Recommended Silent Film Reading: Dos and Donts

A sweet person wrote me the other day and asked what silent film books I would recommend. I have a very bad reading (and collecting books to read) habit that has only been made worse by the LA Central Library. I cant claim to have read every book ever, and you guys might have some others to recommend. But overall this is my do and donts list. Notes are made to say why one way or the other. I'm trying not to be a picky annoyance with my list, my biggest factors are factual accuracy and a good prose. Simple things to want in a book I guess.

A very important note: this list will be updated. I have only added a few books I did not personally read. So for the serious lack of Harold Lloyd or Buster Keaton that would be the reason: I haven't read much on them yet. I will though! No matter how many authors get mad, petty, and vengeful if not given a good review.

I can't cover everything, especially when I haven't read it all. But one extremely important note: if it is before 2000 (especially the 1970s) there is a good chance it is outdated. You'd be surprised how much the internet has helped in research. Even if you do pick a 70s/80s era book do remember some films may no longer be lost, some stories may have been changed.

There are 2 main publishers right now for new silent film books. BearManor and Mcfarland. BearManor is not silent exclusive but they do tend to have good output. Mcfarland can be extremely hit or miss. Below you will see several of their books on the do list and several on the don't. I think this is just proof of a lack of oversight especially with the treatment good books get. Bearmanor books are reasonably priced, Mcfarland's never are. Most books can be found via their sites, ebay, or amazon. I would link but it would take forever. Please forgive me for that.


Definitely Do Read:

*The Parade's Gone By by Kevin Brownlow
The only thing to keep in mind here is interviews are in the mind of the beholder...not always accurate. Add to that, the last edition was from the 70s meaning some things may be outdated. However good info none the less!

*When the Movies were Young by Linda Arvidson
This book by Griffith's first wife is indispensable especially for 1910s research. However again things are subjective. Especially her stories about Lillian and Mary.

*My Autobiography by Charlie Chaplin
Again subjective, but overall Charlie tells a good story of his life and most facts seem to match up even to this day. Unfortunately he mostly leaves out somethings...like his disastrous Lita marriage.

*My Father Charlie Chaplin by Charlie Chaplin Jr.
Some interesting stories you wouldn't necessarily hear else wise.

*My Life in Pictures by Charlie Chaplin
OH this is a must! Its beautiful and has funny captions. I particularly like opposing portraits of him and Lita with his caption "beauty and the beast (I look like a serial killer!)". 

*Pickford: The Woman who made Hollywood by Eileen Whitfield
WONDERFUL book. Extremely well written and very factually solid. The whole reason I fell in love with silent films! However her Lottie bashing seems unprompted and unnecessary. At least she gets her facts right though...just the tone was unnecessary.

*Mary Pickford Rediscovered by Kevin Brownlow
A beautiful picture book that elaborates on her pictures and their making...goes into a little more detail in that respect than Whitfield's book but both are deliciously good.

*Douglas Fairbanks by Jeffrey Vance and Tony Maietta
A nice pretty book that is mostly like Brownlow's Pickford book: very film based. While nothing is inaccurate about it the book really skimps on major things...especially the relationship of Doug and Mary and pretty much anything beyond the production of his films. I hear a proper biography is in the works so I guess I wont complain...but it is extremely long over due and I dont know why anyone would spend their time on doing something garish like this instead of a nice proper bio for Doug.

*D.W. Griffith's Intolerance: Its Genesis and Its Vision by William M. Drew
William M. Drew is someone who meticulously researches everything. Anything he writes I would highly recommend.

*Lillian Gish: Her Legend and her life by Charles Affron
Lillian liked to make up her own life story very much like Mary did. She wrote several biographies and even had a hand in one that was released after her death. This one tries to reach behind the myth and I feel it does so in a very even handed way. Very interesting!

*Dark Lady of the Silents by Miriam Cooper
I LOVE Miriam! As one of Griffith's top 3 actresses she was around for a lot of interesting stuff. She is a wonderful writer and curses more then I do! However her viewpoints and facts again are something to be weary of: she was convinced Fatty Arbuckle was guilty and Theda Bara was a fat mooing jew who wanted her husband. However...a very good read its a MUST! 

*Swanson on Swanson by Gloria Swanson
I feel I might be missing a little perspective with this book, since Gloria definitely had her point of view on matters. She was also a wonderful writer and admitted to many of her darker sides including the abortions she regretted. I enjoyed her insights and I think most of it was pretty accurate...sometimes its hard to tell with such bios!

*Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara by Eve Golden
This is one of my favorite biographies though it is admittedly short (well with the lack of things to discuss what can one do?) Eve did a wonderful job and its fantastically researched and well written. 

*Lucky Stars: Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell by Sarah Baker
Sarah Baker is wickedly talented.  This is one of those top notch books that actually got me interested into stars I could have barely cared about before.  Her research is truly excellent and her prose is delightful.

*Lulu in Hollywood by Louise Brooks
A wonderful collection of film essays by Louise Brooks. She had a wonderful prose! How accurate it is might be interpretive but she did have some interesting (and very sound) theories especially on talkies. Frankly its hard to go wrong with a Louise book...most are pretty accurate.

*Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild by David Stenn
OMG I love this book! Well researched, well written, and very sad. He hates Hollywood Babylon as much as I do bless his soul! And poor Clara...this is the type of prose the Florence Lawrence bio lacked. Even if you don't like Clara as an actress this book should indeed touch you.

*Century Girl: 100 Years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies by Lauren Redniss
A beautiful book with wonderful stories and pictures! Doris is fascinating!

*Alma Rubens: Silent Snowbird by Alma Rubens
We all know Alma as some kind of Britney Spears circa 2007. She was a snowbird aka coke head...she made several escapes from sanitariums, stabbed a doctor in the thigh when committing her, and well...several other interesting stories. Instead of being Hollywood Babylon fodder Alma actually had a very sad story to tell and this book is just entrancing in doing so. My only complaint is the preface biography which really lacked on several details (such as what accident led to her first morphine shot, and just other crucial things we'd like to know). Typical of a bad Mcfarland release. However Alma's biography is spectacular, and I have a feeling it wasn't ghosted if at all.

*The Shocking Miss Pilgrim by Frederica Sagor Maas
Believe it or not Miss Maas is still alive at 109! She wrote this autobiography several years ago and its quite wonderful. Fascinating insights into behind the scenes Hollywood. I'll forgive her Fatty Arbuckle hated for it.

*Karl Dane: A Biography and Filmography by Laura Petersen Balogh
A well researched and sourced biography with a solid tone. Laura went above and beyond to give Dane a proper biography and I must say it's one of my favorites. You just wanna hug Karl and make the bad stuff go away by the end of it. 

*Dangerous Curves atop Hollywood Hills by Michael G. Ankerich
Ankerich is known for some great books and sadly I still need to get them (they sit in my Amazon cart...eternally waiting due to the $30 price tags.)  Dangerous Curves covers 14 starlets including Barbara LaMarr and Olive Borden.  Its really well written and researched, making one wish he'd been able to go as far as real full biographies for each tragic girl.  One constant complaint is some really terrible typos and errors, literally every page.  It's not Michael's fault, its the publishers.  A lot of people buying indie books don't realize the authors and publisher (who is usually 1-5 people) make up the bulk of the work, resulting in even 3 people going over it a few times, mistakes will be made.  However its clear BearManor just didn't bother for whatever reason, so that is really inexcusable and distracting. 

*Garbo by Barry Paris
There might be newer books on Garbo, but I really do like this one and it seems well researched. My only complaint is an update is sorely needed. The copy I had made note of 'Acosta's letters will be unsealed in 2000'...a decade ago. Unfortanitly Paris ran with the gay thing because he assumed these letters had something in them that proved it. Garbo was probably occasionally bi, but more asexual than anything.

*Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow by David Stenn
I think I'd like to marry Stenn. His Bow biography was tip top. And so was this Harlow one. I read it in 7 hours, and honestly I'm still not a huge Harlow fan. She wasn't cute, and her acting in silents amounts to being sexy or wooden. But she was important. And her life story was very sad. I think Stenn did a solid job cleaning up a lot of the rumors and mythology around her, such as she was a skank who screwed everyone (that was Joan Crawford) or was only liked for not wearing panties. Also he goes to great lengths to explain how her mother didn't kill her with Christian Science (doctors were around the entire time, real ones...who were slightly incompetent), and how whatever happened to Paul Bern barely involved her. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to know his name has solely been known for having a small...well...you know. But still very interesting. 

*Affairs Valentino by Evelyn Zumaya
 Full disclosure: the Society published this one.  It'll be impossible to find and the story behind it is unbelievable, but I do sincerely believe today and 20 years from now it will be one of the most silent film books ever, and obviously THE most important silent film book ever.  How else would we know how horribly George Ullman was treated?  And that Jean Valentino very well may have been Rudy's son?  Its an amazing book, simply stunning.



Maybe Dos:

*Silent Movies: The Birth of Film and the Triumph of Movie Culture by Peter Kobel, Martin Scorsese, and Kevin Brownlow
A very pretty picture book, but if you're looking for some hard hitting information its not really here. Seriously its about a wikipedia's worth of information. But still lovely photos.

*Sunshine and Shadows by Mary Pickford
Mary's version of history is extremely whitewashed and sometimes right out false (such as her children's ages, things that happened with her, Jack, and Lottie, so forth). However it is a fun read and some of the anecdotes make it worthwhile

*Douglas Fairbanks: In His Own Words by The Douglas Fairbanks Museum and Keri Leigh
A collection of Doug's essays and writings its good for someone very curious about him. However it might not be very useful to a casual fan. 

*Off with their Heads! by Frances Marion

There is strictly one reason this is a maybe do: Marion along with Anita Loos is infamous for flinching facts, so its one of those 'hmmm' books.  However some really great insight into early Hollywood and of course Mary Pickford.
 
