Marion Davies

Reginald Denny and Sam Hardy

Reginald Denny (Reginald Leigh Dugmore, 1891-1967) and Sam Hardy (1883-1935) in THE NIGHT BIRD (1928), Denny’s last silent film. 

Samuel B. Hardy was a Yale man (1905x); he left college to go on stage, and made his Broadway début in THE FORTUNES OF THE KING (1904-5). He supported Douglas Fairbanks and Irene Fenwick in HAWTHORNE OF THE U.S.A. (1912) and appeared in the ZIEGFELD FOLLIES OF 1916 with Fanny Brice, Ina Claire, and Marion Davies.

Marion Davies by Alfred Cheney Johnston

Alfred Cheney Johnston was especially noted for his portraits of the showgirls in the ZIEGFELD FOLLIES. While Marion Davies was a member of the 1916 FOLLIES cast, it appears that this image was taken for YOLANDA (1924), a film whose cast included Ian Maclaren and Leon Errol, both of whom had also appeared in the FOLLIES.

Gary Cooper and Marion Davies in OPERATOR 13 (1934)

Still more Marion Davies

Photo attributed to George Hurrell (1904-1992), Ruth Harriet Louise’s successor at MGM

I think this photo shows Marion Davies at the beach house she shared with William Randolph Hearst in Santa Monica — when they weren’t staying at (and entertaining in) one of a half dozen other residences.

More Marion Davies

Photo by Geisler & Andrews Studio [Frank E. Geisler (1867-1935) and Mae Andrews, partners 1917-21]

Marion Davies was the top female star in films in 1922, as well as “Queen of the Screen,” after the artistic triumph of the heavily-promoted WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER (1922), about which Will Rogers duly noted that her next picture would be called WHEN ELECTRIC LIGHT WAS IN POWER.

Marion Davies

Marion Davies (Marion Cecilia Douras, 1897-1961) by Ira L. Hill (1876-1947).

She first appeared on Broadway in Charles Dillingham’s CHIN CHIN (1914) as a member of the Ensemble. After a named role in NOBODY HOME (1915), she returned to the chorus for Dillingham’s MISS INFORMATION (1915), then another named part in STOP! LOOK! LISTEN! (1915-16). She had finally arrived, joining the 1916 ZIEGFELD FOLLIES with Ina Claire and Fanny Brice.

Photo by Ruth Harriet Louise, MGM’s chief portrait photographer 1925-30.

Legend has it that Marion Davies met William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) during the run of the 1916 FOLLIES; in the latter half of the decade Hearst took firm control of her career. More than three decades her senior, the heir to great wealth who had gone on to make even more, he had ample confidence in his own judgment as he wagered several fortunes on this lovely, stammering beauty — a mimic and a comedian, whom Hearst wished to mold into another one of those stately Ziegfeld dolls.

Marion Davies and Helen Jerome Eddy

There is something almost tangible in the depths of these images, a burnishing of texture that draws me into the scene. Sartov - if it is Sartov who is responsible - plays with perspective, in some shots capturing the depths of a room in pristine focus; in others, figures loom out of the shadows. Marion Davies is often shown in these pictures as a delicious madcap, in keeping with her public persona, but this image of her in Helen Jerome Eddy's consoling arms is fraught with tragedy.

Rush proofs

I have a number of MGM rush proofs in my collection, remarkable (ironically?) for the beauty of their finish. A number of them are connected to Marion Davies' silent version of QUALITY STREET (1927), which co-starred Conrad Nagel, Helen Jerome Eddy, and Flora Finch - one of the first comedy film stars, and best remembered for her partnership with John Bunny. The film's cinematography is credited to Hendrik Sartov.

Wayne Ehler

Wayne Ehler works out in front of Marion Davies’s beach house in Santa Monica, September 1944.