Leila was the original choice to play Jane in Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), but turned it down. The role was ultimately played in several Tarzan films by Maureen O'Sullivan.
Leila's parents were John Hyams and Leila McIntyre, a popular Vaudeville comedy team. In one of their plays titled "The Girl of My Dreams", a six-year-old Leila joined them on stage and stole the show. An article from the New York Times on August 8, 1911 said the following: "...What will recommend the entertainment to people of lest flamboyant taste, however, is the very exceptional charm of Miss Leila McIntyre, the neatness and directness of John Hyams, and, lest she be forgot, the very appealing youthfulness of the little baby child of this pair, who - at the proper moment - comes forward to do her little turn and prove that papa and mamma haven't monopolized all the talent in the family. While the baby was singing last night, with her eyes wandering over the house, papa told her she "needn't count the gallergy," which was one of those things that made initiated Broadway laugh, however little it might mean to the man in the other street. But of such stuff is a musical comedy first night on Broadway made."
Leila was the original Listerine model in advertisements. In the December 1931 issue of Silver Screen Magazine, Leila said: "Why when I was up against it in New York [referring to hard times], I used to pose for Listerine ads. I was the original halitosis girl!" Leila, of course, did not suffer from halitosis herself.
Shortly after Leila and Hollywood agent Phil Berg were married, they spent the majority of their time swimming, playing bridge and playing tennis when she was away from the studio. Leila's personal hobby, however, was fishing. She would go out in blue overalls, bait the hook and later prepare her catch for dinner. She once hooked a fifty-pound halibut off Catalina.
Before she scored her contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Leila was flat broke and barely making ends meet when noted American painter Henry Clive took a liking to her. He dubbed her "The Golden Girl" for her pink, white and blonde features, and persuaded her to pose for a number of magazine covers.
Harold Lloyd once considered Leila for the female lead in his 1932 feature "Movie Crazy". Lloyd narrowed it down to three women: Irene Purcell, Constance Cummings and Leila Hyams. Because the female lead required the actress to play a dual role, dozens of pretty screen ingenues were tested but eventually eliminated. Irene Purcell, Constance Cummings and Leila Hyams were the only actresses that seemed to qualify. Lloyd chose Contance Cummings for the role of Mary Sears.
Leila carried a small satin case, suspended from her garter, which contained extra stockings to use in case the pair she had on got damaged. (from Photoplay Magazine, 1928)
In 1933, Pompeian Beauty Powder used Leila and Robert Young (that year starring together in Saturday's Millions) in their magazine advertisements.
Leila protected her personal checks by having a photo of herself printed directly on the check, making it virtually impossible for someone to impersonate her.
According to a blurb in a 1933 magazine, although she always drove fast, Leila never got a speeding ticket. She attributed it to her little dog who went everywhere with her. The dog could spot a motorcycle blocks away and would bark and jump around at the sight of one.
When Leila was too busy with work to maintain her tan naturally, she would lay under the large studio lamps.
Leila was set to star in a 1931 film with Robert Montgomery called "A Family Affair". Jack Conway was set to direct and it was based on an Albert Richard Wetjen story. Leila and Robert had previously starred together in two 1930 films: "The Big House" and "Sins of the Children". For unknown reasons, "A Family Affair" was abandoned.
