The Freethinker

Be Glad You're Not Gladys

You most likely can recall the names of Mel Gibson, Jennifer Aniston, Jim Carrey and Britney Spears. But if you would ask someone about the name Gladys Smith, most Americans will look at you with a dumbfounded look on their face and then proceed to ask: “Who?”

The paragraph you just read suggested in-between the lines that you should know of Mary Pickford if you know the names of those celebrities mentioned before, and maybe the names of their children, their husbands or wives, or ex husbands or wives, and you may even possibly know of the breed of dog these celebrities prefer. (And if you know their shoe size, you need a hobby!)

Here is what you should know if you like to follow all things Hollywood. Gladys Smith was born in Canada, a decade before the turn of the century. The 20th century, that is. She was the daughter of a British immigrant father and an Irish catholic mother. Her British father was basically just a shadow and a name attached to hers, and actually cast an eerie shadow upon the rest of her life. Gladys Smith showed special talent, in acting, at the young age of seven, and her aptitude to this certain field continued to blossom.

...So, what does this have to do with anything?

She traveled the country with her family, into the United States. She tirelessly poured her entire heart and soul into acting, and her mother became her spokesperson and somewhat of a manager. She was also an actress herself, but certainly not as devoted as Gladys.

During the same time, motion pictures were fast catching the countries’ attention. The most popular version of the primitive cinema, as we know it today, was the ‘Nickelodeon’. Thousands of people flocked to ‘nickelodeons’ to see the new fangled motion pictures. And suddenly, these nickelodeons were sprouting up across the nation. They were simply a sensation. (And as an odd note, nickelodeons were increasingly popular in the summer due to the recent invention of air conditioning!)

...And you once again ask, ‘So?’

Gladys Smith was temporarily out of work after being involved in Broadway, but the magical and mysterious world of motion pictures was soon opened up to her. It was a goldmine for the radiant young actress, although it was not easy treasure in the beginning. She wasn’t even initially chosen for a role in a motion picture, but the director had noticed a certain talent within Gladys and then did keep her within his company to produce motion pictures. She found it much simpler to act in motion pictures than in stage plays.

The reason she found motion pictures easier was for this: Most early motion pictures were only fifteen minutes long and had small, easy to follow plots. As such, as many as twenty motion pictures could be filmed in a regular day. You could learn the script in minutes, act out the part and you would have a motion picture ready for the masses to devour. Gladys Smith would be apart of this cycle, tirelessly creating these new and profitable moving pictures (Movies).

Within weeks of appearing in these moving pictures, nickelodeon viewers noticed Gladys right away, much like the director had personally noticed her. Credits did not scream who was who like most movies trumpet now to even sell tickets. All the audiences were able to identify at the time was, that they truly identified with Gladys Smith.

...And you continue to ask, ‘So?’

Her audience appeal was quite evident. So evident, that, in fact, she began earning privileges due to the money she raked in and began to make more demands in to how much she actually controlled these motion pictures (Which was not a hard thing to do at the time, since they didn’t even roll credits at the end of movies, indicating how small their staff was).

Since plots in these motion pictures were easy to guess and easy to follow, since they were silent, not a lot of lines were needed and longer motion pictures were actually frowned upon. Businessmen of the day thought, “Really, who would sit an hour and a half to see a motion picture? No one has the patience, or the money, for that.”

...And yet another resounding, ‘So?’

Gladys Smith had an eye for innovation, and she was slightly rebellious. The actress did not enjoy portraying the average damsel in distress, so with her new found producing and writing talents, she modified scripts and portrayed characters as she saw fit. One of her ‘Out of Gladys’ roles was a young wife posing as a male soldier in the Revolutionary war.

As another innovation, she proposed the first eighty-minute feature film. This film helped propel her to stardom, as she played a trodden maiden in poverty, with a deep intricate plot that most directors thought would fail. It was actually a success, due to the fame of Gladys’s name, the story itself and the new complicated storyline that most moviegoers were not accustomed to, but loved.

