Marion Davies (January 3, 1897 – September 22, 1961) was an American film actress.
Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon
William Randolph HearstWilliam Randolph Hearst was an American newspaper magnate and leading newspaper publisher.Hearst was born in San Francisco, California, to millionaire mining engineer George Hearst and Phoebe Apperson. Following preparation at St...
, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career.
Early life
Davies was born
Marion Cecilia Douras on January 3, 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, the youngest of five children born to Bernard J. Douras (1857-1935), a lawyer and judge in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
; and Rose Reilly (1867-?). Her father performed the civil marriage of Gloria Gould Bishop. Her elder siblings included Rose,
ReineReine Davies , born Irene Douras, was an American singer and actress.-Biography:Douras was born in Brooklyn, New York. She was the eldest sister of the actress Marion Davies...
, and Ethel. A brother, Charles, drowned at the age of 15 in 1906. His name was subsequently given to Marion's favorite nephew, the screenwriter
Charles LedererCharles Davies Lederer was an American film writer and director. He was born in New York City, and was the son of two prominent figures in the American theater – Broadway producer George Lederer and singer Reine Davies . He was married to Virginia Welles, former wife of actor-director Orson...
, the son of Marion's sister Reine Davies.
The Douras family lived near Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The sisters changed their surname to Davies, which one of them spotted on a realtor's sign in the neighborhood. Even at a time when
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
was the
melting potThe melting pot is an analogy for the way in which heterogeneous societies become more homogeneous, in which the ingredients in the pot are combined so as to develop a multi-ethnic society...
for new immigrants, having a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
surname greatly helped one's prospects - Davies is
WelshWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
originated.
The sisters all hit the
Great White WayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
, and Marion was signed on as a
Ziegfeld girlZiegfeld Girls were the chorus girls from Florenz Ziegfeld's theatrical spectaculars known as the Ziegfeld Follies, which were based on the Folies Bergère of Paris....
in the
Ziegfeld FolliesThe Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
of 1916.
Early career
After making her screen debut in late 1916 in a fashion newsreel, modeling gowns by
Lady Duff-GordonLucy Christiana, Lady Duff Gordon was a leading British fashion designer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, best known as "Lucile," her professional name...
, she appeared in her first feature film in 1917's
Runaway Romany. It was a film written by Marion and directed by her brother-in-law, the prominent Broadway producer George W. Lederer. The following year she starred in three films,
The Burden of Proof,
Beatrice Fairfax, and
Cecilia of the Pink Roses. Playing mainly light comedic roles, she quickly became a major movie personality, making a small fortune which enabled her to provide financial assistance for her family and friends.
Cecilia of the Pink Roses in 1918 was her first film backed by Hearst. She was on her way to being the most famously advertised actress in the world. During the next 10 years she appeared in 29 films, an average of almost three films a year.
Hearst and Cosmopolitan Pictures
By the mid-1920s, however, her career was often overshadowed by her relationship with the married Hearst and their fabulous social life at
San SimeonHearst Castle is a palatial estate on the central California coast and a National Historic Landmark. It was designed by architect Julia Morgan for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst from 1919 until 1947. In 1957 the Hearst Corporation donated the property to the state of California...
and Ocean House in Santa Monica dubbed the biggest house on the beach, "the beach between San Diego and
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
".
According to her own audio diaries, she had met Hearst long before she'd started working in movies. Hearst, later formed Cosmopolitan Pictures which would produce several starring vehicles for her. Hearst's relentless efforts to promote her career instead had a detrimental effect, but he persisted, making Cosmopolitan's distribution deals first with
ParamountParamount Pictures Corporation is a Worldwide American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is the world's oldest existing American film studio; it is also the last...
, then
GoldwynSamuel Goldwyn was an American film producer, and founding contributor executive of several motion picture studios.-Biography:...
, and then Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Davies, in her published memoirs
The Times We Had, concluded that Hearst's over-the-top promotion of her career, in fact, had a negative result.
