One big silent family

Colleen Moore and Mickey Rooney

I wanted to talk about what an amazing bunch of people the silent film fan community is. We all know people in our lives that think, "You like silent movies? That is kinda weird." But talking to each other online and sharing pictures, movies, information...it is just awesome. I have a few friends that I have met through Facebook that have sent me some silent films that I hadn't been able to get a hold of which made me smile from ear to ear. I also do the same for them (I gotta send Gone with the Wind tomorrow actually). Also, so mnay people have posted information about film stars on here that I had never heard and wouldn't be able to find anywhere. And family members as well post on here which is just the coolest thing! That really tickles me when family members post...uber jealous of those blood lines!

Thank goodness for the internet community and the awareness being raised about how wonderful these films and actors were/are. I love them. I love talking about them. And I love meeting people who love them too.

So, thanks again guys! It's little things like this that can put a smile on my face.

I don't know if I have posted this video on her before, but if I have, too bad. It is one of my favorite pieces of the silent film era. It has the big male movie stars in it and it is just a fun little piece!

Ziegfeld Girls VI

Some film-goers may recognize Madeline and Marion Fairbanks because they did appear in a few films for the Thanhouser Film Company. But, they were also members of the Follies. The big draw was that the girls were identical twins which has been a big entertainment draw since the days of Shakespeare! Twins and midgets = fun apparently. The Follies were blessed with two sets of twins...the Dolly sisters and the Fairbanks sisters.

The girls were born November 15, 1900 in New York. Their mother Jennie was an actress and their father, Nathaniel (I believe this to be his name, considering that he was named after his father). They joined older brother Robert.

They followed in their mother's footsteps and made their stage debut in 1909 alongside stage star, Nora Bayes.

In 1910, the girls signed with the Biograph film company but left after two years to sign with Thanhouser. There, they were dubbed the "Thanhouser Twins." They were not two girls with one mind though, because they shared different career goals. Marion wanted to be a serious actress, while Madeline wanted to venture into comedies. They also didn't appear in films together all the time, they made separate film appearances.

It is interesting how the Fairbanks's career worked backwards in the sense that they appeared in films first before heading to the Ziegfeld Follies. They appeared in the 1917, 1918, 1919, and 1921 edition of the Follies and also in the 1920 edition of the Midnight Frolic.

The girls eventually switched their career aspirations. Madeline set her sights on my dramatic roles while Marion enjoyed staying in musicals. The separation didn't last long, and about a year later they began to perform together again in The George White Scandals. They also appeared in various stage shows and revues up until the 1930s.

When the talkies arrived, the girls career stalled. Marion continued to appear in stage shows before eventually retiring and opening a beauty parlor. She also struggled with this new lifestyle and had a brief problem with alcohol addiction.

Marion Fairbanks passed away on September 20, 1973. She had been married three times. First to McCormick Steele in 1927, then to Ray Smith, and finally to William Delph. I am pretty sure she was still married to Delph at the time of her death. She never had any children.

Madeline Fairbanks passed away on January 15, 1989 of respiratory failure. Madeline was married for a time to a man named Leonard Sherman in 1937, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1947. They had a daughter named Kate.

The gang's all here!

Oh how I WISH I could have been at this party! Although, if I was there...Natalie Talmadge would not be there and I would be with Buster! Anyways, here we have a group of amazing people gathered at the home of William Randolph Hearst. See if you can spot them: Irving Thalberg, Buster Keaton, John Gilbert, Norma Shearer, Greta Garbo.

Speaking of parties I would have liked to have attended...this is from a costume ball that was held at the Hearst mansion. Pictured here are Gloria Swanson, Marion Davies, and Jean Harlow all costumed up. And Constance Bennett in a beautiful gown. Four wonderfully talented ladies.

A lot of star power in one picture! Swanson, Chaplin, and Davies. Supposedly Marion and Charlie had a fling and some even speculate that this affair was the reason behind Thomas Ince's death. I am not a big Chaplin fan...mainly because I am a fullblown Buster fan, but the man had talent. Can't deny it.

