Miss Florence Deshon

I always get to thinking that Florence Deshon has something to do with the famous Denishawn Dance studio. I really need to stop that because I get all confused in my head...and I am already confused enough.

Florence Deshon was born Florence Danks on July 19, 1893 in Tacoma, Washington. She was the second child born to Samuel and Flora Danks. Her brother, Walter, was born a year earlier.

Before appearing in films, Florence was an actress on the stage. She made her screen debut in 1915's The Beloved Vagabond. 

She only appeared in around 24 films, but none were really of any significance. She did have the chance to act alongside such names as John Gilbert, Katherine MacDonald, Rubye De Remer, and Corinne Griffith though. 

Florence made her last film appearance in 1921's, The Roof Tree. After making the film, she and her mother moved to New York where she intended to keep working as an actress.

Sadly, on February 4, 1922, Florence was found unconscious in her apartment amid a heavy cloud of gas that was used to light fixtures in the room. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital but all efforts to save her failed. She passed away shortly thereafter at age twenty eight.

She was buried at the Mt. Zion Cemetery in Queens, New York.

The medical examiner ruled that her death was accidental which pleased some of her friends and family and confused a few others. Some friends suggested that Florence was upset over an argument with a friend and decided to end her own life, while others said that there was no way that she would kill herself. Also, a window was left open, which kind of defeats the purpose. But on the side for suicide, the apartment building was wired for electricity, so why else would Florence turn on the gas jets? Sadly, we will probably never know what truly happened.

Florence never married, but she was linked to Charlie Chaplin and a writer named Max Eastman. Eastman in fact donated his own blood in order to try and save Florence's life. 

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"It is absolutely false. Miss Deshon was a dear friend of mine, and I am sure her death was accidental. There was no reason in the world why she should take her life, and no letter seems to have been found or received to indicate that she did. She was healthy and happy when I last saw her, on Thursday afternoon, and we had an engagement for the theatre on Saturday. Please do not question me any more about it." ~~ Max Eastman to the New York Times - February 6, 1922

Miss Anita Berber

Oh man, Anita Berber. When I first read about her a few years ago, that was my response. She sounded like she was one intense lady, but she certainly lived it up like a silent film rockstar!

Anita Berber was born on June 10, 1899 in Leipzig, Germany. Her father, Felix, was a famous violinist, and her mother, Lucie, was a cabaret singer. The couple divorced when Anita was still a child, as a result, she was raised mostly by her grandmother. 

At age 16, Anita moved to Berlin where she began dancing in cabarets. It was only a short time later that she began dancing nude at her cabaret shows, heavily made up to look like a vamp. It was also around this time that she made her screen debut in the film, Das Dreimaderlhaus (The Three Girls' House). 

Anita's film career only lasted until 1925, but in that time she appeared in 26 films, including 11 with famed actor, Conrad Veidt. She was rumored to have had an affair with Veidt as well. 

What Anita was most known for at the time was her off screen antics. She was known to appear on stage in precariously draped cloth or sometimes in nothing at all. She was also open about her bisexuality, drug use, and taste for alcohol. Apparently one of her favorite things to do was to mix chloroform and ether in a bowl, dip a white rose into the mixture, and then eat the petals. The correct response to this would be, "What in the hell....?"

Anita Berber passed away on November 10, 1928 in Kreuzberg, Germany. The cause of death was  listed as tuberculosis, but years of drug and alcohol abuse had also ravaged her body (although the year she died, she had stopped drinking). She was only 29 years old. 

Sadly, Anita was buried in a pauper's grave in St. Thomas Friedhof I cemetery in Berlin, Germany. 

Anita was married three times. Her first marriage was to a screenwriter named Eberhard von Nathusius in 1919. The couple divorced in 1922. 

Her second marriage was to a dancer and poet named Sebastian Droste in 1923, and they divorced later that same year. Allegedly, Droste stole furs and jewels from Anita to fund his own schemes. The two also thought up some VERY graphic dance acts to perform on stage, but thankfully they never had the chance. I should also note that from the pictures I have seen, Sebastian was one weird looking dude.

Anita and Sebastian Droste. Told ya, goofy...

 Her final marriage was to another dancer named Henri Chatin Hofmann in 1924 and they remained married until her death. It was rumored that the two enjoyed their cocaine and hotel orgies. Oh my!