Hearst loved seeing her in expensive costume pictures, but she also appeared in contemporary comedies like
Tillie the ToilerTillie the Toiler was a newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Russ Westover who initially worked on his concept of a flapper character in a strip he titled Rose of the Office...
,
The Fair Co-Ed (both 1927), and especially two directed by
King VidorKing Wallis Vidor was an acclaimed American film director whose career spanned nearly seven decades.He was born in Galveston, Texas, where he survived the great Galveston Hurricane of 1900...
,
The Patsy and the backstage-in-Hollywood saga
Show PeopleShow People is a comedy silent film directed by King Vidor. The movie was a starring vehicle for actress Marion Davies and actor William Haines and included notable cameo appearances by many of the great film stars of the day, including Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, William S. Hart, and John...
(both 1928).
The Patsy contains her imitations, that she usually did for friends, of silent stars
Lillian GishLillian Diana Gish was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987. She was a prominent film star of the 1910s and 1920s, particularly associated with the films of director D.W. Griffith, including her leading role in Griffith's...
,
Mae MurrayMae Murray was an American actress, dancer, film producer, and screenwriter. Murray rose to fame during the silent film era and was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips" and "The Gardenia of the Screen"....
and
Pola NegriPola Negri was a Polish film actress who achieved notoriety as a femme fatale in silent films between 1910s and 1930s.-Personal life:...
.
After seeing photographs of
St Donat's CastleSt Donat's Castle is a medieval castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, overlooking the Bristol Channel in the village of St Donat's near Llantwit Major, and about 25km west of Cardiff...
in
Country Life magazine, the Welsh
Vale of GlamorganThe Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in in the southern part of Glamorgan, south Wales...
property was bought and revitalised by Hearst in 1925 as a gift to Davies. Hearst and Davies spent much of their time entertaining, holding lavish parties with guests including, among others,
Charlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer Chaplin, KBE was an English comedic actor and film director. Chaplin became one of the most famous actors as well as a notable filmmaker, composer and musician in the early to mid Classical Hollywood era of American cinema.Chaplin acted in, directed, scripted, produced and...
,
Douglas FairbanksDouglas Elton Thomas Ullman Fairbanks, Sr., was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer, best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro. An astute businessman, Fairbanks was a founding member of United Artists...
, and a young John F Kennedy.
George Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60 plays...
, upon visiting St. Donat's, was quoted as saying: "This is what God would have built if he had had the money."
Talking pictures
The coming of sound made Davies nervous, because she had never completely overcome a childhood stutter. Her career survived, however, and she made several comedies and musicals during the 1930s, including
MarianneMarianne is a 1929 romantic drama about a French farm girl who, despite already having a French fiancé, falls in love with an American soldier during World War I. It was made first as a silent film, then as a musical with a different cast, though Marion Davies starred in both versions...
(1929),
Not So DumbNot So Dumb is a 1930 comedy motion picture starring Marion Davies and directed by King Vidor.It is based on the stage play Dulcy by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly.The film resulted in a financial lost for the studio of $39,000.-Primary cast:...
(1930),
The Florodora Girl (1930),
The Bachelor Father (1931),
Five and Ten (1931) with
Leslie HowardLeslie Howard Steiner , better known by his stage name Leslie Howard, was an English stage and film actor, director, and producer...
,
Polly of the CircusPolly of the Circus is a 1932 American MGM drama film directed by Alfred Santell. The film stars Marion Davies and Clark Gable. An earlier silent film version of the same Margaret Mayo play was made in 1917 and was the first film by Goldwyn Pictures....
(1932) with
Clark GableWilliam Clark Gable was an American film actor, nicknamed "The King of Hollywood" in his heyday. In , the American Film Institute named Gable seventh among the greatest male stars of all time....
,
Blondie of the Follies (1932),
Peg o' My Heart"Peg o' My Heart" is a popular song written by Alfred Bryan and composed by Fred Fisher. It was published on March 15 1913 and it featured in the 1913 musical Ziegfeld Follies. The song, performed by Max Harris and his Novelty Trio , was used as the theme of the BBC miniseries The Singing Detective...