Looky looky! Dolores Costello and John Barrymore AKA Drew Barrymore's grandparents. Two beautiful people.

This is the wallpaper of my cellphone. The woman isn't a famous actress, but I am still v. v. jealous of her. If I was her, I would have grabbed him and threw him on the table!

Two of my favorite ladies right in the middle. Clara Bow and Jean Harlow.

These were publicity cheesecake photos taken of Anita Page, Joan Crawford, and Dorothy Sebastian for the movies the girls were in together. How adorable are they? See, back in the Golden Age of Hollywood these starlets were fully clothed (for the most part) and manage to look even more beautiful than the scantily clad actresses now. I'm not trying to date myself, just stating the truth. When I am famous, I promise to bring back the beauty of yester year.

I just love this picture. Ann Pennington is absolutely adorable, Jacqueline Logan has that sultry glance fixed on the camera, and Billie Dollie is quite stylish with that fantastic headband. I wish we could have pictures like they do in Harry Potter, where they come alive and wave and talk. I might have to minimize the amount of pictures I have on my walls though because it would get VERY noisy in here!

John and Greta, such a glamorous couple. If they actually did go through with getting married, I honestly don't think it would have lasted long. With Greta's personality and her early retirement from films and seclusion, it just wouldn't have worked. They had quite an amazing relationship it seems though, filled with excitement and passion.

Jimmy Cagney and Alice White. He was amazing and she just absolutely adorable. I think if I had lived back in the 1920s, I would have looked like her with the curly platinum bob and cutesy smile. I am still mad that I have yet to view one of her films! Grrr!!

Former roommates, Fanny Brice and Ann Pennington. Two little women with big personalities! I am sure those two had a lot of fun living together! Hey, I would have roomed with them too!

One of my favorite DVDs that I own is my Keaton/Arbuckle/St John comedy shorts pack. They really are funny and wonderful silent shorts that shows just how much of a genius these guys were. I love this picture too. How in the world they got Luke to stand still for so long is beyond me, even though judging by the films he was in, he was a very well trained dog. Also...Buster's smile is beautiful and his arms? Wow!

This is the first picture that I saw of Roscoe Arbuckle. It was in the book Hollywood Babylon and it was the picture next to the story about Roscoe and Virginia Rappe. Thank goodness I read more about it and found out for myself that the book was trash and he was completely innocent.

This is a picture from the wedding of Jack Pickford and Marilyn Miller. Recognize any other faces? Well, front and center is Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, and next to Jack is Mrs. Charlotte Pickford aka Mrs.Charlotte Smith. You can also see Charlie Chaplin peeking out of the crowd too.

How happy and in love Olive and Jack look in this picute! I know they had some troubles, but they were just two young, wild, and rich 20 year olds living in the gay times of the 1920s. Poor kids, such a tragedy.

Ziegfield Girls V

There are many, many, many Ziegfeld Girls that have faded completely into obscurity. They live in pictures, yes, but there are even some who survive in pictures but aren't named which is quite sad. So many girls came and went through the Follies ranks and only a few found stardom. I wanted to point out a few of my favorites besides the ones I have written about previously. Again, I cannot recommend Jazz Age Beauties enough. Also, a website called "Historical Ziegfeld" that I am a part of. It is run by a wonderful gal named Jane who has an enormous collection of Alfred Cheney Johnston Ziegfeld photos, clippings, etc! It is a wonderful site and so many knowledgeable people to talk to.

Allyn King was a tragic figure in the history of the Follies. She was one of the many girls who was hit by the so-called "Ziegfeld Curse." She was born in the early 1900s to a doctor and his wife in North Carolina. She joined the Follies when she was 17 and appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1916 all the way through 1920. She was also part of his Midnight Frolic show.

