What's a Mary Pickford for?

The Iron Mask screening last week was fantastic...very touching and bittersweet. I particularly liked Kevin Brownlow's opening line (speaking to the massive audience), "I guess this proves talkies are indeed a passing fad". Fantastic!

I tried to brave the exhibit again, this time staying to watch the whole newsreel projection. It's in the part about Doug and Mary, which spans 2 rooms. Then a double whammy of insults hit...a young couple walked in from the second room (which note also features tons of pics and info about the couple) and the girl asked, "Who is that woman with him?" Then not too long after the man behind me who had been watching the newsreels since before I showed up commented, "She doesn't have ''the look''. She would never make it today no way." Ah...self proclaimed experts with no actual study (he had remarked earlier that he knew nothing of Doug's life)!

We can argue until we're blue in the face about who was major in the silents during their original run...and most would include the lord almighty Chaplin, Doug of course, Valentino, and Griffith. Rarely would more than a few women names come up...probably Gloria and Mary. Maybe Lillian. Maybe Theda. But if we're talking overall superstars really only Mary shines through. She was the only woman (and one of the only people period) to go from flickers to talkies and sparkle the entire 20 years. Literally that's how long her star shone.

Sadly beyond Chaplin, Keaton, maybe Lloyd, and maybe Clara, Louise or Theda...not many Average Joe's know who even the brightest stars were. Chaplin is by far arguably the only one who gets his due recognition in this day and age. Buster enjoyed a renewed recognition though I feel the masses wouldn't recognize him. This Doug revival has been nice, and beyond a few little blips his legacy is pretty intact. But Mary is a whole another story.

She lived until 1979...and she was active right until the 60s (which ironically is when the silent film revival began). In the 30s people could still remember what she had done, by the 40s she was that woman with the boring radio show and publicity work, by the 50s she was even fading as that, and by the 60s she had finally been rediscovered having her one last film fest. She attended, took it in, went back to Pickfair, and went to bed for near on 15 years.

By the time she could have received her due like Chaplin had, she was a frail old woman who had to be in a wheel chair and wore a very bad wig. Instead of going out on a touching note more people were shocked and horrified wondering if she was a real life "Baby Jane" (admittedly the resemblance is freaky!) However most modern people go off photos alone. Her actual speech wasn't that bad. That was 1976, she died in 1979. When she died most newspapers had to explain why she was important.

Her stuff was auctioned off, for a mere pittance. Pickfair was sold to Pia Zadora who promptly destroyed it. VCRs were a new thing and the possibilities for silent film were endless. But all that came too late for Mary. She had hidden herself away from the public, wanted her films destroyed, and unlike Chaplin didn't see to it her legacy lived on. It might have been the way she SAID she wanted it...but its a crying shame.


Actress

By the 70s, and even after Mary died, no one knew what to make of her acting. Silent films had been poorly acted anyways right? That was the theory. To make matters worse for a public that appreciated the Tramp they just didn't ''get'' the little girl. In fact it was Mary's little protege, Shirley Temple, who really undid her legacy. Shirley's look had been based off Mary's, her whole early career had been a careful clone of the older woman's. In fact Shirley remade several of Mary's films including Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Poor Little Rich Girl, Annie Rooney, and so on. These films were watered down versions, with lots of dancing and cuteness. No offense to Shirley but she was no Mary in the acting field. These sugar sweet versions are what most assumed Mary had done as well.

Shirley cant really be blamed. Likely desperate for some recognition Mary clung to the little girl. She wanted her to star as herself in a film about her mother Charlotte's life. Thank the merciful Gods this was never made (though if Mary had played Charlotte it might have done away with the 'Shirley and Mary are one in the same' acting rumors). They posed together when Shirley was a teen and the mag titled it "The Two Greatest Has-Beens". It definitely didn't help her ego, and apparently she considered suing. But that wouldn't have helped...instead she just pretended it hadn't bothered her and in fact had been a compliment.

