Jetta Goudal
Encyclopedia
Jetta Goudal was a Dutch
-born American actress, successful in Hollywood films of the silent film
era.
with various theater companies.
In 1918, she left World War I
-era devastated Europe
to settle in New York City
in the United States, where she hid her Dutch and Jewish ancestry, generally describing herself as a "Parisienne" and on an information sheet for the Paramount Public Department she wrote that she was born at Versailles
on July 12, 1901 (shaving 10 years off her age as well), the daughter of a fictional Maurice Guillaume Goudal, a lawyer.
in 1921, using the stage name Jetta Goudal. After meeting director Sidney Olcott
, who encouraged her venture into film acting, she accepted a bit part in his 1922 film production Timothy's Quest. Convinced to move to the West Coast
, Goudal appeared in two more Olcott films in the ensuing three years.
Goudal's first role in motion pictures came in The Bright Shawl (1923). She quickly earned praise for her film work, especially for her performance in 1925's Salome of the Tenements
, a film based on the Anzia Yezierska
novel
about life in New York's Jewish Lower East Side
. Goudal then worked in the Adolph Zukor
and Jesse L. Lasky
co-production of The Spaniard and her growing fame brought her to the attention of producer/director Cecil B. DeMille
.
Goudal appeared in several highly successful and acclaimed films for DeMille and became one of the top box office
draws of the late 1920s.
DeMille later claimed that Goudal was so difficult to work with that he eventually fired her and cancelled their contract. Goudal filed a lawsuit
for breach of contract
against him and DeMille Pictures Corporation.
Although DeMille claimed her conduct had caused numerous and costly production delays, in a landmark ruling, Goudal won the suit when DeMille was unwilling to provide his studio's financial records to support his claim of financial losses.
Goudal appeared in 1928's The Cardboard Lover, produced by William Randolph Hearst
and Marion Davies
. In 1929, she starred in Lady of the Pavements
, directed by D.W. Griffith, and in 1930, Jacques Feyder
directed Goudal in her only French language
film, a made-in-Hollywood production titled Le Spectre vert.
campaign for the theatre and film industry to accept a closed shop
, some of the Hollywood studios refused to employ Goudal. In 1932, at age forty-one, she made her last screen appearance in a talkie, co-starring with Will Rogers
in the Fox Film Corporation production of Business and Pleasure.
In 1930, she married Harold Grieve
, an art director
and founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
. When her film career ended, she joined Grieve in running a successful interior design
business. They remained married until her death in 1985 in Los Angeles
. She is interred next to her husband in a private room at the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of the Angels, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
.
In recognition of her contribution to the motion picture industry, Jetta Goudal has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6333 Hollywood Blvd.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-born American actress, successful in Hollywood films of the silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
era.
Early life
Goudal was born as Juliette Henriette Goudeket in 1891, daughter of Mozes Goudeket (1860–1942), a wealthy, Orthodox Jewish diamond cutter in Amsterdam, and Geertruida Warradijn (1866–1920). Tall and regal in appearance, she began her acting career on stage, traveling across EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with various theater companies.
In 1918, she left World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
-era devastated Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to settle in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the United States, where she hid her Dutch and Jewish ancestry, generally describing herself as a "Parisienne" and on an information sheet for the Paramount Public Department she wrote that she was born at Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
on July 12, 1901 (shaving 10 years off her age as well), the daughter of a fictional Maurice Guillaume Goudal, a lawyer.
Career
She first appeared on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1921, using the stage name Jetta Goudal. After meeting director Sidney Olcott
Sidney Olcott
Sidney Olcott was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter.-Biography:Born John Sidney Alcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great directors of the motion picture business...
, who encouraged her venture into film acting, she accepted a bit part in his 1922 film production Timothy's Quest. Convinced to move to the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, Goudal appeared in two more Olcott films in the ensuing three years.
Goudal's first role in motion pictures came in The Bright Shawl (1923). She quickly earned praise for her film work, especially for her performance in 1925's Salome of the Tenements
Salome of the Tenements
Salome of the Tenements is a 1925 silent film adapted to the screen by Sonya Levien from the Anzia Yezierska novel. Made by Jesse L. Lasky and Adolph Zukor's Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, a division of Paramount Pictures, it was directed by Sidney Olcott and starred Jetta Goudal and Godfrey...
, a film based on the Anzia Yezierska
Anzia Yezierska
Anzia Yezierska was a Polish-American novelist born in Maly Plock, Poland.- Personal life :Anzia Yezierska was born in the 1880s in Maly Plock to Bernard and Pearl Yezierski. Her family immigrated to America around 1890, following in the footsteps of her eldest brother Meyer, who arrived to the...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
about life in New York's Jewish Lower East Side
Lower East Side, Manhattan
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
. Goudal then worked in the Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor , born Adolph Cukor, was a film mogul and founder of Paramount Pictures.-Early life:...
and Jesse L. Lasky
Jesse L. Lasky
Jesse Louis Lasky, Sr. was a pioneer Hollywood film producer. He was a key founder of Paramount Pictures with Adolph Zukor, and father of screenwriter Jesse L...
co-production of The Spaniard and her growing fame brought her to the attention of producer/director Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
.
