Month: May 2025

Categories
Hollywood, Broadway & More! Memorial Miscellaneous

Keith’s Theatre, 5/25/25

(Where, oh where, is cameraman Billy Bitzer when you need him most?)

Children are like little sponges and seem to soak up everything, don’t ’cha know….

Kids are impressionable, adaptable, and malleable but can also fall into the same bad habits as the rest of us, if not challenged to step out of their comfort zone. 

Parents beware!

Once upon a time, long ago before home video was ever a reality, my father, fortuitously, had one of the first affordable 8mm home movie systems.  Dad became quite adept at filming and captured virtually every aspect of our lives on 8mm Kodak film, before my parents’ divorce in 1968. 

After the split, there was an eerie silence, and a lot of movie paraphernalia scattered about that I had to learn to use.  I’m pretty good mechanically and quickly gained Bell & Howell proficiency, but am not so adept at creative writing, certainly not at video storytelling, which wasn’t even part of our school curriculum at the time.

You see, in 1968, that subject didn’t even exist! 

So, I relied on dear old Dad for all the technical cinematic stuff since I couldn’t be bothered to learn something I didn’t instantly excel at, and grew quite comfortable letting him plan all the shots and direction like, “Stand here, Keith,” or to, “Look excited and smile, son!”

I never in a million years imagined he’d be gone in just a matter of months.  Then I was just lost.

Human nature, don’t ’cha think?

So, where, oh where, is cameraman Billy Bitzer when you need him most? Up in the sky with D.W. Griffith, perhaps? Come back down to earth and help me learn the cinematic skills I lack since Dad never challenged me to develop them. 

G.W. “Billy” Bitzer (l) w/ Griffith (r) in 1920
Master director, D.W. Griffith

Then, suddenly Dad was gone, and my parents’ divorce was anything but friendly, get the picture? Lots of ill will in every direction, and the kids all ducked and covered, hoping they wouldn’t suffer any of the fallout.

Let’s change the channel, shall we? I feel like talking about something else now. 

Let’s take up the subject of much-maligned director, D.W. Griffith (1875-1948), who with cameraman, G.W. “Billy” Bitzer (1872-1944), was instrumental in bringing so much innovation to the film world, like the close-up, fade-in, fade-out and long shot. 

The problem is that D.W. Griffith is often remembered today as little more than a southern white supremacist, largely due to his interpretation of the play “The Clansman” (based on a novel by the same name) which became Griffith’s signature1915 film, The Birth of a Nation. 

After D.W. Griffith’s tremendous success with The Birth of a Nation, he later failed miserably to perform after personally financing his next blockbuster epic film, 1916’s Intolerance.  It eventually caused his financial ruin to be heard “from sea to shining sea.”

David Wark Griffith literally defined early Hollywood history, though, and brought us masterpieces like 1913’s Judith of Bethulia, 1915’s The Birth of a Nation and 1916’s Intolerance.

Furthermore, Griffith’s genius introduced us to the likes of Lillian & Dorothy Gish, Blanche Sweet, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Owen Moore, Jack Pickford, Robert Harron, Lionel Barrymore, Harry Carey and Wallace Reid.

It’s all a matter of public record, don’t ’cha know…

Until next time…

Dorothy GIsh
Mae Marsh
Lillian Gish
Owen Moore
Harey Carey
Henry B. Walthal
Mary Pickford’s brother, Jack Pickford
Handsome Wallace Reid fell victim to morphine addiction in the early 1920s
Categories
Hollywood, Broadway & More! Memorial Miscellaneous Sex Symbols

Keith’s Theatre, 5/17/25

Popularity can be a very transitory beast and public tastes can change, in the rapid blink of an eye or as quickly as a photographer’s flash, don’t ’cha know….

It’s history constantly repeating itself, hoping we’ll eventually learn our lesson, though we rarely listen.

You see, the public is fickle.

That old truism came to life again this week as I watched someone gloat over their YouTube subscriber rate and number of video views, versus their competitor who’s in the same niche market.  Mr. X just had to rub it in real good and make himself feel like the virtual king, presiding over his adoring and loyal subjects…

Of course, they’ll always be there!

Or will they?

There’s a cavalcade of has-beens who’ll attest to the public’s fickle nature, and many are just screaming, some from the grave, “You’re only as good as your last performance!”