Her career came crashing down on her after Broadway big wigs commented on her weight. She began taking diet pills, going without food and water and sleep just to keep her weight down. In 1926, she was placed in a sanitarium for about 2 years. It was reported in a newspaper that she just "disappeared" one day. She just walked out the door.

She finally had enough and committed suicide by jumping out of a 5 story window. She was staying with her aunt so she could keep an eye on Allyn. Her aunt left her room for only a few minutes, and when she returned, the window was open and Allyn was laying in the courtyard. Miraculously, she didn't die right away from the fall. She had suffered a fractured skull, arm, and leg and doctors expected her to pull through and survive. Unfortunately, she passed away on March 30, 1930. Poor girl.

Sadly, her funeral was lacking her Broadway/Follies friends. Although, Marilyn Miller did sent a bouquet of flowers that were placed on her casket.

Allyn was once an understudy to Ina Claire and replaced Justine Johnstone after Justine threw a fit and quit when Ziegfeld wouldn't let her entertain male guests in her dressing room in 1916.

This is an excerpt from the contract she had to sign to appear on the stage: “It is expressly made a part of this agreement, and is an essential part thereof, that if at any time you should, during the term of the said arrangement, increase in weight more than 16 pounds or decrease in weight more than 10 pounds, or let the dimensions of any part of your figure vary more than one-half inch from the following: weight 115 pounds, neck 12 1-2 inches, bust 34 inches, upper arms 11, lower arms 7 1-2, waist 26, hips 34, thigh 18, calf 12, ankle 3 1-2, then and in that event we shall have the right to cancel this contract upon giving you one week's notice." Unbelievable...

"I'll listen to no more offers of marriage until the war closes. Those I receive by mail will go direct to the wastebasket." ~ Allyn King. She actually stuck with that mantra because she never married. She was engaged for a time to Carl Weidemann, who actually wanted Allyn to give up being on the stage. Her response: "Love me. Love my footlights." Loooove it!!

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Catherine Moylan was just absolutely gorgeous! And she managed to allude the "Ziegfeld Curse." She was born on July 4, 1904 in Texas. Pretty interesting fact: she beat out Joan Blondell in a Miss Dallas pageant...and then won Miss Universe 1926. She appeared in a number of Ziegfeld productions before eventually trying her hand in Hollywood in the 1930s. She had a bit part in the film Our Blushing Brides as a mannequin (I would kill to get a copy of that movie!). Catherine didn't really score any big roles so she decided to quit show business, get married, and raise a family. She died on September 9, 1969 and is buried in Texas under her married name "Singleton."

Also, Catherine was not a shy girl. She had no problem shedding her clothes for photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston or donning revealing costumes on stage. She was beautiful, so who could blame her for wanting to show it off?

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Another absolutely gorgeous lady is Miss Dorothy Wegman. She was born Dorothy Deborah Wegman on November 27, 1904 in Manhattan.

In fact, Dorothy didn't even want to be an actress. She found it an obnoxious profession and was pushed into it by her mother after her father died in 1914.

Ziegfeld spotted her in the chorus of an Al Jolson performance and wanted her for his own show. She appeared in a few Ziegfeld productions, including the Follies of 1925. She fell in love with playwright Samson Raphaelson (author of The Jazz Singer) and the two were married for fifty years. They had a son named Joel and a daughter named Naomi. Wegman passed away in 2005 at age 100! She is buried at the Saint Frances Cabrini Shrine Chapel in Manhattan.

She was given the nickname of "Dorshka" by fellow Ziegfeld girl, Marion Benda. She was billed under that name sometimes.

Dorothy was also a published novelist. She wrote two books, Glorified, which was published in 1930, and Morning Song in 1948.

To be continued...

Ziegfeld Girls IV

So, we continue on the track of beautiful, glamorous ladies who were quite famous in their own time...and then faded into poverty and obscurity.

Lillian Lorraine was definitely one of those girls. She was also one of those girls who was more well known for her personal life rather than her professional life. Ziegfeld himself fell for her.