*D.W. Griffith: An American Life by Richard Schickel
Originally this 800 some paged biography tickled me pink...I literally thought it was the bees knees. Then I realized it was written in the 1980s and had the smallest facts wrong even back then (such as birthdates and certain films being lost). WHY Schickel could not get these things right I do not know. However some of the information is still very valuable (especially Griffith's later years) and his narrative is very entertaining (I particularly liked calling Albert Griffith an idiot for his bad business moves). Just tread with caution when seeking facts out of this book.

*Dorothy and Lillian Gish by Lillian Gish
Very pretty picture book, but does contain a lot of Lillian's self fabricated mythology. Good for hardcore fans though.

*Lillian Gish: The Movies, Mr. Griffith and Me by Lillian Gish
Same problem, but good stuff beyond!

*Lillian Gish: A Life on Stage and Screen by Stuart Oderman
Oderman was a friend of Lillian's and as such that is mostly what this book is about. Anything hard hitting or factually accurate might be lacking here. This is still on my to read list but I hear it is very charming.

*Florence Lawrence, the Biograph Girl: America's First Movie Star by Kelly R. Brown
A pretty well researched biography on dear forgotten Florence. My only complaint is though the prose isn't bad it really doesn't draw you in. Florence's story is so sad but by the end of it I was like 'meh whats for dinner?' I am not a fan of death obsessing but the final chapter covering Florence and her decision to end her life seemed way too simple and matter of fact...very little explanation behind 'this happened, that happened'. Another one needs to be written me thinks. One other problem: I fear though most of the research is good some of it is off. The author mentions the (by her own words) unreliable IMDB yet still sources it. Being written in the mid 90s it might be a bit more excusable but its still curious.

*King of Comedy: The Lively Arts by Mack Sennett
More fiction than fact but he does provide some interesting anecdotes especially about Charlie and Mabel. Fact or fiction they are a fun read.

*Mabel Normand: A Source Book to Her Life and Films by William Thomas Sherman
While I don't agree with the two Mabel's theory, this book is overall very solid information. Basically a collection of interviews and articles on Mabel its really meant for the hardcore silent fan over someone looking to read about Mabel in a biographic form. The fact William put this together in the early days of the internet makes him all the more incredible.

*The Times We Had by Marion Davies
You know...I don't think I like Marion very much. I think too many people are putting gloss over her real story which has yet to be thoroughly told (of note Louise Brooks did write a little about the Davies...interesting stuff!) This book is transcripts of her recordings and it is a very interesting read. How factual it is is up for debate.

*The self-enchanted: Mae Murray,: Image of an era by Jane Kesner Morris Ardmore
This book is for reading ONLY if you keep in mind Mae Murray was nuttier than a box of squirrels. Its fun, its full of itself, and kinda sad considering just how loony she really was. However I like her Olive Thomas anecdotes no matter how fact or fiction they are.

*Frame Up! The Untold Story of Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle by Andy Edmonds
There are basically 3 Fatty Arbuckle biographies out there...all outdated. I think the authors of all 3 books tried their best for what technology allotted them at the time but not only do they fall short on Arbuckle's own scandals but others as well. This being the particular book I've read through I'd like to say it is interesting, mainly because it has a lot of input from Minta Durfee, Roscoe's first wife. However much like Mae Murrary therein lies the trouble: she was apeshit crazy by the 1970s when I'm sure this interview was done (shes thanked as the 'late' Minta Durfee when it was published). If you read/hear any of her interviews uncensored she rambles on like Grampa Simpson..."See I had an onion on my belt...that was the style at the time..." so forth. Don't believe me? She literally thought Roscoe and Mabel swam with a dolphin for a week. Bless her though she was fun! Without becoming a Grampa Simpson rant myself that is the flaw of this book: it just doesn't have the solid facts behind it. However no malice was meant AND it does try to get the story right. Sadly the world is still awaiting a solid bio on Roscoe.

*Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wong by Anthony B. Chan
Poor Anna...several biographies and not a damn one of them anywhere near good! Chan has some serious issues...don't get me wrong I am firm in my belief yellowface and the treatment of Asians was even worse than the treatment of African Americans between the late 1800s and 1970. Anna suffered greatly due to this and a true talent was under utilized because of it. But Chan can't quite hit on that without some still raging bitterness. He insists on calling white Americans 'European Americans' trying to 'so there' the race, despite the fact 'white' did not fully denote Italians, Irishmen, or Germans during most of this time period. To be truly white one had to be of British/Scandinavian descent or of founding father's blood. Even though Anna encountered racism in Europe as well (albeit to a much lesser degree) he just refers to them as Europeans. Frankly its confusing. One can not have a discussion about race without denoting race. If I said "And Whites were insistent that a non white actor could not portray love scenes with a white actor" without using race how would you know who was the bad guy?

Add to it he seems to overlook Anna's conflict with the two worlds, instead seeing her conflict as just a 'Good Chinese girl'. And he fails to explain the state of other Asians and non whites in the film industry, almost making it appear ONLY Chinese were discriminated against (so I guess Sessue Hayakawa and Phillip Ahn were doing tons of hot love scenes with white women during the Hays Code era huh?) In fact even more compounding he makes it out as if just 'European Americans' were solely against Anna, never really getting to explaining the Hays Code and its effects and why it was in place to begin with. While there is some solid research and sourcing in this book, its choppy and has an agenda. Hopefully someday someone will do Anna one better. 