(1933),
Going HollywoodGoing Hollywood is an American black and white musical film directed by Raoul Walsh, written by Donald Ogden Stewart, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film tells the story of Sylvia , a French teacher at an all-girl school, who wants to find love. When she hears Bill Williams on the...
(1933) with
Bing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American popular singer and actor whose career stretched over more than half a century from 1926 until his death....
, and
Operator 13 (1934) with
Gary CooperFrank James “Gary” Cooper was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, individualistic, emotionally restrained, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
. She was involved with many aspects of her films and was considered an astute businesswoman. Her career, however, was hampered by Hearst's insistence that she play distinguished, dramatic parts, as opposed to the comic roles that were her forte. She also harbored an increasing dependence on alcohol, hiding bottles of liquor in San Simeon's toilet tanks.
Hearst reportedly had tried to push
Irving ThalbergIrving Grant Thalberg was an Academy Award-winning American film producer during the early years of motion pictures...
to cast Davies in the title role in
Marie AntoinetteMarie Antoinette is a 1938 film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starred Norma Shearer as Marie Antoinette, Tyrone Power, John Barrymore, Robert Morley, Anita Louise, Joseph Schildkraut and Gladys George...
, but was turned down. This rejection came on the heels of Davies having been also denied the female lead in
The Barretts of Wimpole StreetThe Barretts of Wimpole Street is a 1934 film depicting the real-life romance between poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning , despite the opposition of her father Edward Moulton-Barrett . The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture...
; Thalberg's wife
Norma ShearerEdith Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in the world from the mid-1920s until her retirement in 1942...
got both roles. Despite Marion's friendship with the Thalbergs, Hearst reacted by pulling his newspaper support for MGM, and moved Cosmopolitan Pictures to Warner Brothers. Davies' films there included
Page Miss Glory (1935),
Hearts Divided,
Cain and MabelCain and Mabel is a 1936 romantic comedy film designed as a vehicle for Marion Davies in which she co-stars with Clark Gable and Robert Paige .-Synopsis:...
(both 1936), and
Ever Since Eve (1937), her last film.
Cosmopolitan Pictures folded, so she left the screen and retreated to San Simeon. Marion would later state in her autobiography that after many years of work, she had had enough, and decided to devote herself to being Mr. Hearst's "companion." In truth, Marion was intensely ambitious, but realized that at the age of forty, and after twenty years of hard work, she had won over neither the public, nor, for that matter, the reviewers not under Hearst's control. Decades after Marion's retirement and death, however, the general consensus among critics is far more appreciative of her efforts, particularly in the field of comedy.
Ince scandal
Hearst and Davies lived as a couple for decades but were never married, as Hearst's wife refused to give him a divorce. At one point, he reportedly came close to marrying Davies, but decided his wife's
settlementIn law there are several main meanings of the word settlement. The most common meaning refers to when the parties to a dispute reach an agreement as to the case, which is said to 'settle' the claim.-The basis of settlements:A settlement, as well as dealing with the...
demands were too high. Hearst was extremely jealous and possessive of her, even though he was married throughout their relationship. Davies was aboard the Hearst yacht when film producer Thomas Ince took ill, and died.
An "urban legend" having to do with a rumored relationship with Chaplin has endured since 1924 surrounding Hearst, Chaplin (among other actresses and actors) and Davies were on board. Despite the lack of evidence to support them, rumors have circulated since that time that Hearst mistook Ince for Chaplin and shot him in a jealous rage. The rumors were dramatised in the play
The Cat's MeowThe Cat's Meow is a drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The screenplay by Steven Peros is based on his play of the same title, which was inspired by the mysterious death of film mogul Thomas H...
, which was later made into
Peter BogdanovichPeter Bogdanovich is an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer, and critic. He was part of the wave of "New Hollywood" directors, which included William Friedkin, Brian DePalma, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Michael Cimino, and Francis Ford Coppola...