You’re probably going to ask (Once again), ‘So?’

One man noticed Gladys’s popularity with the masses, and he began to market her image to magazines, commercial businesses and newspapers. She was used to endorse a variety of products, and they sold primarily because of her face adorning the packaging. America had never seen anything like this before!

She led a charmed life. She traveled the world, as America’s unofficial ambassador to the world. Millions adored her, for her sweet child-like looks and her talent on the silver screen. Many would trample her just to touch her hair, and at one point she had to be put in a cage that was in a cart to see the people. And although Gladys was adored, horrendously rich and talented, her charmed life and face was a stale façade, which hid her real life that many did not know about.

Her first marriage was to a drunk, named Owen Moore, who she had acted with on stage before. Ironically, her father had also been a drunk. There have been rumors that she was pregnant with his child, but either a miscarriage or an abortion rendered her barren. She grew weary of this man, and, despite the advice of those around her that suggested her popularity would plummet if she did this, she divorced him when a new attractive actor entered her life.

This new attractive suitor was Douglas Fairbanks. The two married soon after she divorced Owen, and the two didn’t suffer in regards to their popularity. Strangely enough, the public roared with support when they found out about the happy couple. But alas, their happiness did not last, Douglas traveled abroad too much, and was found to be having an affair then they divorced. She later remarried to Charles Rogers, but never seemed to recover from the loss of Douglas Fairbanks, as she often called Charles ‘Douglas’ by mistake.

Gladys adopted two children, but they claim that they never felt much love from her, and she was far too self absorbed to care for them although they held admiration for her. She suffered from alcoholism, like her father, her brother and sister, her mother and her very first husband. At the same time, she held many honors and had many awards presented to her, despite the fact she became a hermit and would only speak to few select people. While her husband was giving tours of their lavish home, Gladys stayed confined to her chambers, in a deep depression.

At the end of her life, Gladys Smith was not the feisty and sweet idealized All-American girl in the world’s imagination, an image which they had grown to love very much. She was an average human being. Many were shocked to see the state she was in within her elderly years. She was feeble and broken down as she accepted the Academy Honorary Award. She had her troubles, and sadly, like most of America, she didn’t know how to deal with these issues that permeated her life.

It was almost as if Gladys Smith, most actually only known by her stage name as Mary Pickford, had laid the blueprint for the out of control life almost all celebrities today endure. Not only did she carry out acting in the movie theaters, she was a thespian in the public eye. Her stage make up was not wiped off at the end of a film shoot, and her costumes were not hung on their appropriate rung when the day came to an end. Her risqué romance roles were not left to the confines of paper, and the drama continued to unfold off the set.

She, along with others, fabricated the American celebrity, as we know it today, and yet, most Americans do not know who she is, and if they do know of her, they most certainly don’t know her life was not as pleasant as her name. Mary Pickford was the first American celebrity. And yet, she will be forgotten, as she already has begun the process of receding into the back of the worlds’ mind.

But you should know the story of Mary Pickford. Why? So you are not fed the same line as all other young and naïve roaring Twenties guys and dolls were fed, that celebrities have it all together. As the old saying goes, you can’t have everything. Mary did have more than most Americans could have ever imagined. But she paid a dear price for it.

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? - Matthew 16:26

Hello!

5:13 PM, Mar. 6, 2008

Posted by Jeremiah2913

Hi! I was browsing random blogs, and found your site!!

That was a very well-written post, and very true - only what's done for Christ will last!

I LOVE your template!! Where did you get it?? Or did you make it? It's really beautiful!

Anyhow, you have a great day, and come by my blog if you care to! ~Erica

Edited by Jeremiah2913 on Mar. 6, 2008 at 4:14 PM

I *Love* Your Blog!

1:59 AM, Mar. 14, 2008

Posted by creativehsmom

It's Me :o)
Your blog is sooo colorful and well organized!

Check out the cartoon that I just posted on mine.

Love Ya!!