*Madam Valentino: The Many Lives of Natacha Rambova by Michael Morris
A decently researched biography on Valentino's second wife. Despite the fact he hates Hollywood Babylon as much as I do (bless him!) there is a lot in this book that either needs updating or a better perspective. He claims (based off one employee's account) that Nita and Rudy had an affair after the divorce, though nothing else solidly supports this. When mentioning Natacha and Rudy's conversion to Spiritualism he fails to mention the friend in question was June Mathis, something quite easy to figure out as one of their favorite spirit guides was 'Jenny', June Mathis' mother Virginia. It makes me question other things, but I do think he tried his best for a 1990 book.

*Louise Brooks: A Biography by Barry Paris
I get that Barry knew Louise and may or may not have had an affair with her. And for the most part his stuff on Louise isn't bad, but it isn't stellar either. The ending bit is devoid of emotion, parts of her life seem to go unexplained or unaccounted, and overall the prose is trying too hard to be self removed (and I liked his Garbo biography so there is an obvious conflict of interest here). The biggest problem other than the above is the book is just simply outdated. Released in the 1980s a lot of the notes and additions are just inaccurate (not so much out of bad research as outdated research). I suspect those who rave over this bio have never read other silent film bios. Its still good, its still interesting, but oddly its not even the best Louise Brooks book out there.

*The Other Marilyn by Warren G. Harris
She only made 3 or so films, all talkies. BUT she was married to Jack Pickford, and had a career as the top notch Ziegfeld girl. Its surprising she even has a bio, so its hard to be picky. Overall there is some solid research, but it could stand some vetting and updating (this book is from the early 80s). The Jack Pickford tidbits either fall into 1) too unbelievable to be real or 2) not very much at all. Some of it was info I had not heard before, such as his cross country drunken escape from a sanatorium to try and win his ex wife back. But again I don't know how much to trust this biographer. Marilyn's story is pretty sad though, so a good solid book for that.





Don't Dos:

*Hollywood Babylon (1, 2, and 3) by Kenneth Anger
We've ranted enough on this. It is toilet paper plain and simple. Do not even TOUCH as it may give you inaccuracies akin to spreading herpes.

*Silent Stars by Jeanine Basinger
I was extremely curious to pick up this book as it is one of the few that Nita Naldi's name comes up in. When I got it I was sorely disappointed. Its probably the best researched book on the don't list but that's not saying much. She uses out of date biographies for her research despite newer and better technology being available (the book was printed in 99 or 00 depending who you ask) and the prose is extremely dry and too self important. Her chapter on Keystone, Mack, and Mabel was useless as was her assessment that Valentino couldn't act. Meanwhile Nita was barely mentioned (and of course the info was the standard wrong stuff). I don't know why people recommend this book...definitely not worth your time with the vast amount of individual silent biographies out there that are much better. Ironically she teaches film studies apparently.

*Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses by Anthony Slide
I'm gonna catch hell for this but I don't like this book one bit. When I first started researching silents I picked it up and found it dry and foreign to me...true its pretty good for mentioning nobodies (John Bunny and Valeska Surrat would be two) but to a new reader it will be off putting. As for an experienced silent reader I find his tone bitchy and I don't care for it (yes pot calling kettle black I know). He compared John Bunny to an Uncle who molests you and his interview with Alice Terry made me vow to dance on that wicked witch's grave. If you do pick it up keep in mind: not only is his tone subjective but the interviews he did were as well (and that was the deluded nobodies faults, not his).

*Olive Thomas: The Life and Death of a Silent Film Beauty by Michelle Vogel
Overpriced, poorly put together (literally it has tissue thin pages), and not very well written or researched. Just not worth the time or money and very little in there is usable for facts. Not even good pictures to make up for it! Poor Olive a new good one is way overdue.

*D.W. Griffith's the Birth of a Nation: A History of the Most Controversial Motion Picture of All Time by Melvyn Stokes
This one is one of the few on this list I have not fully read but I have skimmed it, and gathered other opinions from people who have read it. It's pretty inaccurate and just not worth the time sadly...considering its subject matter that's a shame.

*Valentino: A Dream of Desire by David Bret
Next to Kenneth Anger David Bret is the man I would most like to see set on fire. He is a horrible bitchy queen (wow wonder who that resembles) and likes to write full on trashy books about dead people (his latest attacked dear Jean Harlow). This book is fantasy presented as a biography. He doesn't even have a notes/index section to back up his bullshit and basically he just takes what Anger said, elaborates on his own fantasies, and claims it as fact. A TERRIBLE book that should be burned. We had it out once, he's pretty mentally ill.

*Hollywood's Silent Closet by Darwin Porter
If I could sue him I would. The only credit I can give this jerk is he loosely classified it as fiction, though he basically goes on to slander every silent star ever as being a gay crackhead with anger issues.

*Valentino: The First Superstar by Noel Botham
Also crap just like Bret's book. Should be suitable toilet paper.

