Silence is Platinum

Miss Lilyan Tashman

2012-02-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

There are three things that I know for sure about Lilyan Tashman. 1.) She was stunningly beautiful. 2.) She died way too soon. 3.) She beat the hell out of a fellow actress when she found her in her husband's dressing room. And for these three reasons, I salute you.

Lilyan Tashman was born October 23, 1896 in Brooklyn, New York. She was the TENTH and final child born to Maurice and Rose Tashman. In her early teens she worked as a model for both fashion magazines and artists.

She first appeared on the vaudeville stage when she was in her late teens and quickly became a very skilled performer. A few years later, she moved on to the Ziegfeld Follies where she remained for about two years.

After the Follies, Lilyan joined a David Belasco production where she worked as an understudy to Ina Claire. She even got to go on for her a few times.

Lilyan made her film debut in 1921, but still chose to appear in plays as well. When one of the plays she was in closed, she made another film, this time with comedienne Mabel Normand.

Unfortunately, another one of her plays closed so she decided to move out to Hollywood where the movie making action was really starting to rise. At first, she wasn't tied to any studio. She chose to free lance and just appear in the films that she chose to do. Eventually though, she did sign with Paramount Studios.

Although Lilyan didn't become a huge star, she did appear next to some during her career. She shared the screen with such names as Will Rogers, Norma Talmadge, Joan Crawford, Myrna Loy, and Norma Shearer.

She did make a smooth transition into the talkies. It seemed easier sometimes for 'bit' players because they weren't so larger than life and fans didn't put an image to them. They were free to just be. In all, she made 28 talking pictures, which is pretty good. One of the films she appeared in was The Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929), which sadly is a lost film.

Her last film appearance was in 1936's Frankie and Johnny.

By the time of her last film, her health was already worn. In 1932, she went to the hospital to have her appendix removed, although now there are people who believe it was actually to have surgery as treatment for abdominal cancer. In 1934 her health was getting worse, so she went back into the hospital, but sadly, her cancer had progressed far beyond help.

Lilyan Tashman passed away on March 21, 1934 in New York City. She was only 37 years old.

She was buried at Washington Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Lilyan was married twice. Her first husband was another actor she met during her vaudeville days named Al Lee. They married in 1914, separated in 1920, and were finally divorced in 1921.

Her second, and most notable marriage was to actor Edmund Lowe in 1925. Not only was Lowe a longtime friend of hers, he was also openly gay. They were the new Pickford/Fairbanks couple around Hollywood. They represented the ideal marriage to the public, living in a beautiful mansion called "Lilowe." They held large and lavish parties and even orgies with their movie star friends! The two never had children, but did remain married until her death.

So. Edmund Lowe was gay, BUT so was Lilyan. Well, she was bisexual. Apparently, she loved grabbing the most beautiful ladies in the room, bring them to the nearest restroom, and have a little tryst! Her most famous lover was none other than Greta Garbo! The two met in 1928 and were involved in a very heated relationship until 1932 when Greta cooled from Lilyan's raging jealous nature. This left Lilyan heartbroken.

During her later career, she was seen as a fashion icon by her fans. They wanted her hairstyle, her dresses, her hats, you name it!

During tea time, her household staff were also told to serve her cats as well. She used to paint rooms of her house to compliment her hair, and even painted the whole house red and white on a whim, told her guests to wear red and white, and even brought in red and white toilet paper!

As per usual when it comes to death and wills, there was a bit of a heated debate over what to do with Lilyan's estate. She didn't leave a will, and there was the issue of what to do with her massive collections of jewelry, furs, and cash. The debate was between her husband, Edmund, and her two sisters Jennie and Hattie. I am not sure how this was settled.

In 1931, Lilyan was arrested and charged with assault. She walked into her husband Edmund's dressing room and caught him with actress June Marlowe. She beat the living hell out of June before finally being pulled off her by Edmund. The charges were later dropped. THIS. IS. AWESOME.

I have also read that Lilyan also got into a fight with actress Constance Bennett after Constance apparently flirted with Lilyan's then girlfriend. Another fight? Lupe Velez. These two got into an altercation with punches being landed and nails scratching at faces. According to onlookers, Lupe was the winner of this fight. Lilyan at least got 2 out of 3! Lupe was crazy, I wouldn't want to go up against her!

"It's more boring for a woman to talk about clothes than for a man to talk of his golf scores." ~~ Lilyan Tashman

What's in a name?

2012-02-02T18:57:00.000-08:00

One of things I love so much about silent movies is the names given to the characters. Especially if the character is a flapper, they always get such a fun, peppy name! BUT in some cases, the name is so fun that it makes me laugh because I wonder..."How in the heck can you keep a straight face and call your friend Bubbles?" Although, compared to some of the celebrity kid names out there now...these are pretty tame.

Here are some of the more unique character names that I found.....and may I just say, I think EVERY actress at one point in her career has played a girl named "Kitty."

Kittie Ryan

Iola

Tessibel Skinner

Rags

Peppina

Hulda

Unity Blake

Jerusha Abbott

Farina

Kitty Manning

Swifty Forbes

Orchid Murphy

Tamarind Brook

Lesbia (seriously)

Panthea Romoff

Puck (and no, not the one from Shakespeare)

Cigarette (again...seriously....)

Kitty Laverne

Fox Trot

Snuggles Joy

Boots Boone

Egypt Hagen

Teddy O'Day

Pussy Wimott

Babs Comet

Mugsy Mulane

Dallas O'Meara

Mae Day (nice)

Chickie

Bee Chew

Australly Wiggs

Queenie Mahoney

Connemara Moore

Mizzi Stock

Delight Foster

Giggles Dewberry

Ritzy Brown

Mariam Finklebaum

Orchid McGonigle

Kittens Westcourt

Kitty Flanders

Bubbles McCoy

Hula Calhoun

Pepper Whipple

Nasa Springer

Bingo Dowling

Bunny Stevens

Maizie Nut

Miss Goulash

Miss Wiggle

Miss Flighty

Satan Syne (kinda sounds like a stripper name...)

Marfa

Miss Sniff

Hortense Troutt

Angel Face Crandall

Feathers McCoy

Weeping Wanda

Lillums Lovewell

Hula Kate

Dodo Baxter

Lala De Breeze

Cherry O'Day

Rouletta Kirby

Happy O'Brien

Tangletop

Fifty-Fifty Mamie

Dolly Van Dream

Pert

Pink Watson

Twinkletoes Minasi

Idalene Nobbin

Tommie Lou Pember

Fanny Illington

February Birthdays!

2012-02-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

Quick post here in between cleaning my room and kitchen.

Non-silent related......February 13th, Peter Tork. Love, love love.

Clark Gable ~ February 1, 1901

Ramon Novarro ~ February 6, 1899

Anita Stewart ~ February 7, 1895

Lana Turner ~ February 8, 1921

Jack Lemmon ~ February 8, 1925

James Dean ~ February 8, 1931

Bartine Burkett ~ February 9, 1898

Margarita Fischer ~ February 12, 1886

Peter Tork ~ February 13, 1942

John Barrymore ~ February 15, 1882

Mary Brian ~ February 17, 1906

Alma Rubens ~ February 19, 1897

Hope Hampton ~ February 19, 1897

Ann Sheridan ~ February 21, 1915

Marguerite Clark ~ February 22, 1883

Mildred Davis ~ February 22, 1901

Elizabeth Taylor ~ February 27, 1932

Geraldine Farrar ~ February 28, 1882

I'm back!

2012-01-29T18:03:00.000-08:00

Hello hello! I apologize for being absent for awhile ladies and gents. The glitch with Blogger was driving me insane and making it very hard to do posts and comment on your comments and just....GRRRR!! And I just got back from a vacation to Florida, and didn't even use my laptop down there. To tell you the truth, it was kinda nice. No offense.

BUT, I am back and ready to work/blog. What is coming up? Lilyan Tashman, Mary Brian, early flickers, Our Dancing Daughters/Our Modern Maidens, some more silent grave photos from my last trip to California, and.........whoever else! You want me to profile someone or something or some film, let me know! I will be happy to oblige!

Until we meet again...

Miss Brigitte Helm

2012-01-20T13:02:00.000-08:00

I want to apologize really quick. I have a few comments on some posts that I want to respond too, but for some reason, I can't. I can publish the comments and they get added to the post, but I can't respond to them. The page loads completely blank, no clue why. So, hopefully soon I will be able to respond and discuss stuff with you guys. Stay tuned.

So, I talked about Metropolis, gotta talk a little more about Brigitte Helm, because she was pretty amazing. But, for some reason, like fellow silent stars Barbara Kent and Marceline Day, Brigitte refused to talk about her film past. Makes her even more intriguing.

Brigitte Helm was born Brigitte Eva Gisela Schittenhelm on March 17, 1906 in Berlin, Germany.

Her early life? No clue. There isn't much info about her that I can find. And the website dedicated to her..........is in German, which I don't read/speak fluently, sorry. I tried to translate it, but the translation makes no sense. I failed. I'm sorry :(

What I have found is that she enjoyed acting in school plays, but she only saw it as something fun to do. She didn't want to pursue acting as a career. In fact, she wanted to work as an astronomer.

When she was 18, her mother sent in her picture to director Fritz Lang in order to help her secure a role in his new film. And, she got it! Pretty groovy to think an 18 year old girl did such a stellar job in TWO roles in such a landmark film.

After her breakthrough role, she appeared in around 30 films including The Countess of Monte Cristo and The Blue Danube, both in 1932. She did appear in some talkies, and was actually up for the role of The Bride of Frankenstein before it was finally given to Elsa Lanchester.

Apparently, her studio wanted her to only appear in vamp roles, which annoyed her. She eventually sued the studio, but lost her case. She really only took later roles to help pay off her court costs.

Her career came to an abrupt and sad end in the 1930s when her studio contract expired AND she was put on the Nazi's watch list after she married a man who was Jewish. On the flip side, Metropolis was reportedly Hitler's favorite movie, so there were a few times when he personally helped Brigitte out of jams when she was involved in a couple of traffic collisions.

After she retired, she moved with her family to Switzerland, and refused to talk about about her film career past. Her son was once approached about asking his mother to do an interview about her career. He said that his mother would disinherit him if he even asked!

Brigitte Helm passed away on June 11, 1996 in Ascona, Switzerland.

She was buried at the Ascona Cemetery in Ticino, Switzerland.

Brigitte was married twice. First to a man named Rudolf Weissbach, but don't know the dates. Her second husband was industrialist Dr. Hugo von Kuehnheim, who she married in 1935. Together, they had four sons. I am pretty sure they remained married until her death, but not 100% sure.

She was Josef Von Sternberg's first choice for Lola in The Blue Angel.

"There can be no understanding between the hand and the brain unless the heart acts as mediator." ~ Maria in Metropolis

Metropolis

2012-01-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

I watched Metropolis the other day for the first time.

Wow.

It ain't my bag. I just figured since I am a silent film fan, I gotta see the one that is pretty famous and well known, even among people who don't love silents. But me, I like the movies with the flappers and very 1920s looking, ya know? Metropolis was very futuristic and modern with it's ideas. It was also very German lol. Loved Brigitte Helm though, she is incredible. And I am so happy that more footage of it was found. Gives hope for the thousands of lost films out there.

I just wanted to talk about some the cool facts about the film because it was/is a pretty influential film for being as old as it is. And it is one of those films people say you should see before you die, so...go see it!

Not suprisingly, this was one of the most expensive films during that time. It was around $200 million dollars!

It was also reportedly one of Hitler's favorite movies. Nice, eh? Fritz Lang's wife was a supporter of the Nazi party, and members saw the film as a social blueprint. Even more interesting? Fritz Lang was Jewish! Supposedly Hitler liked the film so much, he let the director flee to the United States.

Around 20-30 minutes of the film that was believed lost was found in a museum in Argentina in 2008. Shortly after, it was announced that even more footage had been found in Chile. Apparently the film cannister was purposely mislabeled to avoid being destroyed during a time of military coup in Chile. From what I have read though, the Chile film has not been put into the newly released edition. I could be wrong though, but from what I have read, that is the impression I get.

This movie took 2 years to shoot, and I can see why! I mean, movies now take that long and they have all the fancy technology, but back in 1927...man...can you imagine? A lot of hand work and fancy editing techniques.

When you first see/meet the robot, it is actually Brigitte Helm inside. See, this is why I love her. What a trooper! After her role in this film, almost all of her following film roles were starring roles.

Like I said earlier, this film was quite influential. C-3PO from Star Wars was modeled after the robot. I didn't know this till after I watch it, and it is kinda weird how they walk the same and look like they are made out of the same material. Also, the creators of "Superman" liked the film so much, they named Superman's city after the title.

Not surprising, but the film was panned by critics when it first came out. Even famous science fiction author H.G. Wells didn't like it.

This is one of my favorite silent film pictures. Brigitte looks so young and adorable, even when she is dressed as a robot! It is just so cool/bizarre how modern the picture looks, yet it was taken in the 1920s. Such an awesome picture. I wish I could get it framed and put in my house.

The Artist

2012-01-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

I saw "The Artist" the other night and I gotta talk about it of course! If you haven't seen it yet, and don't want it any spoilers or anything, don't read!!

If you wanna discuss....you can continue :)

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First off, the moron who introduced the film ruined the end for us. He got up there and said "This is an all silent picture, well until the end when there is some talking." Me and the guy across the aisle turned and looked at it each other and he yells out "Hey, thanks for ruining it for us!" Not a huge spoiler, but annoying still.

I thought the film was pretty good. But, there points in it where I would have been perfectly content if it had ended right there. It just kinda dragged toward the end. I get that they wanted the happy ending, which I thought was very cute, but don't add 45 different scenarios to get to that place. That's just one gal's opinion though.

I wasn't a fan of the girl who played Peppy either. She was way too skinny to be playing a 1920s flapper/actress! Those girls had some meat on their bones, and I could see that girl's bones! She did have a cute smile and spunk though, so I will give her that.

I LOOOOOOVED the actor who played George Valentin. I thought he did a stellar job. He reminded me of Doug Fairbanks so much, especially his smile. It mirrored Doug so much. He was great showing the high life of stardom and also the lows that many actors and actresses experienced when the talkies came. Audience members were laughing at how scared he was at the coming of talkies, and it bothered me because I know a lot of the stars I love went through the same thing. He better win some awards for his performance. They are well deserved. Oh! And he was SOOOOOOOOO cute!! And French! Be still my heart.

I love Malcolm McDowell. He was in the movie for two minutes. Let down.

John Goodman reminded me a lot of Mack Sennett.

