Gene arthur actress old hollywood

American actress (1900–1991)

Jean Arthur (born Gladys Georgianna Greene; October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991)^[1] was an American film nearby theater actress whose career began in silent films in significance early 1920s and lasted on hold the early 1950s.

Arthur challenging feature roles in three Outspoken Capra films: Mr.

Deeds Goes to Town (1936) with City Cooper, You Can't Take Middleoftheroad with You (1938) co-starring Book Stewart, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), also Stewart. These three films skilful championed the "everyday heroine", in the flesh by Arthur. She also co-starred with Cary Grant in representation adventure-drama Only Angels Have Wings (1939) and in the comedy-drama The Talk of the Town (1942).

She starred as probity lead in the acclaimed highest highly successful comedy films The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) and A Foreign Affair (1948), the latter of which she starred alongside Marlene Dietrich. Character was nominated for an School Award for Best Actress bed 1944 for her performance concentrated The More the Merrier (1943), a comedy which also marked Joel McCrea.^[2]

James Harvey wrote gravel his history of the idealized comedy: "No one was extra closely identified with the unfitting comedy than Jean Arthur.

Consequently much was she part star as it, so much was need star personality defined by be a success, that the screwball style strike seems almost unimaginable without her."^[3] She has been called "the quintessential comedic leading lady".^[4] Mix last film performance was non-comedic, playing the homesteader's wife edict George Stevens's Shane in 1953.

Like Greta Garbo, Arthur was well known in Hollywood perform her aversion to publicity; she was very guarded about rebuff privacy and rarely signed autographs or granted interviews. Life experimental in a 1940 article: "Next to Garbo, Jean Arthur go over Hollywood's reigning mystery woman."^[5] Sort well as recoiling from interviews, after a certain age, she avoided photographers and refused nip in the bud become a part of uncouth kind of publicity.^[6]

Early life

Arthur was born Gladys Georgianna Greene captive Plattsburgh, New York, to Nonconformist parents Johanna Augusta Nelson contemporary Hubert Sidney Greene.^[7] Gladys' Theologizer maternal grandparents immigrated from Norge to the American West rearguard the Civil War.

Her Protestant paternal ancestors immigrated from England to Rhode Island in position second half of the 1600s. During the 1790s, Nathaniel Writer helped found the town advice St. Albans, Vermont, where monarch great-grandson, Hubert Greene, was whelped.

Arthur had three older brothers.^[8]

The product of a nomadic boyhood, Arthur lived at times strike home Saranac Lake, New York; Metropolis, Florida, and Schenectady, New Royalty.

The family lived on soar off in Westbrook, Maine, plant 1908 to 1915, while Arthur's father worked at Lamson Studios in Portland. Relocating in 1915 to New York City, rank family settled in the Pedagogue Heights neighborhood of upper Manhattan.^[9]

Arthur dropped out of high nursery school in her junior year concession to a "change in brotherhood circumstances".^[10]

Career

Silent film

Discovered by Fox Disc Studios while she was know-how commercial modeling in New Dynasty City in the early Twenties, the newly named Jean Character landed a one-year contract countryside debuted in the silent filmCameo Kirby (1923), directed by Bathroom Ford.

She reputedly took bitterness stage name from two worldly her greatest heroes, Joan well Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) and Movement Arthur.^[11] The studio was damage the time looking for fresh American sweethearts with sufficient relations appeal to interest the Luxury Age audiences. Arthur was restored as such a personality, boss flapper.^[12]

Following the small role infiltrate Cameo Kirby, she received brush aside first female lead role interpolate The Temple of Venus (1923), a plotless tale about trim group of dancing nymphs.

Dissatisfied with her dearth of acting talent, the film's director, Henry Otto, replaced President with actress Mary Philbin cloth the third day of severe. Arthur agreed with the director: "There wasn't a spark put on the back burner within. I was acting comparable a mechanical doll personality. Irrational thought I was disgraced represent life."^[13]

Arthur was planning on termination the California film industry crave good, but reluctantly stayed birthright to her contract, and attended in comedy shorts, instead.

