By Kathy Kovach
In honor of Mother’s Day, this month we’re celebrating the
women of Hollywood, and who better to start off with than Frances Marion (born
Marion Benson Owens, 1888-1973).
From 1915 to 1934, Frances Marion was the highest paid
screenwriter—among both men and women—of the silent era. For a time, she earned
$50K a year (over $1.5 million today). For three years, she wrote exclusively for Mary
Pickford.
She continued to write into the 1940s, with some scripts uncredited,
according to IMDb.
Her additional venture in Hollywood included those of
actress, director, and producer, although she was most successful in writing.
Outside of Hollywood, she worked as a journalist becoming a war correspondent
during WWI.
Gladys Louise Smith, better known as “America’s Sweetheart”
Mary Pickford, rode the tide with her best friend Frances Marion and
officially became Hollywood’s first millionaire at the age of 24. Starting out
in her homeland of Canada, she performed child roles on stage. She soon moved
to New York for parts on Broadway. However, across the nation, Hollywood was
beginning an exciting new way for thespians to exercise their chops. She
abandoned the live stage at age 17 and joined thousands of pioneers determined
to launch the film industry.
Pickford eventually earned the moniker, “Queen of the
Movies”, as she not only acted in over 240 productions, but she also wrote,
produced, and directed. However, her highest accomplishment would be her
success as a businesswoman. In 1916, she created Mary Pickford Studios with the
help of Famous Players Production Company, the very same that had offered
Frances Marion the five-figure contract. Three years later, she organized the
United Artists Corporation along with D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplain, and her
soon-to-be husband, Douglas Fairbanks. In 1927, she became one of the founders
of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This paid off as she won
the Oscar in 1930 for her role in Coquette.
Other notable actresses carved their own names in the
Hollywood tree.
The daughter of a Civil War veteran, Hattie McDaniel
(1885-1952) paved the way for African-American actors. Born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in Denver, Colorado, Hattie could do it all. She sang, danced, and performed
comedy wherever she could. In 1911, she organized her own all-women’s minstrel
troupe. Then, beginning in the 1920s, she toured in vaudeville for several
years, establishing herself as a blues artist, often singing her own original
songs.
By 1930, her brother Sam and sister Etta had moved to Los
Angeles, finding minor work in movies. They convinced her to follow. In 1934, McDaniel
finally had her break upon landing a major on-screen role singing a duet with
Will Rogers in John Ford’s Judge Priest. From there, she played in The Little
Colonel opposite Shirley Temple. Capturing the attention of major Hollywood
players, she found steady work in major productions such as the part of Queenie
in the 1936 adaptation of Show Boat, of which she had previously toured in the
stage version.
The pinnacle of her career occurred when she accepted the
role of Mammy, playing opposite Vivian Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with
the Wind (1939). The movie’s premiere took place in Atlanta, Georgia, as this
was where the film was set. Unfortunately, the South still had a prejudicial
attitude and all of the black actors were barred from attending. Producer David
O. Selznick wanted to take Hattie to the premier as his guest, but MGM warned
him not to. This enraged her co-star Clark Gable who threatened to boycott
the premiere if this injustice were not rectified. Hattie, having dealt with the
racist mindset all her life, convinced him to go. Nevertheless, her lifetime of
hard work paid off. She received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress,
making her the first Black American to do so.
Hattie McDaniel went on to honor her country, despite the
challenges, and toured with the USO, entertaining the troops and selling war
bonds.
One cannot talk about major female stars without discussing
the curly-haired moppet, Shirley Temple (1928-2014) who brightened the Great
Depression with her sparkling eyes and dimples. She’s later quoted as saying,
“People in the Depression wanted something to cheer them up, and they fell in
love with a dog—Rin Tin Tin—and a little girl” (via The Music Hall). Her movies
saved 20th Century Fox Studios from bankruptcy.
Discovered at the age of three in a dance studio, Temple
began her career imitating sultry actresses such as Mae West and Marlena
Dietrich in a series of short reels, disturbingly entitled, “Baby Burlesks”.
These satirized films were spoofs of the popular movies of the day.
By the age of 6, she’d made her mark on Hollywood to such an
extent that she was presented the first Juvenile Award, created just for her,
at the 1935 Academy Awards Ceremony. Temple performed in nearly sixty
productions before her retirement at age 22. She would win twenty-three awards
in various organizations, including the Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime
Achievement Award in 1998.
Her acting career may have come to a halt, but “America’s
Little Sweetheart” wasn’t done. In her adult years, Shirley Temple Black ventured
into the world of politics, running for the U.S. House of Representatives but
lost, and became a delegate in world affairs.
Speaking of outstanding women, one such actress not only contributed to society, but she changed the world as we know it. Guess who was tech savvy enough to help invent Wi-Fi? Here's an article I wrote a few years ago. Hedy Lamarr-More Than A Pretty Face
These actresses were no doubt among many women who broke
through the glass ceiling and set their stars high above the Hollywood sign.
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