's 2001 film of the same name starring
Edward HerrmannEdward Kirk Herrmann is an Emmy Award winning and Tony Award nominated American television and film actor. He is best known for his role as Richard Gilmore in Gilmore Girls.-Early life:...
as Hearst,
Kirsten DunstKirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, model, and singer. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories . At the age of 12, Dunst gained widespread recognition playing the role of vampire Claudia in Interview with the...
as Davies,
Eddie IzzardEdward John "Eddie" Izzard is a two-time Emmy winning British stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy style is expressed in rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime. Izzard's works include standup sets Definite Article, Dress to Kill and a starring role in the television...
as Chaplin,
Joanna LumleyJoanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS is an English actress, best known for her roles in the British television series The New Avengers, Sapphire and Steel, Absolutely Fabulous and Sensitive Skin...
as Eleanor Glyn,
Jennifer TillyJennifer Tilly is an American actress. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner.-Personal life:Tilly was born Jennifer E. Chan in Harbor City, Los Angeles, California...
as gossip columnist Louella Parsons, and
Cary ElwesIvan Simon Cary Elwes , known professionally as Cary Elwes, is a British actor, known for his performances in The Princess Bride; Robin Hood: Men in Tights; Hot Shots!; Glory; Liar, Liar; Saw and Twister....
as Ince.
Patty HearstPatricia Campbell Hearst , now known as Patricia Hearst Shaw, is an American newspaper heiress, socialite, actress, and bank robber....
co-authored a novel with Cordelia Frances Biddle titled
Murder at San Simeon (Scribner, 1996), based upon the death of Ince.
The factual record shows that Thomas Ince suffered an attack of acute indigestion while aboard the yacht and was escorted off the boat in San Diego by another of the guests, Dr. Daniel Carson Goodman. Ince was put on a train bound for Los Angeles, but was removed from the train at Del Mar when his condition worsened. He was given medical attention by Dr. T. A. Parker and a nurse, Jesse Howard. Ince told them that he had drunk liquor aboard Hearst's yacht. Ince was taken to his Hollywood home where he died the following day of a heart condition.
Hearst's death
By the late-1930s, Hearst was suffering financial reversals. After selling
St Donat'sSt Donats is a village and community in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales, located just west of the small town of Llantwit Major. The community includes the village of Marcross and the hamlets of Monknash and East and West Monkton. It is named after the 6th century saint, Dunwyd, a friend of...
, Davies bailed him out by writing out a check for $1 million to him. Hearst died on 14 August 1951.
The California State Parks staff at Hearst Castle now report at the time of his death, 51% of his fortune had been willed to Davies.
Marriage
Ten weeks after Hearst's death, Davies married Horace Brown on October 31, 1951 in
Las VegasLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and entertainment. Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of...
. It was not a happy marriage; he allegedly encouraged her drinking. Davies filed for divorce twice, but neither was finalized.
In her last years, Davies was involved with charity work: in 1952 she donated $1.9 million to establish a children's clinic at UCLA, which still bears her name. She also fought childhood diseases through the
Marion Davies Foundation. Part of the Medical Center at UCLA is named the Marion Davies Clinic.
She suffered a minor
strokeA stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by thrombosis or embolism or due to a hemorrhage...
in 1956, and was later diagnosed with
cancerCancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis...
of the jaw. She had an operation which appeared to be successful; she soon after fell and broke her leg, however. The last time Davies was seen by the American public was on January 10, 1960 on an
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
TV special called
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood.
Death
Davies died of
cancerCancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis...
on September 22, 1961 in Hollywood, California. Her funeral at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Hollywood (many donations to the church were from Hollywood royalty, such as Louis B. Mayer and Bing Crosby) was attended by many Hollywood legends, including
Mary PickfordMary Pickford was a Canadian motion picture actor, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Known as "America's Sweetheart," "Little Mary" and "The girl with the curls," she was one of the first Canadian...
and Mrs.