*FATHER GOOSE - The Story of Mack Sennett by Gene Fowler
Fictional and more fun than fact. 

*Mabel: Hollywood's First Don't-Care Girl, the Life of Mabel Normand by Betty Harper Fussell
Working on my own Mabel biography I don't want to look like a catty bitch in this matter. With all do respect to Fussell, she just wasn't a good biographer. She had the chance to interview a few still living Mabel acquaintances but didn't ask them anything interesting. She also fictionalized letters and phone calls between Stephen Normand (Mabel's great nephew) and Julia (her nurse) which pretty much paints a novel more than a biography. You don't really get anything much about Mabel Normand from this book, just that Betty thought it'd be fun to look for her but got distracted by something shiny along the way.

*Anna May Wong: From Laundryman's Daughter to Hollywood Legend by Graham Russell Gao Hodges
Inaccurate, full of typos, and stilted in its prose. Seriously avoid.


*A Short History of the Movies by Bruce Kawin and Gerald Mast
Admittedly I bought the 1992 version, and the last version came out in 2008 so maybe they made up for it, but part of me doubts that.  Silent film is brief in the whole of the book and even worse Rudolph Valentino is only mentioned ONCE.  Mary Pickford and other huge silent people get a short end in lieu of pretentious crap like Metropolis.  I guess my complaint is for being a short history they chose all the wrong things and omitted all the right things.

The Ultimate Silent Film Vamp

Yes yes I'm horrible...haven't posted and blah. So umm rumor has it if you click here you might get a sneak preview of what I've been up to. Feel free to fawn and send praises. Shameless plug: it is fully functional shall you want purchase something gorgeous!

I love vamps. I wish to be a vamp. I mean it would be hard to sit around all day being sweet and innocent like Mary Pickford or Lillian Gish. I'd probably pull it off for all of 5 minutes before they yelled cut, I pulled off my wig, and started cursing out the prop boy while smoking a cigarette (ironically I don't smoke!) To vamp...now THAT would have been fun! Of my many goals in life this is one...shall I ever make a silent short film...I'm gonna vamp!

This month's poll was a little far reaching, throwing in several vamps many have not seen (Musidora) or can not see (Valeska Surrat). The results are pretty obvious, but not so shockingly I have a different take then you guys. Here's the poll results:

#1: Theda Bara 51%
#2: Louise Brooks 23%
#3: Greta Garbo 12%
#4: Nita Naldi 8%
#5: Musidora 4%
TIE: Valeska Suratt and Betty Blythe 0%

My takes:



#1: Theda Bara

Okay you can't deny Theda. I really wanted to shake it up and put Nita first, but the only reason I would even consider that is so much of Theda's work is lost, particularly her vamping work. But there is no denying just how awesome she was in 1914's "A Fool There Was"...sucking the life out of men, taking their money, and leaving unscathed or caring. God its a fabulous movie when Theda is on screen! Unfortunately the overall effect is a bit dull what with the 1914 staging and pacing. The plot lags horribly because of this. Had it been remade in say 1929 with Theda I think it would have been worlds better.

I cry at night over the thought that Cleopatra is lost and probably will be forever and long past my life time (lets hope there really will be time travel someday!) Same for Salome. And even Madame DuBarry (pictures of her in that costume tickle me so). Theda was the first VAMP by name, and she was by far the best. Sorry Helen Gardner.



#2: Nita Naldi

WHAT is wrong with you guys?!? Nita if not greater than Theda is definitely THE vamp successor. We can argue over Greta and Louise all we want but the inherent problem with them is the flapper is creeping in, the true essence of a vamp vamping for fun is lost in their films. Instead a girl is believed to be a vamp because the men say so, and they destroy themselves and her because of this perception. Nita didn't have time for that bullshit...she vamped in a good chunk of her films and even vamped dear sexy Sheiky Valentino. She was his most frequent co-star, and in at least the existing ones she gives Theda a huge run for her money.

In Cobra Nita is literally the evil snake like woman, destroying the poor man. In Blood and Sand (one of her most widely available films) shes the vampy Dona Sol who lures poor Valentino away from his sweet virtuous wife...mostly for sport. Add to it she bites him and keeps a harem of male slaves. Seriously...I demand more Nita respect! That woman was just amazing. She was like Olive Thomas and Theda Bara rolled into one minus the cocaine and frumpiness.



#3 Louise Brooks

While I still don't really feel Louise is an authentic through and through vamp she does play the elements. Frankly I think if you stick the name 'Louise Brooks' somewhere everyone will vote for her. The next poll could be 'who is the greatest silent male actor?' and somehow she'd win. But in comparison to Greta, just somehow Louise does it better. I'd rather watch Pandora's Box 80 times than sit through 1 torturous screening of Greta's tedious flapper vamp silents (particularly Wild Orchids). This is no fault of Greta's...she truly did not get very interesting until talkies...and even then its hard for her to beat out Louise's screen presence. If one considers the vamp element in each woman alone then Louise wins by a long shot.


