LEATRICE JOY
BIRTH: November 7, 1893
DEATH: May 13, 1985
AGED: 91 years
DIED FROM: Acute Anemia…I wonder if her Christian Scientist views contributed to her death
REAL NAME: Leatrice Johanna Zeidler
MARRIED: 3 times, the first to John Gilbert, a huge star who had a very sad and dramatic downfall when sound arrived.
CHILDREN: one daughter, Leatrice Joy Gilbert, an actress but an author of “Dark Star”, a biography on John Gilbert. This is an excellent biography which I highly recommend.
TALENT: her knack for understanding what women want from her clothes, perfume and hair
KNOWN FOR: Her portrayals of independent women in a corporate world often in Mannish suits but, also, exquisite gowns setting off fashion crazes. She was a Christian Scientist, a devoted follower.
A woman, who called herself “a ham at heart”, seems like quite the hoot when she was interviewed for the famous 13 part documentary, “Hollywood” by Kenneth Brownlow( a big film historian)..yup I own this but only in VHS since they ran into major problems trying to get permission from all these Estates. She is hilarious and you can see how much she loves the limelight. Her name was, originally, supposed to be Beatrice, but, on the way to her christening, her mom recalled that her husband’s former girlfriend was named Beatrice, she went through the alphabet until her mom came to a suitable replacement…Leatrice. She was one of the biggest stars of the 1920s, so big, that when, she impulsively cut her hair into a bob, it became a new craze for women around the world. When she started in films, Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin were already famous, she recalled seeing in restaurant windows that no dogs, cats or actors, were allowed. Later she earned over $250,000 for a film. ShE became Cecil B. DeMille’s muse placing her in romantic fare showing off some great fashions. When sound came, her career waned, partly due to her thick New Orleans accent, but she still acted until 1952 that starred Marilyn Monroe. She captivated John Gilbert whom she rebuffed at first, but, later, became his first wife and they had 1 child, Leatrice Joy Gilbert, famous for her book, “Dark Star” about the life of her dad, John Gilbert. The marriage didn’t last long and she married twice more but, I believe, John Gilbert, was still the love of her life. When she was interviewed about John Gilbert, she remembered his quote he left on a photo he gave her, “To my beloved wife, for whom God patterned the angels.”
FILMS- (Most I have not seen but want to remedy this)
1. The Ten Commandments-1923
2. Changing Husbands-1924
3. Ace Of Hearts-1921
4. Manslaughter-1922
5. The Bellamy Trial-1929
6. Triumph-1924
7. First Love-1939
8. The Dressmaker From Paris-1925
9. The Clinging Vine-1926
10. Minnie-1922
I had not heard of her. No surprise, as I'm not all that familiar with many silent movie stars. I wonder if that Hollywood doc is streaming someplace. Probably not, but maybe?
ReplyDeleteIt turns out it's on the Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/vol.-12-star-treatment).
DeleteThey are on YouTube as well. It's an excellent series with James Mason as the narrator.
DeleteWow! Talk about a "life well lived"!
ReplyDeleteYes, she led a very good life
DeleteHi Birgit!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating choice!
I am not super familiar with her films. I’ve seen most of her sound pictures of which First Love is the best, though that’s because of Deanna Durbin rather than her. Of her silents that I have seen she was fine but most of them (The Ten Commandments, Ace of Hearts, Show People) she wasn’t the central character, so it is harder to judge. I’ve wanted to see Manslaughter which provides her with a proper showcase for years.
As with almost every silent star a goodly portion of her pre-talkie catalog is lost, including from your list “Millie” & “The Dressmaker of Paris” in their entirety and “The Bellamy Trial” only has the last two reels still intact.
Most of what does remain, including Changing Husbands, Triumph, Manslaughter and The Clinging Vine, are preserved in one or several archives but usually not readily available though The Clinging Vine is on DVD. That’s a rarity.
I have read Leatrice Gilbert Fountain’s book about her father and by extension her mother. Fascinating but often sad. They are the only two women I have ever heard of with that name though I’m sure at the height of her popularity there were several little Leatrice’s running around. Film stardom seems to have that effect on names (Shirley surely being the biggest benefactor thanks to Miss Temple).
I liked ever since I saw her in the Hollywood documentary series. I thought Millie and the others were not lost...bummer. she was the Doris Day of her time or maybe Kate Hepburn. I want to see more. I did see one of hers that is from the Eastman House. It wasso good to see with a man playing the piano who came from the Eastman House. Im trying to recall which one I saw, it's been years
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