A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses

A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses
Author: George A. Katchmer
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 489
Release: 2015-05-20
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1476609055

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Long before sound became an essential part of motion pictures, Westerns were an established genre. The men and women who brought to life cowboys, cowgirls, villains, sidekicks, distressed damsels and outraged townspeople often continued with their film careers, finding success and fame well into the sound era--always knowing that it was in silent Westerns that their careers began. More than a thousand of these once-silent Western players are featured in this fully indexed encyclopedic work. Each entry includes a detailed biography, covering both personal and professional milestones and a complete Western filmography. A foreword is supplied by Diana Serra Cary (formerly the child star "Baby Peggy"), who performed with many of the actors herein.

"A" Western Filmmakers

Author: Henryk Hoffmann
Publisher:
Total Pages: 664
Release: 2000
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

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From High Noon to Unforgiven, the "A" Western represents the pinnacle of Western filmmaking. More intellectual, ambitious, and time-consuming than the readily produced "B" or serial Westerns, these films rely on hundreds of talented artists. This comprehensive reference work provides biographies and Western filmographies for nearly 1,000 men and women who have contributed to at least three "A" Westerns. These contributors are arranged by their role in film production. Cinematographers, composers, actors, actresses, and directors receive complete biographical treatment; writers whose work was used in at least two Westerns are also featured. An appendix lists well-known actors who have appeared in either one or two "A" Westerns, as specified.

Silent Players

Silent Players
Author: Anthony Slide
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Total Pages: 461
Release: 2010-09-12
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0813127084

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" From his unique perspective of friendship with many of the actors and actresses about whom he writes, silent film historian Anthony Slide creates vivid portraits of the careers and often eccentric lives of 100 players from the American silent film industry. He profiles the era’s shining stars such as Lillian Gish and Blanche Sweet; leading men including William Bakewell and Robert Harron; gifted leading ladies such as Laura La Plante and Alice Terry; ingénues like Mary Astor and Mary Brian; and even Hollywood’s most famous extra, Bess Flowers. Although each original essay is accompanied by significant documentation and an extensive bibliography, Silent Players is not simply a reference book or encyclopedic recitation of facts culled from the pages of fan magazines and trade periodicals. It contains a series of insightful portraits of the characters who symbolize an original and pioneering era in motion history and explores their unique talents and extraordinary private lives. Slide offers a potentially revisionist view of many of the stars he profiles, repudiating the status of some and restoring to fame others who have slipped from view. He personally interviewed many of his subjects and knew several of them intimately, putting him in a distinctive position to tell their true stories.

From Silents to Sound

From Silents to Sound
Author: Roy Liebman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 328
Release: 1998
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

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Garbo talked, Gilbert self-destructed and Chaplin refused--that's about all many people know about silent film actors who faced the transition into talking pictures. Yes, Greta Garbo's talkie debut was successful, John Gilbert's was disastrous, and Charlie Chaplin did not deign to make one for over a decade. But there were many others--both stars and lesser lights--who also made the leap for at least one talking film. From Renee Adoree to Loretta Young, over 500 actors and actresses who made at least three silent films and had some starring or supporting roles in sound films are included in this reference work. For each performer, the place of birth, vital dates, nicknames if any, real name if different from stage name, and a source for filmographic data are included. This information is followed by capsule accounts of the performer's silent and sound careers, along with contemporary reviews of selected talkies in which they appeared.