#4 Greta Garbo

In fact I'd almost say by the time her talkies arrived Greta turned into the new femme fatal over the flapper/vamp hybrid. I just do not think of her as vamp at all but she was definitely the successor to the vamp. Case in point: Grand Hotel. She had no vamping ambitions, she 'wanted to be let alone', and yet somehow she still gets a sliver of that projection on her, and it not only destroys her man (accidentally) but herself as well (presumably). In fact she'd already been destroyed before the movie started. Its almost like 'This is where Diary of a Lost Girl would take off' then a true vamp film.



The remaining 3 ladies I have not had the pleasure of seeing. Surely Musidora should rank higher, she was right there with Theda (an ocean away but same time period) vamping it up in tight skimpy costumes. Some of her films exist, I think they are just more obscure to obtain in the English speaking world. Most of Betty Blythe's films are lost, though I do have one I need to watch...damn schedule. Unfortunately all of Valeska's films are either lost or no one cares to search for them. That being said there is something interesting about her. However it would be hard to rank her without seeing a film...which is impossible at this point. Vamps have horrible survival rates unfortunately.

The Strange Case of Michael Jackson and Fatty Arbuckle

A lot of people have a hard time comparing silent stars to stars of today. I don't know one person who can give a satisfactory comparison between Mary Pickford and someone now. Usually they attempt Brangelina, but even Brangelina's money and fame pale in comparison to that of Doug and Mary. Mary was a superstar for near on 20 years, Angelina has had less than 10.

They don't make stars like they used to. The twittering internet generation (irony of writing this on a website is duly noted) has such a short attention span...these days you're probably lucky to get 5 years no matter what your field. The quick turnaround between 'superstar' and 'reality TV whore' is pretty scary. For our generation arguably Britney Spears may have been one of the most famous, yet even she fell relatively fast. Sure she's ''come back'' but instead of being a straight shot of fame its just always waning.

I love music, it was my first love. Particularly pop music...of course my generation as said above our stars fell pretty fast. Spice Girls had 2 years, Britney 5, the boybands no more than 5. Of course by the time I was obsessed with music Michael Jackson was bizarre quiet footnote. It was okay to love Elvis, but a little weird to like whatever Michael was doing at the time. Of course you were allowed to love Thriller and what not...but you still whispered about how odd he looked during the 00s...his little TV event, the 'Artist of the Millennium' gaffe, the epic failure of Invincible, so forth.

I wasn't a major fan of his. I do admit to an obsession with Billie Jean however. Every now and then an event will happen that reminds me of some silent film story...of course this is rare as silent folks had epic ways of killing themselves or going down in scandal (as our debunking Hollywood Babylon article entails).

Today I woke up to hear Michael Jackson had died right here in LA...which seemed so random. I couldn't believe it but shortly after I heard it was confirmed for sure. I was grateful I wasn't caught up near UCLA...I can only imagine the traffic hell going on right now! Apparently a mass gathering around his family's star and a mistaken same named DJ's star is going on in Hollywood right now. His actual star is covered up for the premiere of Bruno which makes me consider going up there anyways...that movie is fantastic (I got to see a preview screening)! To add to the comparisons I'm about to make I find that a tad ironic...I find Sascha Baron Cohen the new Chaplin (hold your fire!) for his daringness and pathos. True its shocking pathos but its still amazing.

Everyone on the news is saying 'Oh there has never been and never will be a star as great as Michael!' That annoys me because overlooking Elvis they always forget dear Jolie: Al Jolson. Jolson was the ruling King of Jazz if you will...he had a career that rivaled both those great mens. Hell it was his appearance in The Jazz Singer that rushed the death of silents. Without Jolie its likely talkies wouldn't have caught on so fast or so brashly (side note: The Jazz Singer is not a true talkie and it was not the first by a long shot).

The story of Michael Jackson reminds me a lot of that of another great man: Fatty 'Roscoe' Arbuckle. Though no Jolson, Fatty Arbuckle's popularity rivaled that of Chaplin during his own time. Lord knows what would have become of him had that whole Virginia Rappe thing not happened.

The reason I connect the two men in my mind goes back to Jackson's 2005 molestation trial. Growing up of course I was aware of the 92 one...but that 2005 one occurred when I was 18 and fully able to comprehend it. I was obsessed with CNN at the time, and I watched every little bit and update there was to be had about it. The trial resembled a circus more than an attempt at justice. I remember being very angry when he was acquitted, certain a molester had charmed his way out of justice. Since that time I have learned to not get caught up in such stupid press driven things, but I remember very well that since of sure anger that I and so many others felt. I don't think I knew one person at the time who defended him or said maybe the whole thing had been botched, whether he had or hadn't molested a child no justice was served.

This truly must be similar to how people felt when it was announced the lovable funny comic Fatty Arbuckle, in his Chaplin like popularity, had 'raped' a woman and killed her with his humongous weight. What had once been cute and charming was now a cruel disgusting symbol of what he ''did'' to this woman. Three trials ensued, and with them all sorts of stupid rumors, trash, and innuendo. 'He raped her with a coke/champagne bottle', so forth.