Apparently she dated Marlene Dietrich for a time. 

She had a pet monkey that she was frequently seen out on the town with.

In the mid-twenties, Anita was arrested on suspicions of being a spy. The charges were dropped, but this latest stunt caused her father to cut ties with her. She had been arrested a few years before in Vienna for assault and theft.

The one rumor I remember reading that stuck out to me when I first read about her was that she was a sex slave to a woman and the woman's daughter. So........yeah.......

Famous portrait of Anita, painted by Otto Dix

Mr. Art Acord

Art is going to be our first stop in remembering the actors and actresses who never made it to the talkies. Now, Art is an actor I had heard about before, but I never knew about his personal life and what happened to him until I read up about him recently. Sad ending to a wonderful and talented man. 

Art Acord was born Arthemus Ward Acord (like that?) on April 17, 1890 in Glenwood, Utah. Finding information about his background was a pain, but I did manage to find out that his father, Valentine, was a farmer, and his mother, Mary, took care of Art and his four sisters Eliza, Zurr, Dora, and Adelia.

At a young age Art became very intrigued by the outdoors and especially horses. His family moved to Oklahoma when he was still a child and it was here that he began working as a ranch hand. 

In 1912 and 1916 he won a world championship rodeo event, and in the 1916 competition, he beat his friend and fellow Western screen actor, Hoot Gibson. Art would also become friends with Tom Mix and Broncho Billy Anderson through a Wild West show he joined and traveled with.

Art's first few screen appearances were as a stuntman, as well as some uncredited roles. His first credited role was in the 1910 short film, The Sergeant. 

Not surprising that most of his film roles were of a cowboy, but some of my favorite character names he portrayed include: 'Hairtrigger Jordan,' 'The Mysterious Spaniard,' 'Bullets Bernard,' and 'Two-Gun O'Brien.' Kinda like the flapper edition of western names. And unfortunately like so many silent film stars, many of his films are considered lost. 

Art took a brief 'break' from films to serve in the army during WWI, and when he came back he appeared in a serial produced by Universal Pictures. Sadly, this was the beginning of the end for his film career. He had begun to drink heavily and that coupled with the coming of talkies and the audiences' tastes changing lead to a career decline and eventual end in 1929. 

The same year he retired from films was also the year when he was arrested for robbery and liquor possession. The charges were eventually dropped, but the damage was already done to his character, so he decided to move to Mexico to appear in rodeo shows.

Art Acord passed away on January 4, 1931 in Chihuahua, Mexico. He allegedly ingested poison after being depressed for some time  (He reportedly told this to a doctor at the hospital. I am not sure how he ended up at the hospital though). 

He was buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale. He received a full military funeral. 

Of course there has to be some scandal and drama surrounding his death. Although he had been depressed and relying on alcohol for years before his death, some of his friends couldn't believe that Art would have killed himself. Some of them claimed that he was killed by a powerful Mexican politician because Art was sleeping with his wife. So...yeah...

Art was married three times. His first wife was an actress named Edythe Sterling, who he married in 1913. Edythe was a member of (but didn't perform with) the famous vaudeville family "The Five Sedgwicks" which included her parents, Edward and Josephine, her twin sisters, Eileen and Josie, and her brother, Edward Jr. Art had met Edythe when both were traveling with the vaudeville circuit. The couple divorced in 1916.

Four years later, he married another actress, Edna May Nores. Four years after that, Edna filed for divorce claiming that Art abused her and cheated on her with actress Louise Lorraine. Art eventually married his mistress Louise in 1926, but two years later she filed for divorce, also citing that he abused her. 

In May of 1928, Art was injured when a gas heater exploded in his home. He received some pretty bad burns, but other than that he was alright. 

He was nicknamed the "Mormon Cowboy" and the "Fair-Haired Boy of Filmland."

"His [Art Acord] requiem today is sung in tales of a generous hand, a full pocket, a careless heart while the fun lasted. Many pass from the Earth without writing such an epitaph." ~~ The Spokesman-Review - January 6, 1931

Silent Forever

Anita Berber

Howdy. I am currently working on entries about stars that never made it to the talkies. They are actors and actresses that only appeared in silent films before passing away. Gotta make sure these fine people are remembered. 