I saw a brief picture of Anita Page in the film, and I think either Lucille Ricksen or Edna Murphy. When it comes out on DVD I am definitely going to have to freeze frame that part and see who all was on the magazine cover.

What did you guys think of the film?

January Birthdays!

2012-01-01T15:09:00.000-08:00

A new year, a new love for the beautiful people of the silent era.
I don't know how many of you out there have seen the new silent film, The Artist yet, but if you have...thoughts? I have heard it was great...and also heard it was boring. I was going to go see it tonight, but I read that the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor is showing it Thursday with an opening short...One Week with Buster Keaton! Yeah, guess who is going to that one?

Lillian Lorraine ~ January 1, 1892

Carole Landis ~ January 1, 1919

Florence Lawrence ~ January 2, 1886

William Haines ~ January 2, 1900

Sybil Seely ~ January 2, 1900

Zasu Pitts ~ January 3, 1894

Marion Davies ~ January 3, 1897

Pola Negri ~ January 3, 1897

Anna May Wong ~ January 3, 1905

Jane Wyman ~ January 4, 1914

Tom Mix ~ January 6, 1880

Phyllis Haver ~ January 6, 1899

Loretta Young ~ January 6, 1913

Vilma Banky ~ January 9, 1898

Ray Bolger ~ January 10, 1904

Lya De Putti ~ January 10, 1907

Peggy Shannon ~ January 10, 1907

Bebe Daniels ~ January 14, 1901

Anne Cornwall ~ January 17, 1897

Patsy Ruth Miller ~ January 17, 1904

Mack Sennett ~ January 17, 1884

Oliver Hardy ~ January 18, 1892

Cary Grant ~ January 18, 1904

Marjorie Daw ~ January 19, 1902

Ann Sothern ~ January 22, 1909

D.W. Griffith ~ January 22, 1875

Sharon Tate ~ January 24, 1943

Mary Eaton ~ January 29, 1901

Tallulah Bankhead ~ January 29, 1902

Jean Simmons ~ January 31, 1929

The JJs

2011-12-30T11:03:00.000-08:00

Justine Johnstone and Julanne Johnston. Yeah, I get them confused. I am surprised one or both of them didn't have to change their names, although in the silents it wasn't as much of a studio came as it became in the 30s and 40s. Julanne was on The Oneida when Tom Ince was taken ill, Justine was not. I am putting them both in here because they both stick together in my head. Kinda like Aileen Pringle/Alma Rubens and Pola Negri/Alla Nazimova stick in my head as pairs.

Let's start with Julanne first because that will round out the Oneida crew. And because there isn't that much information about her out there :(

Julanne Johnston was born May 1, 1900 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her parents were Howard Petterman and Ann Johnston. Not 100% sure judging by this info if her parents were married.

I am not sure if this is her birth name because she used the names 'Julanne Johnstone' and 'Julianne Johnston' in her earlier films.

Her family moved to Hollywood when she was in her teens. While there, she studied dance at the Denishawn School and honed her acting chops at the Hollywood Community Theatre.

She appeared in her first film in 1917 in an uncredited role.

Some notable silent movies she was in include The Thief of Baghdad (1924) with Douglas Fairbanks, The Big Parade (1925) with John Gilbert and Mae Murray, and Twinkletoes (1926) with Colleen Moore.

Julanne did appear in some talkies, but they were in uncredited roles. Her last film was supposedly Cleopatra (1934) with Claudette Colbert, but her part has yet to be confirmed. She retired from films when she was around 35.

She was only married once. She met her husband, David Rust while she was travelling to New York and she made a pit stop in Michigan. I couldn't find anymore information on their marriage until I looked up an ancestry record and well, I found a little bit more info. I couldn't find out when they were married, but I did find out that they had three kids. Son, David, and daughters, Patricia and Peggy.

Julanne Johnston passed away on December 26, 1988 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

She was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan. (I was pretty excited to read that she was buried about 30 minutes away from where I live....until I failed to find exactly where she is buried. Looks like I am gonna have to make a trip up there!)

Julanne was a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1924, along with Clara Bow and Lucille Ricksen.

She was handpicked by Douglas Fairbanks to star with him in The Thief of Baghdad.

She supposedly was only five feet tall and had gray eyes.

Apparently was president of The Mary Pickford Club.......no idea what that is/was.

Like I said before, Julanne was a guest of William Randolph Hearst on The Oneida's fateful trip, and once again, no quotes from her about the incident.

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Justine Johnstone was born January 31, 1895 in Englewood, New Jersey.

Her family moved to New York when she was still young, and this is where she received her education.

Justine appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies, the Follies-Bergere, and a Broadway play called Over the Top with one of the best hoofers ever, Fred Astaire.

She made her film debut in the 1914 version of The Crucible, which starred Marguerite Clark. She only made a total of 8 films, and they were all silent. She retired from films in 1926.

Why did she leave the silver screen after such a short career? Well, Justine was one smart cookie! She enrolled in Columbia University and worked in studies in the medical field. She was a partner with two colleagues in the development of the I.V. unit used in hospitals today. She also made excellent discoveries in the fields of endocrinology, and cancer and syphilis research. Justine eventually had a laboratory built onto her home.

Justine Johnstone passed away on September 3, 1982 in Santa Monica, California.

She was interred at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory.

Justine Johnstone was married once, to producer Walter Wanger in 1919. They divorced in 1938.

According to a 1920's magazine article, Justine loved sports.

Miss Seena Owen

2011-12-30T10:42:00.000-08:00

As far as an intro goes...I don't really know much to say about Seena. The most I know about her is that she was in Intolerance and her make-up looked really weird and hid how really pretty she was. Which, most make up back then did anyway. Can you imagine how white and greasy their faces must have looked off camera? I mean, in some pictures, Buster looks dead!

Seena Owen was born Signe Auen on November 14, 1894 in Spokane, Washington. She was the youngest of three children, brother Auden and sister Lillie, born to Jens and Karen Auen who had come to the U.S. from Denmark about five years prior to Seena's birth.

Her father found work in a pharmacy, and the family enjoyed a nice lifestyle for a few years. Seena had the opportunity of attending school in her parents native land, Copenhagen, Denmark. Unfortunately though, Jens Auen's business failed and it became necessary for his children to find jobs to help support the family as well. Seena decided to try her luck at acting and joined a stage company in San Francisco where she worked for awhile. She soon traveled further South where the movie scene was starting to settle, in Hollywood.

Seena worked as an extra before she was signed to the Kalem Film Company. She made her first credited debut in 1915 in the film A Yankee From the West. That year she also changed her stage name to 'Seena Owen,' which is how her name was pronounced anyway, but this way it was easier for people to read.

The next year, Seena appeared in D.W. Griffith's epic, Intolerance. She played 'Princess Beloved' (Belshazaar's favorite). I think everyone alive at that time was in that movie...seriously. The scene of Babylon has like 4 million extras. It always tickles me when you go to downtown Hollywood and see the replicas of the Intolerance set. I used to think they were real, and that the film was shot right there...but sadly I was wrong. Cool to imagine though, eh?

In her relatively short career, Seena had the chance to appear with some big names like Douglas Fairbanks, Lon Chaney, and Gloria Swanson. Her film with Chaney, Victory (1919), was considered lost for many years but was re-discovered in Europe and is now available to watch on DVD. Yay! Seena also appeared in a lot of Tod Browning's early shorts. You may know him more for his cult classic, Freaks. I don't know about you, but I love that movie.

Seena had a weak voice for talkies, so she only appeared in one. She officially retired from films in 1933.

Seena Owen passed away on August 15, 1966 in Hollywood.

She was interred at Hollywood Forever with her mother and siblings. I am not 100% sure her father is interred there too.

Seena was only married once, to actor George Walsh, who she met on the set of Intolerance. They were married from 1916 until 1924. They had a daughter named Patricia. Supposedly it was D.W. Griffith who set them up.

Her older sister, Lillie was a Hollywood screenwriter. She appeared in a ton of films, including 1924's Janice Meredith, which starred Marion Davies and 1959's The Shaggy Dog. Seena even helped her with writing a few movies/tv shows as well.

As I said in previous blog entries, she was on board The Oneida the night the whole Thomas Ince scandal took place. I can't find any comments ever made by her, or any of the other 'witnesses' on board that night. Hearst did a good job of shutting people up...or perhaps there really wasn't anything scandalous that occurred.

Miss Jacqueline Logan

2011-12-24T17:50:00.000-08:00

I posted this on my Facebook page, but since some of you are not on my Facebook page...I will state it here. (By the way, if you do want to add me on Facebook, please do! My name sadly isn't really Jessica Keaton, it is Jessica Wahl).

Since my last blog was about Margaret Livingston and how she tied into the whole Tom Ince scandal, I figured why not do the rest of the gals who were also on board The Oneida that fateful trip. So, we did Margaret, next is Jacqueline Logan.

Jacqueline Logan was GORGEOUS! She is one of those girls where her face looked modern enough to where she would fit in today on screen. I think the same thing of Olive Borden. Silent stars like Alla Nazimova, Theda Bara, Mae Murray, Olive Thomas, they had a classic beauty that was perfect for silent film and the 1910s and 20s. But Jacqueline and Olive Borden had a modern look to them that I think would have worked well had they been alive now. That is just one man's opinion though.

She is also 1/3 of one of my favorite pictures from the era. This one below with Ann Pennington and Billie Dove.

How amazing do they all look?! Three perfect examples of beautiful gals in the 1920s. Oh to have been a part of their little date that day. How fun!

Jacqueline Logan was born Jacqueline Medura Logan on November 30, 1901 in Corsicana, Texas. I don't know much about her early life, and I couldn't find her on any census records that I had at my disposal. What I do know is that her father was a renowned architect and her mother was an opera singer for sometime.

Apparently during her teens she took ill and relocated to Colorado Springs for a better climate. It was there she began working as a journalist before segueing into the theater. She traveled with the stage company to Chicago where she had to lie about her age in order to keep working. She even lied to her family about why she was going to Chicago. She told them it was to visit relatives. Eventually her real age was found out and she was let go from the company. She soon left for New York.

She again told her family she was going to New York for reasons other than her theatrical ambitions. She appeared on Broadway in 1920 in a production of Floradora, where she was spotted by none other than Florenz Ziegfeld who wanted her in his Follies. She had the one of being put in a few of his rooftop shows which were just spectacular to see. Jacqueline also became a model for famed Ziegfeld photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston. Love him!

Jacqueline was given the opportunity for a screen test by then unknown actor Ben Lyons. She appeared alongside Mabel Normand in the film Molly O in 1921, and then alongside child star Jane Peters (who grew up to become the beautiful and amazing Carole Lomabrd) in the film The Perfect Crime.

She was pretty lucky when it came to costars it seemed. She had the chance to work with both Barrymores, Lon Chaney, and William Powell. Yeah........way too lucky. This makes Jessica jealous.

Although she did appear in a number of talkies, she wasn't a big success. Her roles were most supporting or brief cameos. She decided to take a break from the screen (as a lot of stars did when talkies came) and go to England to work on the stage. It was while working in England that she found a new way to work in the movies. Writing and directing. She wrote two films that were quite successful in Europe, but when she tried to do the same thing on her return to Hollywood, she was turned away. The film studios were proud of her achievements they said, they just didn't feel comfortable with hiring a female director. Nice, huh?

She retired from films completely in 1934. She did do an interview for Kevin Brownlow's documentary Hollywood in the 1970s, but her interview appears to have been lost because it was never aired and isn't in any new releases of the series.

Jacqueline Logan passed away on April 4, 1983 in Melbourne, Florida.

She was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Decatur, Illinois.

Jacqueline was only married once, to an industrialist named Larry Winston. I am not 100% sure when they married, but I do know they divorced in 1947. I have also read that she was married to a man named Ralph Gillespie during the 1920s.

She was good friends with actresses Lila Lee, Dorothy Dalton, and Lina Basquette.

She was also a hardcore right wing advocate. Damn.

Jacqueline was named a WAMPAS Baby Star of 1922 alongside Colleen Moore, Bessie Love, Mary Philbin, and her friend, Lila Lee.

Miss Margaret Livingston

2011-12-22T17:36:00.000-08:00

Margaret Livingston.

I don't know about you, but when I think about her, the things that pop into my head are: Tom Ince, William Randolph Hearst, yacht, cover up, other woman.

Now, what happened on board Hearst's yacht is still up for debate. I personally like the version that was portrayed in the movie The Cat's Meow. It worked, it made sense. And since Ince was cremated without an autopsy...the real story is lost in the unknown. What else is unknown is the alleged affair between Ince and Margaret, which it seems did not occur. And if it did, it was hush hush.

Margaret Livingston was born on November 25, 1895 in Salt Lake City, Utah. In the 1920 Census, her name appears as "Marguerite" but I am not sure if it is just a misspelling or that was in fact her birth name. It also shows that during that year she lived in Los Angeles with her older sister Ivy, a woman named Edith Hurd (who could be their mother), and a 4 1/2 year old girl named Dorothy Atkinson who is listed as Edith's granddaughter.

When she was around 16 years old, she made her film debut in The Chain Invisible. Her most famous role was in 1927 in the film Sunrise. She wasn't a huge star of the day, but she made over 50 silents, so people were used to seeing her face.

Unlike a lot of her fellow film friends, Margaret successfully transitioned into talkies and made over 20 of them. She even did voice dubbing work for other actresses, including Louise Brooks.

In 1924, she was invited on board The Oneida, the yacht owned by William Randolph Hearst. Also on board were Heart's mistress, Marion Davies, writers Louella Parsons and Elinor Glyn, and actors Charlie Chaplin, Seena Owen, Julanne Johnston, Aileen Pringle, and Jacqueline Logan. Oh, and may I add a certain Dr. Daniel Carson Goodman. The man who was in the car accident that killed his fiance Florence La Badie, and who was also married to Alma Rubens who died from the effects of drug abuse. Good Lord that guy had some shit luck!

Tom Ince was taken ill while on board and was taken very quietly to a hospital in San Diego. He claimed he had drank to much, so they decided to let him go home. He died there the next day of a heart attack. All these rumors started running because Ince was so young when he died and why was it all being kept so hush hush. People assumed Ince was the victim of mistaken identity. They thought that Hearst had seen Charlie Chaplin and Marion Davies canoodling in a stairway of the yacht and shot who he thought was Chaplin...who turned out to be Ince. Again, this is just a hearsay rumor. Interestingly though, Nell Ince, Tom's wife had him immediately cremated and buried without an autopsy. She was also well taken care of by Hearst too after that. Makes you wonder, huh?