Modern viewers just couldn't wrap their heads around a 40 some year old woman running around in curls playing 12 year olds. Admittedly it is a hard concept to grasp. And without her films being readily available no one could really see her acting for themselves. Thankfully this has changed what with the internet and DVDs and all.

However Mary still doesn't get the respect. On the AFI greatest actresses list she was #24...below dear Mae West and Joan Crawford. As much as I enjoy Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo I don't think they both outrank Mary. Mary should have been in the top 5. No way is Bette Davis (Baby Jane!) a better actress than her.

A lot is made of 'natural acting' in silent films. Honestly I don't think its as rare as many people think it was. The overacting came from people who had been mostly stage stars. Mary had her moments on stage, but with her mother's help she was quickly able to adapt to film acting. Even her earliest Griffith shorts show that.

She was a method actor before there was method acting. Her mother taught her not to THINK about what she was doing, but to do it as she naturally would. Mary would immerse herself in her characters so deeply it would affect her even off set. When they did Annie Rooney she was thoroughly a 12 year old girl, when they did Sparrows she couldn't stop crying over the dead baby. She took her roles seriously and was a good actress.

What is interesting is that the 'girl with the curls' wasn't ALL she was capable of despite what some think. When she joined Griffith she played roles that varied from wife to prostitute to Native American. Linda Arvidson (Griffith's wife) said she felt bad for Mary when she'd have to curl for roles, as it took her an hour at night. She said everyone knew there was something special about Mary from the moment she entered the studio looking for a job. Some people just have IT even when IT doesn't exist at the time.

Mary didn't like the little girl roles, realizing they were limiting. She grew tired of them especially by the early 20s. She did Rosita which still gets great reviews today (despite her hate of it for reasons no one fully understands). Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall is a great costume piece with some drama and romance thrown in. Ironically Lottie (who plays her maid...so terrible I know!) looks older than her in that one. By the time talkies came she had thoroughly killed the little girl, and her acting became hit and miss. Kiki was an atrocious crime against her legacy and humanity but Secrets was one of her finest films ever. The scene above shows just how and why Mary was a great actress. Consider it her Oscar moment that never came (she won for Coquette but that was it).

Mary was also a great comedienne...something I wish she'd be known more for. She didn't ALWAYS do it but when she did she did it well. My Best Girl is the finest rom-com ever...personally I feel its miles ahead of Buster Keaton's "Seven Chances" or Harold Lloyd's "Girl Shy".

When it came to drama dead babies was best. Sparrows is a hugely dramatic film which shows Mary's talents well. The swamp scene literally makes you hold your breath. Stella Maris (in which she plays both lead roles) and Tess of Storm County were made for drama.

And yes there's the sentimental as well. Films that Shirley Temple destroyed come off much less annoying and quite touching. Sure I wouldn't be playing the glad game after I was run over ala Pollyanna, but that entire film shows Mary at her best child acting. She was 28 playing maybe 8-10 but it was just perfection. For as much hell as modern people like to give her over playing young I'd like to see a modern actress pull such a feat off. Even with CGI and all the computer effects it would take a special type of actress to pull off a child at age 40.

Writer

Mary took to scenario writing when she found out you could make $12 or so for the honor (about $120 in today terms). She wrote 6 of her Griffith shorts, and quite a few more for others. It was she who suggested the story "Chink and the Child" to Griffith which would become "Broken Blossoms". She wrote 3 of her features and possibly more (its hard to tell, she wasn't always credited).

During the teens she had a 'Daily Talks' syndicated newspaper column. While its unlikely she wrote all of these (Frances Marion probably did the rest) she was still one of the first movie stars to do something like it. Mabel Normand and Valeska Suratt did similar stints.