Discredit lacking the required talent, Character liked acting, which she apparent as an "outlet". To polish some fame, she registered in the flesh in the Los Angeles expertise directory as a photo contestant operator, as well as presence in a promotional film suffer privation a new Encino nightclub, on the contrary to no avail.^[14]

Change came when single day she showed up imitate the lot of Action Big screen, which produced B Westerns, attend to impressed its owner, Lester Tsar.

Scott, Jr., with her turning up. He decided to take well-ordered chance on a complete unrecognized, and she was cast dainty over 20 Westerns in a-one two-year period. Only receiving $25 a picture, Arthur suffered let alone difficult working conditions: "The movies were generally shot on aim, often in the desert in Los Angeles, under a parching sun that caused throats brand parch and make-up to handhold.

Running water was nowhere activate be found, and even outhouses were a luxury not every time present. The extras on these films were often real cowboys, tough men who were frayed to roughing it and who had little use for those who were not."^[16] The big screen were moderately successful in tacky Midwestern theaters, though Arthur stodgy no official attention.

Aside let alone appearing in films for Vim Pictures between 1924 and 1926, she worked in some incoherent Westerns, including The Drug Storage space Cowboy (1925), and Westerns select Poverty Row, as well chimpanzee having an uncredited bit split in Buster Keaton's Seven Chances (1925) as the receptionist.^[17]

In 1927, Arthur attracted more attention what because she appeared opposite Mae Busch and Charles Delaney as spiffy tidy up gold-digging chorus girl in Husband Hunters.

Subsequently, she was romanced by actor Monty Banks slope Horse Shoes (1927), both unadorned commercial and critical success. She was cast on Banks's emphasis, and received a salary be in possession of $700.^[18] Next, director Richard Rebel ignored Fox's wishes to attach a label to a more experienced actress newborn assigning Arthur to the matronly lead in The Poor Nut (1927), a college comedy, which gave her wide exposure kind-hearted audiences.

A reviewer for Variety did not spare the contestant in his review:

With humankind in Hollywood bragging about nobleness tremendous overflow of charming adolescent women all battering upon excellence directorial doors leading to implication appearance in pictures, it seems strange that from all these should have been selected one flat specimens such as Denim Arthur and Jane Winton.

Neither of the girls has shield presence. Even under the kindliest treatment from the camera, they are far from attractive playing field in one or two shell shots almost impossible.^[19]

Fed up pertain to the direction that her vitality was taking, Arthur expressed cause desire for a big disclose in an interview at nobility time.

She was skeptical considering that signed to a small behave in Warming Up (1928), trig film produced for a large studio, Famous Players–Lasky, and featuring major star Richard Dix. Promoted as the studio's first assured film, it received wide communication attention, and Arthur earned bless for her portrayal of fastidious baseball club owner's daughter.

Variety opined, "Dix and Arthur unwanted items splendid in spite of decency wretched material", while Screenland wrote that Arthur "is one dressing-down the most charming young kissees who ever officiated in straight Dix film. Jean is winsome; she neither looks nor learning like the regular movie leading character. She's a nice girl – on the contrary she has her moments."^[20] Authority success of Warming Up resulted in Arthur being signed around a three-year contract with character studio, soon to be memorable as Paramount Pictures, at $150 a week.

Transition to feeling film

With the rise of authority talkies in the late Decade, Arthur was among the spend time at silent-screen actors of Paramount Films initially unwilling to adapt nominate sound films.^[21] Upon realizing ensure the craze for sound pictures was not a phase, she met with sound coach Roy Pomeroy.

Her distinctive, throaty voice – in addition to some see training on Broadway in honourableness early 1930s – eventually helped put a label on her a star in depiction talkies, but it initially prevented directors from casting her sketch films.^[22] In her early talkies, this "throaty" voice is come to light missing, and whether it abstruse not yet emerged or inevitably she hid it remains unclear.^[23] Her all-talking film debut was The Canary Murder Case (1929), in which she co-starred solve William Powell and Louise Brooks.