One of Margaret's last film appearances was in one of Clara Bow's first talkies, Call Her Savage in 1932. She soon retired from film due to her weight gain creating problems between her and the studios. She eventually moved to Pennsylvania.

Margaret Livingston passed away on December 13, 1984.

She was interred at the First Presbyterian Church of Ewing Cemetery in Ewing, New Jersey.

Margaret was only married once, to bandleader Paul Whiteman in 1931. They remained married until his death in 1967. They never had children.

Another interesting thing I found in the 1920 Census Record I was looking at was that one of her neighbors at that time was actress Colleen Moore!

Miss Virginia Rappe

2011-12-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

I have been debating this entry for a couple days, and just trying to figure out what my stance is on the whole ordeal.

I read a snippet in a book a few weeks ago that discussed the Roscoe Arbuckle case, and I thought to myself...is Virginia Rappe the one to hate in this whole trial? When I read about the case for the first time in Hollywood Babylon years ago, I blamed her, and I blamed him a little as well. That book paints everyone involved in a bad light. But once you get the REAL story, you see that the real enemy here was Maude Delmont, the one who "represented" Virginia during the trial.

When I went to Hollywood Forever the first time, I paid my respects to her and said I was sorry for what happened. But after I read different accounts, I just walked by her grave without saying anything. I think the next time I go, I should sit with her and tell her again how sorry I am for what happened to her. Yes, she lived a wild and out of control lifestyle. She wasn't a saint, by any means! She loved to take her clothes off at parties, drink heavily, have sex with anyone and everyone...It was the 1920s, who wasn't living the high life?! The only difference is, Virginia's fast living caused her early, unfortunate death at age 26.

26, she was my age when she died! She was a beautiful girl who's death was used to create one hell of a circus by the money/attention hungry Maude Delmont...Virginia's "friend."

Virginia Rappe was born Virginia Caroline Rapp on July 7, 1895 in New York City. She was born to her unwed chorus girl (and rumored prostitute) mother, Mabel, who died when Virginia was 11. She never knew her father, and after her mother died, she was raised by her grandmother in Chicago.

Her grandmother died when she was 14, so she began working as a model to help support herself. The next year or two later, she moved to San Francisco to pursue her modeling career even further. The next year, she was given her first movie role in the film Paradise Garden. She also added an 'e' to the end of her name so her stage name would sound more sophisticated.

In 1918, she appeared in the film Over the Rhine with then newcomer, Rudolph Valentino. After appearing in this film, she was named "The Best Dressed Girl in Pictures," which led her to create her own clothing line. The movie unfortunately wasn't released until 1920, under the title The Adventuress.

She appeared in about 10 films that are known. It is possible that she appeared in more, but the director she worked for at the time, Henry Lehrman, has many lost films...so we may never know.

On September 5, 1921 Virginia attended a party at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco given by Roscoe Arbuckle. She came with her new friend, Maude Delmont, who in fact she only met a few days prior. No one really invited Virginia, so she pretty much just crashed the party.

As the party progressed and the liquor flowed, she got drunker and drunker. A few hours in, Roscoe went into the bathroom and found Virginia laying on the floor. He picked her up, laid her on the bed, and brought her some water. He returned to the party for a few minutes, and when he came back, she was on the floor in agony. She kept drifting in and out of conciousness, so he thought of an old trick his friend Buster Keaton had told him. To find out if someone is really sick or just faking, you should hold ice to their thigh. Roscoe did just that with no response. It was at this time that Maude Delmont walked in and oh I bet her mind started turning at the sight she saw!

Shortly after, Virginia began screaming and tearing her clothes off, and thinking she was just drunk and causing a scene, Roscoe wanted her out of there.

Roscoe sent word for the doctor to come around and even paid to have him look at her in a separate room. She was laid in a cold bath to try and cool down until she was moved into the new room, where she was dosed with morphine so she could sleep. The next day the doctor came in again to give her morphine and even fitted her with a catheter. FINALLY she was taken to the hospital.

Virginia Rappe passed away on September 9, 1921. Her cause of death was listed as a ruptured bladder and peritonitis. She was 26 years old.

She was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Was Virginia's death caused by being raped with a champagne bottle? No. What about a Coke bottle? No. Was she raped by Roscoe Arbuckle at all? No. Doctors deduced that her ruptured bladder was most likely caused by one of her numerous abortions. She reportedly had two before the age of 16. It is rumored that in 1918 she actually had a daughter but put her into foster care. No one knows if this is 100% true or not. It is also rumored that she could have been pregnant when she died, but for some weird reason, her organs were removed and destroyed after her autopsy, so we will never know.

Yet ANOTHER rumor about her death is that Virginia came over to Roscoe at the party and started tickling him. Roscoe was a very ticklish guy, which she may or may not have known, but either way he got up from where he was sitting, and tried to stop her from tickling him by blocking her with his arms and legs. Apparently, he brought his leg up and kneed Virginia in the stomach which led her to stumble into the bathroom and start saying "He did it. He did this to me!" Is this why she said this? Who knows.

Virginia never married, but was engaged twice. Her first fiance was dress designer Robert Moscovitz who she met when she first moved to California. Sadly, shortly after they got engaged, he was killed in a car accident. After this loss, Virginia moved to Los Angeles. There she met producer/director Henry Lehrman and worked for him. They became engaged a short while later, and were still engaged when she died. When Lehrman died in 1946, he was buried next to Virginia.

So, what did Maude Delmont do after her "friend's" death? She claimed that Virginia ran in screaming that Roscoe had raped her and that she had told the hospital doctors the same thing. She made sure that he was arrested and charged with murder. Maude never had the chance to testify because character witnesses destroyed her reputation. She was a liar known for trying to extort money from powerful figures and was rumored to have teamed with Virginia to extort Arbuckle, but this was never proven.

Three trials later, he was finally acquitted of all charges, but Maude had done her job by ruining him in the eyes of the public. He may have been found 100% innocent, but the press had painted him black, so the audiences weren't interested anymore.

RIP Virginia.

Miss Alma Rubens

2011-12-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

There are so many actresses out there that have had the word/stigma, "tragic" added to their names. I have talked about a few on my blog. Florence La Badie: tragic because she died so young and at the peak of her career. Olive Thomas: tragic, for the same reasons. Carole Lombard: tragic, her life was taken in a plane crash. But, doesn't it seem kinda weird to call them "tragic actresses" when they had a positive impact on the screen and their fans. I think it is more appropriate to call Sarah Bernhardt a tragic actress because of the roles she played so well.

Alma Rubens is what would be classified as a tragic actress because she died young due to drug addiction. Now, that is tragic. She is not alone in this though. Barbara La Marr, Mabel Normand, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland...all beautiful and talented women who had their lives cut short due to addiction.

So, lets try and think of the good these women brought to the world when we see them forever glamorous and beautiful on the screen.

Now on too Alma...

Alma Rubens was born Alma Genevieve Ruebens on February 19, 1897 in San Francisco, California. Her father was named John and her mother was named Theresa. Alma joined an older sister named Hazel who was four years older.

She got her start in acting early, and decided to change the spelling of her last name to "Rubens" when she was around 20 years old because she felt the original spelling was too confusing for publication. This girl was thinking ahead!

The same year she decided to change her name she got her first performance opportunity. Alma was hanging around the theatre one day and she was asked to take the place of another chorus girl on stage when the girl got sick. She ended up staying with the show and moved to Los Angeles where she decided to try her hand at the new medium of film.

Alma made her screen debut in 1916 in the film Reggie Mixes In. She had the opportunity later that year to star along side male superstar Douglas Fairbanks in The Half Breed which really helped boost her career.

She worked hard in movies until 1924 when she decided to take a break from the movies. She thought she would go away for a bit and when she decided to come back, everything would go back to being as great as they used to. She was wrong.

In 1929, she appeared in a part talkie version of Showboat but sadly, the soundtrack containing her speaking is lost. Not surprisingly, Alma didn't prosper in the talkies.

It wasn't so much the changing of tastes in audiences that caused Alma's film decline, but rather a nasty drug habit she developed. She was in and out of hospitals and institutions and as usual in those days (and now) her addiction was kept under wraps. Unfortunately, it became public knowledge after Alma attacked a doctor who was trying to treat her in an institution she was staying in. At a different facility, she actually managed to escape for awhile before coming back on her own.

Alma made a final stage appearance in 1930. She was also arrested that same year for drug possession. She claimed it was a frame up and that she could have a slew of doctors write that she was not a drug addict. She was released on bail and had to appear in court early the next year.

Alma Rubens passed away a week after her court date on January 22, 1931 in Los Angeles. She was only 33 years old. She laid in a coma for three days before she died with her mother and sister by her side. Her cause of death was listed as pneumonia, her body weakened by her drug addiction.

She was entombed at Ararat Cemetery in Fresno, California.

Alma was married three times. First to actor Franklyn Farnum in 1918. Franklyn was actually the one who convinced Alma to try out the movies along with him. He was also 20 years older than her. Their union lasted only a month. She didn't marry again until 1923 when she wed Dr. Daniel Carson Goodman, who was also a published author and film producer (jack of all trades, eh?) They divorced in 1925. Her third and final marriage was to actor Ricardo Cortez in 1926. She was in the process of divorcing Cortez when she died. Sadly, he never knew she was sick because he hadn't talked to her for months and he wasn't even notified when she had died! None of her marriages resulted in children.

Alma claimed that her drug addiction was not her fault. She claimed a doctor gave them to her as a treatment for another ailment, so she eventually used it for every little health issue she had...real or imaginative.

"As long as my money held out I could get drugs. I was afraid to tell my mother, best friends. My only desire was to get drugs and taking them in secrecy." ~ Alma Rubens in her last interview.

Miss Nita Naldi

2011-12-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

So, the time has come where I had to make a list of who I have covered here in my blog because I keep thinking I have talked about some great people and I really haven't. My mind = completely fogged at times.

Nita Naldi was a vamp alongside Theda Bara and Valeska Suratt. And just like these other ladies, Nita was not as exotic or vamp-ish as she may have seemed on screen. In fact, all three ladies were born in the U.S. and not under the shadow of The Sphinx (as it was said Theda Bara was born).

Nita Naldi was born Anita Donna Dooley on November 13, 1894 in New York City, New York. I have also heard that she was born Mary or Donna Dooley. I have tried to look under the Census records that I have at hand, but I am unable to find anything under either of those names. Even while looking under her father, Patrick or her mother, Julia...nothing. She was supposedly named after a great aunt named Mary Nonna, but that doesn't help our case in either way.

Patrick Dooley abandoned his family in 1910, and sadly her mother died six years later leaving Nita with her brother Frank and a sister (who's name I don't know). In order to support her and her siblings, Nita began modeling and doing other odd jobs.

A few years later she began appearing on the vaudeville stage with her brother Frank. In 1918, she debuted on Broadway in a show called "The Passing Show of 1918." A year later, she joined the Ziegfeld Follies. It was while working for the Follies that she took the stage name of Nita Naldi.

She continued to appear on stage and in a few short films into 1920 when she was given a role opposite John Barrymore in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Her next role was opposite another great leading man of the day, Rudolph Valentino, in the film Blood and Sand. Nita and Valentino appeared in another film together called Cobra in 1925. After these films, she was seen as a vamp actress.

Nita appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's second directorial picture, The Mountain Eagle, in 1926. After this, she went to Europe and appeared in a few more pictures before retiring from the screen. Even though her voice was deemed usable and acceptable for talking pictures, she never made one.

In 1932, she had to file for bankruptcy and chose instead of film, to appear in a few stage shows. Critics were cruel, poking fun at her weight gain. She sued one of the newspapers, but the suit was dismissed.

In 1952, she had a better time on stage when she starred with Uta Hagen in the play In Any Language. A few years later, she helped coach Carol Channing for a role in which she had to play the role of a vamp. She helped Channing win an award for the role!

Nita Naldi passed away on February 17, 1961 of a heart attack in her apartment. She was almost up to her 66th birthday.

She was buried with her mother at Calvary Cemetery in New York. There are also three other people buried in the plot named Daniel Francis, and Bridget and Mary Dunphy. I looked on Findagrave.com to see if I could get any information on them, but there is nothing. I am not sure if they are distant relatives, or who exactly they were.

Nita was only married once, to millionaire J. Searle Barclay. They had met in 1919 while she was still performing on the stage, and he was still married. They even lived together for a short time with Nita's sister. In 1923, Nita was named as a party in Barclay's divorce from his wife. They married in 1927 while in Europe, but a few years later, she returned to the U.S. without him. It seemed that he lost most if not all of his money in his divorce. They remained married until his death in 1945, but she never spoke of him until after he died.

She was supposed to have been engaged to another millionaire named Larry Hall in the 1950s, but nothing ever came of it.

Even with all the rumors of the day, Nita swore that she never had a romantic relationship with either Valentino or Barrymore. She was good friends with both though, and was actually one of Valentino's only friends who actually got along with his second wife, Natacha Rambova.

"We were all blind as rats. Theda Bara couldn't see a foot in front of her and poor Rudy groped his way through many a love scene and I mean really groped. They all used big reflectors to get extra light from the sun - that is how we acquired that interesting Oriental look. We didn't have any censors in those days, but we did have our own bosoms and our own eyelashes. And we never took ourselves seriously." ~ Nita Naldi (How can you not love this?!)

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!

2011-12-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

My mom gave me the idea this year to make some of my own ornaments with pictures of the movie stars I love. So, I went and bought little frames and took pictures from two photo collages I made way back I was in high school and voila! They are necessarily my top favorites...you will notice there are no Jean Harlow, Clara Bow, or Buster Keaton....yet!

I made six for the time being. Joan Crawford, Mary Miles Minter, Theda Bara, Constance Talmadge, Lousie Brooks, and Olive Thomas. (I apologize for the rough looking pictures. My camera is broken, so I had to take these with my phone.)

Hugo

2011-12-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

If you have not seen the movie Hugo yet, go see it. Now.

My boss who is a movie nut kept telling me I had to see it. I finally got around to it today after school, and it was amazing. I am not gonna give anything away on here, just trust me. If you are a silent film fan, you are gonna wanna see this movie. I had tears rolling down my cheeks for half the film.

If you have seen it, what did you think? (Don't give anything away though!)

Miss Grace Darmond

2011-12-04T19:56:00.000-08:00

Well, lets just bring this full circle and look at Grace Darmond. I never knew much about her until I read Dangerous Curves and got to learn about who she was. I used to just look at her picture, but now I can look at it and see it with new eyes.

Grace Darmond was born Grace Glionna on November 20, 1893 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her mother's name was Alice, and her father James was a musician.