Clark GableWilliam Clark Gable was an American film actor, nicknamed "The King of Hollywood" in his heyday. In , the American Film Institute named Gable seventh among the greatest male stars of all time....
(Kay Spreckels), as well as President
Herbert HooverHerbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted government intervention under the rubric "economic...
. She is buried in the
Hollywood Forever CemeteryHollywood Forever Cemetery is at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywooddistrict of Los Angeles, California. It is adjacent to the north wall, or back, of Paramount Studios, who, with RKO Studios, bought by 1920. The Beth Olam Cemetery in the southwestern section of the cemetery is for...
in Hollywood. She left an estate estimated at more than $30 million.
After the death of Davies' niece,
Patricia LakePatricia Van Cleeve Lake , known as Patricia Lake, was an American socialite, actress, and radio comedienne, who was suspected of being and, just before she died, claimed to be the illegitimate daughter of actress Marion Davies and publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst.-Parentage:In the 1920s,...
(née Van Cleeve), Lake's family announced that she was in fact the
birthdaughter of Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst. Prior to the announcement, it had been said that Lake was the daughter of
Rosemary DaviesRosemary Davies was an American actress who appeared in one motion picture.Born Rose Douras in Brooklyn, New York, she was the sister of the actresses Marion Davies and Reine Davies but did not reach the same fame as her two sisters.However, her name was mentioned in different circles briefly when...
(Marion's sister) and her first husband, George Van Cleeve.
Portrayals of Davies
Davies was rumored to be the inspiration for the Susan Alexander character portrayed in
Orson WellesGeorge Orson Welles was an American film director, writer, actor and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television, and radio. Welles was also an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety spectacles in the war years...
'
Citizen KaneCitizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, and the first feature film directed by Orson Welles. It was nominated for Academy Awards in nine categories, but won only for Best Original Screenplay by Herman Mankiewicz and Welles...
, which was based loosely on Hearst's life. This portrayal has led to various portrayals of Davies as a talentless opportunist, the most recent of which was
Melanie GriffithMelanie Griffith is an American actress. She is an Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner for her performance in the 1988 film Working Girl...
's in HBO's
RKO 281RKO 281 is a 1999 dramatic film directed by Benjamin Ross and starringLiev Schreiber, James Cromwell, Melanie Griffith, John Malkovich, and Roy Scheider...
.
Welles himself, as stated in his foreword to Davies autobiography
The Times We Had, said he deeply regretted that so many assumed Susan Alexander was a carbon copy of Davies, and that the real Davies was a great actress and a wonderful woman. He also claimed that the Susan Alexander character owed as much to the Chicago tycoon
Samuel InsullSamuel Insull was an Anglo-American investor based in Chicago who was known for purchasing utilities and railroads. He contributed to creating an integrated electrical infrastructure in the United States...
's wife, for whom he built an opera house.
Davies was portrayed by
Virginia MadsenVirginia Madsen is an American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, having appeared in several films aimed at a teenage audience. Two decades later, she once again became known after an Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated role in the 2004 film Sideways...
in the telefilm
The Hearst and Davies Affair (1985) with
Robert MitchumRobert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer. Mitchum is largely remembered for his starring roles in several major works of the film noir style, and is considered a forerunner of the anti-heroes prevalent in film during the 1950s and 1960s.-Early life and...
as Hearst, and
Heather McNairHeather McNair was an actress in Hollywood between 1983 and 1993.She starred the TV series Automan in the role of Roxanne Caldwell, and appeared also in, among others, the series St. Elsewhere, Knight Rider and Airwolf, and in the films Madhouse, Kid and Chaplin, in this one performing the role of...
in
Chaplin (1992). Madsen later became a Davies fan and said that she felt she had inadvertently portrayed her as a
stereotypeA stereotype is a commonly held public belief about specific social groups, or types of individuals.The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups, based on some prior...