Let’s take a look at a few of yesterday’s stars that regrettably ended up on the has-been compost heap.

1925: Mae Murray (1889 – 1965) stars as dancer Sally O’Hara in the film ‘The Merry Widow’, directed by Erich Von Stroheim for MGM.

First up on my list of forgotten ones is the divine one herself, Mae Murray (aka Princess Mdivani of Georgia), who for almost two decades was both a Ziegfeld Follies as well as a silent picture star.  Mae thought she’d always be on top and when her beauty faded, so did she…into veritable oblivion.  Mae did make some memorable films though, including director Erich von Stroheim’s 1925 film interpretation of the Franz Lehar opera, The Merry Widow, which sealed Mae’s fate as one of the loveliest actresses to ever grace the screen.  FYI, the video is available in its entirety on YouTube.

Langdon with Joan Crawford in 1927 film “Tramp, Tramp, Tramp”
Harry Langdon, aka “The Baby”

Next up is one of the great silent comedians, Harry Langdon (1884-1944), who’s not very well-remembered today, but for a moment in Hollywood history, was a household name.  Langdon’s trademark baby face was perfect for close-ups and led to starring roles in three silent films which many now consider masterpieces, The Strong Man (1926), Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926), and Long Pants (1927).  Langdon had a unique quality that lent itself perfectly to evoking pathos on the silent screen and his films retain their original magic even today.  

England’s very own “Blonde Bombshell”
Miss Diana Dors

Diana Dors (1931-1984), born Diana Mary Fluck, was England’s answer to the 1950s blonde bombshell craze that included the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Mamie van Doren (FYI, Mamie will be the subject of a future Keith’s Theatre post). 

When Diana Dors’ name comes up today, most people ask, “Diana who?”  At one time, though, Miss Dors was exceptionally hot property and even after her celebrity star dimmed, she managed to self-actualize the sexual nature of life through her extracurricular activities, which involved hidden movie cameras at X-rated adult parties she hosted.  For a full account of Diana Dors’ shenanigans, her Wikipedia biography is here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Dors

Handsome, hunky actor Larry “Buster” Crabbe

Last up on our list of has-beens is none other than Hollywood mega hunk, Buster Crabbe (1908-1983), who is probably best remembered as Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers or Billy the Kid in film serials during the 1930s and 40s.  Crabbe, a former Olympic gold medal swimmer, was catapulted into the acting profession as a result of his sports ability, a story that still resonates today.  Buster Crabbe’s Wikipedia biography is posted here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buster_Crabbe

Yes, the public is fickle.  Here today, gone tomorrow!

Until next time…

Categories
Hollywood, Broadway & More! Memorial Miscellaneous Sex Symbols

Keith’s Theatre, 5/10/25

(Silent star from the past materializes out of thin air!)

As someone matures, they start a mysterious rewinding process, much like birth-in-reverse, and ghosts from the past leap out of every nook and cranny.

This week, I was visited by the spirit of the former Ziegfeld Follies and silent screen star, Olive Thomas, who appeared out of thin air with former husband, Jack Pickford, close by her side.  To be perfectly frank (as well as very prima-donnish), the entire experience was completely overwhelming, and I shan’t recover anytime soon.

Olive Thomas, unfortunately, met an early demise in Paris, France in 1920, after swallowing poison, which ultimately resulted in her death on September 10th.  Her beauty had been the inspiration for artist Alberto Vargas’ work called “Memories of Olive,” and the piece was prominently displayed in the lobby of a New York Ziegfeld theatre for years, before being later sold to an art collector.

“Memories of Olive,” 1920 by Alberto Vargas

 Olive Thomas had once been married to actress Mary Pickford’s brother, Jack, and many believe her husband’s drinking, drug use and philandering drove her to take poison (mercury bichloride) in the early morning hours of September 6, 1920.  Also vacationing with the couple in Paris at the time of Thomas’ death on September 10th, was her close friend, actress and former Ziegfeld star, Mae Murray.

Jack Pickford was best remembered for his starring role in the 1917 silent version of Tom Sawyer, as well as its 1918 sequel, Huck and Tom.  He eloped with Olive Thomas in 1916 and by most accounts, their relationship was tumultuous until Olive’s eventual death from ingesting poison on September 6, 1920.  That death, incidentally, was eventually ruled accidental, but many consider it to be suicide.