When she was younger, she caught the acting bug after appearing in a school play. And lucky girl she was, a member of the audience was a member of the Selig film company who wanted to sign her up on the spot!

She made her screen debut in 1914 and actually appeared in the first Technicolor picture, The Gulf Between, in 1917. Unfortunately, the film was a failure, mostly due to the fact that the color process in the film required a special projector that ended up making the colors look odd. Also, very few theatres actually had the projector. This is sadly also considered a lost film. There are only a few frames that survive.

Although she appeared in quite a few films, she never was a big star. She either was in small roles supporting bigger stars or in films that were lesser known. She bounced from Selig, to Vitagraph, and to Paramount Studios and even some independent film companies.

Her last film role was in 1927. She did make an appearance in a 1941 film, but her role was uncredited. She just didn't make it in the talkies.

After her retirement from film, Grace disappeared from the public eye.

Grace Darmond passed away on October 8, 1963 in Los Angeles.

Grace was reportedly a lesbian since she had a relationship with actress Jean Acker beginning in 1918. However, it seems she was married not once, but twice. So, it seems that she was bisexual. Her first marriage was to Henry Matson in 1926. They divorced later that year. Her second and final marriage was to Randolph Jennings in 1928. I can't find an ending date, so I am not sure if they were married till one of their deaths or if they divorced.

December Birthdays!

2011-12-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it through 2011! 2012 will be even better! If we all survive the Apocalypse that is of course. Anyways, here are your December birthdays. Of course at the bottom you will see two of my boys, Mike and Davy from The Monkees. But also, we have Virginia Lee Corbin (wasn't she too cute?), Barbara Kent (who we sadly lost this year), adorable Ann Pennington, and the glamorous Ava Gardner.

Enjoy, and hope all of you have a great holiday. Each and every one of you who read my blog mean so much to me. I am thankful for all of you :)

Walt Disney ~ December 5, 1901

Virginia Lee Corbin ~ December 5, 1910

Ira Gershwin ~ December 6, 1896

Eli Wallach ~ December 7, 1915

Sammy Davis Jr. ~ December 8, 1925

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. ~ December 9, 1909

Margaret Hamilton ~ December 9, 1902

Clarine Seymour ~ December 9, 1898

Dorothy Lamour ~ December 10, 1914

Gilbert Roland ~ December 11, 1905

Frank Sinatra ~ December 12, 1915

Edward G. Robinson ~ December 12, 1893

Dick Van Dyke ~ December 13, 1925

Barbara Kent ~ December 16, 1906

Betty Grable ~ December 18, 1916

Mary Nolan ~ December 18, 1905

Edith Piaf ~ December 19, 1915

Irene Dunne ~ December 20, 1898

Elinor Fair ~ December 21, 1903

Edna Goodrich ~ December 22, 1883

Ann Pennington ~ December 23, 1893

Ava Gardner ~ December 24, 1922

Humphrey Bogart ~ December 25, 1899

Evelyn Nesbit ~ December 25, 1884

Marlene Dietrich ~ December 27, 1901

Davy Jones ~ December 30, 1945

Michael Nesmith ~ December 30, 1942

Miss Jean Acker

2011-12-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

Miss Jean Acker is an interesting one. She is mainly known as being Rudy Valentino's first wife...the one that locked herself in her room on her wedding night. She may not have loved him as a husband, but it seems she loved his name because she began using the stage name "Mrs. Rudolph Valentino." Nice huh?

After reading about her relationship with Grace Darmond (we will get to her later) in the book Dangerous Curves, I realized that her life deserved a deeper look.

Shall we?

Jean Acker was born Harriet Acker on October 23, 1893 in Trenton, New Jersey. I don't know her parents names or their occupations, but I do know they separated when she was still young.

She spent a few of her early years performing on vaudeville in New Jersey before she moved to California in 1919. When she arrived, she met the woman, the diva, the legend herself...Alla Nazimova. Because Nazimova was just a big star, she was able to get her new "friend" a movie contract fairly quickly.

Unlike Nazimova, Jean never made a big splash on the screen. She made about 13 movies all together during the 1910s and 1920s. When the 1930s came around, she usually only made uncredited appearances in film.

Her last screen appearance was in 1955 in a Betty Grable film.

Jean Acker passed away on August 16, 1978 of natural causes in Los Angeles.

She was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. Her grave marker reads "Jean Acker Valentino"

Jean was only married once, to Valentino, in 1919. Like I stated before, on their wedding night she fled to their hotel room and locked him out. She was so upset that she then ran to her then lover, Grace Darmond's house. Rudy tried to work things out, but to no avail. They didn't divorce until 1923. Apparently, years later, Jean confided to a friend that the real reason she flew from Rudy that night was because he told her he had gonorrhea. I don't think so.......

Rudy obviously wasn't her one true love. She found that in a former Ziegfeld Follies girl named Chloe Carter who she met soon after divorcing Rudy. They remained together until Chloe died. They are even buried next to each other.

As I stated before, Jean Acker was also in a relationship with actress Grace Darmond and most probably with Nazimova. They were all part of what were calling "sewing circles." This basically a term for women who were lesbian or bisexual. Who was part of the group? Well supposedly...Jean, Nazimova, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, Patsy Kelly, Louise Brooks, Greta Garbo, Dolores Del Rio, Peggy Fears, Janet Gaynor, Katharine Hepburn, Lena Horne, Hattie McDaniel, Barbara Stanwyck. *whew*

Jean actually sued to be able to use the name 'Valentino' in her stage name. This pissed Rudy off (obviously), and he didn't talk to her for years. In 1923, she even toured with a little show of her own called "How She Won the Sheik," where she talked about her life with Rudy. The two eventually reconciled shortly before his death. She even visited him on his death bed and brought him linen and pillows she had made and embroidered herself.

"It was simply a case of California, the glamour of Southern California moonlight and the fascinating lovemaking of the man." ~~ Jean Acker (when asked why she married Valentino)

Silent Books!

2011-11-26T20:32:00.000-08:00

As some of you may or may not know, I work at a library and am an avid reader. I have loved to read ever since I can remember. My parents used to read to me before bed almost every night, and I still do that to this day. Well, my parents don't, but I do. I can't really sleep unless I read something! Thank goodness I work at a place where books are EVERYWHERE, and free at that.

I like to read a lot of different things, but one of the genres I enjoy are biographies about silent/classic film stars. I thought I would share with you some of the titles that I would recommend. And some that I would say not to waste your time on.

The first of course is the book I finished reading over a month ago called Dangerous Curves Atop Hollywood Heels by Michael Ankerich. Oh how Jessica loves this book! The research done by the author was just incredible, which I definitely appreciate. Another plus, it covered some ladies who have been almost forgotten like Lucille Ricksen and Martha Mansfield. Go out and buy it now, if you cannot afford it at this time (especially with the holidays) I will let you borrow my copy for sure. I love it that much. And you, of course ;)

Next would be Silent Players by Anthony Slide. Slide is a film historian, and I love hearing him talk because he is so knowledgeable, and also because I love his accent. This book has wonderful biographies that are just enough to give you a real taste of the actor he is writing about. From the top of my head, I can recall that he covered Mignon Anderson, Gladys Brockwell, and of course the greats are covered too. The copy of this book that is in the library system I work at has a plate in it dedicated to me. It has my stamp of approval!

Silent Lives by Lon Davis is another one that contains little biographies of a number of stars. Problem is, I know I read it and liked it, but I can't really remember much else! I do remember really liking it though, so check it out.

Silent Movies by Peter Kobel is a beautiful book. It has a lot of information in it and beautiful pictures. It is a great coffee table book, which is where mine is sitting right now. Trust me, it is hard to read while laying in bed cuz it is a big one.

As far as star biographies go, I cannot recommend enough David Stenn. He wrote Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild and Bombshell about Jean Harlow. I read both books and absolutely loved them. He includes a lot of information, and you can tell he admires these ladies because he writes very sympathetically towards them. The Jean Harlow book had me crying when he was talking about her final days and how she suffered. Now, I don't cry easily, especially at books, so that is something. Two great books about two of my idols.

Vamp by Eve Golden was a good one too. It is about Theda Bara, if you couldn't already tell by the title. I am so happy someone wrote a biography about her, and Eve Golden is such a great author anyway, so I think she did Theda justice. I don't remember much about the book since it has been a few years since I read it, but I do remember I finished the whole thing, which again means something coming from me. If I don't like a book, I don't waste my time finishing it. Make sure to check out Eve's other books as well.

Nazimova by Gavin Lambert. I was kinda scared when I requested this book and it came in because it is a thick one. And normally when a book is that thick, it can read very much like a textbook and not be very interesting. That is not the case in this book. I was captivated from beginning to end. I don't know if it was the subject matter or the writing, but I would like to believe it is both. Alla Nazimova was such a dynamic force so her story itself is incredible and I grew to love her even more after reading Lambert's work.

Okay...now I gotta be careful talking about these next books because I found out the hard way that a Facebook friend of mine is a friend of the author and I made my opinions known on his wall. Not in a thrashing, bad way, but it wasn't completely positive either. Michelle Vogel wrote biographies about Olive Thomas and Olive Borden, and, well, they are not my favorites...which sucks because I love the Olives!! The Olive Thomas book was kinda boring and choppy and the quotes from magazines was overwhelming to the point where I felt like I was reading a bad research paper that I had written the night before. It wasn't the worst book that I have read, but it wasn't my favorite. The Olive Borden book was a little bit better, but not by much. I ended up skimming through the rest of it because I couldn't just lay back and read the whole thing. Vogel also wrote a book called Hollywood Blondes that has so many mistakes, it will make you cringe. Which, again, sucks because it has some of my favorites in it and could really be a good book!

As far as autobiographies go, check out The Times We Had by Marion Davies. Her life in Hollywood and with Hearst in her own words is very endearing and I thought it was a good read. I of course recommend My Wonderful World of Slapstick because it is by Buster! Duh! He was such a humble and funny man, that is a lovely view of his life by the man himself.

I do remember picking up Life of a Star by Pola Negri, but I don't remember what I thought of it. Oops!

These are just a few of the ones I have read, but it gives props to the best. What about you guys? Read any good books lately? :)

Special Tributes

2011-11-17T18:17:00.000-08:00

As many of you may know by now, one of my dreams/aspirations is to either be in a movie about silent or classic film stars or to make documentaries about them. What is our mission statement here? We don't want these wonderful actors and actresses to be forgotten! So, until that time comes...I like to watch tribute videos on Youtube, and luckily enough, two of my favorites were made by one of my readers. She has beautiful ones about many beautiful actresses, but I want to share two of them with you because they are about two ladies who I think were too beautiful to even look real! Florence Labadie and Maude Fealy. Watch and enjoy!!

Miss Peggy Shannon

2011-11-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

I wanted to squeeze in an entry about Peggy because I was showing my grave photos the other day, and came across hers, and no one knew who she was (understandable). They just saw she had died fairly young. I just kept saying, "Look up her photos, she was an absolutely beautiful showgirl and actress." I wish we could have seen more from her, but like so many others, she became too friendly with the bottle.

Peggy Shannon was born Winona Sammon on January 10, 1907 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Her parents were Edward and Nannie Sammon. She was later joined by younger sister, Carol.

When she was still in high school, she went to New York to visit an aunt. It was while on this visit, she was hired to be a Ziegfeld showgirl. She stayed with Ziegfeld and other Broadway shows until 1927 when she was discovered by B.P. Schulberg, the production head of Paramount. She packed her bags and followed him out to Hollywood.

She was already being hyped up as the next Clara Bow, the next "It Girl." It was prophetic almost, because just two days after arriving in Hollywood, she was offered a role that had been Clara's in the film, The Secret Call. Clara had suffered a nervous breakdown, and couldn't continue with the film, so she was replaced.

Peggy, to put it gently, worked her ass off. She would sometimes work on a film 10 to 16 hours a day! And other times when she would finish one film, she would have to go right into making another one.

In 1932, she signed a contract with Fox. Unfortunately, she was already getting the reputation of being difficult and fussy on set, and it was also around this time that her drinking problem started to be come, well...a problem.

In 1934, she went back to New York to appear in a few more Broadway shows. She only lasted about a year before dropping out to what she claimed was a tooth infection, but others knew was really her alcoholism.

She soon couldn't hide the fact that she was an alcoholic, and so the job offers got fewer and fewer. She made her last film appearance in 1940 in the film Triple Justice.

Peggy Shannon passed away on May 11, 1941. Her husband and a friend of his had come home to find her slumped over the kitchen table with a cigarette still in her mouth and a glass in her hand. She had been dead for about 12 hours when he got there. She was only 34. The autopsy revealed she died from a heart attack, a liver ailment, and just being generally worn out.

Peggy was married twice. Her first husband was Alan Davis in 1926. They divorced in 1940. Her second husband was cameraman Albert Roberts who she married months after her first divorce. They were married until her death. Sadly, three weeks after Peggy died, her husband shot himself in the same spot where she had died. His suicide note read, "I am very much in love with my Peggy Shannon. In this spot she died, so in reverence to her, you will find me in the same spot." He was not buried next to her though. He was buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale.

She was interred at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

She was not the only one slated to replace Clara Bow. She shared that honor with actress Sylvia Sidney.

In July of 1938, apparently she and her sister were both injured in a car accident when they hit another car head on.

While she was a film actress, Peggy was quite the fashion plate. She liked to sport the newest styles before they came into fashion. Fans looked to her to find out what the new looks were.

After her daughter died, and then her son in law, she demanded a police investigation into the matter. She wanted private investigates to really look into how her daughter died.

"[Hollywood] is a sort of Looking Glass Town. They do everything backward. If you try desperately to get somewhere, you find yourself further away from your goal, but if you decide it's impossible and stop hoping, there you are at the winning line." ~ Peggy Shannon

November Birthdays!

2011-11-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

Another month is upon us. Already! Man, this year has flown by. And I have a very busy month ahead of me. It is my older sister and younger sister's birthdays, my older sister is getting married so we are traveling to Nashville later in the month...I am gonna try to go see Peter Tork in concert in Pennsylvania....about to put a pistol in my mouth because school is killing me this semester.....*whew*

Happier news, look at who we can celebrate this month! Some of my favorites: Vivien, Marie Prevost, Marie Dressler, Hedy, Veronica, Louise, Mabel (especially for my friend, Bill!) and just look at Miss Naomi Childers. She was so incredible looking, she looks like a Greek goddess, which I actually think was her nickname. Enjoy, love, and eat some turkey later this month!