When she quit acting she took to writing a lot especially about religious topics. Somewhere along the line she had become a Christian Scientist (think Scientologist of their day) and became very devout after her mother died. She wrote 2 such books, "My Rendezvous with Life" and "Why not try God?" She contributed to several magazines on the subject as well including one article titled "Why die?" I doubt they were ghosted though its possible. She had a very interesting writing style and based off "Why Die?" she had some very interesting beliefs as well. From her books came many quotes oft repeated today, including the one about failure.

Not satisfied with just preaching she also wrote a novel in the 30s called "The Demi Widow" (which I so sorely want a good dust jacket version of). Its actually quite a wonderful novel. Then in the 50s came "Sunshine and Shadows" her light touch autobiography. Again she wrote in a good style but she left out a lot of things or glossed over what she didn't like (her kids were about 5 years older than they actually were in her book, Jack was a saint, Lottie didn't really exist, her father was also a saint).

While not a major force in writing she definitely took an active role in it. Just one more interesting angle to what a Mary Pickford is for.

Director

We're not sure how many of her films she directed, but it was probably a good chunk of her later features. Half the time her directors were just figure heads, with her word as final say. It is likely she directed most of Dorothy Vernon.

Producing and the Movie Biz

In 1916, once she signed with Famous Players, Mary created her own production company "Pickford Film Corporation" with her mother as treasurer. With this move she took almost complete control of her films: she had a final say in story selection and the final cut, she had final say in cast and crew selection as well as promotion. She went from making $10 a day with Griffith in 1909 to making $10,000 a week plus profits in 1916...meaning she would make at least A MILLION dollars a year...the highest salary ever for a film star at that time. This move solidified her as the first real movie star, and the first celebrity.

Mary was an extremely shrewd business woman...which was nearly unheard of at the time (and still is...). She had the perfect sense of when to ask for more money (such as reminding Griffith about her raise as she sat covered in mud and water from a scene in the river), and if she didn't get it she would not settle. One dispute between her and Goldwyn went on so deep and so long that his wife Frances threw herself at Mary's feet begging her to stop and negotiate for the sake of her and her children. Mary promised she would. But she was as fierce as any of the men (and twice as smart). If she didn't get her way she would move to a new company where she could. And once that wasn't working (the film companies were planning a merger that would make them a monopoly) she went and started United Artists.

Honestly I don't know why United Artists is so touted. I've read about it in depth and it seems like several bad moves at crucial moments (Chaplin couldn't make films, Griffith owed too many films to others and was severely in debt as a business, etc). But in all fairness it wasn't Mary's fault. She had to make a certain number of films to end her contract with First National. She did with no problem and then sat about what she could for United Artists. She quite possibly was the only artist to NOT let personal troubles affect her...until her mother died, talkies came, and Douglas left (and seriously those are some heavy blows!)

However United Artists was a unique idea and it gave Mary complete control over her films. Once things started stabilizing it also gave her a chance to act as a business woman. Both Valentino and Gloria would be lured to UA by the late 20s.

Once she quit acting she kept producing well into 1949. She remained with UA until 1956 when Charlie had finally sold his shares and the company they had created went into public hands. She also lost the Pickfair Studio (which was then UA Studio) which became the Samuel Goldwyn Studio. Thankfully both UA (though sadly in a loon's hands) and the Studio still exist.

Interestingly enough Mary's business sense did get in her way on two very important occasions. In 1933 she was prepping for television...something that at that point was little more than an idea (1928 had been a good developmental year for TV). She did the radio shows as a prelude to this. And she knew TV would be a big deal...in fact its what she lost Walt Disney over.

Disney's contract was up with UA and he was already quite valuable. UA was ready to give him everything...except future rights to television broadcasts of his work. Disney left them and UA fell into disrepair until it left Mary and Charlie's hands. While she had the foresight, it would have been much more valuable to keep Disney round. In the same mess up she botched her chance to play a live version of Alice in Disney's Alice and Wonderland. Had Mary done that she definitely would not be forgotten today.

