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

by Peggy Dymond Leavey

Overview

Mary Pickford’s ambition, passion, innate talent, and savvy business acumen sent her career into the stratosphere and set the blueprint for the modern movie star. Born Gladys Louise Smith in 1892, Pickford was raised in a house on UniversityAvenue in Toronto and began her acting career on the stage. However, her determination led her to the new world of motion pictures, where she not only revolutionized acting method but negotiated her own terms for the highest salary for any actress and complete creative control over her films – unheard of behaviour for a woman of that period.

Pickford co-founded United Artists in 1919 with Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin, which turned the existing studio system on its head. The actress’s subsequent marriage to Fairbanks incited a fan frenzy comparable to today’s obsession with couples like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Although Pickford’s star faded with the advent of talking pictures, she was the catalyst for the culture of Hollywood celebrity that enthralls us today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554889457
Publisher:	Dundurn Press
Publication date:	09/14/2011
Series:	Quest Biography , #30
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Peggy Dymond Leavey's ten previous books include Sky Lake Summer, The Deep End Gang, and The Path Through the Trees, all of which have been nominated for the Silver Birch Award. She has also been shortlisted for the Manitoba Young Readers' Choice award, the Arthur Ellis Award, and the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award. Her most recent book, Growing Up Ivy, was published by Dundurn in 2010.

A retired librarian, Peggy has published stories and articles in newspapers and magazines and was contributing editor on three books of local history. Her interest in the pioneers of early motion pictures began with her research into the movie industry of her hometown, Trenton, Ontario — Canada's filmmaking capital from 1917-1934. Writing the life of Mary Pickford was a natural progression.

Visit Peggy at www.peggydymondleavey.com

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Prologue 11

1 The Toronto Neighbourhood 13

2 Nineteen Weeks of One-Night Stands 29

3 Broadway or Bust 39

4 The Flickers 49

5 A Wedding in Secret 65

6 Her Name in Lights 79

7 Enter Douglas Fairbanks 89

8 The Marriage of the Century 109

9 Success and Sorrow 125

10 The Trouble with Talkies 139

11 The End of the Fairy Tale 151

12 Life After Douglas 163

13 Legacy 183

Epilogue 189

Chronology of Mary Pickford (1892-1979) 193

Bibliography 211

Index 215

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“..true inspiration for young women, whether it be aspiring actors, building self-esteem, or for the ambitious soul in becoming motivated.”

Editorial Reviews

…successfully uses imagined dialogue and quotations from Pickford’s own memoirs to add zest to the narrative.

CM Magazine

"Whether you are Canadian or American, this is a great read, not only about the life of Mary Pickford but an inside look at the birth of the movie industry."

Worldofgord.com

Mary Pickford: Canada’s Silent Siren, America’s Sweetheart is an entertaining read about a great entertainer.”

Canada’s History

..true inspiration for young women, whether it be aspiring actors, building self-esteem, or for the ambitious soul in becoming motivated.

Resource Links

“Mary Pickford: Canada’s Silent Siren, America’s Sweetheart is an entertaining read about a great entertainer.”

Canada’s History

“Mary Pickford: Canada’s Silent Siren, America’s Sweetheart is an entertaining read about a great entertainer.”

Canada's History

“Mary Pickford: Canada’s Silent Siren, America’s Sweetheart is an entertaining read about a great entertainer.”

Canada’s History

"Whether you are Canadian or American, this is a great read, not only about the life of Mary Pickford but an inside look at the birth of the movie industry."

“…successfully uses imagined dialogue and quotations from Pickford’s own memoirs to add zest to the narrative.”

“..true inspiration for young women, whether it be aspiring actors, building self-esteem, or for the ambitious soul in becoming motivated.”

“Mary Pickford: Canada’s Silent Siren, America’s Sweetheart is an entertaining read about a great entertainer.”

From the Publisher

â??Mary Pickford: Canada's Silent Siren, America's Sweetheart is an entertaining read about a great entertainer.â??

Canada�??s History