Laura LaPlante ~ November 1, 1904

Burt Lancaster ~ November 2, 1938

Alice Brady ~ November 2, 1892

Will Rogers ~ November 4, 1879

Vivien Leigh ~ November 5, 1913

Miriam Cooper ~ November 7, 1891

Leatrice Joy ~ November 7, 1893

Marie Prevost ~ November 8, 1898

Hedy Lamarr ~ November 9, 1913

Mae Marsh ~ November 9, 1894

Marie Dressler ~ November 9, 1868

Richard Burton ~ November 10, 1925

Mabel Normand ~ November 10, 1895

Pat O'Brien ~ November 11, 1899

Grace Kelly ~ November 12, 1929

Jean Seberg ~ November 13, 1938

Brian Keith ~ November 14, 1921

Veronica Lake ~ November 14, 1919

Dick Powell ~ November 14, 1904

Seena Owen ~ November 14, 1894

Louise Huff ~ November 14, 1895

Louise Brooks ~ November 14, 1906

Madeline and Marion Fairbanks ~ November 15, 1900

Naomi Childers ~ November 15, 1892

Burgess Meredith ~ November 16, 1908

Rock Hudson ~ November 17, 1925

Betty Bronson ~ November 17, 1906

Edna Murphy ~ November 17, 1899

Nancy Carroll ~ November 19, 1903

June Caprice ~ November 19, 1903

Corinne Griffith ~ November 21, 1894

Jobyna Ralston ~ November 21, 1899

Alice Calhoun ~ November 21, 1900

Harpo Marx ~ November 23, 1888

Boris Karloff ~ November 23, 1887

Ruth Etting ~ November 23, 1896

Ethlyne Clair ~ November 23, 1904

Margaret Livingston ~ November 25, 1900

Dorothy Wegman ~ November 27, 1904

Busby Berkeley ~ November 29, 1895

Mildred Harris ~ November 29, 1901

Jacqueline Logan ~ November 30, 1901

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

2011-10-31T16:47:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I went to the Redford Theatre to go see the 1923 version of Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Lon Chaney. I LOOOOVE the Redford! It is such a beautiful theatre, is volunteer run, AND still has the original organ from 1928 when it was first built. My favorite part of the theatre is the starry night ceiling they have. It feels like you are watching a movie outdoors. Check it out on their website...Redford Theatre.

Anyways, I had never seen this movie the whole way through and was pretty excited because Lon Chaney is the master of horror. Also, I was really excited to see Gladys Brockwell in a film finally!

With that being said, it wasn't my favorite film of Chaney's. The movie introduced so many characters in a span of a few minutes that it took me a little bit to get everyone figured out. Also, I didn't really understand the pathos of the hunchback. I mean, I get that he was a tortured soul cooped up in the bell tower but really did have a soft spot inside, but still I was kinda lost on that part. And it didn't seem like he was really in the film that much.

Patsy Ruth Miller did a wonderful job as Esmeralda and she was so beautiful in the role. She reminded me of Olive Borden at times. My only nitpicking with that role was her t-shirt looking costume. When I think of a gypsy, I think of someone letting some skin show like a Vilma Banky or Theda Bara, but Patsy looked like she had a t-shirt with a gold vest sewn on. It was really odd. Also, Norman Kerry as Phoebus...he looked like my dad when he was younger, and that was cracking me up.

Gladys Brockwell was amazing. She played a younger woman in a flashback scene, and for the rest of the movie she was an old, haggard woman. I thought she was wonderful and I am so happy I got to finally see her in a film. She died 6 years after this film was made.

I had the 'pleasure' of listening to different people's remarks about Lon Chaney and the film itself. While standing in line outside to get my ticket, I learned that Lon died shortly after this film was made.........which, um, if true...what a hell of an actor! He came back from the dead and appeared in about 20 more movies! Incredible. The gentleman also said that a movie was made about Chaney starring James Cagney called, "Lon Chaney's Make Up Kit." *face palm* I didn't want to to but into his conversation because I didn't want to be THAT person, but thankfully another guy filled him in...which made me smile.

I did learn some interesting things about the film though when I got home and did some research about it. One of the first things I noticed was how the film was in kinda rough shape. And I am not talking about the usual scratches and such on old film, I mean it looked kinda worn. I found out by reading online that the condition isn't the best because it only exists in a 16mm format. And there is actually still about 15 minutes of the film that is considered lost.

Lon Chaney was a man who really became his characters. He kept one of his eyes covered with putty for the film everyday, which eventually led to him having to wear glasses for the rest of his life. He also developed some leg problems from the brace he wore to perfect the walk of the hunchback. What a guy!

The set for Notre Dame was so big and intricate, they decided to keep them up on the lot for all to see. Unfortunately, a fire during the 1960s destroyed the set. :(

There are reportedly some famous faces who worked as extras in the film. Gilbert Roland, Charles Farrell, and Elmo Lincoln are perhaps somewhere in there...I am just not Eagle Eye enough to spot them. Maybe you can! Let me know!

Miss Mary Nolan

2011-10-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

When I first heard about Mary, I heard about her under one of her other stage names, Imogene Wilson. Well..."Bubbles" Wilson actually, when she performed in the Ziegfeld Follies. She just seemed to be filled with a lot of sadness and struggles, you could see it in her eyes. Her name was plagued with scandal during most of her career, no matter which name she used.

I have visited her grave a few times, and even her grave is filled with sadness. She is entombed at the top of a doorway and it seems people have forgotten about her. But, we won't let that happen completely, will we? Noooooope!

Mary Nolan was born Mary Imogene Robertson on December 18, 1905 in Hickory Grove, Kentucky. Her mother died when she was still a child, and her father had to care for her and her brothers and sisters alone.

In order to help support herself and her family, she worked various jobs before moving to New York City in 1919. There she got a job as a model, and no wonder, because she was gorgeous! It was while working as a model that her life changed thanks to the man himself, Florenz Ziegfeld.

Ziegfeld spotted Mary one day and asked her to be in his Follies production. She of course agreed, but she also had to agree to a name change. This is when she began performing under the name of Imogene 'Bubbles' Wilson, and she became quite the star!

The positive side of fame didn't last too long because of a scandalous affair she was involved in. To help escape all of the negative publicity that began to come down on her head, she fled to Germany. While there, she appeared in a couple of films.

In 1927, Mary moved back to the States and appeared in films under the name Mary Nolan and was somewhat of a hit, but again, it didn't last long.

In 1933, she appeared in her last film and was involved in another messy scandal. This time it was with Eddie Mannix, a famous Hollywood producer. She sued him for $500,000 in pain and suffering and damages because she claimed her used to beat her.

Soon after, she moved back to New York and entered a home for struggling actors. She spent a few years there resting and recovering from everything that had been going on in her life. She moved back to Hollywood in 1939, but didn't do anything with show business. She simply chose to live quietly with her sister Mabel.

Mary Nolan passed away on October 31, 1948 from cardiac arrest and malnutrition. Shortly before her death, she began to use to drugs which attributed to her death at age 42. Apparently she only weighed around 90 lbs when she died.

She was interred at the Hollywood Forever cemetery.

Mary made quite a name for herself (and not in a positive way) because of her many affairs she had. Her first notable affair was with Frank Tinney, a comedian she met when she was in the Ziegfeld Follies. He was an abusive man she claimed, and even beat her to the point of hospitalization, but she came back to him time and time again. The reason why this affair was so scandalous was because Tinney was married to another actress named Edna Davenport. This was the scandal that caused Mary to be fired from the Follies.

Apparently she was married once, but I can't find any information other than that his name was Wallace McCreary, a fellow actor. They were still married when she passed away.

Mary once owed a piano that belonged to Rudolph Valentino. The piano was so large that it took up most of her living room. She greatly admired Valentino, and owned a view other possessions from his home. She also kept a picture of him on the piano.

Right before she died, she was in talks with various publishers and writers about selling her life story to be made into a movie or a book. I hope one day this will come to be, because what a life! I will play Mary of course :)

"I've had a beautiful life, I've tumbled into the most beautiful life in the world. I'd never change it." ~ Mary Nolan

Mary looks beautiful in this picture, but what the hell is that statue?! It looks like some evil, warped, Disney character!

My Apologies

2011-10-22T06:53:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of posts on here. I just got back from vacation and am trying to get back into my schedule of work and school. Doesn't help that the day after I returned home, I had two exams and a paper due, and then have to work the next four days. So, again, please forgive me.

I also wanted to write a quick note about the passing of Barbara Kent on October 13, 2011. She was 103 years old! She lived a long, wonderful life and I hope she is at peace now. Her beautiful smile will live on forever in her films.

Miss Joyce Compton

2011-10-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do a quick entry on Joyce Compton because she is oh so cute, and because Michael Ankerich wrote a book about her that I plan on reading soon and I wanted to know a lil bit more about her before reading it. Does that make sense? Kinda like you want to clean the house before the maid comes over or something. Michael Ankerich is the loverly man that wrote the great book, Dangerous Curves atop Hollywood Heels, so I am looking forward to reading the Joyce book. He is working on a Mae Murray one now, and can't wait for it!

Joyce Compton was born Olivia Joyce Compton on January 27, 1907 in Lexington, Kentucky.

It seems her acting career began after she graduated high school and went to study acting at Tulsa University. She got her break in the movies kinda like Clara Bow, by winning a contest. Her prize was to appear in a couple films, but only as an extra.

She got a big boost in her career when she was named a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1926. She was in good company with Mary Brian, Joan Crawford, Dolores Del Rio, Janey Gaynor, Marceline Day, Mary Astor, Fay Wray, and Dolores Costello. They really snagged some stars that year, eh?

Not all WAMPAS girls became big stars like Crawford and Gaynor. Some only appeared in bit parts in movies, or appeared mostly in B movies. Joyce was the latter. She didn't appear in many big pictures, but she did mostly play the same character. She was seen as the 'ditzy blonde' kinda like Jayne Mansfield or Judy Holliday.

Some notable films she appeared in were: The Awful Truth, Imitation of Life, Mildred Pierce, and The Best Years of Our Lives.

Joyce Compton passed away on October 13, 1997 of natural causes in Los Angeles.

She was laid to rest at Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills.

Apparently religion was very important to Joyce, and she wanted to be known as a Christian actress. She even had it put on her gravestone.

Joyce was married once, to William Kaliher from 1955 to 1956. No kids, and no clue why they divorced. But it's Hollywood, so not surprising to see such a short marriage.

Contrary to some information out there, Joyce was NOT born Eleanor Hunt. Apparently after she and actress Eleanor Hunt appeared in a movie together, a press article confused the two which led some people to believe that her name really was Eleanor.

Some of the movies she appeared in were so low budget, she had to wear her own clothes and jewelry for her character's wardrobe.

I mentioned her similar start to that of Clara Bow's....well, they must of had a lot more than that in common because the two were close friends. What a couple of lovely girls.

"I made some movies, but lucky for me, I made even better friends." ~ Joyce Compton

October Birthdays!

2011-10-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

BOO! Hello there, and welcome to October! The month of my dear sweet Buster's birth...oh, and a few others of course.

Right now I am working on doing entries about great books you should check out as well as websites. Stay tuned!!

Minta Durfee ~ October 1, 1889

Alice Joyce ~ October 1, 1890

Walter Matthau ~ October 1, 1920

Julie Andrews ~ October 1, 1935

Groucho Marx ~ October 2, 1890

Buster Keaton ~ October 4, 1895

Carter DeHaven ~ October 5, 1886

Carole Lombard ~ October 6, 1908

Janet Gaynor ~ October 6, 1906

June Allyson ~ October 7, 1917

John Lennon ~ October 9, 1940

Karl Dane ~ October 12, 1886

Lillian Gish ~ October 14, 1893

Ina Claire ~ October 15, 1893

Linda Darnell ~ October 16, 1923

Marian Marsh ~ October 17, 1913

Rita Hayworth ~ October 17, 1918

Elinor Glyn ~ October 17, 1864

Montgomery Clift ~ October 17, 1920

Jean Arthur ~ October 17, 1905

Olive Thomas ~ October 20, 1894

Evelyn Brent ~ October 20, 1899

Bela Lugosi ~ October 20, 1882

Edna Purviance ~ October 21, 1895

Dorothy Phillips ~ October 22, 1882

Joan Fontaine ~ October 22, 1917

Constance Bennett ~ October 22, 1904

Lilyan Tashman ~ October 23, 1896

Sarah Bernhardt ~ October 23, 1844

Sally O'Neil ~ October 23, 1908

Gilda Gray ~ October 24, 1901

Jenny and Rosie Dolly ~ October 25, 1892

Jackie Coogan ~ October 26, 1914

"Baby" Peggy Montgomery ~ October 29, 1918

Fanny Brice ~ October 29, 1891

Sue Carol ~ October 30, 1906

Miss Gladys Brockwell

2011-09-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

I guess we will stick with the theme of "tragic" girls of the silent screen and see about Gladys Brockwell. She was a lovely lady who had her life tragically cut short in a car accident, much like fellow actress, Florence Labadie. But unlike Florence, Gladys had a chance to make it to the talkies before her death.

Gladys Brockwell was born Gladys Lindeman on September 26, 1893 in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother, Billie, was a former show girl and sometimes film actress, and she pushed Gladys on stage at an early age.

She made her film debut in 1913, and began using the stage name of Gladys Brockwell. She appeared in various shorts over on the East Coast before moving over to California where the action was starting to relocate.

Gladys appeared in the 1923 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Lon Chaney. I had to include that because I am going to see the film later in October at the Redford Theatre. I didn't know she was in it, and so I am even more geeked now to see it! Yayyyy!!!

Gladys never got to reach the stardom heights of other actresses like Pickford or Gish, but she appeared in a good amount of films. But, but by the middle of the 1920s when flappers and vamps were the big draw, Gladys was 30 something, and studios weren't interested in a girl who was "past her prime." Good to know the same asinine mindset isn't a new thing in Hollywood!

Now, she did make it in the business long enough to appear in talkies, and she actually did a good job in them...according to critics both then and now. Warner Brothers liked what they saw AND heard and they were lining up scripts for Gladys to look over.

Sadly, on June 27, 1929 Gladys was involved in a car accident while driving with her friend, Thomas Brennan. Gladys was crushed underneath the car, but miraculously didn't die at the scene. She died a few days on July 2nd of peritonitis. She was 35 years old. She was cremated, but not sure if she was interred at a cemetery of if a family member was given her ashes.

Thomas Brennan claimed he had gotten something stuck in his eye which blinded him, hence the crash. He did sustain injuries, but he survived the accident.