This is who I will be profiling: Art Acord, Florence Barker, Anita Berber, Vedah Bertram, True Boardman, Rex Cherryman, Bobby Connelly, William Courtleigh Jr., Ward Crane, Florence Deshon, B. Reeves Eason Jr., Frank Farrington, Vladimir Fogel, Tom Forman, Myrtle Gonzalez, Joseph Graybill, Einar Hanson, Arthur V. Johnson, Lamar Johnstone, Dee Lampton, Ormer Locklear, Harold Lockwood, Lottie Lyell, Charles Emmett Mack, Elsie Mackay, Eva May, Evelyn Nelson, Valdemar Psilander, Dorothy Seastrom, Jack Standing, Emily Stevens, Fred Thomson, Mary Thurman, and Dorrit Weixler.

Stay tuned!

Dorothy Seastrom

Barrymore Gals

I had a request to do an entry on Katherine Corri Harris, the first wife of John Barrymore and I figured I could cover a few of the other Barrymore wives that were also actresses.

When I first went to visit the final resting places of the Barrymores (John is now buried in Pennsylvania) I saw that Lionel was buried with second wife, who died at a fairly young age and that intrigued me. Her name was Irene Fenwick Barrymore and I will be covering her, along with Lionel's second wife, Doris Rankin, as well as Katherine Corri Harris. I already covered Dolores Costello, John Barrymore's third wife in a previous entry so that is why she isn't included here.

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Katherine and John Barrymore

Katherine Corri Harris was born October 1, 1893 (although I have also read 1890). Her father, Sidney, was a very successful lawyer, so Katherine grew up in high society. Her mother, also named Kathryn, divorced Sidney around 1901 so the child rearing was left up to her. I am not sure whether or not Katherine had any siblings. 

I know pretty much ZIP about her life before she met John Barrymore. I do know that she spent a lot of time in Europe, and was educated in a French convent. 

Katherine and John's engagement announcement ran in the newspapers on April 6, 1910. The Flushing Daily Times wrote: 

"Announcement was made yesterday of the engagement of Mr. John Barrymore...and Miss Katherine Corri Harris, of Flushing, daughter of Mr. Sidney Harris, a wealthy lawyer, and one of the prettiest and most popular members of the younger social set...The present Mr. Harris has not shown any signs of melting and that even now he is speeding across the ocean to prevent the marriage. It is understood that his only objection to the match is his daughter's age. She has just turned eighteen, while Mr. Barrymore is near his twenty-seventh birthday. While Mr. Harris is opposed to the match it is understood that Mrs. Harris is doing everything in her power to smooth the way to the altar for the young couple."

There was a bit of an age difference, but that didn't seem to bother the elder Mrs. Harris. Sidney Harris however was pretty riled up about the whole affair and his feelings were no secret. When John was asked by a reporter what he thought about his fiance's father's objections, he refused to discuss the matter. I should note that I am not sure how close Sidney Harris was to his daughter. According to the divorce papers that were drawn up between him and Kathryn Harris, he was allowed to see his daughter only 6 or 7 times a year. I don't know if these are specific times like holidays or if that was one strict rule put down by the father or the mother. Oy vey!

According to Barrymore, his dashing lover persona on the stage didn't translate into his real life. He said that me and Katherine were just friends who eventually began liking each other in a romantic sense, and he just asked her to marry him one day. Yeah....OOOOOKAY there, John.

"Mother is perfectly in sympathy with the affair. She considers Mr. Barrymore a very fine young man, and has known him for a long time." ~~ Katherine Harris when asked about her engagement (New York Times - August 7, 1910).

John and Katherine were married on September 1, 1910. It didn't take long for their marriage to head into a negative direction. Soon after their wedding, John had to go on tour with a show he was in, so Katherine went to live with his sister Ethel and her husband, Russell Colt. She eventually moved into John's apartment in New York City, which had been his bachelor bad, so...he was in for a nice surprise! 

The couple would fight, and get back together, then fight, and then get back together and this became the norm for their marriage. Katherine was itching to be an actress and kept bugging John to put her in his plays or his movies. I am sure he loved that.

Katherine's screen career consisted of three films, and only one was not with her husband. The Barrymores appeared together in Nearly a King and The Lost Bridegroom (both in 1916). Her one film without John was 1918's House of Mirth. Unfortunately, all three of these films are considered lost. 

The couple's fights began to get the best of both of them, and on December 16, 1916 they were officially divorced. 

