Anita Page and Buster Keaton were costars at MGM, but the situation was not without it's problems.
Anita Page
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Anita Page | |
|---|---|
in 1930
| |
| Born | Anita Evelyn Pomares August 4, 1910 Flushing, Queens, New York, USA |
| Died | September 6, 2008 (aged 98) Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, San Diego |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1925–1936; 2000–2008 |
| Spouse(s) | Nacio Herb Brown (m. 1934; div. 1935) Herschel A. House (m. 1937; died 1991) |
| Children | 2 |
Page became a highly popular young star, reportedly receiving the most fan mail of anyone on the MGM lot. She was referred to as "a blond, blue-eyed Latin"[2] and "the girl with the most beautiful face in Hollywood" in the 1920s.[3] She retired from acting in 1936. Page married her second husband the following year with whom she had two children.
Page returned to acting in 1996, and appeared in four films in the 2000s. She died in September 2008 at the age of 98.
Early life
She was born Anita Evelyn Pomares to Marino, Sr. and Maude (née Mullane) Pomares.[4] She had one brother, Marino Jr., who later worked for her as a gym instructor while her mother worked as her secretary and her father as her chauffeur.[5] Of Salvadoran ancestry, Page's grandfather was a consul from El Salvador.[1][6]Career
Page entered films with the help of friend, actress Betty Bronson. A photo of Page was spotted by a man who handled Bronson's fan mail who was also interested in representing actors. With the encouragement of her mother, Page telephoned the man who arranged a meeting for her with a casting director at Paramount Studios. After screentesting for Paramount, Page also tested for MGM. After being offered a contract for both studios, Page decided on MGM.[7] Page's first film for MGM was the 1928 comedy-drama Telling the World, opposite William Haines. Her performances in her second MGM film, Our Dancing Daughters (1928) opposite Joan Crawford (with whom she appeared in three films), and The Broadway Melody (1929) opposite Bessie Love were her greatest successes of the period, and her popularity allowed her to make a smooth transition into talking pictures.She was the leading lady to Lon Chaney, Buster Keaton, Robert Montgomery, and Clark Gable (among others) and during the early 1930s, she was one of Hollywood's busiest actresses. She was involved briefly with Gable romantically during that time. At the height of her popularity, she was receiving more fan mail than any other female star, with the exception of Greta Garbo, and received multiple marriage proposals from Benito Mussolini in the mail.[5]
Retirement
When her contract expired in 1933, she surprised Hollywood by announcing her retirement at the age of 23. She made one more movie, Hitch Hike to Heaven, in 1936, and then left the screen, virtually disappearing from Hollywood circles for sixty years. In a 2004 interview with author Scott Feinberg, she claimed that her refusal to meet demands for sexual favors by MGM head of production Irving Thalberg, supported by studio chief Louis B. Mayer, is what truly ended her career. She said that Mayer colluded with the other studio bosses to ban her and other uncooperative actresses from finding work.She married composer Nacio Herb Brown in 1934, but the marriage was annulled a year later because Brown's previous divorce had not been finalized at the time they were married.[8] She married Lieutenant Hershel A. House, a Navy pilot, in 1937 and they moved to Coronado, California and lived there until his death in 1991. They had two daughters, Linda[9] (now Linda Sterne)[10] and Sandra (who predeceased Page).
Return to acting
Page returned to the screen in 1996 after sixty years retirement and appeared in several low budget horror films. Film veteran Margaret O'Brien appeared in two of them. During this period, she moved in with her co-star and occasional director, Randal Malone at his Van Nuys home.Page relished her status as "last star of the silents" and frequently gave interviews and appeared in documentaries about the era. Ill health prevented her from making public appearances in her final years.
Death
Page died on September 6, 2008 at her Los Angeles home, at the age of 98.[11] She is buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in San Diego.At the time of her death in September 2008, she was among the last to have acted as an adult in silent films (Barbara Kent and Miriam Seegar are among the handful of others) to live into the 21st century. She was also the last living attendee of the very first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929.