Lillian Lorraine was born Ealallean De Jacques on January 1, 1892 in San Francisco, California. Previously, I had thought that her birth name was "Mary Ann Brennan," but after looking at Census records, I found that her parents were both from France, so De Jacques seemed more appropriate.

She made her dancing debut in 1906 and was discovered by Ziegfeld 3 years later. She soon became not only a performer in his show, but his mistress (He was married to another showgirl, Anna Held, at the time).

It was pretty apparent that she was an important figure in Ziegfeld's life because she had starring roles in his productions from 1909 to 1912. She knew how to use him too. She always turned down his marriage proposals and liked making him jealous by flirting with other men.

Like many people during this time, Lillian loved to live it up! She drank quite a bit and had a tendency to get into trouble. In the year 1912 alone she was involved in a scandalous affair with a chauffeur who took her jewelry and ran and then was briefly married to a bigamist who once assaulted Florenz Ziegfeld. She also was involved in a blackmail scheme that ended with one person dead. It was also rumored that she had some times with the mob and other underworld figures.

By 1914, the Ziegfeld/Lorraine affair had cooled off, but the two remained close and he still supported her. He continued to cast her in his shows, but she wanted to try her hand at acting for the movies too. She appeared in around 10 films, and I am pretty sure all of them were shorts...and pretty sure none of them are around anymore.

In 1921, she suffered a terrible spine injury when she tripped outside of a night club. She couldn't dance, so she couldn't be in any Ziegfeld shows or any other vaudeville shows, so as a result, her fame decreased very fast. She lived in poverty for the last 20 some years of her life.

Lillian Lorraine passed away on April 17, 1955 in New York.

She was originally buried in an unmarked pauper's grave until a few years later when some of her friends arranged to have her buried in a plot with her last husband in the Calvary Cemetery in the Bronx.

Apparently, after Lillian's death, Ziegfeld's wife/widow, Billie Burke said that of all the girls that Ziegfeld wooed and had affairs with, she was the most jealous of Lillian. I have also heard this same thing attributed to Olive Thomas...so who knows.

Ziegfeld Girls III

There were hundreds of Ziegfeld Girls...but I am only going to highlight the ones that really pique my interest. But, I HIGHLY recommend the book Jazz Age Beauties: the lost collection of Ziegfeld photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston by Robert Hudovernik. I need to buy it myself actually, but I have checked it out thousands of times from my work and just look at the beautiful pictures. They are truly breathtaking. You will also see some familiar faces like Gloria Swanson, Norma Shearer, Clara Bow and see some new faces as well. Some aren't even named which is sad because they are just breathtaking.

Two other great books that I just love to look at are The Ziegfeld Touch: the life and times of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. by Richard Ziegfeld and Ziegfeld Follies by Marjorie Farnsworth.

Anyways, down to business. I introduce you now to Miss Jessie Reed. Another Ziegfeld beauty who was plagued by the Ziegfeld "curse." She had a great career with stardom and rich suitors, but died penniless and alone. I was drawn to her because, well, we share the same name...so I gotta connect with her on that level.

Like Myrna Darby, I don't know much about Jessie's early life, like where she was born, her birth date, etc.

Jessie first appeared on stage in 1918 when she was discovered by Jake Schubert. She was quickly stolen away by Florenz Ziegfeld who put her in his 1919 edition of the Midnight Frolic...the more "risque" version of the Follies.

She continued to work on the rooftop, but also appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies from 1921 until 1924. Talk about being a busy girl!

Busy girl is right! Jessie soon became more famous (or infamous) for her life OFF the stage. If I may quote the moronic Kanye West..."I ain't sayin' she a gold digger." But...actions speak louder than words. I will give her credit for the fact that she didn't apologize for any of her actions, she knew who she was and what she was doing.

Jessie had her fair share of suitors and husbands for that matter. Her first marriage was to a black face comedian named Oliver de Brow. The two had a daughter named Ann. Apparently the two divorced after Oliver killed a man in a duel, which is a pretty good reason to divorce someone.