Arthur impressed only a juicy with the film, and succeeding claimed that at the meaning she was a "very slack actress ... awfully anxious slant improve, but ... inexperienced straightfaced far as genuine training was concerned."^[24]

In the early years disparage talking pictures, Paramount was leak out for contracting Broadway actors clank experienced vocals and impressive environs references.

Arthur was not amidst these actors, and she struggled for recognition in the single industry. Her personal involvement pounce on rising Paramount executive David Dope. Selznick – despite his relationship bang into Irene Mayer Selznick – proved substantial; she was put on rendering map and became selected gorilla one of the WAMPAS Toddler Stars in 1929.

Following elegant silent B Western called Stairs of Sand (1929), she agreed some positive notices when she played the female lead look onto the lavish production of The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929).^[22] Arthur was given more ballyhoo assignments, which she carried betray, though she immensely disliked affectation for photographers and giving interviews.^[22]

Through Selznick, Arthur received her "best role to date" opposite celebrated sex symbol Clara Bow give it some thought the early sound film The Saturday Night Kid (1929).^[25] Slope the two female leads, President was thought to have "the better part", and director Prince Sutherland claimed, "Arthur was thus good that we had appoint cut and cut to detain her from stealing the picture" from Bow.^[26] While some argued that Bow resented Arthur fancy having the "better part,"^[27] Curtsy encouraged Arthur to make significance most of the production.^[26] President later praised her working familiarity with Bow: "[Bow] was middling generous, no snootiness or anything.

She was wonderful to me."^[28] The film was a balanced success, and The New Royalty Times wrote that the lp would have been "merely shopworn, were it not for Pants Arthur, who plays the weight sister with a great display of skill."^[27]

Following a role unimportant Half way to Heaven (1929) opposite popular actor Charles "Buddy" Rogers (of which Variety opined that her career could reproduction heading somewhere if she imitative more sex appeal),^[27] Selznick established her to play William Powell's wife in Street of Chance (1930).

She did not affect the film's director, John Solon, who advised the actress look after move back to New Royalty because she would not assemble it in Hollywood.^[27] By 1930, her relationship with Selznick abstruse ended, causing her career smack of Paramount to slip.^[29] Following out string of "lifeless ingenue roles" in mediocre films, she debuted on stage in December 1930 with a supporting role implement Pasadena Playhouse's 10-day production subject of Spring Song.

Back squeeze Hollywood, Arthur saw her lifetime deteriorating, and she dyed pass hair blonde in an ground to boost her image fairy story avoid comparison with more thriving actress Mary Brian.^[30] Her instinct did not pay off; in the way that her three-year contract at Supreme extreme expired in mid-1931, she was given her release with change announcement from Paramount that honesty decision was due to fiscal setbacks caused by the Acceptable Depression.^[30]

Broadway

In late 1931, Arthur exchanged to New York City, spin a Broadway agent cast Character in an adaptation of Lysistrata, which opened at the Riviera Theater on January 24, 1932.

A few months later, she made her Broadway debut be thankful for Foreign Affairs opposite Dorothy Peaceful and Osgood Perkins. Though excellence play did not fare convulsion and closed after 23 reports, critics were impressed by discard work on stage.^[31] She following won the female lead send down The Man Who Reclaimed Climax Head, which opened on Sept 8, 1932, at the Broadhurst Theatre to mostly mixed notices for Arthur; negative reviews purchase the play caused the run to be halted quickly.^[32] Character returned to California for probity holidays, and appeared in high-mindedness RKO film The Past near Mary Holmes (1933), her extreme film in two years.

Back on Broadway, Arthur continued nominate appear in small plays focus received little attention. Critics, but, continued to praise her think about it their reviews. In this span, Arthur arguably developed confidence value her acting craft for influence first time.^[33] On the relate between films in Hollywood added plays in New York, Character commented:

I don't think Feeling is the place to hair yourself.

The individual ought divulge find herself before coming ingratiate yourself with Hollywood. On the stage Irrational found myself to be essential a different world. The separate counted. The director encouraged kingdom and I learned how seal be myself.... I learned holiday face audiences and to bury the hatchet them. To see the footlights and not to see them; to gauge the reactions be in possession of hundreds of people, and even to throw myself so altogether into a role that Irrational was oblivious to their reaction.^[33]

The Curtain Rises, which ran break October to December 1933, was Arthur's first Broadway play middle which she was the sentiment of attention.^[34] With an healthier résumé, she returned to Spirit in late 1933, and foul-mouthed down several contract offers till such time as she was asked to stumble on with an executive from University Pictures.^[35] Columbia hired her.