, rather than as a real person.
Kirsten DunstKirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, model, and singer. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories . At the age of 12, Dunst gained widespread recognition playing the role of vampire Claudia in Interview with the...
portrayed Marion Davies in the 2001 movie
The Cat's MeowThe Cat's Meow is a drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The screenplay by Steven Peros is based on his play of the same title, which was inspired by the mysterious death of film mogul Thomas H...
.
Their efforts included a
documentary filmDocumentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can...
Captured on Film: The True Story of Marion Davies (2001), which premiered on
Turner Classic MoviesTurner Classic Movies is a cable television channel featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
.
Filmography
In addition to these films, Davies reputedly appeared as an extra in Chaplin's
The Pilgrim (1923) and also as an extra in
Ben HurBen-Hur is a 1925 silent film directed by Fred Niblo. It was a blockbuster hit for newly merged Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This was the second film based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace....
(1925).
Silent features
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1917 The year 1917 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Foundation of Universum Film AG , as a propaganda film company, in Berlin.*Technicolor System 1, a two-color process, is introduced...
|
Runaway, Romany |
Romany |
|
| 1918 The year 1918 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Following litigation for anti-trust activities, the US Supreme Court orders the Motion Picture Patents Company to disband....
|
Cecilia of the Pink Roses |
Cecilia |
|
| The Burden of Proof |
Elaine Brooks |
|
| 1919 The year 1919 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 5 - Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith launch United Artists...
|
The Belle of New York |
Violet Gray |
|
| Getting Mary Married |
Mary |
|
| The Dark Star |
Rue Carew |
|
| The Cinema Murder |
Elizabeth Dalston |
|
| 1920 The year 1920 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 27 - The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks opens.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1920:*Algol, starring Emil Jannings...
|
April Folly |
April Poole |
|
| The Restless Sex |
Stephanie Cleland |
|
| 1921 -Events:* February 20 - The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, starring Rudolph Valentino, premieres.*September 5 - Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle holds a party in a San Francisco hotel to celebrate his new $3,000,000 three-year contract with Paramount. A young actress, Virginia Rappe, becomes ill at the...
|
Buried Treasure |
Pauline Vandermuellen |
|
| Enchantment |
Ethel Hoyt |
|
| 1922 -Events:* November 26 - The Toll of the Sea, starring Anna May Wong and Kenneth Harlan, debuts as the first general release film to use two-tone Technicolor ....
|
Bride's Play |
Enid of Cashel/Aileen Barrett |
|
| Beauty's Worth |
Prudence Cole |
|
| The Young Diana |
Diana May |
|
| When Knighthood Was in Flower |
Mary Tudor |
|
| 1923 -Events:*April 15 - Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1923:...
|
Adam and Eva |
Eva King |
|
| Little Old New York Little Old New York is a 1940 Fox history film directed by Henry King and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. The movie stars Alice Faye, Fred MacMurray and Richard Greene and is based on the play by Rida Johnson Young. The play opened on September 8, 1920 and starred Genevieve Tobin, Douglas Wood and...
|
Patricia O'Day |
|
| 1924 -Events:* Entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures to create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
|
Yolanda |
Princess Mary/Yolanda |
|
| Janice Meredith |
Janice Meredith |
|
| 1925 -Top grossing films :-Films released in 1925:*El Húsar de la muerte, starring and directed by Pedro Sienna.*The Battleship Potemkin*Ben-Hur, starring Ramon Novarro....
|
Zander the Great Zander the Great is a 1925 drama film directed by George W. Hill, in his first directing role for MGM. The film stars Marion Davies. The screenplay by Frances Marion is based upon Edward Salisbury Field 1923 play.-Plot:...
|
Mamie Smith |
|
| Lights of Old Broadway Lights of Old Broadway is a 1925 drama film directed by Monta Bell. The film stars Marion Davies and Conrad Nagel. It is an adaptation of the play Little Old New York by Rida Johnson Young and it is also known as Little Old New York and Merry Wives of Gotham .-Plot:Marion Davies plays twins...