Olive Thomas, the great beauty of the silent screen
Olive Thomas & friend
Olive Thomas’ husband, Jack Pickford, brother to Mary Pickford

So felt Mae Murray, who’d been in close contact with Olive at the time and implicated Jack Pickford for Olive’s death.  According to the Michael Ankerich book, “Mae Murray, the Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips,” Mae later wrote, “I tried to feel tolerant and understanding toward Jack, who had broken my friend’s heart because he had been himself and therefore was unlike what she wanted him to be. But I could not trust myself with him. No matter how humble and remorseful Jack would have been – and I’m sure that he was intensely so – I could not risk hurting him more.”

Mae Murray in a revealing negligée
Mae Murray, 1924, as “Circe the Enchantress”

Frances Marion, who was a popular screenwriter during the silent era, said of the Olive Thomas and Jack Pickford relationship, “I had seen her often at the Pickford home, for she was engaged to Mary’s brother, Jack. Two innocent-looking children, they were the gayest, wildest brats who ever stirred the stardust on Broadway. Both were talented, but they were much more interested in playing the roulette of life than in concentrating on their careers.”

Kind of sounds like my shenanigans as I terrorized San Francisco during the 1980s and 90s… don’t ’cha know.

Until next time…

Categories
Hollywood, Broadway & More! Memorial Miscellaneous Sex Symbols

Keith’s Theatre 5/4/2025

(More artists from the past appear out of nowhere!)

As someone matures, they start a mysterious rewinding process, much like birth-in-reverse, and ghosts from the past leap out of every nook and cranny.

This week, I was visited by the spirit of artist, Alberto Vargas, who’d suddenly returned to life. 

I’ve always liked this artist’s work, yet the gallery chain where I worked for many years, Dyansen, handled several commercial artists but not Vargas’ art.  Alberto Vargas by this time had achieved worldwide notoriety and was attracting the attention of art collectors worldwide.

Joaquin Alberto Vargas y Chávez was born on February 9, 1896, in Arequipa, Perú, the son of a well-known Peruvian photographer.  Vargas, considered one of the leading pin-up girl illustrators and artists, perfected the use of watercolors, often in combination with the airbrush, during his lifetime. 

From January, 1941 “Esquire” magazine

Vargas had been employed early in his career by showman, Florenz Ziegfeld.  Vargas painted one of Ziegfeld stars, Olive Thomas, and the work was prominently displayed in the lobby of a New York Ziegfeld theatre for years, before being sold to a private collector. 

“Memories of Olive” by Alberto Vargas, 1920

Olive Thomas, in addition to being a Ziegfeld Follies star, had once been unhappily married to actress Mary Pickford’s brother, Jack, and many believe her husband’s drinking, drug use and philandering drove her to take poison in the early morning hours of September 6, 1920.  Also vacationing with her in Paris at the time of her death on September 10th, was her close friend, as well as former Ziegfeld Follies star, Mae Murray. 

Olive Thomas, Ziegfeld Follies star
Jack Pickford, Mary’s brother
Former Ziegfeld Follies star & friend of Olive Thomas, Mae Murray

Vargas later did work for several Hollywood studios creating movie posters, and one such design was for the 1933 film, The Sin of Nora Moran, starring Zita Johann.  Johann, an Austrian American actress is best remembered for her role opposite Boris Karloff in the 1932 film, The Mummy.

Other well-known actresses painted by Vargas included Ziegfeld’s wife, Billie Burke, silent screen actresses Bessie Love and Nita Naldi, and 1950’s sex symbols Mamie Van Doren and Marilyn Monroe.

Florenz Ziegfeld’s second wife, actress Billie Burke
Bessie Love, silent screen star
Nita Naldi, also achieved silent stardom
Mamie van Doren, Marilyn’s competition
Marilyn Monroe

During the 1940s, Esquire magazine featured many of the Vargas pin-ups, some of which I’ve featured below.  In 1959, Playboy magazine magnate, Hugh Hefner, began using Vargas’ work, which will be featured in a separate Keith’s Theatre column.

Alberto Vargas died on December 30, 1982, in Los Angeles, California.

Wikipedia’s biography of Alberto Vargas can be found at:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Vargas

Until next time…

From March, 1945 “Esquire” magazine
From November, 1945 “Esquire”
From February, 1945 “Esquire”