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Anita Page has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6116 Hollywood Boulevard.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | A Kiss for Cinderella | Uncredited | |
| 1926 | Love 'Em and Leave 'Em | Uncredited | |
| 1927 | Beach Nuts | Short film | |
| 1928 | Telling the World | Chrystal Malone | |
| 1928 | Our Dancing Daughters | Ann 'Annikins' | |
| 1928 | While the City Sleeps | Myrtle | |
| 1928 | West of Zanzibar | Bit role | Uncredited |
| 1929 | The Flying Fleet | Anita Hastings | |
| 1929 | The Broadway Melody | Queenie Mahoney | Alternative title: The Broadway Melody of 1929 |
| 1929 | Our Modern Maidens | Kentucky Strafford | |
| 1929 | Speedway | Patricia | |
| 1929 | Navy Blues | Alice "Allie" Brown | |
| 1930 | Great Day | Incomplete | |
| 1930 | Free and Easy | Elvira Plunkett | Alternative title: Easy Go |
| 1930 | Caught Short | Genevieve Jones | |
| 1930 | Our Blushing Brides | Connie Blair | |
| 1930 | Little Accident | Isabel | |
| 1930 | War Nurse | Joy Meadows | |
| 1931 | The Voice of Hollywood No. 7 (Second Series) | ||
| 1931 | Reducing | Vivian Truffle | |
| 1931 | The Easiest Way | Peg Murdock Feliki | |
| 1931 | Gentleman's Fate | Ruth Corrigan | |
| 1931 | Sidewalks of New York | Margie Kelly | |
| 1931 | Under 18 | Sophie | |
| 1932 | Are You Listening? | Sally O'Neil | |
| 1932 | Night Court | Mary Thomas | Alternative title: Justice for Sale |
| 1932 | Skyscraper Souls | Jenny LeGrande | |
| 1932 | Prosperity | Helen Praskins Warren | |
| 1933 | Jungle Bride | Doris Evans | |
| 1933 | Soldiers of the Storm | Natalie | |
| 1933 | The Big Cage | Lilian Langley | |
| 1933 | I Have Lived | Jean St. Clair | Alternative titles: After Midnight Love Life |
| 1936 | Hitch Hike to Heaven | Claudia Revelle | Alternative title: Footlights and Shadows |
| 1961 | The Runaway | Nun | |
| 1996 | Sunset After Dark | ||
| 2000 | Witchcraft XI: Sisters in Blood | Sister Seraphina | Direct-to-DVD release |
| 2002 | The Crawling Brain | Grandma Anita Kroger | Direct-to-DVD release |
| 2004 | Socialite | Socialite | |
| 2009 | Frankenstein Rising | Elizabeth Frankenstein | Released posthumously |
References
- ^ Jump up to: a b Anita Page: Star of the silent screen. Independent.co.uk (September 8, 2008). Retrieved on May 10, 2012.
- Jump up ^ Latinas in the United States. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved on May 10, 2012.
- Jump up ^ Anita Page, 98; Hollywood Star at End of Silent Movie Era. Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved on May 10, 2012.
- Jump up ^ Ankerich, Michael G. (1998). The Sound Of Silence: Conversations With 16 Film and Stage Personalities Who Bridged the Gap Between Silents and Talkies. McFarland. p. 181. ISBN 0-786-40504-X.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Ronald, Bergan (September 8, 2008). "Anita Page: Obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
- Jump up ^ Golden, Eve (2001). Golden Images: 41 Essays on Silent Film Stars. McFarland. p. 130. ISBN 0-7864-0834-0.
- Jump up ^ Golden, Eve (2001). Golden Images: 41 Essays on Silent Film Stars. McFarland. pp. 130–131. ISBN 0-7864-0834-0.
- Jump up ^ Alternate Film Guide: Anita Page: Anita Page: Q&A with Author Allan Ellenberger. Altfg.com (August 22, 2007). Retrieved on May 10, 2012.
- Jump up ^ KansasCity.com: Silent screen siren Anita Page dies at 98[dead link]
- Jump up ^ Silent screen siren Anita Page dies at 98. usatoday.com (September 7, 2008). Retrieved on May 10, 2012.
- Jump up ^ Berkvist, Robert (September 8, 2008). "Anita Page, Silent-Film Siren, Dies at 98". The New York Times. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anita Page. |
- Anita Page at the Internet Movie Database
- Anita Page Biography and Gallery
- Anita Page Photo Gallery
- Anita Page at Golden Silents
- Guardian Interview with Anita Page
- Photographs of Anita Page
- "Anita Page". Find a Grave. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
* * *
Actually Anita Page had an Irish mother, so she would be half Irish and half Salvadorian. Many famous movie actresses were at least part Irish, something that has not always been emphasized.
Prior to the 2004 interview with author Scott Feinberg, author Richard Lamparski* had hinted at Anita Page's problems at MGM without going into all the details. We also know that other actresses had similar problems with the producers, including Thelma Todd. This sort of thing was widespread at the time and was partly to blame for the bad reputation the movie business had.
Anita Page was very popular while she was at MGM and the studio acted as if she were less important than some of the less popular actresses. The situation was unfair and detrimental to her career. During this same period they also managed to ruin Buster Keaton's career. Evidently working for MGM wasn't always all it was cracked up to be.
*WHATEVER BECAME OF... FIFTH SERIES.
With Bessie Love in THE BROADWAY MELODY ( 1929 ).
With Buster Keaton in FREE AND EASY.
Cliff Edwards joins Anita Page and Buster Keaton for a musical rehearsal.
With Marie Dressler in REDUCING.
Marie Dressler was a top star in the early thirties.
The day before Thelma Todd was found dead, Anita Page was at Mrs.Wallace Ford's party when Mrs. Ford received a call from Thelma Todd.
But according to the authorities, Thelma Todd would already have been dead at that time and could not have made the call.
POSTERS
FREE AND EASY
SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK ( 1931 )
NIGHT COURT ( 1932 )
COVER GIRL
Watch JUNGLE BRIDE:
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