The First Try (Total Bust)
Typed “Marjorie Handel age” into Google right after dinner. Tons of results popped up, mostly IMDB and Wikipedia links. Clicked the Wikipedia one first – nothing. Her page barely had any bio stuff, no birth date zip. IMDB? Same crap. Just listed her movies, no personal details at all. Even checked those dodgy celebrity age sites – half looked sketchy, the other half just copied the same empty IMDB info. Felt like hitting a wall.
So what didn’t work:
- Wikipedia basic info: Nada.
- IMDB bio section: Useless.
- Random “HowOldIs” websites: Pure junk.
Digging Deeper (Got Messy)
Fine, figured I needed older sources. Went down the rabbit hole. Searched “Marjorie Handel early life” and “Marjorie Handel biography”. Found some ancient fan forums and old newspaper archive sites. Problem? Info was everywhere and nowhere:
- One forum thread said she was “vibrant in the 40s”. Wow, helpful.
- A scanned 1952 newspaper clip mentioned her “recent debut”. Still no dates!
- Someone’s blog insisted she retired in 1965. Okay… age?
Felt like piecing together a puzzle with half the pieces missing. Spent way too long on this, got sidetracked reading old movie reviews. Classic me.
The Accidental Win
Almost gave up. Next day, I was scrolling a digitized library catalogue for my own research (totally unrelated), searched “Handel, M” just on a whim. BAM! Found this dusty old theatre programme from 1938 archived online. Listed performers – and there she was: “Marjorie Handel (b. 1911)”. Simple as that. Buried deep where no “Marjorie Handel age” search would ever reach.
What finally worked? Pure dumb luck and a library catalogue nobody uses. Felt equal parts relieved and stupid.
My Takeaway (For What It’s Worth)
- Simple web searches fail hard for niche historical stuff.
- Old archives/databases are goldmines, even if they’re clunky.
- Sometimes the answer isn’t where you expect it. Mine was hiding in plain sight… just in a scanned programme from 1938.
- Wasted a solid evening for one dang number.
Next time my kid asks about some obscure actor? Sending him straight to the library website. Done fighting Google.
