November's Spotlight

Norma Shearer

Born Edith Norma Shearer August 10 1902. in Montreal Quebec Canada. She won a beauty contest at age fourteen. In 1920 her mother, Edith Shearer, took Norma and her sister Athole Shearer (Mrs. Howard Hawks) to New York. Ziegfeld rejected her for his "Follies" but she got work as an extra in several movies. She spent much money on eye doctor's services trying to correct her cross-eyed stare caused by a muscle weakness. Irving Thalberg had seen her early efforts and, when he joined Louis B. Mayer in 1923, gave her a five year contract. He thought she should retire after their marriage, but she wanted bigger parts. Her first talkie was in 1929. Four movies later she won an Oscar in the 1930 production of The Divorcee. She intentionally cut down film exposure during the thirties, relying on major roles in Thalberg's prestige projects. Thalberg died of second heart attack in September 1936, aged thirty-seven. Norma wanted to retire but MGM more-or-less forced her into a six-picture contract. David O Selznick offered her the part of Scarlett O'Hara, but public objection to her cross-eyed stare killed the deal. She retired in 1942. Later that year she married Sun Valley ski instructor Martin Arrouge, twenty years younger than she. From then on she shunned the limelight; she was in very poor health the last decade of her life. Norma passed away of pneumonia on June 12th 1983 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California.

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October Spotlight:

Theda Bara

"The Original Vamp"

Biography:

Born Theodosia Goodman, July 29, 1885 Cincinnati, Ohio, Theda Bara was the daughter of a Cincinnati tailor, Bernard Goodman, and his wife Pauline. In 1908 she appeared on Broadway in "The Devil" under the name Theodosia de Coppett. Her first film was THE STAIN, in 1915, but being an extra, she wasn't seen on camera. She was given the starring role in A Fool There Was. She became Hollywood's first publicity-created superstar. She cultivated a mysterious accent and was always decked out in her trademark makeup, veils, jewelry and furs. Theda Bara was was the original Goth Girl: before Vampira, Morticia or Elvira, there was Theda. While she was not quite the first female "vampire" on the screen, she was the first to become a huge star. And, as actresses were largely responsible for their own costumes and make-up at that time, she invented her own look. It was in her role in A Fool There Was (Fox, 1915) that Theda created the character she would always be known for - The Vamp. Wicked and worldly, sultry and seductive - the epitome of a Scarlet Woman. Our modern usage of the term "vamp" comes from Theda's studio nickname. At the time, her character was simply referred to as "the Vampire," but some folks on the set shortened it to "vamp," and it stuck. At first it was merely a humorous nickname, then its use spread to apply to any woman displaying the traits of a brazen seductress who lured men to their emotional doom. Unlike the roles she played, Theda herself was known to her friends and neighbors for being very kind and virtuous, a stark contrast to the character she developed on screen. Unfortunately, she had been indelibly typecast. A hot property, she made six more films in 1915, finishing up with CARMEN. In 1916 Theda starred in six more films. In 1917 Theda starred in the super-successful CLEOPATRA, which was a smash at the box-office. In 1918, Theda (allegedly) wrote the story and starred as the Priestess in THE SOUL OF BUDDHA. After seven films in 1919, Theda’s five-year contract with Fox was not renewed. Her career would never be the same again. On April 7, 1955, Theda died of abdominal cancer at the age of 69 in Los Angeles, California.