|
Fely/Anne |
|
| 1926 -Events:*August - Warner Brothers debuts the first Vitaphone film, Don Juan. The Vitaphone system used multiple 33⅓ rpm disc records developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric to play back audio synchronized with film....
|
Beverly of Graustark Beverly of Graustark is a 1926 film directed by Sidney Franklin, starring Marion Davies, Antonio Moreno and Creighton Hale. It is written by Agnes Christine Johnston based on the novel by George Barr McCutcheon, and set on the fictional land of Graustark. The movie features a final sequence in colour...
|
Beverly Calhoun |
|
| 1927 -Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx marries Marion Benda....
|
The Red Mill The Red Mill is a 1927 comedy film directed by Fatty Arbuckle and written by Frances Marion. The film never had a VHS release, though it aired on the network channel TCM on January 3, 2008, which was the birthday of leading role actress Marion Davies...
|
Tina |
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| Tillie the Toiler |
Tillie Jones |
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| The Fair Co-Ed |
Marion |
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| Quality Street |
Phoebe Throssel |
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| 1928 -Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 31 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's mascot Leo the Lion roars for the very first time, creating one of the most popular American film logos....
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The Patsy The Patsy is a 1928 silent comedy/drama film directed by King Vidor , produced and starring Marion Davies for her Cosmopolitan Productions, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
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Patricia Harrington |
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| The Cardboard Lover |
Sally |
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Show PeopleShow People is a comedy silent film directed by King Vidor. The movie was a starring vehicle for actress Marion Davies and actor William Haines and included notable cameo appearances by many of the great film stars of the day, including Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, William S. Hart, and John...
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Peggy Pepper/Herself |
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| 1929 -Events:The days of the silent film were numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound was on.*January 20 - The movie In Old Arizona was released. The film was the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors....
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Marianne Marianne is a 1929 romantic drama about a French farm girl who, despite already having a French fiancé, falls in love with an American soldier during World War I. It was made first as a silent film, then as a musical with a different cast, though Marion Davies starred in both versions...
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Marianne |
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Sound features
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1929 -Events:The days of the silent film were numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound was on.*January 20 - The movie In Old Arizona was released. The film was the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors....
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Marianne Marianne is a 1929 romantic drama about a French farm girl who, despite already having a French fiancé, falls in love with an American soldier during World War I. It was made first as a silent film, then as a musical with a different cast, though Marion Davies starred in both versions...
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Marianne 'Blondy' |
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The Hollywood Revue of 1929The Hollywood Revue of 1929 is an American musical film/comedy motion picture released in 1929. It was the studio's second feature-length musical, and one of the earliest ventures into the talkie format. Produced by Harry Rapf and directed by Chuck Riesner for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film brought...
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Herself |
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| 1930 -Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front - Universal Studios*Best Actress: Norma Shearer - The Divorcee*Best Actor: George Arliss - Disraeli...
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Not So Dumb Not So Dumb is a 1930 comedy motion picture starring Marion Davies and directed by King Vidor.It is based on the stage play Dulcy by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly.The film resulted in a financial lost for the studio of $39,000.-Primary cast:...
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Dulcinea 'Dulcy' Parker |
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| The Florodora Girl |
Daisy Dell |
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| 1931 -Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM*Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul*Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ*Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*Best Actress: Marie Dressler - Min and Bill...
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The Bachelor Father |
Antoinette 'Tony' Flagg |
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| It's a Wise Child |
Joyce Stanton |
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| Five and Ten |
Jennifer Rarick |
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| 1932 -Events:*Katharine Hepburn's film career begins*Shirley Temple's film career begins*Disney released Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film.*Santa, first sound film made in Mexico released.-Academy Awards:...
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Polly of the Circus Polly of the Circus is a 1932 American MGM drama film directed by Alfred Santell. The film stars Marion Davies and Clark Gable. An earlier silent film version of the same Margaret Mayo play was made in 1917 and was the first film by Goldwyn Pictures....