Another thing that didn't help the relationship was the fact that both John and Katherine had affairs. Katherine had an affair with a mutual friend, artist James Montgomery Flagg. 

Katherine eventually did marry again, to a stockbroker named Alexander Dallas Bache Pratt in 1921, but they divorced two years later. Her third and final marriage was in 1923, the same year as her divorce from Pratt, to a man named Leon Orlowsky. 

Katherine Corri Harris-Barrymore-Pratt-Orlowsky (whew!) passed away on May 2, 1927 in New York City. The cause of death was pneumonia. John Barrymore was by her side when she passed away. They had remained on friendly terms even through their divorce and other marriages (he was a guest at her second wedding!)

Unfortunately, I have no idea where she is buried. I would venture a guess that it is somewhere in New York. 

She did manage to appear in a few plays before, during, and after her short film career. 

Here is a freaky deaky coincidence for ya. Katherine and John's second wife, Blanche Oelrichs were born on the same day and delivered by the same doctor with an hour of each other. Actress Alice Joyce also shares the same birthday.

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Doris and Lionel Barrymore

Doris Rankin was born on August 27, 1887 in New York City. She was the daughter of stage actor, McKee Rankin and a young actress whose name seems to have been lost to history (or maybe he never divulged the name of the woman). He was married at the time of his indiscretion, to another actress named Kitty Blanchard. She had two older sisters (who were the products of the Kitty/McKee Rankin marriage) named Gladys and Phyllis. 

Considering her pedigree, it is no surprise that Doris and her sisters grew up appearing in various plays for her father's theater company. It was during one of these performances that she met and acting alongside Lionel Barrymore.

Doris and Lionel married on June 19, 1904 when he was 26, and she only 16 years old. Seems like those Barrymore boys liked their women young! 

Two years after they were married, the couple decided to stop acting in the theater and moved to Paris where they stayed for four years before moving back to the states. 

Apparently there is some mystery and confusion surrounding the children of Doris and Lionel, and I am not really sure why. They had a daughter named Ethel (named after Lionel's sister) in October of 1908, but when she was just barely two years old, Ethel fell ill and died. She was buried in the Barrymore family plot alongside her grandparents, Georgianna and Maurice, at the Mount Vernon Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The couple also had a daughter named Mary while living in France, but she only lived a few months. Mary is buried somewhere in France.

Why such mystery about Ethel and Mary Barrymore? Well, it could be because Lionel Barrymore would tell people that he didn't have children. But, he was absolutely heartbroken about losing his two daughters, that I think perhaps he just didn't want to think or talk about his babies. Ethel Barrymore wrote in her autobiography about meeting her namesake niece once while visiting her family in France. And I even read a newspaper article from 1922 addressing the divorce of the couple that said Doris was given custody of their one child. If anyone has some solid information on this subject, I would be very thankful. 

Doris made her film debut in the 1920 film, The Copperhead, which starred her husband. Like Katherine Corri Harris, Doris' career was tied in with her husband's so most of her films were with him. After she and Lionel divorced though, her career continued on up to the talkies until she made her last film in 1939.

Doris and Lionel Barrymore officially divorced on December 21, 1922. The deaths of their daughters broke both of them done and they just weren't functioning as a happy married couple anymore. I am sure there were other reasons for the divorce, especially since Doris would never talk about him or their marriage. 

She did marry again though, to a British author named Malcolm Mortimer. I don't know when they married or if the marriage lasted or anything really. I do know that the couple had two children, but I don't know anything about that really either.

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Doris Rankin Barrymore-Mortimer passed away in 1946 (don't even know what day!) in Washington D.C. I do not know where she is buried. 

The Rankin sisters really knew what families to marry into! Gladys Rankin was married to Lionel Barrymore's uncle, Sidney Drew. So, Gladys was Doris' sister aunt? Oh man...Gladys sadly passed away in 1914 from cancer, and Sidney followed five years later. Phyllis Rankin was married to Harry Davenport who was a well known stage actor (you may know him best as Dr. Meade from Gone with the Wind). They were married from 1896 until Phyllis passed away in 1946. Also, I just found this out while researching this marriage. Harry Davenport was the father of actress Dorothy Davenport, the actress who was married to Wallace Reid. I never knew that! What a groovy little fact!

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Irene Fenwick was born Irene Frizzel on September 5, 1887 in Chicago, Illinois. 