Her last film, The Drake Case was released after her death in September of 1929.

Gladys was apparently married twice. First to director, Robert Broadwell and second to yet another director, Harry Edwards in 1918. The marriage was annulled the next year in 1919.

Miss Agnes Ayres

2011-09-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

It surprises me sometimes when I come across a personality I haven't covered, especially someone I have visited at the cemetery. Case in point: Agnes Ayres.

I just got the coolest book ever from Amazon. It's called Dangerous Curves atop Hollywood Heels: The Lives, Careers, and Misfortunes of 14 Hard Luck Girls of the Silent Screen by Michael G. Ankerich. And what is really amazing about this book is that it covers some of my favorite, but lesser known actresses like Olive Borden, Martha Mansfield, Barbara La Marr, and even Lucille Ricksen. I am really diggin' the book right now, I am up to the part about Grace Darmond. It has so much info about these girls, I highly recommend it.

Anyways, I was reading the first chapter on Agnes Ayres and I realized that I have visited her resting place (niche, if you will) twice but hadn't done an entry about her. And of course watched and loved her in the Sheik movies with Valentino. She had a hard time dealing with Hollywood, but she was able to be strong through it...for the most part.

Agnes Ayres was born Agnes Eyre Henkel on April 4, 1892 in Carbondale, Illinois. She joined her father, Solon, mother, Emma, and brother Solon Jr. Her father died when she was still a child.

Agnes made her first screen appearance in 1914 as an extra in a scene for Essanay Studios. She really caught the acting bug after that, and moved to New York City with her mother to work in the movies.

Lucky girl she was, she was spotted by actress Alice Joyce who thought Agnes looked like her (we can kinda see it). Alice asked that Agnes be given the part of her sister in a 1917 film, and she slowly began to rise on the stardom staircase.

It wasn't her appearance in the film that helped make her a name, but rather another person who spotted her. This time, the spy was Paramount Studio head Jesse Lasky and he was interested in her for more than just her acting abilities. He helped to get her a starring role in one of Cecile B. DeMille films, 1920's Held the Enemy, a civil war film.

Her biggest break came in 1921, when she appeared in The Sheik with the man himself, Rudolph Valentino. Although the two never had a romance off screen, they did become good friends.

Agnes followed up that great film role with more great film roles. She appeared in Forbidden Fruit in 1921 with another screen idol, Wally Reid, and DeMille's Ten Commandments in 1923. But as fast as her star had risen, it began to fall almost as quick when her relationship with Lasky soured. Go figure.

She did appear in The Son of the Sheik in 1926 as a favor to her friend, Valentino. She reprised her previous role as Diana.

She appeared briefly in a few films later in life, but her last credited role was in 1929. She had lost her money in the stock market crash and was looking for work to try and get her money back, but she couldn't earn what she used to anymore. She finally retired from film and stage in 1937 after failing at a real comback.

Agnes Ayres passed away on Christmas Day, 1940 at her home of a cerebral hemmorhage. She was 48 years old. She had been in a sanatorium briefly before her death and had been in ill health since.

She was cremated and interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The lighting the room where she was placed isn't aces. I had to use my cell phone as a light to find her niche in the corner of the room. So, keep that in mind if you ever visit.

Agnes was married twice. Her first husband was Captain Frank Schuker, whom she married during WWI (I don't know the exact date). She divorced him in 1921, and shortly after began her affair with Lasky. The affair with him eventually ended when she realized that even though he wasn't happily married to his wife, he was not going to divorce her. Her second and last marriage was to a Mexican diplomat named Manuel Reachi in 1924. They divorced three years later, and Agnes was quoted as saying, "Latin men make excellent lovers, not husbands." They did have a daughter together named, Maria, who had the lucky distinction of having Valentino and Pola Negri as god-parents.

Agnes truly adored her friend Valentino. He was godfather to her daughter, and she named her dog Tino after him. While she was touring the country speaking about her life in the movies, she always would talk about him and say that there will never be another Valentino. So true.

She used to share a dressing room with Gloria Swanson during her early acting days.

She was a victim of the "too fat" stigma from studio heads, even when she brought in photographic proof that she hadn't gained any weight. Stupid men.

Miss Lina Basquette

2011-09-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Lina Basquette is one of those stars that is just too adorable to not be mentioned when talking about silent film actresses. She was an actress starting as a child until she was an adult and was also a dancer. She, like Clara Bow and Alice White is one of those girls that you look at and see the embodiment of the 1920s flapper.

Lina Basquette was born Lena Copeland Baskette on April 19, 1907 in San Mateo, California. Her father Frank died when she was still a child, and her mother Gladys married a dance director named Ernest Belcher. It was during her childhood that she and her half sister Marge got into the dancing and acting business.

When she was nine years old, she was signed to Universal Studios and made a series of films called the Lena Baskette Featurettes (they really went crazy with the title, eh?).

In 1923, she joined the Ziegfeld Follies and was dubbed by them as "America's Prima Ballerina." And five years later, she was named a WAMPAS Baby Star alongside Sue Carol, Ruth Taylor, and Lupe Velez. This of course led to more film roles, including a role in a Frank Capra film in 1929.

Her most famous film appearance was in 1929's Godless Girl. A movie I would love to get a hold of! She was mostly known for this appearance, hence why she named her autobiography: DeMille's Godless Girl.

She appeared in more movies throughout the 1930s and 40s but nothing that helped to bring her to stardom. Her last screen appearance was in 1991 in the film Paradise Park.

Lina Basquette passed away on September 30, 1994 from cancer at her home in Wheeling, West Virginia. She was cremated.

Now this could be another entry in itself, the many marriages of Lena Basquette. I have seen some places that she was only married twice, others say seven, but it seems the agreed number is nine! Her first husband was one of the Warner Brothers, Sam, in 1925. She was only 18, he was in his late thirties. The couple was only married for two years when Sam died of a cerebral hemorrhage. They had a daughter named Lita who was born in 1926.

Her second marriage was to cinematographer J. Peverell Marley (who later married actress Linda Darnell) in 1929. They were only married for about a year. Third was actor Ray Hallam in 1931, but he also left her a widow when he died later that year. I don't know how he died or even what kind of actor he was. I am thinking he was a stage actor because he isn't listed on imdb.

Her next two marriages were to the same person. She had to re-marry Theodore Hayes after their first marriage was annulled due to his divorce from his first wife not being complete. Their marriage only lasted another year after the second marriage. They had a son together named Edwin. Her next husband was another actor named Henry Mollison and I have read that they were also married twice, but I don't know the circumstances of this.

Lina's last two marriages to Warner Gilmore and Frank Mancuso also ended in divorce.

She also had affairs with Nelson Eddy, opera singer Lawrence Tibbett, and fighter Jack Dempsey. Her fourth/fifth husband, Theodore Hayes was Dempsey's trainer. Lina and Dempsey actually had their affair after Lina found out that Theodore was still considered married.

In 1930, Lina attempted suicide. She was feeling stressed and depressed following the death of her first husband, Sam Warner, and the legal troubles that followed. When it seemed that Lina was not being the best parent to her daughter, Sam Warner's older brother, Harry filed for custody of Lita. And since Lina was not financially or emotionally capable of caring for her, Harry won. It would be almost 30 years before mother and daughter saw each other again. And after that, they only saw each other one more time. Lita eventually married a doctor in the late 1940s and I am not sure if she is still alive or has passed away. Same goes for her son, Edwin.

Another low point for Lina was in 1943 when she was raped by an AWOL soldier who had trespassed on her property. There was another big trial that Lina had to endure but she got justice this time. The a-hole who raped her got 20 years in prison. I am not sure what the Army soldier's name was, I can't seem to find it anywhere.

Lita found an outlet later in life in breeding Great Danes and also becoming a rather famous dog show judge.

She was Adolph Hitler's favorite actress, and was even invited to come to Germany and make movies for the Third Reich. Lina declined the offer.

She was good friends with Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard, and Clara Bow and was frequently seen out and about partying with them. Now that is a party that I would want to be a part of! A night out on the town with four fabulous flappers! Oh man oh man, too much fun.

September Birthdays!

2011-09-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

Another September, another school year starts. *Blah* My first class of the day is Voice and Articulation, so all I keep picturing is that I am going to end up talking like an older Lana Turner, Constance Bennett, or Norma Shearer. Which, hey, I could do worse. I could start growing some Crawford eyebrows. Yikes!

Anyways, a week or so ago we showed The Cameraman at my work and it was great! The coolest part was that I got to do an introduction to the film which I did from off the top of my head! I didn't need to write anything down because I know my stuff, which impressed even me. I realized that I really do want to do something along the lines of silent film restoration or history because it is something I love so much. And of course what I really love is being able to talk about these wonderful movies and stars with people like YOU!! So, thank you once again.

Richard Arlen ~ September 1, 1900

Alan Ladd ~ September 3, 1913

Mitzi Gaynor ~ September 4, 1930

Doris Kenyon ~ September 5, 1897

Clara Kimball Young ~ September 6, 1890

Merna Kennedy ~ September 7, 1908

Buddy Holly ~ September 7, 1936

May McAvoy ~ September 8, 1899

Bessie Love ~ September 10, 1898

Al St. John ~ September 10, 1893

Asta Nielsen ~ September 11, 1881

Alice Lake ~ September 12, 1895

Claudette Colbert ~ September 13, 1903

Fay Wray ~ September 15, 1907

Lauren Bacall ~ September 16, 1924

Esther Ralston ~ September 17, 1902

Dolores Costello ~ September 17, 1903

Roddy McDowall ~ September 17, 1928

Greta Garbo ~ September 18, 1905

Frances Farmer ~ September 19, 1913

Sophia Loren ~ September 20, 1934

Mickey Rooney ~ September 23, 1920

F. Scott Fitzgerald ~ September 24, 1896

Antonio Moreno ~ September 26, 1887

Gladys Brockwell ~ September 26, 1894

Brigitte Bardot ~ September 28, 1934

Lizabeth Scott ~ September 29, 1922

Greer Garson ~ September 29, 1908

Renee Adoree ~ September 30, 1898

Valda Valkyrien ~ September 30, 1895

Bessie Barriscale ~ September 30, 1884

Deborah Kerr ~ September 30, 1921

Miss Mary Pickford

2011-08-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

Are you ready?

I think you are.

As I have explained before, I have held off doing an entry on Mary for so long because she is pretty well known, even by people who aren't huge silent film fans. They at least recognize the name. For that reason, I am not gonna do a HUGE entry about every little second of her life, but just hit the highlights and the good stuff.

Sound good? Groovy.

When we think of Mary Pickford, I am sure the first thing that comes to mind is "America's Sweetheart." We think of the little girl who played child like characters with her long, brown ringlets in heartwarming stories. In real life, Mary was a shrewd business woman and a hard worker. Charlie Chaplin once called her a "bitch," but I don't think she was...maybe just to him...Mabel Normand also once called her a "prissy bitch," but again, I think it just Mabel's opinion because she was more happy go lucky and wild while Mary just wanted to put her nose to the grindstone.

Mary Pickford was born Gladys Marie Smith on April 8, 1892 in Toronto, Ontario Canada to Charlotte and John Smith. John Smith, an alcoholic, abandoned his family when Mary was around 3 years old (he died three years later).

Now that Charlotte was alone in raising her three children, she had to find a way to make some good money and quick! She began taking in boarders and also pushing her children into appearing in plays.

In 1907, while appearing on Broadway, she was spotted by producer David Belasco who convinced her to go by the stage name of Mary Pickford.

Two years later she met D.W. Griffith, who was so taken by her that paid her double what the other actors in the studio were making. She played bit parts in tons of films because she figured she would become well known to the public if people saw her often enough. Makes sense.

Interesting note about her early years with the Biograph studio. Mary decided to help a friend of hers out by introducing her to Griffith and getting her parts in pictures. Her friend? Florence Labadie. Sadly, Florence died in 1917 at the height of her fame. But it was thanks to Mary that she got into pictures. What other friends did Mary help get into pictures? Lillian and Dorothy Gish!

In 1910, Mary followed the studio out to the new movie making spot, California! It was around this time that audiences began to point out Mary in pictures. But remember, this was before acting credits, so no one knew who this girl was that they kept seeing on screen. They would call her, "The Girl with the Golden Curls" or "The Biograph Girl" (that nickname was quite popular...Florence Lawrence ring any bells?)

During her stints in acting, she would also occasionally appear on stage and even went touring with Belasco for about a year. But while on the road, she realized how much more she enjoyed acting on film and around 1913, she decided to appear only in movies.

Her most popular characters were little girls (and sometimes boys), most of the times from fairy tales or popular stories. Such films include Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917), Pollyanna (1920), and Little Lord Fauntleroy (1921).

When her contract expired, she bounced over to First National Pictures for a little over a year. In 1919, she, Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, and Douglas Fairbanks made history when they formed United Artists, an independent production company. With the new company, she could perform in what she wanted, make what she wanted, and distribute her movies the way she wanted.

And then came the talkies a few years later. Now, there wasn't anything wrong with Mary's voice but fans saw her getting older and tastes were changing, and Mary had bobbed her hair! *GASP*

Her first talkie, Coquette (1928), won her an Academy Award for Best Actress, but it didn't generate a lot of buzz from her fans who wanted her to just remain a little girl forever.

She officially retired from acting in 1933, but continued working in the film business by producing and helping out with various causes she was involved with.

Sadly, like her father and brother and sister, Mary became an alcoholic later in life. After her mother and siblings died and a bitter divorce, she became a recluse in her home. She only allowed her friend Lillian Gish, step son Douglas Fairbanks Jr, and other close friends to visit her.

In 1976, Mary received an honorary Academy Award for her contributions to the film industry. She did not attend the ceremony, but she gave her thanks on camera.

Mary Pickford passed away on May 29, 1979 of a cerebral hemorrhage.

She was buried in the Pickford family plot at Forest Lawn-Glendale. Side note: I was kinda curious who all was buried in the plot because I saw more than just the four Pickford's names etched in the stone on the Findagrave website and also when I took pictures of it. Come to find out, also buried there is Elizabeth Watson, Charlotte's sister, and her two children (not a 100% sure if it just her children or her husband too but she is for sure there. If you do know, let me know).

Mary was married three times, and all three times were to popular actors of the day. Her first marriage was in 1911 to Owen Moore, brother of Tom and Matt. The couple had a pretty rocky marriage. This was mostly due to Owen being an alcoholic and also being insecure living under his wife's enormous shadow of stardom. There was also whispers about domestic violence. They lived apart for most of the marriage, and eventually divorced in 1920.