Though I'm still awaiting to fantastic Joan's research on the trials I must be in the camp that Roscoe was innocent...a huge abortion of justice and trial by public had occurred. I must admit I haven't looked into Michael's charges since 2005, but now thinking on it I'm not so sure he did or didn't molest that child (or others). But what I am sure of is he was hanged by the public mostly be innuendo, and whether he did or did not commit such a crime he had no chance in hell of getting a legitimately just trial.

After the Fatty Arbuckle trial you could find two camps in Hollywood: the ones who KNEW he did, and the ones who knew he DIDN'T. All sorts of people stuck by him including Mabel, Marion Davies (who's lover had ironically hanged him via media), Rudolph Valentino, and of course Buster Keaton.

The ones who KNEW he did it always swore so heavily that they heard from a friend who had been at that infamous party, or maybe they had been there themselves. And they always claimed that the press was right: he raped her (with or without a coke bottle), laughed about it, and got away with it. When Miriam Cooper wrote her book in the 1970s she repeated that she heard from someone at the party, she was certain he had raped a poor little innocent girl whom she had met at a hotel once. There were other such people...but most of them were old and bitter when they declared so publicly. One exception: William S. Hart. He was one of the only celebrities to speak out during the trials that he was CERTAIN that man he had never met committed such a crime. Of course on the flipside no one really spoke out in Fatty's defense at the time either...Hollywood was paralyzed with fear.

In these coming days and years we will surely hear similar stories on Michael Jackson. People who "KNEW" he molested a child, or did this and that will spread it around. You'll surely encounter or hear about some celeb saying they heard it from another. And of course on the other side there will certainly be people defending him, unlike Fatty several did during his trial.

Fatty was literally blacklisted from working in film. Friends snuck him work, usually directing under the pseudonym William Goodrich. Depending who you ask he was either severely depressed and did no real work, while others say he enjoyed directing. After the 92 thing Michael had his own sort of blacklisting, sure no one literally forbade him to work but nothing he did sold or generated as much press as it had before his troubles. One could say it was just a natural decline in fame but I cite the extraordinarily overrated old hag known as Madonna to counter that. Despite being too old to run around in leotards and rarely making anything known as good music she has had her hits through the 90s and 00s...particularly Ray of Light, Music, and Hung Up. Had he not suffered maybe he too would have had similar success.

Like Fatty he attempted a small comeback. Fatty took to vaudeville in the early 30s which led to small sound shorts. Michael did Invincible but didn't find the success he had hoped for. Instead he picked a bitching fight with his record label. Then the 2005 trial happened. He once again fell quietly into despair, and began planning a new comeback.

When he announced his comeback tour, which I believe was to take place this summer but was bumped back to next year he had his little moment in the sun once more. Fans cheered, his tickets sold out in SECONDS, and something like 50 dates were added. Fatty had a similar comeback: with the success of his shorts he was offered a contract with Warner Brothers to make sound features. It was also his wedding anniversary with his new wife Addie. They went and had a joint celebration then headed off to bed. Roscoe died in his sleep that night.

Jackson had been preparing for his comeback tour, probably certain it would be a major success. He also died unexpectedly today at the age of 50. Roscoe was 46.

In this tweeting age I'm curious as to how Michael will be remembered. Roscoe died without too much noise being made over his old scandals, he had been forgiven. But years later, particularly the 60s and 70s silent revival, the scandal came up again. Head douchebag Kenneth Anger glamorized the rumors in his Hollywood Babylon, and others seized onto them. I have a book about Triangle from the 70s. Despite trying to take an academic approach they two say he really raped Virginia.

Maybe Michael will be forgotten in 40 years like Jolson. Or maybe he'll be remembered like Roscoe. Hopefully it will be for more than just the scandals and the supposeds. Whatever he did in life he was a human, and he has left behind children. Hopefully that wont be lost in history like it has been for so many others.

My First Silent Film

My apologies for a lack of updates this month. I'm eagerly awaiting the completion of the Rudy site, and well its kept me busy! However there will be more updates this week, lets just say I got a Lottie film to review!

A favorite question people ask me is "Oh what got you into silent film?" Usually a movie of some sort is expected, though ironically I cant remember what the first silent film I ever seen was. As a child I was greatly fascinated with history...any and everything about history especially the Civil War and the Civil Rights era. I distinctly remember being about 10 or 11 and catching a silent film on TCM one night...there was a woman by a fence and the memory surely recalls a Griffith styled film. However to this day I'm not sure what it was. The other day I realized one of my favorite shows when I was young, "Histories Mysteries" constantly uses silent film clips even if the story they are telling has nothing to do with the 20s or silents. So that probably exposed me to silents as well.

The first silent film I seen on purpose was "Beyond the Rocks" in 2005. I lived in Orlando at the time and there was a little arts house that had a movie theatre upstairs. I read a review of the film in the weekly and decided I should go...it sounded interesting and for some reason I had quite an urge to see what a silent film was. Of course I put it off forever...I think they ran it for about a week. I ended up catching one of the last screenings on the last day. I haven't thought about this in forever but sitting here awaiting the arrival of my Beyond the Rocks DVD it started running through my mind. And considering how much I now know about silents its kind of funny my first impressions.



