The Vamp was a fine art. Helen Gardner thought of it before Theda, but didn't perfect it. Theda came along in 1914 and nailed it. Alla Nazimova tried to artiste` it and failed miserably. Then came Nita who was Queen until vamps became passe. But while Theda reigned another actress took a swipe at her Vamp Crown: Valeska Suratt.Yes this former Gibson Girl decided she could give the Jewish bookworm a run for her money in the fine art of vamping. But the story of Valeska is so twisted and forgotten I fear I won't be able to do it justice, even with my infamous 5 minutes of googling. The summary of her can be put like this: She was the Posh Spice of her day, used her sister's winnings to her advantage, was a little kooky, and took on that occasional jackass Cecil B DeMille thus ending her film career. Consider this a Introducing.../Complete Filmography/Usual Vamp Rant.
Valeska's birth is a mystery. I question that being her real name but the records swear by it. It is usually given she was born June 22nd, 1882 in Terre Haute, Indiana...yet another source gives her as being born in Owensville, Indiana in 1884, only to move to Terre Haute around age 5. She was of English and French descent, with her grandparents being immigrants. She hated school, and by age 12 or so she decided she was going to be an actress.
Movies not being the thing yet this meant Vaudeville and Broadway. She graduated, worked odd jobs, and eventually made it to Indianapolis. Her career beginning is horribly delicious. Her 12 year old sister (how old this made Valeska I do not know) Leah had bought a lottery ticket and won $1,000. Valeska rushed home, took the money, and headed for New York City! I don't like to put this in blog form as its not very journalistic but: LOL!
She tried her luck but failed miserably, apparently moving to Chicago for dancing and singing lessons. There she met her first husband Billy Gould, and ended up touring South Africa and London via vaudeville. Now 24, she moved back to New York where she still kinda failed until a man named Ernest Edelston cast her as a ever popular at the time Gibson Girl in his new play "The Belle of Mayfield" which would play on Broadway. Rumor has it he seen her come down the stairs at a party in a backlass black dress thus impressing him tremendously. Supposedly she had never done any acting, her performances based on singing and dancing. But Edelston swore her could make her an actress.
Valeska was an overnight sensation; with her throaty voice pleasing every crowd. The play was a smashing success. She was given many offers, eventually making $3,000 a week in vaudeville. A WEEK! NOT in pictures...yet! Valeska put together her own act, an act she would do on and off for 40 some years. Within 4 years of her Broadway debut the New York Dramatic Mirror called her "Vaudeville's Greatest Star".
Thanks to her fame she began to buy expensive costumes, and became known for her fashion. She reportedly spent $25,000 a show on fashion. She bought a spacious house in Terre Haute where the rooms reportedly overflowed with her clothing. Ever generous she let her parents live there and her sister run a hotel she owned. In 1911 she began writing a syndicated beauty and skin column. She continued her vaudeville career with "The Kiss Waltz" and "The Red Rose" (which she directed, produced, and starred in).
Enter: The Pictures!
Being so popular Valeska was naturally offered film contracts. In 1915 (aged 33!!!) Valeska debuted in pictures with "The Immigrant" for Paramount. It is now lost (as is all her films, we'll get there in a minute). Interestingly enough this film also contained a no0b also fresh from Broadway, named Thomas Meighan.
The film was so successful that Fox outbid Paramount and offered to let her stay in New York (at a time when pictures were heading West). She reportedly made $5,000 a week during this time, giving $500 a week to the Red Cross during WW1. FOX for reasons I'd probably have to pick up a Theda biography to understand, decided to turn Valeska into a vamp. She'd been playing a few vampy/exotic styled roles as early as 1908, but she surely wasnt known for it. This is where things get sketchy.
In the next few years she either made 5 or 12 films...its hard to tell since they are ALL lost. If she made 12 then IMDB is missing one; and they list her in a guest appearance before "The Immigrant" so likely 2 are missing total. Valeska continued appearing on vaudeville as well, with her very last performance of any kind being an appearance in The Frolics of 1929. But to make things even more confusing she likely quit making films by 1917. Why is unknown. That would mean she only did film for 2 years. Did she concede to Theda (who would have been at the height of her fame during this time)? Why did she quit and return to stage? We do not know. However she continued being very popular in Broadway, with a 1924 performance of "Spice" that broke several box office records, and reportedly was the peak of her comedic skills.
To make things even more interesting, the sometimes shady Cecil B DeMille (he was, read Gloria's autobiography), apparently ripped off her play about Mary Magdalene for his film "King of Kings" in 1927 causing her to sue his ass. This effectively blacklisted her. The case went to trial in 1930, but settled out of court.
After her forced retirement, she did very little. Her husband died and she remarried to Fletcher Norton, apparently divorcing him at some point. According to a 1961 newspaper article on her, Valeska settled down, and devoted her time to studying and writing about her religious beliefs. She said the reason for her Red Cross donations were these same beliefs. She died in 1962, at the age of 80, in a retirement home in Washington DC. She was buried in her hometown of Terre Haute.
Lost to the Ages
The most interesting thing about Valeska is her tiny film career. Vamps have horrible survival rates, but hers truly would be hard to ''top''. Reportedly NONE of her films survive. In fact the NUMBER of films she even made is up for debate, with the number being between 5 and 12. Indeed 11 titles are recorded for her, but whether she was actually in them, or how well they did (beyond her initial success with "The Immigrant") is unknown. To go off magazine records can only be so helpful, as occasionally titles would be listed that were never made (for example a 1922 mag lists Valentino in the upcoming "Spanish Cavalier" a film he never made because of his one man strike).
As unbelievable as it sounds, its not super unlikely all her films are lost. She made one film for Paramount, in 1915. The other ''11'' (if they indeed number that high) would have been for Fox, a studio which had most of its films burned in 1937. So, not IMPOSSIBLE, but terribly sad if true. ***Update*** Below is the official film count, all of which was updated in this article.
Purple means fully exists
Blue means partially exists or a clip exists
Pink means lost
1915:
The Soul of Broadway (October)
The Immigrant (November)
1916:
The Straight Way (October)
Jealous (November)
The Victim (December)
1917:
A New York Peacock (February)
She (April)
The Slave (June)
The Siren (June)
Wife Number 2 (July)
A Rich Man's Plaything (October)
As usual the usual thanks is needed for the obscure info found here. Thanks to the Silent Society, for blurbing her in their quarterly newsletter. And Thanks to this site which is (I assume) run by her descendants. I find Valeska a great mystery, so let's see if we can solve it!
1 comments:
Valeska's first husband, Billy Gould, didn't die until 1950, at age 81, so presumably they divorced before she wed Fletcher Norton in 1911.
Post a Comment