Her second marriage was her most famous and also almost a huge scandal. She had been seeing Douglas Fairbanks since they toured together selling war bonds in 1918, when they were both married to other people. They both divorced their spouses and married in 1920. The studios were scared that the extramarital affair and marriage would ruin their careers, but it only made them Hollywood's King and Queen. They even had their own castle called Pickfair which was visited by presidents, foreign leaders, and of course their many movie star friends. They were together for the heights of the careers and also together as the silents were on their way out. Doug was getting restless with movie making and not being able to do what he wanted in film and he would often travel, leaving Mary alone. He was also having an affair with Sylvia Ashley, who he would later marry. Mary and Doug finally divorced in 1936, and he died four years later.

Her third and final marriage was to Charles 'Buddy' Rogers in 1937. She had appeared with him in the 1927 film, My Best Girl. They adopted two children, a son, Ronald and a daughter, Roxanne (Mary had miscarriages and abortions during her first marriage that could have possibly hindered her chances of having her own children). Apparently Mary's took her cue on motherhood from her own mother and was quite strict with her own children, even sometimes condescending. Both her children said she was too self absorbed to really love them, but they did think she was a good woman. Kinda getting into Mommie Dearest territory, eh? Anyways, Mary and Buddy were married until her death. Buddy died 20 years later in 1999.

Mary cutting her hair coincided with her mother's death in 1928. Think she was making a statement? I think so!

Apparently she was screen tested by Disney for a live action version of "Alice in Wonderland" but the idea was scrapped. There is a picture from the screen test floating around, but I have yet to find it.

As stated before, Mary, Fairbanks, and Chaplin toured selling war bonds. Wherever they went, they were greeted by hoards of fans. I mean, the pictures are just incredible! It is estimated that she sold around 5 million worth in war bonds. The Navy even gave her the nickname of "Little Sister." And she wasn't even born in the US, she maintained a dual citizenship.

She also set up the Motion Picture Relief Fund to help down on their luck actors and after a few years they were able to build the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital. This facility eventually became home to such stars as Mary Astor, Evelyn Brent, Billie Dove, Jobyna Ralston, and many others.

Beautiful Pickfair was demolished (like so many other beautiful silent film star's homes) in 1990. Actress Pia Zadora did it. Bitch.

She was another actress who turned down the role of Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. That would have been both surreal and AWESOME to see Mary in that role.

"Adding sound to movies would be like putting lipstick on the Venus de Milo." ~ Mary Pickford

The "other" Pickfords

2011-08-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

So, I consider this the coming attraction or opening band before I do a big entry on Mary Pickford. I have held off doing entries on her and Chaplin because they are such biggies that (mostly) everyone knows who they are and I wanted to turn the spotlight on some of the lesser known, but still loved stars of the silent screen.

Jack and his sister Lottie were both actors in their own way, but of course, they were overshadowed by their gigantic star of a sister, Mary. This way of living under her shadow and the happy go lucky times of the 1920s let to the sad demise of both siblings due to alcoholism, excess, and fast living. Their big sister Mary outlived both of them. Jack was more famous for his marriages to famous leading ladies of stage and screen...Olive Thomas and Marilyn Miller (coincidentally who both died tragically as well). Lottie was known around Hollywood for having such a good time at parties, that she would take off all her clothes! (Sounds like Virginia Rappe, no?)

Jack Pickford was born John Charles Smith on August 18, 1896 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His parents were John and Charlotte Smith and he joined sisters Gladys (aka Mary) and Lottie.

The patriarch of the family, John was an alcoholic who deserted the family when his children were still young. Charlotte Smith decided to put her children on stage in order to make more money for the family she was now responsible for. They eventually moved to New York City where the three siblings continued to make good money performing.

In 1910, Charlotte Smith signed a contract with Biograph Studios. This lead to her eldest daughter, Gladys, changing her name to Mary Pickford. The entire family eventually changed their surname to Pickford.

Mary, being the head breadwinner of the family, did her duty and got both her siblings jobs acting for the studio. But while Mary decided to move to California to continue acting, her family was still living in New York. Jack was just a teenager at this time, but he really wanted to follow his big sister out to California...even though Mary wanted him to stay put. Well, Mary have been the wage earner, but Charlotte was still in charge! She ignored her eldest daughter and sent Jack out to join her in California.

He signed up with First National Pictures after his sister insisted in her contract that her family was signed along with her. He appeared in around 100 films at this time! But he just didn't/couldn't make a big splash. He continued making films until around 1928. He never appeared in a talkie.

Jack served with the Navy for a brief time in the later 1910s but was eventually kicked out for being involved in various schemes to make money. He was almost given a dishonorable discharge, but it never appeared on his record. Rumor has it that Mary had something to do with this and supposedly secured a "medical" discharge for Jack.

After 3 failed marriages, Jack became even more of a wreck. He visited his sister briefly in 1932, and Mary later remembered a premonition she had that told her that would be the last time she saw her brother. Sadly, she was right.

Jack Pickford died on January 3, 1933 in Paris, France. His cause of death was listed as "neuritis" (Whatever the hell that is).

He was buried in the Pickford plot along with his mother at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California.

As stated above, Jack was married three times...to three Ziegfeld Girls! His first, and most famous marriage was to my beloved Olive Thomas in 1916. Even though the two seemed perfect for each other and oh so happy, they had quit the tumultuous marriage. Both young with lots of money, they loved to spend lavishly and enjoyed partying to all hours of the morning. Olive wanted to have kids, but it never came about (which is kind of a blessing, don't ya think? I think these two would have been fine on their own until they got older). Sadly, Olive passed away while the two were vacationing in Paris. She had accidentally (in my opinion) swallowed Jack's mercury bichloride that he used to treat his syphilis. Jack later told his mother that he almost jumped off the ship that was carrying him and his wife's body back to the States for burial. But a voice inside his head told him not to do such a "cowardly act."

His second marriage was to another party loving Ziegfeld Girl, Marilyn Miller. They married in 1922, but apparently Jack was very abusive and cruel towards her, so she eventually filed for a divorce in 1927. His last marriage was to Mary Mulhern in 1930. The couple was separated and headed for divorce when Jack passed away.

A lot of people say that Jack could have reached great stardom like his sister, but his hard partying ways took control over him. He loved to drink and spend money on whatever he could and often borrowed money from Mary to go spend on a wild night on the town. Jack may have been seen as the "Boy Next Door" onscreen, but in real life, he was anything but.

Jack has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame..........and honestly, not sure why. I mean..........yeah, not sure why. I don't know if Mary had anything to do with it, but it just seems like such a big honor for someone who hasn't a huge star. Perhaps it was because he made so many films in the early days of cinema. Who knows?

And now we move on to middle sister, Lottie.

Lottie was born Charlotte Smith on June 9, 1893 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was her father's favorite, and he gave her the nickname "Chuckie." Older sister Mary was quite jealous of all the attention her father put on her younger sister.

Lottie and Jack were the closest of the siblings because after their father left, Mary took on a more motherly role because she was earning money for the family. They saw her a strict, mean, and bossy but they all remained close throughout their lives. Lottie even defended her sister against mean accusations from director, D.W. Griffith. Lottie though idolized her younger brother, and loved him dearly.

Although all the siblings were signed by studios and acted in features, Lottie was the weakest when it came to acting. She was also considered not very pretty, so Biograph studios didn't really want anything to do with her. So, instead of getting cast for lead parts, she would work as an understudy for Mary, take bit parts in her films, and just hung around the set for an extra work. In all, she appeared in around 25 shorts and only 8 features.

She was actually blacklisted from films for a short time when the studio found out she was pregnant and hadn't told anyone.

After her brother died in 1933, she was never the same. As her sister Mary said, a part of her died along with Jack.

Lottie Pickford died of a heart attack on December 9, 1936 in Los Angeles.

She was buried next to her brother and mother in the Pickford plot in Forest Lawn-Glendale.

Even though Lottie had a short life, she wound up being married four times! Her first husband was a broker named Alfred Rupp in 1915. They had a daughter named Mary Pickford Rupp (nice sentiment for someone who wasn't too fond of her sister. She eventually went by the name Gwynne). Lottie and Rupp divorced in 1920. After the divorce, Lottie gave up custody of her daughter to her mother. She also began drinking heavily and using drugs at this point and was not a good mother figure. Gwynne was very close to Charlotte Smith and also with Mary, but there is no word whether or not she had a close relationship with her mother after she gave her up.

In 1922, she married actor Allan Forrest. She used his last name as her stage name in a few films, until they divorced in 1928. A year later she married an undertaker named Russel Gillard. They divorced in 1933. Her final marriage was to John William Lock. They remained married until her death, but I am not sure if they were together at the time or not.

Like her brother, Lottie loved to party and have a good time. She was infamous for her parties where her and her friends would live it up completely naked. She also had the reputation for being very sweet and down to Earth.
In Mary's autobiography, she talked very highly of her brother Jack and defended him against any bad press he may have received in his lifetime (or after for that matter.) She did not do the same for Lottie.

The three Pickford siblings only appeared in one movie together; Fanchon, The Cricket in 1915. It was a film that was considered lost for years until he was rediscovered in England. The film was also the screen debut of Adele and Fred Astaire.

August Birthdays!

2011-08-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

We got a lot of good ones again this month! I mean, we have the Tin Man AND the Cowardly Lion AND Glenda! We also have one of the Seven Eatons, a Pickford... Beautiful Norma Shearer, Alice White. And Esther Williams, she is still kicking, although haven't seen much of her in the past few years. She had some mighty lovely legs didn't she? We also have Elsie Ferguson, who I think has the most beautiful profile. She looks so perfectly Victorian and angelic.

Pearl Eaton ~ August 1, 1898

Eva Tanguay ~ August 1, 1879

Myrna Loy ~ August 2, 1905

Dolores Del Rio ~ August 3, 1905

Louis Armstrong ~ August 4, 1901

Anita Page ~ August 4, 1910

Robert Taylor ~ August 5, 1911

Lucille Ball ~ August 6, 1911

Billie Burke ~ August 7, 1884

Esther Williams ~ August 8, 1923

Norma Shearer ~ August 10, 1902

Jack Haley ~ August 10, 1898

Pauline Frederick ~ August 12, 1883

Alfred Hitchcock ~ August 13, 1899

Bert Lahr ~ August 13, 1895

Charles "Buddy" Rogers ~ August 13, 1904

Ethel Barrymore ~ August 15, 1879

Julie Newmar ~ August 16, 1933

Maureen O'Hara ~ August 17, 1920

Mae West ~ August 17, 1893

Roman Polanski ~ August 18, 1933

Shelley Winters ~ August 18, 1920

Jack Pickford ~ August 18, 1895

Colleen Moore ~ August 19, 1899

Olga Baclanova ~ August 19, 1896

Eleanor Boardman ~ August 19, 1898

Elsie Ferguson ~ August 19, 1883

Lucille Ricksen ~ August 22, 1910

Barbara Eden ~ August 23, 1934

Gene Kelly ~ August 23, 1912

Ruby Keeler ~ August 25, 1909

Alice White ~ August 25, 1904

Charles Boyer ~ August 28, 1899

Ingrid Bergman ~ August 29, 1915

Fred MacMurray ~ August 30, 1908

Joan Blondell ~ August 3, 1906

Loving the past, living the now

2011-07-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

My friend and I were talking the other day, and I told her how foolish I felt for loving things/people/movies/whatever from the past so much. I mean, why can't I be like a "normal" girl who loves stuff from this time period? It seems like it would be so much easier. But, then I think, I don't want to be that "normal" person because then I wouldn't be me. I love the glamour and the beauty and emotions in silent film. And I love the history behind them, love how old they are.

I love Buster Keaton. Duh. But, sadly, I was born at least 20 years after he died. Not after he was born, but died. Yeah, wayyyyy before my time. But, he still had an impact on my life. When I visited his grave the last time in May, sat there and talked to him (like I had done before) and told him how much he inspired me. Inspired me how? I mean, I don't want to be a slapstick comedian who never smiles. But, he inspires me not to give up on what I love. I want to be a star, and I want him to look down at me and be proud. I wanna make him proud by being a wonderful actress and be able to join the ranks of my favorite stars of the past. I think he would be proud that I am not gonna let anything stand in front of my dreams and just keep on going forward. I don't talk about my dreams with, well, anyone really but it does feel good to write about it and get it out of my head. And this is why blogging about silent films helps because I don't have anyone in my life that I can gush about them too and have a conversation about them with. I can let people know I love them by them asking about the silent film title card tattoo on my arm though :) But, I must say, thanks again guys for reading my blog. Means a lot.

And here is some more insight that I told my friend Val I would write about. We were having discussions about perfect guys and again I brought up how I felt stupid for loving Peter Tork and The Monkees and how I would get mad at myself for getting upset for not being around during the 1960s when they were younger. I grew up loving them, but it was 20 or 30 years after their heyday. I see them now and love them still, but it doesn't feel the same because they look so much different than they do when I would watch them on tv. But, then I had a thought about the situation while driving in the car. And I am sure this may sound stupid and that's fine, because I don't really give a shit anymore. But, even if I never had the chance to meet the guys when they were younger, I can live my life fully like they did and like I saw them do. Peter inspires me to do whatever it is I want to do and be proud of who I am. I am very smart, I love singing, I love acting, I love thinking like a flapper from the 1920s or a flower child hippie from the 1960s and just loving who I am. I am unique and that is pretty damn groovy. I hope I get a chance to tell him that one day if I can get the words out because when I have met him, I was in shock.

So, there you have it. Thanks again for reading. Love everyone who reads and comments on my page. :) You really make my day.

Miss Evelyn Brent

2011-07-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

It has always puzzled me how certain movie stars who I think are just drop dead gorgeous, never really reached the stardom that I think they deserved. Or more recognition rather. But, who I am to say? Just a lil blogger. Carole Landis. Olive Borden. My beloved Sharon Tate. These women were just perfection and they aren't really remembered today (except of course for Sharon who is more remembered for her murder). And, of course, case in point...Evelyn Brent. She has that smoldering look in her eye, and just the face of perfection. But, aside from us silent movie loving fans, she is all but forgotten. She was a beautiful, hard working lady who should be admired by all actors and actresses who follow after her.

Evelyn Brent was born Mary Elizabeth Riggs on October 20, 1899 in Tampa, Florida. She was known as Betty for most of her life, which is kinda hard to picture because we know her as sexy Evelyn Brent...not "Betty." But, there ya have it.

Her mother died when she was a child, so she was left in the care of her father up until she became a teenager. When she was old enough, she moved to New York City and found work as a model and eventually making her way into the movies. It's always the same ole story isn't it?