Goudal appeared in several highly successful and acclaimed films for DeMille and became one of the top box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
draws of the late 1920s.
DeMille later claimed that Goudal was so difficult to work with that he eventually fired her and cancelled their contract. Goudal filed a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
for breach of contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
against him and DeMille Pictures Corporation.
Although DeMille claimed her conduct had caused numerous and costly production delays, in a landmark ruling, Goudal won the suit when DeMille was unwilling to provide his studio's financial records to support his claim of financial losses.
Goudal appeared in 1928's The Cardboard Lover, produced by William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
and Marion Davies
Marion Davies
Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
. In 1929, she starred in Lady of the Pavements
Lady of the Pavements
Lady of the Pavements is a silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lupe Vélez, William Boyd, and Jetta Goudal. Griffith reshot the film to include a couple of musical numbers, making it a part-talkie.-Preservation:The Vitaphone sound-on-disc system was employed for sound sequences...
, directed by D.W. Griffith, and in 1930, Jacques Feyder
Jacques Feyder
Jacques Feyder was a Belgian actor, screenwriter and film director who worked principally in France, but also in the USA, Britain and Germany. He was a leading director of silent films during the 1920s, and in the 1930s he became associated with the style of poetic realism in French cinema...
directed Goudal in her only French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
film, a made-in-Hollywood production titled Le Spectre vert.
Unwilling retirement
Because of her audaciousness in suing DeMille and her high-profile activisim in the Actors' Equity AssociationActors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
campaign for the theatre and film industry to accept a closed shop
Closed shop
A closed shop is a form of union security agreement under which the employer agrees to hire union members only, and employees must remain members of the union at all times in order to remain employed....
, some of the Hollywood studios refused to employ Goudal. In 1932, at age forty-one, she made her last screen appearance in a talkie, co-starring with Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
in the Fox Film Corporation production of Business and Pleasure.
In 1930, she married Harold Grieve
Harold Grieve
Harold Grieve was an motion picture art director and interior designer.Born in Los Angeles, California, he attended Hollywood High School then studied art at the "School of Illustration and Painting" run by John Francis Smith in Los Angeles. In the early 1920s Grieve went to work in the film...
, an art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
and founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
. When her film career ended, she joined Grieve in running a successful interior design
Interior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
business. They remained married until her death in 1985 in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. She is interred next to her husband in a private room at the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of the Angels, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
.
In recognition of her contribution to the motion picture industry, Jetta Goudal has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6333 Hollywood Blvd.
Filmography
- Timothy's Quest (1922)
- The Bright ShawlThe Bright ShawlThe Bright Shawl is a 1923 silent historical drama produced by and starring Richard Barthelmess. This film had several days of filming on location in Cuba...
(1923) - The Green GoddessThe Green Goddess (1923 film)The Green Goddess is a 1923 silent adventure film based on play of the same name by William Archer. Set during the British Raj, it stars George Arliss as the Rajah of Rukh, into whose land arrive three British subjects, played by Alice Joyce, David Powell, and Harry T. Morey. Arliss and Ivan F...
(1923) - Open All Night (1924)
- The Spaniard (1925)
- Salome of the TenementsSalome of the TenementsSalome of the Tenements is a 1925 silent film adapted to the screen by Sonya Levien from the Anzia Yezierska novel. Made by Jesse L. Lasky and Adolph Zukor's Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, a division of Paramount Pictures, it was directed by Sidney Olcott and starred Jetta Goudal and Godfrey...
(1925) - The Coming of Amos (1925)
- The Road to YesterdayThe Road to YesterdayThe Road to Yesterday is a 1925 silent film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Prints of the film reportedly survive at George Eastman House and in private collections.-Cast:* Joseph Schildkraut - Kenneth Paulton* Jetta Goudal - Malena Paulton...
(1925) - Three Faces East (1926)
- Paris at Midnight (1926)
- Her Man o' War (1926)
- Fighting Love (1927)
- White GoldWhite Gold (1927 film)White Gold is a 1927 silent film dramatic western produced and distributed by Cecil B. DeMille and directed by William K. Howard. -Cast:*Jetta Goudal as Dolores Carson*Kenneth Thomson as Alec Carson*George Bancroft as Sam Randall...
(1927) - The Forbidden Woman (1927)
- The Cardboard Lover (1928)
- Lady of the PavementsLady of the PavementsLady of the Pavements is a silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lupe Vélez, William Boyd, and Jetta Goudal. Griffith reshot the film to include a couple of musical numbers, making it a part-talkie.-Preservation:The Vitaphone sound-on-disc system was employed for sound sequences...
(1929) - Le Spectre vert (1930)
- Business and PleasureBusiness and PleasureBusiness and Pleasure is a 1932 comedy film directed by David Butler, starring Will Rogers and featuring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Will Rogers - Earl Tinker* Jetta Goudal - Madame Momora* Joel McCrea - Lawrence Ogle* Dorothy Peterson - Mrs. Tinker...
(1932)