I unfortunately do not know much about Irene's early life because I couldn't dig up census information. Grrr!!

Before Irene appeared in film, she was a stage actress beginning in 1910. One of her stage roles was as Simonetta in a 1921 production of "Laugh, Clown, Laugh." 

Her screen debut was in the 1915 film, The Commuters. All together she appeared in 10 films in a span of two years. Not bad. Some of her co-stars included Owen Moore, Olive Thomas, Ethel Barrymore, and Annette Kellerman. Irene preferred stage acting over movies because she felt much more fulfilled, so she returned to the theater.

Interestingly enough, she dated John Barrymore during her early years in the theater. While courting her, Lionel confronted his brother over the true extent of his relationship with Irene, namely had the two been lovers. This caused a rift in the brothers relationship that last for two years!

Lionel and Irene Barrymore

Lionel Barrymore met Irene in 1923 when they both appeared in the play, "The Claw" in Los Angeles. It appears to have been love at first sight because they were married only a short time later on June 14, 1923.

The couple quickly became a favorite of friends and fans. The couple never had children (which I am sure was somehow due to Irene's health issues) but they were still very devoted and loving to one another. 

I do not know how long Irene battled with anorexia, but it is just heartbreaking looking at photos of her and she is just skinny as a rail. This could have been something from her early days in plays and film, or something fairly recent, I am not sure.

Irene Barrymore passed away on December 24, 1936 in Beverly Hills. She had been pretty much bed ridden for the past seven years, and Lionel stayed right by her side. 

Newspapers reported that Irene had died from a lung condition as well as pneumonia. The real cause of death was due to the effects of anorexia. But, no one was going to air out something so personal to the newspapers.

She was interred at Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles. 

Lionel, Irene, Dolores (Costello), and John Barrymore

Lionel was devastated by the death of his wife. The day after her death, he was supposed to be appear on a radio program as Ebeneezer Scrooge, and he just could not do it. Instead, his brother John stepped in and took his place while Lionel went to a Christmas Mass where he collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital. 

Irene had been married twice before marrying Lionel. Husband #1 was a dancer/bobsled champion named Jay O'Brien, but I do not know when they were married or when they divorced. I do know that Jay had been married to actress Mae Murray from 1916 until 1918 though. Husband #2 was a man named Felix Isman, and all I know about him was that he married Irene around 1909. 

Irene, Lionel, and Ethel Barrymore

The Duncan Sisters

Rosetta and Vivian Duncan

I guess we will stay on the sisters kick! I am the middle child with an older sister and a younger sister, so I consider myself an expert on the subject :)

These ladies were also a suggestion by a reader along with two other pairs of sisters: Katherine MacDonald and Mary MacLaren, who I covered in the previous entry, and Adamae and Alberta Vaughn, who I will get to as soon as I dig out the book I need that has some information about them in it. Give me a few thousand years to do that though...I am lazy.

Rosetta and Vivian Duncan

Rosetta Duncan was born on November 23, 1894 and sister Vivian was born June 17, 1897, both in Los Angeles, California. Their father, Samuel once performed as a violinist but then got a job in sales, and their mother, Locky, was at home with older brother, Alexander and older sister, Evelyn. The girls also had a younger brother named Harold. 

In 1911, the girls made their stage debut together in the Kiddie's Revue. It was during this time that the girls thought that they would have more opportunities as a sister act, so they worked on perfecting a routine where Rosetta was the loud comedian and Vivian was the dumb one. It didn't take long for their act to gain a reputation on the vaudeville circuit, and they soon added singing to their repertoire. 

In 1917, they had the amazing opportunity to appear at the Winter Garden Theatre starring alongside Ed Wynn. The girls were going somewhere quick, and the only place for them to go seemed to be up!

Vivian Duncan

The "up" came in 1923 when the girls starred in a play derived from the book Uncle Tom's Cabin,  called Topsy and Eva. Understandably, this musical comedy is not something you would see around these days due to some of the songs, content, and of course, the black face makeup worn by actors, including Rosetta, who played Topsy. During the early 1900s though, this was THE entertainment.

The girls' performance on stage led to movie producers wanting to put them on film! So, in 1927 the film version was released, also featuring Marjorie Daw, Mary Nolan, and Carla Laemmle.

