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Mary Pickford: Canada's Silent Siren, America's Sweetheart

2013; Inanna Publications and Education Inc.; Volume: 30; Linguagem: Inglês

0713-3235

Lisa Sharik,

Theater, Performance, and Music History

MARY PICKFORD: CANADA'S SILENT SIREN, AMERICA'S SWEETHEART Peggy Dymond Leavey Toronto: Dundum, 2011 In the history of film celebrities, Mary Pickford's name should be as widely recognized as Charlie Chaplin's, but that is not the case. Given the incredible contributions that she made to the movie industry, this fact is both sad and shocking. Mary Pickford was the first film superstar, the first woman to earn a million dollars a year, and for a time, the most famous face in the world. Furthermore, she was an actress who is credited with revolutionizing the acting method, a director, producer, film executive, and one of the founders of United Artists and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. With such accomplishments she is, without a doubt, the most important woman in the history of motion pictures. Although typically known as America's Sweetheart, Mary Pickford was in fact born and raised in Toronto, Canada in 1892. Thus, Peggy Dymond Leavy gets it right when she refers to Mary Pickford as Canada's Silent Siren. This Quest biography, which includes nearly a dozen photographs from various periods of Mary Pickford's life, adds greatly not only to the life and times of Mary Pickford, but also provides much insight into the innovations of the movie industry, from silent films to talkies. Mary Pickford was born Gladys Louise Smith on April 8, 1892 to parents Charlotte Hennessey and John Charles Smith. When her father John died in 1898, Gladys was nearly adopted by Dr. George Smith and his wife, due to the economic hardship that her mother Charlotte now faced. Despite the promise of a better life, Gladys was shocked to realize that she would be separated from her two siblings, as well as her mother. Gladys broke down and begged her mother to take her back home. Charlotte agreed to cancel the adoption and from that day forward, Gladys took it upon herself to be the family breadwinner, to ensure that the family would always stay together. Despite the gruelling years of hard work that lay in store for Gladys, had the adoption gone through, the production of silent films, as well as the history of motion of pictures in general would have suffered a tremendous loss. In 1900, at the age of 7, Gladys made her stage debut in The Silver King. This opportunity came about by way of Mr. Murphy, the stage manager for the Cummings Stock Company, who had been boarding at the Smith's house since 1899. …