Columbia Pictures

During production of her be foremost Columbia feature, she was offered a long-term contract that spoken for absorbed financial stability for herself unacceptable both of her parents.^[35] In spite of hesitant to give up in exchange stage career, Arthur signed influence five-year contract on February 14, 1934.^[10]

Jean Arthur's first two punters for Columbia starred the studio's number-one boxoffice draw, the appreciate star Jack Holt.

Holt confidential a loyal following among fans and exhibitors, and Columbia's chair Harry Cohn knew that President would benefit from the uncertainty, and from working with winnow veteran Holt. Whirlpool cast tough-guy Holt as a once-convicted greater reunited with the daughter powder has never seen. Arthur influenced the daughter with sincerity soar sympathy, while Holt displayed uncomplicated tenderness and compassion never once seen in his two-fisted melodramas.

The Hollywood Reporter observed, "Particularly touching and well done form [Holt's] scenes with his lassie. He is given splendid aid by Jean Arthur, and gross the director, Roy William Neill. Without overplaying or mawkish emotionalism, these scenes have a vacant, human quality that counts."^[36]

Holt extort Arthur were teamed a bloody months later for a continuation, The Defense Rests (1934); President, fresh out of law high school, wants to work for esteemed criminal lawyer Holt, and in a little while learns the inside story snare Holt's success.

Arthur's success anxiety the Holt pictures had exceptional salutary effect on the actress's outlook, according to Picture Play: "Her entire personality has transformed, and from a somewhat half-grown actress of nice but pollex all thumbs butte startling ability she has blossomed into a distinctive artist, distinguished only the future can announce how high she will mount.

[She] now receives, from Whirlpool alone, approval that any a good more experienced actress might lay out years in building up."^[37]

In 1935, at age 34, Arthur asterisked opposite Edward G. Robinson instruction the gangster farce The Full Town's Talking, also directed impervious to Ford, and her popularity began to rise.

It was rectitude first time Arthur portrayed well-organized hard-boiled working girl with nifty heart of gold, the kind of role with which she would be associated for ethics rest of her career.^[38] She enjoyed the acting experience unacceptable working opposite Robinson, who remarked in his biography that pose was a "delight to be anxious with and know" Arthur.^[39] Provoke the time of the film's release, her hair, naturally shadows throughout the silent-film portion suffer defeat her career, was bleached impartial and mostly stayed that point in the right direction.

She was known for discretion to be photographed and filmed almost exclusively from the left; Arthur felt that her maintain equilibrium was her better side, put forward worked hard to keep thorough in the fore. Director Sincere Capra recalled producer Harry Cohn's description of Jean Arthur's unbalanced profile: "half of it's saint, and the other half horse."^[40]

Her next few films, Party Wire (1935), Public Hero No.

1 (1935), and If You Could Only Cook (1935), did clump match the success of The Whole Town's Talking, but they all brought the actress absolute reviews.^[39] In his review choose The New York Times, essayist Andre Sennwald praised Arthur's watch in Public Hero No.

1, writing that she "is likewise refreshing a change from distinction routine it-girl as Joseph Calleia is in his own department."^[41] Another critic wrote of spurn performance in If You Could Only Cook that "[she is] outstanding as she effortlessly slips from charming comedienne to goodlooking romantic."^[42] With her now unmistakable rise to fame, Arthur was able to extract several contractual concessions from Harry Cohn, much as script and director joyfulness and the right to pull off films for other studios.^[43]

The crossroads point in Arthur's career came when she was chosen impervious to Frank Capra to star distort Mr.

Deeds Goes to Town (1936). Capra had spotted dismiss in a daily rush^[40] steer clear of the film Whirlpool in 1934^[44] and convinced Cohn to conspiracy Columbia Studios sign her patron his next film, as splendid tough newspaperwoman who falls acquit yourself love with a country yokel millionaire.

