Some of the most popular actresses of the 1920s were born in Texas. I think it’s interesting to know where actors and designers lived before Hollywood. As a Texan, I enjoyed learning the following stories of the actresses. Eve Southern and Hope Hampton were new to me.
Corrine Griffith, 1894
Corinne Griffith, circa 1920s. Source: Tumblr
When a new film of hers arrived at Texas theaters, local newspapers including The Yoakum Herald, referred to Griffith as “The Texas Beauty” when announcing the booking. Born in Texarkana, they knew Corinne Griffith was one of their own. Today her films are rare to find for audiences to see how talented she was. Her acting range in a variety of roles from drama to comedy also garnered attention of audiences and critics. Calling her a “favorite of the silver screen”, Orange Daily-Leader wrote on April 21, 1920 “. . .[H]er facial expression is in a rare class by itself. There is not an emotion, shade, or degree of feeling that she cannot express with her features.” Griffith was very creative throughout her life after film. According to Women Film Pioneers Project, her crafts included painting, composing and writing several books from fiction to subjects she loved such as baseball and antiques.
Hope Hampton, 1897
Hope Hampton circa 1923. Source: Rusted Shutter
The Houston Post called her “Texas’ most beautiful ‘redhead'” on April 24, 1922 announcing the Dallas born actress’ appearance at the Isis Theatre in Houston to promote her film Star Dust. A few years shy of talking pictures, this would’ve been an exciting event. Female guests were given a signed color photo of Hampton and red heads received free admission. The paper reported she “sang for the audience and related some amusing stories of . . . the filming of [Star Dust]”. Despite being billed for her beauty, she didn’t believe that would make a woman succeed in Hollywood. Asked of advice for young women eager to be in the movies, Hampton encouraged them to bring their mother since Hollywood would “have many perils” and ability to “. . .register any emotion required by the director. . . [have] personality, and above all, keen brains and ready wit[.]” Her sentiments, also reported that day were, “California is California–and the center of the motion picture industry[.] . . .But Texas is home–and that is a bigger and finer word.” In the late 1920s she focused on opera, which the paper called her a “keen devote” of and later became a socialite in New York.
Bessie Love, 1898
Bessie Love, circa 1920s. Source: Find a Grave
She couldn’t become another Mary Pickford as her first director D.W. Griffith hoped, reported The Houston Post in 1923, yet Bessie Love proved herself to be an actress in her own right. Born in Midland, Texas, she began her film career shortly after arriving in Los Angeles as a teenager with her family, the paper noted in 1924. The Houston Post in 1923 praised her performance in Human Wreckage, “. . .[As her character] wages a pitifully weak fight against dope for the sake of her helpless offspring, one wonders if ever again on stage or screen, he will see such marvelous acting.” Love is best known today for her role in The Broadway Melody (1929), the second talking picture. Though she may be known for musicals, she had to prepare for the genre to make it into talkies. In a 1970s British TV interview, she explained, “I had no stage experience, so they made a little revue around me . . .and we went for 16 weeks. I went up and down the [east] coast . . .learning my trade.” In the 1930s she moved to London and remained active in radio, films and TV appearances.
Eve Southern, 1900
Eve Southern, circa 1920s. Source: Wiki Commons Media
Some actresses struggled for a break to enter film, others for one to remain. Eve Southern, born in Ranger, was of the latter. Denton’s Campus Chat noted the “Texas girl” for her role in Wild Geese (1928), but it had been a long road for Southern whose roles were often cut from the final edit. Brownwood Bulletin ran Dan Thomas’s syndicated column where she explained in 1927 it was due to a shelved project such as Chaplin’s The Woman of the Sea (1926) or to refine the length like Resurrection (1927). Thankfully this pattern didn’t last. In 1929 The Electra News printed Southern’s approach to acting, “. . .[T]he actress, for the time being, has to discard all her personal prejudices, her personal philosophy and her own disposition. [What she does] after that depends on the role.” Southern used the example of how tigers at the zoo inspired her performance of Lola in Stormy Waters (1928). “. . .I. . . watched their restless pacing in their narrow dens . . . the sinuous grace of their movements–the tossing of their heads. . . .I then understood . . . how I must think in my mind and feel in my heart and act with my body . . .” She quietly retired from acting in the mid 1930s.
Bebe Daniels, 1901
Bebe Daniels, circa 1920s. Source: Pinterest
San Antonio cheered for the early success of Dallas born Bebe Daniels and in 1920 the Empire Theater selected her film Oh Lady, Lady during the week of its 6th anniversary. San Antonio Express published that “[a]side from the fact that she is a Texas girl . . .”, the theater noticed high attendance records for her films. Unfortunately Daniels couldn’t attend the event, yet only days later the paper announced the Empire had permission from her studio to screen a “pre-release showing of [her newest film She Couldn’t Help It] and as a result San Antonio [witnessed] the world premier [sic]. . .” Daniels attended in person this time and toured the city on her first day with admiration, and the paper noted she often said, “Why we haven’t anything like this in California[.]” As many classic film fans know, Daniels had a long career starting as leading lady to Harold Lloyd, transitioning to talkies and later starring in the BBC radio and TV show Life with the Lyons with her husband actor Ben Lyon.
Do you know actresses of classic film from your home state?
*Cover Photo, Detail of Vintage Postcard Source: Postcard Time Machine
Sources:
The Orange Daily Leader (Orange, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 57, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 21, 1920, newspaper, April 21, 1920; Orange, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth646169/m1/3/: accessed June 10, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lamar State College – Orange.
The Electra News (Electra, Tex.), Vol. 23, No. 13, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 5, 1929, newspaper, December 5, 1929; Electra, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1215405/m1/6/: accessed June 11, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Electra Public Library.
The Houston Post. (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 20, Ed. 1 Monday, April 24, 1922, newspaper, April 24, 1922; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth608465/m1/1/: accessed June 11, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu;
The Houston Post. (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 197, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 18, 1923, newspaper, October 18, 1923; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth608050/m1/9/: accessed June 10, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu;
The Houston Post. (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 228, Ed. 1 Sunday, November 18, 1923, newspaper, November 18, 1923; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth610560/m1/38/: accessed June 10, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu;
Yoakum Daily Herald (Yoakum, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 46, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 23, 1925, newspaper, May 23, 1925; Yoakum, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth757763/m1/4/: accessed June 10, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Carl and Mary Welhausen Library.
San Antonio Express. (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 55, No. 337, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 12, 1920, newspaper, December 12, 1920; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth431568/m1/73/: accessed June 11, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Library Consortium.
San Antonio Express. (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 55, No. 343, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 19, 1920, newspaper, December 19, 1920; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth431509/m1/67/: accessed June 11, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Library Consortium.
San Antonio Express. (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 55, No. 343, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 19, 1920, newspaper, December 19, 1920; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth431509/m1/15/: accessed June 11, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Library Consortium.
Brownwood Bulletin (Brownwood, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 292, Ed. 1 Friday, September 23, 1927, newspaper, September 23, 1927; Brownwood, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1024389/m1/16/: accessed June 10, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Brownwood Public Library.
Vintage Stardust 