John Gilbert

John Gilbert
Author: Eve Golden
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2013-04-12
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 081314163X

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This revealing biography of the legendary silent film star chronicles his meteoric rise, famous romances, and tragic descent into obscurity. Known as “The Great Lover,” John Gilbert was among the world's most recognizable actors during the silent era. A swashbuckling figure on screen and off, he is best known today for his high-profile romances with Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, his legendary conflicts with Louis B. Mayer, his four tumultuous marriages, and his swift decline after the introduction of talkies. Many myths have developed around the larger-than-life star in the eighty years since his untimely death, but this definitive biography sets the record straight. Eve Golden separates fact from fiction in John Gilbert, tracing the actor's life from his youth spent traveling with his mother in acting troupes to the peak of fame at MGM, where he starred opposite Mae Murray, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, and others in popular films such as The Merry Widow, The Big Parade, Flesh and the Devil, and Love. Golden debunks some of the most pernicious rumors about Gilbert, including the oft-repeated myth that he had a high-pitched, squeaky voice that ruined his career. Meticulous, comprehensive, and generously illustrated, this book provides a behind-the-scenes look at one of the silent era's greatest stars and the glamorous yet brutal world in which he lived.

Silent Film Performers

Silent Film Performers
Author: Roy Liebman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 400
Release: 1996
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

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Provides biographical and career data for each listed performer, an overview of published books and articles about or written by the performer and a list of archival materials, including photographs and stills, letters and scrapbooks

Eighty Silent Film Stars

Eighty Silent Film Stars
Author: George A. Katchmer
Publisher:
Total Pages: 1096
Release: 1991
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

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Eighty good-sized biographies of significant silent-era players hard to find in other reference works, and almost nowhere at this length. The villains and sidekicks of two-reelers (Jim Corey, Nelson McDowell), cowboy action stars (Jack Hoxie, Art Acord, Hoot Gibson, et al.), comedians, character actors, matinee idols and other talented and reliable performers.A comprehensive filmography (compiled for this book by Richard E. Braff and listing year, studio, director, screenplay, story or author, length and cast) accompanies each entry. The biographies are revised and edited versions of a series that ran in the film periodical Classic Images.

Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965

Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965
Author: Barry Monush
Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation
Total Pages: 844
Release: 2003
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9781557835512

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(Applause Books). For decades, Screen World has been the film professional's, as well as the film buff's, favorite and indispensable annual screen resource, full of all the necessary statistics and facts. Now Screen World editor Barry Monush has compiled another comprehensive work for every film lover's library. In the first of two volumes, this book chronicles the careers of every significant film actor, from the earliest silent screen stars Chaplin, Pickford, Fairbanks to the mid-1960s, when the old studio and star systems came crashing down. Each listing includes: a brief biography, photos from the famed Screen World archives, with many rare shots; vital statistics; a comprehensive filmography; and an informed, entertaining assessment of each actor's contributions good or bad! In addition to every major player, Monush includes the legions of unjustly neglected troupers of yesteryear. The result is a rarity: an invaluable reference tool that's as much fun to read as a scandal sheet. It pulsates with all the scandal, glamour, oddity and glory that was the lifeblood of its subjects. Contains over 1,000 photos!

The Wampas Baby Stars

The Wampas Baby Stars
Author: Roy Liebman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2000
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

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In 1922, an early association of film publicists known as the Western Associated Motion Picture Advertisers (Wampas) hit upon a strategy to call attention to their organization and their industry. The group selected 13 young actresses with potential star power and promoted them heavily as Baby (meaning junior) Stars. To be selected a Wampas Baby Star soon became a much-sought honor--a ticket to recognition and publicity in those days before the Academy Awards. While a few Baby Stars (Ginger Rogers, Joan Crawford) went on to superstardom and others enjoyed modest success, some failed to shine. Many of the nearly 150 actresses chosen during the program's existence, 1922-1934, are forgotten names today. This book offers full biographical details on every actress selected as a Wampas Baby Star. Each actress's entry traces her career and lists films in which she appeared. A year-by-year section lists each year's stars and alternates. Appendices include lists of rivals and successors to the Wampas Baby program (such as the Paramount Protegees), Wampas Drop-Outs, presidents of Wampas, and miscellaneous facts about the Wampas Babies (which actress was tallest? Shortest? Oldest at time of selection?). Photographs, a bibliography and an index are included.