While the girls were popular on stage, this popularity unfortunately did not translate the same way on the silver screen. They appeared in the 1929 early musical film, It's a Great Life, but the film didn't rake in the same cash as producers hoped so it seemed as if the stage is where the girls belonged. 

Rosetta Duncan

The stress of dealing with a movie career on top of a stage career finally caught up to Rosetta in 1928. The sisters had to cancel a few of their Topsy and Eva performances so that Rosetta could get some rest and clear her head. Vivian made a statement to the Pittsburgh Press on November 16, 1928 saying that her sister's breakdown was caused by "the efforts of 'certain American interests.'" Perhaps she was referring to the movie industry people they were now having to deal with. Who knows. 

The bright lights of Broadway and the movie sets of Hollywood were behind them, but the Duncan Sisters continued appearing at various night clubs and appearing on television shows.

Around 1931, the sisters began appearing in the news again, but not for rave performance reviews as it was before. It came to light that unfortunately, the sisters were broke. The explanation for their empty pockets? Vivien explained in a December 8, 1931 article in The Evening Independent: "Gold mines with no gold, worthless stock, the fickleness of Wall Street and signatures on too many dotted lines are responsible. Three years ago, we had more than a million and the money was rolling in. We were a big success and everyone with something to sell was plying us with propositions back stage. We signed up for almost anything they had to offer. We listened to everyone. Now we're penniless. We bought two gold mines...one in Arizona, and one in Mexico. We played margins in Wall Street and and you know what happened to actors who played margins in Wall Street a couple of years ago...And now, it's all gone and all we've done today is cry like a couple of babies. But we're starting all over again and we're going to do a comeback. We'll pay our debts if they'll just give us a chance - watch and see."

Rosetta Duncan

On November 30, 1959, Rosetta Duncan was out driving in Illinois when she struck a bridge post after swerving to avoid another vehicle. She ended up breaking both legs, 10 ribs, a fractured skull, and suffered numerous internal injuries. The driver of the other car was seen getting out of the vehicle, removing the plates and anything else that could be used to identify them, and fled the scene. Rosetta held on in the hospital for four days with her sister, Vivian by her side.

Rosetta Duncan passed away on December 4, 1959.

After her sister's death, Vivian continued performing on the night club circuit as a solo act.

Vivian Duncan

Vivian Duncan passed away on September 19, 1986 from Alzheimer's disease.

Both sisters are buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale.

Rosetta never married, but sister Vivian was married twice. Her first husband was actor Valentin Parera, who she married in 1930. I am not sure exactly when they divorced, but I know that it didn't come long after the wedding date because in 1931, he married actress and singer, Grace Moore. Vivian's second husband was another actor, this time it was Nils Asther, who appeared with the Duncan Sisters in their first film, Topsy and Eva. The couple married in 1930 (further proof her first marriage lasted for about a second) and ended up divorcing two years later. Her second marriage produced a daughter, Evelyn. 

Vivian and Rosetta Duncan

Vivien seems to have had quite the crush on movie actors, but she also did not have the best of luck with them (as evidenced by her two failed marriages). She had another negative outcome to a relationship with another actor in the 1930s. This is an excerpt from a July 30, 1970 newspaper article: 

"Rex Lease, 27, screen actor, was arrested early today when Vivian Duncan, member of the internationally famous Duncan Sisters dancing team, swore to a complaint that he knocked her down with his fist and kicked her during a seaside party at Malibu Beach outing place of the film colony...Miss Duncan exhibited a huge lump over her left eye to support her story."

Apparently the reason he hit Vivian was because he tried to kiss her and she denied his advances. What a douche. After her younger brother, Harold heard about what happened to his sister, he went on the war path looking for Lease. He found him at a Hollywood cafe and proceeded to beat the crap out of him. It was after this altercation that Lease went into hiding in the days leading up to his trial. It's a good thing because apparently Vivian's then husband, Nils Asther was telling people that he was out looking for Lease to seek his own revenge. 

 

Vivian and Rosetta Duncan

In 1946, Hollywood was planning on making a bio pic about the life and times of the Duncan Sisters but the project was plagued with rewrites and never got off the ground. I think this is probably a blessing in disguise considering how awful Hollywood is at getting the facts straight in their "biographical" pictures. 

Older sister, Evelyn, also appeared on stage with her sisters and also made a film in 1915.