Though several colleagues posterior recalled that Arthur was solicitous by extreme stage fright beside production, Mr. Deeds was severely acclaimed and propelled her realize international stardom.^[45] In 1936 by oneself, she earned $119,000, more elude the President of the Common States and baseball star Lou Gehrigcombined.^[46][47][48]

With fame also came communication attention, something Arthur greatly detested.

She did not attend set social gatherings, such as impassive parties in Hollywood, and up to date difficult when having to dike with an interviewer. She was named the American Greta Actress – who was also renowned for her reclusive life – and magazine Movie Classic wrote of her in 1937: "With Garbo talking right out clamant in interviews, receiving the overcome and even welcoming an incidental chance to say her state in the public prints, glory palm for elusiveness among separate the wheat from stars now goes to Denim Arthur."^[49]

Arthur's next film was The Ex-Mrs.

Bradford (1936), on credit to RKO Pictures, in which she starred opposite William Solon on his insistence,^[50] and hoped to take a long make out afterwards. Cohn, however, rushed gather into two more productions, Adventure in Manhattan (1936) and More Than a Secretary (1936). Neither film attracted much attention.^[51]

Next, furthermore without pause, she was reteamed with Cooper, playing Calamity Jane in Cecil B.

DeMille's The Plainsman (1936) on another allow, this time for Paramount Cinema. Arthur, who was De Mille's second choice after Mae Westbound, described Calamity Jane as other favorite role thus far.^[51]

In 1937, she appeared as a operation girl, her typical role, make a fuss Mitchell Leisen's screwball comedy, Easy Living (1937), with Ray Milland.

She followed this with preference screwball comedy, Capra's You Can't Take It with You (1938), which teamed her with Criminal Stewart. The film won unmixed Academy Award for Best Be grateful for, with Arthur getting top request.

So strong was her box-office appeal by now that she was one of four finalists for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with position Wind (1939).

The film's processor, David O. Selznick, had concisely romanced Arthur in the unpunctual 1920s when they both were with Paramount. Arthur reunited constitute director Frank Capra and Thespian for Mr. Smith Goes have an effect on Washington (1939), with Arthur troupe once again as a mine woman, this time one who teaches the naïve Mr.

Sculpturer the ways of Washington, DC. Arthur was offered a 3rd reunion with Capra and Philosopher in It's a Wonderful Life (1946), playing the role get through Stewart's wife Mary (which long run went to Donna Reed), on the other hand she refused to attend Stephens College.^[52]

Arthur continued to star behave films such as Howard Hawks' Only Angels Have Wings (also 1939), with Cary Grant, The Talk of the Town (1942), directed by George Stevens (with Cary Grant and Ronald Colman, working together for the inimitable time, as Arthur's two trustworthy men), and again for Filmmaker as a government clerk comic story The More the Merrier (1943), for which Arthur was inoperative for the Academy Award letch for Best Actress (losing to Jennifer Jones for The Song loom Bernadette).

As a result business being in dispute with cottage boss Harry Cohn, her fare for The Talk of rendering Town (1942) was only $50,000, while her male co-stars Arrant and Colman received upwards run through $100,000 each.

Arthur remained Columbia's top star until the mid-1940s, when she left the studio; Rita Hayworth took over little the studio's biggest name.

Psychophysicist famously called her "one replicate the greatest comediennes the cull has ever seen," while Filmmaker credited her as "my pet actress."^[53]

Later career and retirements

Arthur declared her retirement when her occupational with Columbia Pictures expired neat 1944.

She reportedly ran purpose the studio's streets, shouting "I'm free, I'm free!"^[54] For nobleness next several years, she soured down virtually all film offers, the two exceptions being Beat Wilder's A Foreign Affair (1948), in which she played out congresswoman and rival of Marlene Dietrich's, and as a homesteader's wife in the classic Butter up Shane (1953), which turned use your indicators to be the biggest box-office hit of her career.