It was a tiny theatre with a small screen, and only one other person was in attendance! Mind you I haven't seen this film since that very day but I remember my presumption was (especially after the first few scenes) 'very mellerdrama'. I thought silents must be a little silly, that weird sort of acting and the very old styled clothing. However I was determined to give it a chance, and I wasn't immediately turned off though the antiquity of it definitely jarred me at first.

Then a title card flashed and a very handsome man appeared on screen. "Oh THAT'S that Valentino fellow!" Like everyone else I had heard the name but I don't think I'd ever seen the face before that point. A few scenes of his in I remember thinking, "I don't know who he is...but its a shame he's dead!" There was definitely something about Valentino that drew me in. Much like Louise Brooks he had such a modern look and force...that thing that makes one an icon. And much like Louise he could live up to the reputation, as he is a fantastic actor. I had nothing against Gloria at the time, but she wasn't wowing me. Funny because now I consider her one of the top actresses ever of either talkies or silents. Of course it was a pretty standard fashion film...not like it gave her much room to act.

I do remember being impressed with the scene where they sit there and try to fight their forbidden love. Of course now I just enjoy Valentino's acting in every sort of way, but even then he impressed me beyond being pretty. I remember thinking the ending was a bit contrived, but I left thinking it was quite interesting...and I wanted to see more.

For the longest time I wasn't sure what the first silent I seen on purpose was...was it this or was it "Broken Blossoms"? Now that I think about it, it was after I had seen Beyond the Rocks that I caught Broken Blossoms on TCM one night. The closet scene further convinced me there was something to this. It was around the same time I started researching women in the entertainment business, and the first book that popped up in my search was Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood. Soon I had Dark Lover and by the end of the year I was in Hollywood. It was after a month of Mary Pickford at the Silent Movie Theatre I decided there might be something to starting Forget the Talkies.




And that is the story of my first silent film. Honestly I can not wait to see Beyond the Rocks again. I have no clue why I've waited so long. Its one of the few Valentino films I don't have on DVD, Cobra being the other (for now). If you don't own a copy yet I would highly suggest snatching it up while you can...amazon seems to be hinting its about to go out of print. Click here to purchase it at Half.com.

Chaplin Days and the Silent Film Festival!

The Silent Film Wiki and its schedule are undergoing some renovation. In fact at the moment I am working on 3 sites, 2 of which are honor projects and long overdue. On one of those I will move the silent film schedule. There will be a new variation of the silent film wiki soon, since I am sick of Wikia (and its evil inspiration: Wikipedia).

However since I'll be spending the next few weeks getting these sites going you'll might miss some great events if I don't post them now. First up the Silent Movie Theatre has finally given in and will show Chaplin in "The Kid" on June 21st at the ungodly hour of 1pm (which means not only can I not sleep till noon but I might have to put up with screaming brats as well...it may be my idea of hell but Chaplin is my lord and savior so it balances out). Capping off what has been 5 out of 6 months of comedy they will be showing a month full of silent shorts. This week was Laurel and Hardy, next week is a really neat event with that guy from Police Academy doing sound effects for accompaniment. Then Sennett shorts and finally Our Gang shorts. I must confess I'm a little underwhelmed, because shorts are very hit or miss for me. But I like the idea...and I'm sure it'll be a sell out every night!

Every now and then I get an email from the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum and Theater in Niles, CA (up by San Fransisco) teasing me about the great programming they have going on. For 30 or so years they've been putting on Charlie Chaplin Days every June...an all out Charlie fest complete with the town being taken over by Charlie impersonators! The event takes place June 6th and June 7th so you better get there! They even have a lookalike contest! Click here for more information. THIS is the type of event I want to see more of...yes there will definitely be Sheiks and Tango-ers at Rudy Fest!

And finally even though its in July it is worth noting that The San Fransisco Silent Film Festival will be taking place July 10th-July 12th. Click here for more information. They have a wonderful lineup, and truly they are an inspiration to silent film screenings everywhere. Reason enough to go this year: The Wind (Lillian Gish), Bardelys the Magnificent (King Vidor and John Gilbert), Wild Rose (A Chinese silent), and Eritokon (need I say more?)

On a non silent note The Magic of Tony Curtis will be held at the Million Dollar Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles June 13th. The man himself will be in attendance I hear. They'll be showing "Some like it Hot" with Marilyn Monroe, who I adore. It has a flapper theme (well I haven't seen it in years so I'm going off what I'm told) and rumor has it there will be authentic flappers and 20s boys roaming around. Sounds like lots of fun! Click here for more information.

Doris Eaton: 105 and still amazing!

Doris Eaton turned 105 last January. She was actually the subject of the first post here on FTT, and I've always adored her. She's still kicking, and still literally dancing. Every year she takes part in a few charity events. The New York Times wrote about her in April.

And now Gary over at Midnight Palace has done a wonderful interview with her, which you can read here. Doris is truly a wonder, and if you haven't read either of her books you really need to. The Days We Danced is her biography, and Century Girl is a wonderful huge picture book that tells her life through pictures and cute collages. Click here to watch Doris performing in 1929.