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Polly Fisher |
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| Blondie of the Follies Blondie of the Follies is a 1932 comedy film directed by Edmund Goulding and written by Anita Loos and Frances Marion.-Cast:*Marion Davies as Blondie McClune*Robert Montgomery as Larry Belmont*Billie Dove as Lottie Callahan/Lurline Cavanaugh...
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Blondie McClune |
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| 1933 -Events:*British Film Institute founded.*March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey....
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Peg o' My Heart Peg o' My Heart is a 1933 film adaptation of the play of the same name by J. Hartley Manners. It starred Marion Davies as a poor Irish girl who stands to inherit a fortune if she satisfies certain conditions.-Cast:...
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Margaret 'Peg' O'Connell |
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| Going Hollywood |
Sylvia Bruce |
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| 1934 -Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
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Operator 13 |
Gail Loveless |
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| 1935 -Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .* Six year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty - MGM*Best Actor: Victor McLaglen - The Informer...
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Page Miss Glory |
Loretta Dalrymple/Miss Dawn Glory |
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| 1936 The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*nov 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon*February 15 - first Republic serial, Darkest Africa, released*September 28 - The Marx Brothers' Harpo Marx marries actress Susan Fleming...
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Hearts Divided Hearts Divided is a 1936 musical film about the real-life marriage between American Elizabeth 'Betsy' Patterson and Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon. It starred Marion Davies and Dick Powell as the couple...
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Elizabeth 'Betsy' Patterson |
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| Cain and Mabel Cain and Mabel is a 1936 romantic comedy film designed as a vehicle for Marion Davies in which she co-stars with Clark Gable and Robert Paige .-Synopsis:...
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Mabel O'Dare |
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| 1937 The year 1937 in film involved some significant events.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US.*May 7 - Shall We Dance premieres in the US.-Top grossing films:#Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs#Maytime#Saratoga...
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Ever Since Eve Ever Since Eve is a 1937 romantic comedy film starring Marion Davies and Robert Montgomery.-Plot:Madge Winton , a beautiful secretary, makes herself look homely in order to avoid advances by lecherous bosses...
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Miss Marjorie 'Marge' Winton/Sadie Day |
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Short films
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1922 -Events:* November 26 - The Toll of the Sea, starring Anna May Wong and Kenneth Harlan, debuts as the first general release film to use two-tone Technicolor ....
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A Trip to Paramountown |
Herself |
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| 1930 -Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front - Universal Studios*Best Actress: Norma Shearer - The Divorcee*Best Actor: George Arliss - Disraeli...
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Screen Snapshots Series 9, No. 23 |
Herself |
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| 1931 -Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM*Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul*Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ*Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*Best Actress: Marie Dressler - Min and Bill...
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Jackie Cooper's Birthday Party |
Herself |
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| The Christmas Party |
Herself |
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| 1935 -Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .* Six year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty - MGM*Best Actor: Victor McLaglen - The Informer...
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A Dream Comes True |
Herself |
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| Pirate Party on Catalina Isle |
Herself |
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Uncompleted feature
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1928 -Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 31 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's mascot Leo the Lion roars for the very first time, creating one of the most popular American film logos....
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The Five O'Clock Girl |
Patricia Brown |
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| Rosalie Rosalie is an American musical play first produced on Broadway in 1928 at the New Amsterdam Theatre. It was later adapted as a musical film by MGM in 1937....
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Princess Rosalie Romanikov |
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See also
- History of Santa Monica, California in the 1920s A short history of Ocean House. The Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California since 1881. It is distributed throughout the Western United States. It is the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States and the fourth-most widely distributed newspaper in the United States...
reported on September 28, 2006 that the remaining portions of the residence may be restored as a public beach club. It is now open as the Annenberg Community Beach House and preserves the guest house on the property as a historical center. The property is located at 415 Pacific Coast Highway.
External links