Helen Gardner's website has been updated with some pretty spiffy stuff. The site is run by her granddaughter, Dorin Gardner Schumacher. Schumacher is currently working on a biography of the Grandmother she never knew, as well as giving lectures on her life and collecting memorabilia.
Helen Gardner was pretty awesome. She was an extremely early 1910s star and due to her timing she reached a lot of firsts before anyone. She was the first ''vamp'' (though the word was not yet in use, but the mannerisms are similar) performing in such films as "Cleopatra" in 1912. Cleopatra was also one of the first 'feature' films (in an era where most films were under 10 minutes), running 6 reels long. Luckily most of it survives and it runs on TCM every now and then.
Helen Gardner was also very arguably the first female producer in film. In 1912 she formed Helen Gardner Picture Players and created her own studio in New Jersey. This predates Mary Pickford by 2 years and Clara Kimball Young by 4.
Of course being such an early pioneer kind of did her in, like it did to many of the early greats (including the illustrious Mr. Griffith). She slowed her film output by 1915, and much like Theda Bara made one last go in the 20s with "Sandra" in 1924. Surprisingly Dorin reports that of the 62 films Gardner starred in at least 18 survive...pretty good for a 1910s star!
The new site has youtube clips, a blog, a twitter, and a facebook page. Obviously Dorin has figured out the best ways to promote a silent star! I suggest you all go there, join all her pages and newsletter, and eagerly sit and wait for her book...which sounds like it will be a fascinating look at very early Hollywood.
2 comments:
Not to take anything away from Ms Gardner, but Gene Gauntier formed her own company around the same time and arguably had been acting as her own producer at Kalem even though she wasn't credited as such. I think GG was one of the most remarkable of the early women filmmakers and rarely gets her due in film histories.
Hmm tell me more. It is hard to break down the histories...most people assume Mary Pickford was the first and Alice Guy Blache never existed...
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