Many years later Billy Wilder approached her about Sunset Blvd. But she wanted too much control and thought the story should be focused on the silent star and a happy story. Once willing to do anything for a role (in Stella Maris she went all out ugly, in Sparrows live corked crocs were in the swamp) she just couldn't make fun of what she had been. Gloria Swanson took the role and went into history for it. Had Mary taken it maybe she would be more remembered today.

Would she have made it today?

Its hard to say. Are we going off the theory she would be like someone born today and thus possibly taller, less childlike, and maybe even fatter? Or are we going off the theory that she would be just as she was but in today's times? I'll take the latter since its simpler.

Mary had the perfect child body: a bit large head that looked good with long curls, she was barely 5ft, and the way her body was built was very childlike...not fat but not thin. She would never pull off a Swanson look. Many noted such comparisons with Doug's second wife the skanky Sylvia Ashley. She was tall and lanky, someone said she looked like the horse faced Nichole Kidman and I'd agree with that. Compared to Mary they couldn't be any more opposite.

Would Mary have the 'look' as that one dork mused she wouldn't? Depends what she was doing. No she couldn't be a Paris Hilton, but we wouldn't want it that way. Based on sheer acting talent and business knowledge she could probably fight her way in. With the internet and all she would probably start in indies and charm her way from there. Despite the child body and showing her age once she hit 50...she photographed very well during her career. A picture of her while she was filming Secrets would show two different women. She had a whole mess of make up and camera and lighting techniques to achieve this.

Add to it that those very early cameras were as harsh and judgmental as HD is today. It made as little sense as it did then as it does now: sometimes an absolutely gorgeous woman would film poorly, and a homely one could film very well. Its mystical like that. Given that ability I think she would still find her niche...so few actresses these days can achieve that affect without botox and a face lift (and boob implants for good measure).

Also figure in this: despite starting with Griffith at age 17, she spent most of her 20s working as a little girl. Mary never had a chance at Kiki sex pot roles when they were appropriate. We have no clue how well she would have fared in them at the right time. Also given today's obsession with old women trying to be sexy (Sex and the City, Madonna, ''cougars'') she could very well take Charlotte's place at the bistro table. Ironic side note: Mary had to be one of the first cougars (marrying the much younger and very cute Buddy Rogers in the 1930s).

Mary could photograph extremely beautiful when done right. I have yet to see anyone else achieve such perfection (Lillian Gish had some moments too...otherwise she went all goat eyed). Maybe she wouldn't be able to control the 24/7 paparazzi...but then again she practically invented it. She was a PR genius who married and divorced a fellow actor who did the same at a time when such things were scandalous and unheard of. Instead of being run out of town and career she and Doug became the first major celebrity couple. Even Posh and Becks can't come close.

I don't feel Mary's beauty or 'look' is in question...but lets say this: she had the talent and the know how. Whether that would have left her in character roles or not she still would have a career today if this was the time and place she was placed in.

So what IS a Mary Pickford for?

Mary Pickford was one of the greatest film actresses of our time. Had she been younger or more willing she could have had a career till the day she died ala Lillian Gish. She was an amazing and innovative business woman...one who just can never get enough due in film history ever. She made some of the greatest films of all time, and a good chunk of her work is still as fantastic to modern viewers as it was to contemporary ones. No one ever quite matched her, and no one ever really has since.

To prove my point below is a list of some samples of her work. If you have not yet seen a Pickford or really gotten into her career I highly suggest you check some of it out. And FYI: Secrets will be on TCM the day before her bday on April 7th.

Pickford Silents on DVD:

*The Mary Pickford Collection (mute it and enjoy: Little Annie Rooney, Pollyanna, Poor Little Rich Girl, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms)

*My Best Girl

*More Mary Pickford Silents on DVD

Pickford Talkies on DVD:

*Secrets (best.film.ever.)

Pickford Books:

*Sunshine and Shadow

*The Demi Widow

*Pickford: The Woman who made Hollywood

More Pickford:

*http://www.marypickford.com/