When she began working as an extra in movies, she was only making $3.00 a day! But, she enjoyed it, and kept at it, making films for a studio in New Jersey. She final made her big debut in 1915. It was after this film that she began going by her stage name of Evelyn Brent.

In 1922, she moved to Hollywood and the next year got nominated for a big honor at the time...WAMPAS Baby Star! She was in good company with Eleanor Boardman, Jobyna Ralston, and Kathleen Key (one of Buster's ladies who trashed his dressing room after he dumped her). It was after she became a Baby Star that she was signed by Douglas Fairbanks. Unfortunately, no good roles came up, so she left and joined another studio.

She ended up making quite a few films before she made her first talkie in 1928, starring alongside William Powell. The film didn't do very well, but Evelyn was a strong willed woman because it did not slow her down. She kept on making films! She just kept working, whether or not it was in small, secondary roles or on the vaudeville stage. Eventually she ended up making poverty row pictures.

She finally retired from acting in films in 1950, but stayed in the business working as an agent for up and coming actors. She came out of her retirement in the 1960s to appear in an episode of Wagon Train.

Evelyn Brent passed away on June 4, 1975 of a heart attack in Los Angeles.

She was cremated and interred at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, California.

Evelyn was married three times. Her first husband was Bernard Fineman in 1922. They divorced in 1927. Her second husband was producer Harry Edwards. They were married from 1928 until 1948. Her last husband was actor Harry Fox, who she stayed married to until he died in 1959. She never had children.

Was Evelyn gay? Was she bi? Who knows? She never came out (pun intended) and confirmed anything but she was a frequent visitor of the Hollywood lesbian scene. It wasn't the most ideal time to come out as gay, so hey, if she was...she was! And she was in great company with other supposed lesbians Garbo, Nazimova...

She also supposedly had a fling with Gary Cooper. Who can blame her?

Her most memorable role was as Feathers McCoy in the 1927 gangster film, Underworld alongside Clive Brook and Larry Semon. Apparently the film was thought to be a flop, and was shelved for a few years before being released. It did way better than expected and actually won an Academy Award.

Interesting note, one of Evelyn's hobbies was creating hand carved furniture.

July Birthdays!

2011-07-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry so late, life has been up and down! The big up of course was seeing The Monkees and the down would be I guess feeling like I don't have anything to look forward too ya know? But, I am over that! Going to Disney World/Florida in October with my "step sister" and just keep looking on the up! I think you really gotta concentrate on what you love and what makes you happy when you feel down. Silent film! Hello!? Just watch Buster Keaton or Clara Bow or whoever and just smile and think how amazing these films are. See? Big smile on my face! Oh wait...you can't see. Unless you are looking in my window right now.....AHHH!!!

Anyways, Olivia De Havilland, beautiful woman, still living! What a beautiful lady inside and out. July 29th was like THE day to be born to be fabulous apparently! Thelma, Clara, and Theda? Amazing. And my men, John Gilbert and James Cagney *heart melts*

Enjoy your July folks!

Olivia De Havilland ~ July 1, 1916

Madge Evans ~ July 1, 1909

Charles Laughton ~ July 1, 1899

Susan Peters ~ July 3, 1921

Gloria Stuart ~ July 4, 1910

Catherine Moylan ~ July 4, 1904

Janet Leigh ~ July 6, 1927

Marty Feldman ~ July 8, 1933

John Gilbert ~ July 10, 1899

Lili Damita ~ July 10, 1904

Yul Brynner ~ July 11, 1920

Milton Berle ~ July 12, 1908

Jetta Goudal ~ July 12, 1891

Bob Crane ~ July 13, 1928

Jewel Carmen ~ July 13, 1897

Martha Mansfield ~ July 14, 1899

Olive Borden ~ July 14, 1906

Barbara Stanwyck ~ July 16, 1907

Mary Philbin ~ July 16, 1902

James Cagney ~ July 17, 1899

Lupe Velez ~ July 18, 1908

Natalie Wood ~ July 20, 1938

Don Knotts ~ July 21, 1924

Aileen Pringle ~ July 23, 1895

Alice Terry ~ July 24, 1899

Dorothy Dickson ~ July 25, 1893

Estelle Getty ~ July 25, 1923

Joe E. Brown ~ July 28, 1892

Barbara La Marr ~ July 28, 1896

Clara Bow ~ July 29, 1905

Thelma Todd ~ July 29, 1906

Theda Bara ~ July 29, 1885

Wanda Hawley ~ July 30, 1895

The Monkees

2011-06-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

This has nothing to do with silent film, but it is way to amazing/awesome/incredible for me not to share. I saw The Monkees in Detroit on Friday and in Columbus on Saturday. The shows were amazing!! The best thing about it...I got to sing part of a song with them, and I am posting the video someone shot. Someone I am not indebted to all my life!

The Monkees are my all time favorite band. The Monkees + Silent films = Jessica. They came into my life when I was younger and was first diagnosed with my heart condition and had my first pacemaker implanted. They were the light in the dark times of my life, as stupid as that sounds, its the truth. I love them so much and it finally hit me what I did when I got home because I was watching them on tv and broke down crying because it really occured to me that I sang with them. They acknowledged me, the 26 year old blonde, and let me sing a song with them. My favorite band :)

Miss Betty Bronson

2011-06-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know who out of you all have seen the 1924 version of Peter Pan, but it is great. And what was one reason why it was so great? The star, Betty Bronson. She was so playful and fun that you really believed she was a young boy full of life. Pair that with Mary Brian as a beautiful little Wendy and Anna May Wong as Tiger Lily, win all around! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Even if you aren't a silent film fan (which why are you reading this if you aren't?) it is still a wonderful film.

Betty Bronson was born Elizabeth Ada Bronson on November 17, 1906 in Trenton, New Jersey. Her parents were Frank and Nellie Bronson.

She got the acting bug early, but didn't begin to pursue a career until she was around 16 or 17 when she used her connections at Paramount Studios to get an interview with author J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan. She heard they were casting for the movie and she wanted to be part of it bad! Her perseverance paid off because she was personally selected by the author to star in the film adaptation of his book.

Betty did what many think is impossible, landed a starring role in a film which shot her to fame. She followed with an appearance in another big silent hit, 1925's Ben Hur.

Although she did make a smooth transition to the talkies, she didn't have quite the booming career that she used to in her silent days. She made great film choices though, appearing alongside big names like Al Jolson and Jack Benny.

She appeared off and on in films and tv for years after the 30s, and her last film appearance was in the 1970s in an uncredited role.

Sadly, Betty Bronson passed away at age 64 on October 19, 1971. She had gotten sick and she just gradually got worse.

She was buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale. (Sour note. I went to Glendale, but since I spent time sitting and "chatting" with Buster and Clara Bow, I didn't have a lot of time and the park was closing while looking for a few people's graves...Betty was one of them. Next time!)

Mary Pickford was up for the role of Peter Pan, which I can see and is understandable since she played younger roles. But Gloria Swanson also wanted the lead role. Now that I cannot imagine. I know Gloria was a Bathing Beauty and appeared in light comedies for Sennett for awhile, but I cannot picture her playing a young boy like Peter Pan. She is Norma Desmond for goodness sake!

Betty and her Peter Pan co-stars Mary Brian and Esther Ralston became close during filming, and continued to be their whole lives.

Betty only married once, in 1933 to Ludwig Lauerhass. They had one son, Ludwig Jr. No idea when or if they ever divorced. Betty wasn't too big on giving interviews.

Although much isn't known about her marriage to Ludwig, what is known is her relationship with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. They briefly dated, and she kept all the letters he wrote her and both had nothing but kind words to say about each other. She was his first crush! Too cute!

Miss Barbara Kent

2011-06-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

Let's start with the fact that this woman is still alive. Seriously. Barbara Kent is the last surviving star of the silent era. How cool is that? The sad/kinda understandable part is that she does not talk about her film past and doesn't grant interviews. It is sad because she has so much history in her to speak about, but the woman is 104, so we can grant her some peace.

Thinking of Barbara makes me sad that I never had a chance to meet Doris Eaton. She lives in Michigan, where I live, and she only just died a year ago. I didn't even realize that I could have gone to her funeral until I went to the cemetery to visit her and the woman working in the office told me about the beautiful memorial service. Grrr! Oh well. I tell you what, when I get to heaven, I will be talking to every one of my idols....if I can pull myself off Buster that is.

Barbara Kent was born Barbara Cloutman on December 16, 1906 in Gadsby, Alberta, Canada. Her parents were Jullion and Lily Cloutman.

She won a Miss Hollywood contest when she was 21, and made her film debut that same year (1925) in a small role. She got her first billing in 1926's The Flesh and the Devil.

Because of her small height (she was shorter than 5 feet), she was mainly cast in light comedy roles, but could hold her own against screen dynamos like Greta Garbo.

She stirred some scandal when she appeared in the 1927 film No Man's Law because it contained a "nude" scene. In fact, Barbara was wearing a flesh colored bathing suit to simulate nudity. But even the simulation that she was naked caused quite a stir. It worked out in her favor though because later that year she was named a WAMPAS Baby Star.

Unlike some of her screen co-stars, Barbara made a smooth transition to the talkies, appearing with another silent film veteran, Harold Lloyd.

She made her last film in 1935. She had previously taken a break from working and it caused the public to pretty much forget about her and move on to new talking stars. She tried to jump start her career again, but it sadly did not work out.

Barbara has only been married once, to agent and producer Harry Edington in 1932. The marriage lasted until his death in 1949. It was after his death that she faded completely from the public eye and chose to live a quiet life in Idaho (I thought I heard a rumor that she married again, but I don't have any information on that).

Her fellow 1927 WAMPAS Baby Stars included Helene Costello, Ada Mae Vaughn, Sally Rand, Martha Sleeper, Natalie Kingston, and Gladys McConnell.

We all still love you Barbara. You are a beautiful lil lady and I hope you are enjoying your 104 years. Quite the accomplishment! You will live forever in the hearts and minds of the silent movie lovers out there.

Mr. Douglas Fairbanks

2011-06-03T21:13:00.000-07:00

Another great example of "They don't make them like this anymore." Nowadays the action heroes are huge muscle heads who bash people's heads in or shoot them or stab them, set them on fire, whatever (Don't get me wrong, I love me some Jason Statham). But, Doug was an action hero without the explosions and blood and gore, and without words! He was so dashing and dreamy, and had the most amazing smile. He always looked like he was having the time of his life when he was on film. Another great/funny thing about him was his "healthy" tan. That man was DARK!! But, he was good looking, so oh well. And he has one of the coolest graves ever. In my mind, all the silent film stars should have huge memorials like his, because to me, they were/are larger than life.

Douglas Fairbanks was born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman on May 23, 1883 in Denver, Colorado. His father, Hezekiah, was a lawyer and his mother, Ella. He had an older brother, Robert and a half brother and a half brother (through his mother) named John. Because their father abandoned the family when Doug was only 5, his mother gave them the last name of Fairbanks, after her first husband.

Doug began acting early and was in stage productions all through his high school years, but he left school during his senior year. He moved to New York City in 1900 and appeared on small stages until he made his Broadway debut two years later.

In 1915, he signed with D.W. Griffith and appeared in his first film called The Lamb. Already he was showing great panache as an athletic actor, but Griffith wasn't too happy about this persona, so he had Doug appear in more romantic comedy type roles. This lead to Doug opening his own production company before being signed to Paramount studios. He was one of a handful of stars who also had good business sense, so he was able to make bank while making movies.

A few years later, Doug joined fellow actors Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford (his lil girlfriend at the time, but we shall get to that) on a war bond drive. They traveled by train all over the country and sold thousands. The pictures of them on tour are amazing. You see Doug or Mary or Charlie standing up over a crowd of thousands, just incredible.

Since these three were the highest paid stars at the time, you can guess that they weren't getting paid just peanuts. Oh no, they were making major bank, which was not making the studios very happy. So, in 1919 the big three along with D.W. Griffith formed their own production company called United Artists which gave the performers control over their films and the profits. For a few years after, the company was held afloat mostly by the profits of Doug's pictures.

Doug decided to get out of the comedy and genre and start making swashbuckling, action films. The most popular titles included The Mark of Zorro (1920), The Three Musketeers (1921), Robin Hood (1922), and The Thief of Baghdad (1924). My favorite is The Gaucho (1927). I just love him and Lupe. Just lovely :)

Now, Doug would have been fine in talkies, but he just didn't like them. In early talkies the microphone was placed in one spot and people kinda had to talk around it and it didn't pick up very well. He thought they were too restricting to the type of films he liked to be in, so he just bowed out. Not to mention ole Dougie wasn't the athletic young man he used to be. Years of chain smoking were catching up to him and he wasn't as in shape as he used to be. He made his last film, The Private Life of Don Juan in 1934.

Although retired, he continued to be involved in the picture industry in one form of another, but his passion for film had diminished a lot.

Douglas Fairbanks passed away on December 12, 1939 of a heart attack in his home. He was only 56 years old.

Doug was buried at first at Forest Lawn - Glendale in the Great Mausoleum. Two years later, he was moved to his current location at Hollywood Forever in his awesome tomb (His son, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was placed there also when he died in 2000).

The first real suave, adventure hero was married three times. Not surprising since he was a babe. His first marriage was to Anna Sully in 1907. Their son, Doug Jr. was born two years later. Anna and Doug divorced in 1919 because of his affair with Miss Mary Pickford. Mary and Doug actually met three years earlier and continued their affair until they were both divorced from their spouses and able to wed each other in 1920. They were worried that this "sordid" affair would cause their fans to turn their backs on the couple, but the public loved them! They were the King and Queen of Hollywood and they set up their own palace, known as Pickfair. But this perfection did not last...because Doug again began to get the wandering eye, and it wandering right over to Miss Sylvia Ashley. Mary and Doug divorced in 1936, and he married Sylvia later that year. They remained married until his death.

Even though Doug and Doug Jr. shared the same name, the two were not close. He was also an accomplished actor and his father was proud of his talents. He was not just famous for being the son of a famous silent film star, but also for his first marriage to a young Joan Crawford. They were married from 1929 to 1933.

Like my greatest love, Buster Keaton, Doug performed all his own stunts in his movies. With the exception of a few in The Gaucho.

Unlike many of his fellow stars, Doug liked his name to be listed LAST in film credits. He didn't need it to be in big, bold letters above the title (ahem, Bette Davis).

The creators of the Superman comic book used Doug as a model for the physical attributes they wanted Superman to look like.

"I've never felt better." ~~ Douglas Fairbanks (his now famous last words)