Pickford, Mary

Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood

A silent-film star. A woman who played children, wide-eyed and gamine, skipping about in frills and long curls. That's how most people remember Mary Pickford. In reality, Pickford was a towering figure in movie history, central to the evolution of film acting and the development of the Hollywood motion picture industry. Born in Toronto in 1892, Pickford began acting as a child. She switched from stage to film at seventeen, joining D.W. Griffith's Biograph Company, and became almost unimaginably popular. This allowed her to dictate the terms of her contracts--power she seized and consolidated. She developed her own production company at Adolph Zukor's Famous Players, and in 1919 she co-founded United Artists (along with Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, and her husband, Douglas Fairbanks), taking not only creative control but also direction of the marketing and distribution of her films.

Eight years in the making, this definitive biography brings Pickford to life as a complex knot of contradictions and establishes her as a groundbreaking genius, casting new light on one of the most influential and least understood artists in the history of popular culture. Eileen Whitfield recreates Pickford's life in meticulously researched detail, from her trying days in turn-of-the-century Toronto through her reign as mistress of Pickfair, the legendary Beverly Hills estate at which she and Fairbanks entertained the world's elite, to her sadly moving demise. Along the way, Whitfield explores the intricate psychology that tied Pickford to her mother throughout her life and analyzes Pickford's brilliant innovations in the art of film acting, her profound influence on the movie business, and her role in the history of fame: once the best known woman in the world, she was the object of a mass adoration that prefigured today's cult of celebrity.

Mary Pickford: America's Sweetheart

Scott Eyman examines the life of Mary Pickford, interviewing those who knew her and uncovering previously undisclosed anecdotes to establish that, while Pickford's screen image was derived from 19th-century models of womanhood, she was truly one of the first 20th-century women. "Superior."--Publishers Weekly. Black-and-white photographs.

Mary Pickford Rediscovered

In the days of silent cinema, Mary Pickford was unmatched in popularity. Known as "America's Sweetheart," she lived a fairy-tale life appropriate to such status--marrying Douglas Fairbanks at the height of both their careers and living in the legendary mansion called Pickfair (which she maintained until her death in 1979). The world's first superstar was best known for playing children, which her youthful appearance and acting abilities allowed her to do well into her 30s. She was also, however, an amazingly versatile performer as well as a shrewd businesswoman and film producer. Pickford was a founder of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences--she's credited with having conceived of the institution--and she cofounded United Artists with Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, and Douglas Fairbanks.

Today, it's a precious treat to view one of Pickford's movies, since silent cinema is rarely revived in the theaters and her films have only recently begun to circulate on video. But fans and film historians hungry for Pickford's talent will devour the hundreds of magnificent (and mostly never-before-published) photographs and production stills collected in this stunning tribute to the Hollywood legend. This lush book features 232 black-and-white photos and stills--many taken by some of the century's most talented still photographers and cinematographers.

Robert Cushman's detailed introduction discusses the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' arduous process of collecting the photographs, many of which were for decades believed lost. The main text, which limns Pickford's career and traces the photographs and films in chronological order, was composed by Kevin Brownlow, author, documentary filmmaker, and restorer of silent movies. Brownlow incorporates interviews with Pickford and her former colleagues, period accounts, anecdotes, and technical information about the process of creating a silent film. This gorgeous, fascinating title brings silent movies alive--even for those people who may never have seen one--and, most importantly, pays well-deserved homage to a woman without whose influence the film institution could well have taken a different course.

"America's Sweetheart" is the subject of this lavish tribute, illustrated with fabulous film stills, rare production shots, and personal photographs--most never before published. 232 illustrations.