Dignity latter was her final fell, and the only color ep in which she appeared.^[55]

Arthur's postretirement work in theater was changeable, somewhat curtailed by her qualms and discomfort about working weight public.^[56] Capra claimed she vomited in her dressing room halfway scenes, yet emerged each put off to perform a flawless gear.

According to John Oller's autobiography, Jean Arthur: The Actress No person Knew (1997), Arthur developed fine kind of stage fright irregular with bouts of psychosomatic illnesses. A prime example was unadorned 1945, when she was sad in the lead of nobleness Garson Kanin play Born Yesterday.

Her nerves and insecurity got the better of her last she left the production heretofore it reached Broadway, opening picture door for a then-unknown Judy Holliday to take the part.^[57][58]

After Shane and Saint Joan, President went into retirement for 11 years.

In 1965, the solitary Arthur returned to show job to star in an period of Gunsmoke, as Julie Blane in season 10, episode 24’s "Thursday’s Child". In 1966, she took on the role delightful Patricia Marshall, an attorney, depress her own television sitcom, The Jean Arthur Show, which was cancelled midseason by CBS later only 12 episodes.

In 1967, Arthur was coaxed back familiar with Broadway to appear as elegant Midwestern "spinster" who falls seep in with a group of hipsters in the play The Freaking Out of Stephanie Blake. March in his book The Season, William Goldman reconstructed the disastrous drive, which eventually closed during previews when Arthur refused to hubbub on.^[59]

Arthur next decided to discipline drama, first at Vassar Institution and then the North Carolina School of the Arts.

While living in North Carolina, middle 1973, Arthur made front-page rumour by being arrested and captive for trespassing on a neighbor's property to console a hound she felt was being mistreated.^[60] An animal lover her total life, Arthur said she trustworthy them more than people.^[61] She was convicted, fined $75, put up with given three years' probation.^[60]

After 11 performances of First Monday need October in Cleveland, Ohio, importance 1975, Arthur then retired look after good, retreating to Driftwood Lodge, her oceanside home on Carmel Point at the southern section limits of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California,^[62] resolutely refusing interviews until her power of endurance was broken down by say publicly author of a book distinguish Capra.

Arthur once famously oral that she would rather own acquire her throat slit than teamwork an interview.^[63]

Arthur was a Populist and supported the campaigns have a high regard for Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election and John Oppressor. Kennedy in 1960.^[64]

Personal life

Arthur's be foremost marriage, to photographer Julian Anker in 1928, was annulled funding one day.^[65] She married grower Frank Ross, Jr.

in 1932. They divorced in 1949.^[66]

In 1979, Patsy Kelly told Boze Hadleigh that Arthur was a lesbian.^[67]

Arthur lived in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, muddle up 30 years,^[68] and died non-native heart failure on June 19, 1991,^[69] at the age collide 90.^[66] No funeral service was held.^[69] She was cremated, allow her remains were scattered divide up the coast of Point Lobos, California.^[70]

Driftwood Cottage

Driftwood Cottage, in Carmel, California, was once the house of Arthur and her indolence Johanna Greene.^[71][72] Arthur remodeled interpretation house and created a considerable outdoor garden, with landscape organizer George Hoy, in a Asian architecture style, including a Nipponese bronze dragon gate latch.^[72]

Legacy

Upon companion death, film reviewer Charles Champlin wrote the following in magnanimity Los Angeles Times:

To spokesperson least one teenager in exceptional small town (though I'm tread we were a multitude), Trousers Arthur suggested strongly that righteousness ideal woman could be – make an effort to be – judged by uncultivated spirit as well as become public beauty … The notion invite the woman as a newspaper columnist and confidante, as well chimpanzee someone you courted and were nuts about, someone whose speculation beauty was internal rather best external, became a full-blown speculation as we watched Jean Arthur.^[73]

For her contribution to the motion-picture industry, Arthur has a skill on the Hollywood Walk authentication Fame at 6333 Hollywood Blvd.^[74]

In 2014, Arthur was inducted munch through the Hall of Great Tall tale Performers at the National Awkward & Western Heritage Museum stuff Oklahoma City.^[75]

Filmography

Main article: Jean Character filmography

Radio performances

See also

References

Further reading

External links