A confession -- I met them for the first time in that awful book (Hollywood Babylon) as creatures of scandal. But I looked at the faces and I wanted to know about them. Some of them didn't last long enough to become major stars.
May I present:
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Olive Thomas. The All-American Girl
A very good look at Olive is given at
Taylorology #33, The Life and Death of Olive Thomas.
Just one of her movies is known to exist, not the best one, but it does give a glimer of her screen personality.
The movie is Love's Prisoner and used to be available at Grapevine Video, but they are not selling silents and early talkies
any more.
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"I burn my candle at both ends
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Barbara LaMarr. The Too-Beautiful Girl
Most of what I know about her comes from "Sex Goddesses of the Silent Screen", which at least doesn't tar and feather her. However, May 1996 Classic Images has a very nice article (long for them, too) on her with lots of pictures. Not my very favorite pictures, but still pictures. The June 1966 issue has several follow-up letters, and the July 1966 issue was supposed to have an interview with Ms. LaMarr's some say adopted, some say not, son, who was adopted after her death by Zasu Pitts and her husband.
I've seen her in
The 3 Musketteers (Fairbanks, Sr.) and The Prisoner of Zenda, which are available on video from several sources.
There are more of her movies are in Turner vaults. I believe it was Trifling Women that had a theatre release last year. I could kick myself for not going, even if it was in LA.
I hope
I live long enough for her movies that still exist to get to the public! Hey, Turner Broadcasting! You listening?
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Clara Bow. The It Girl
She was very young (16 when she started movies), she had the most awful social and genetic background you could imagine, she had no manners, no 'couth', no control. And there was, along with the bouncy side, a vulnerable side. The talkies did not end her career, altho seeing some of the movies they put her in I can't imagine what they were thinking about.
Sad. Did you know that she was rated second only to Garbo as the
star hollywood cameramen liked to work with? There are quite a few of her movies available on
video. My favorites are Kid Boots, Mantrap, and my nieces just loved It.
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Thelma Todd - Hot Toddy
Thelma Todd. Oh, lord, what do you say? Funny, funny lady - Classy Dame - all of the above? While she did some silents (Nevada with Gary Cooper), she is primarily from the early talkie era (1930-1936). She was found dead in her car in her garage and the whole thing was a mishandled mess, including letting the press take pictures of her corpse. There are books about it if you are interested. There are various theories, one supposedly confession to Hal Roach, but technically it is still one of Hollywood's unsolved mysteries. Her main employer was Hal Roach Studios, where she worked in short subjects with Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chase, and in short subjects of her own with Zasu Pitts and Pattsy Kelley. Anyone! If you have a source for her short subjects with the girls, please contact me! She also appeared in a lot of other movies, and quite a few are available on video.
My favorite one is Speak Easily
(with a monster-funny scene with Buster Keaton where they are
bonelessly falling-down-drunk).
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A few books you might be interested in are:
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Hollywood Babylon.
This is the awful book. But I think I detect sympathy
and even admiration for Barbara LaMarr, neutral for Olive Thomas and
Thelma Todd. However, Mr. Anger displays total loathing for Clara Bow.
In my opinion.
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Death In Paradise.
The publisher describes this book as a sordid little book. Yep, he is right about that. It was not what I expected - I guess I expected more details, like a listing of autopsy results or something. However, Barbara LaMarr and Thelma Todd are among the celebrities featured in the celebrity section. There are pictures, including 2 pictures of the Thelma Todd death scene and one picture of Barbara LaMarr I can identify as taken in court where she was fighting 'unfit parent' charges. Said charges were brought against her by the respectible ladies of Los Angeles, and Barbara kept her child. |
Help me find pictures I can put on my page, please? And a Big Thank You to those of you who have helped me find them.