Her second "supposed" marriage was to another performer named Lew Reed. I have read conflicting reports as to whether they were actually married or if they were just living together for a time. After that, she married advertisement executive, Bill Young. After him was millionaire Dan Caswell.

Her last husband was named Leonard Reno, who actually visited her in the hospital before she died. He and even his new wife donated blood to try and save Jessie's life. Obviously, none of the marriages lasted. Her ex-husbands found her to be greedy, manic, and too high maintenance.

By 1935, Jessie was alone and broke. She got a few dollars from various theater charities every once in awhile that kept her fed and clothed.

Jessie Reed passed away at age 42. She became a moral lesson to young girls about what happens when you become too spoiled.

Apparently she was buried at either Oliver/Olivet Cemetery. I am not sure of the state, but I think it is in New York.

Annie de Brow

Her daughter, Annie de Brow was actually going to audition for the Follies in 1932, but Ziegfeld passed away. She and her mother were not close, in fact Jessie rarely even talked about her. She was sent away as a baby to live with Oliver de Brow's family in Texas. I believe I read that Annie passed away sometime in the 1970s.

Ziegfeld Girls II

This Ziegfeld Girl was not as big of a star as Ann Pennington, but she is one of my favorites due to her beautiful and haunting photographs. Also, because she died so young at age 21.

There isn't a whole lot of information about Myrna out there. I don't even know her birth date or where she was born, although my first guess would be around Pennsylvania. Or even if Myrna Darby was her birth name.

Her father worked for a railroad company. She had an older sister named Helen, and a younger sister Donna. She also had a younger brother named Lloyd.

She was discovered by Florenz Ziegfeld while performing in Pittsburgh at age 17.

She appeared in the Ziegfeld productions of Follies of 1927, Rio Rita, No Foolin', Rosalie, and Whoopee.

Myrna shared a dressing room with fellow Ziegfeld beauties, Hazel Forbes and Catherine Moylan. Evelyn Groves, another Ziegfeld girl was a close friend of Myrna's and was at her bedside when she passed away.

I have also heard different accounts as to how she died: the flu, sunburn, exhaustion, a heart condition, heartbreak, etc.

According to a New York newspaper, Myrna was worn out from a day of swimming and was also heartbroken after her engagement to a millionaire's son was called off. Her heart had been giving her troubles for the preceding months too according to Ziegfeld. Eventually it got to the point where there wasn't much they could do to help her.

Apparently many of the rich and well to do (mostly men) who were fans of hers gave money to help get her the best medical care available. Larry Fay, a well known rum runner, shelled out quite a lot of money and even paid for her funeral. He only met Myrna once, but was so taken with her that he wanted to help anyway he could.

Almost a year after she died, her name was dragged through the mud in the divorce papers of a Miles O. Rabinowitz. She was named as one of his "companions." Other Ziegfeld girls named were: Catherine Moylan, Evelyn Groves, and Peggy Blake.

Supposedly she is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York, but I can't confirm that at this time.

Here are some sweet things some of Myrna's friends had to say about her:

"She was one of the nicest girls who ever came in a stags door, she was. She was good to me.. She was good to everybody. She always divided up her flowers and candy. When she came back from Europe last summer, she brought every one of us a present. She minded her own business and cut no capers." ~ Harry Mitchell, stagehand at Ziegfeld theatre.

"Sure, I paid her bills. I paid them because I liked her. I only met her once. I talked to her a couple minutes in a nightclub. She looked swell that night. She was the sweetest and prettiest girl I ever met—and I’ve met plenty. I never met her again until I heard she was sick and broke." ~ Larry Fay

“She was a swell girl, and damned lucky with the men. She was the most unsophisticated girl I ever saw. And she was just as nice to the street cleaner as she was to the richest guy around the place.” ~ Hazel Forbes

A beautiful picture of (L to R) Jean Ackerman, Jeanne Audree, Myrna, and Evelyn Groves