Florence Vidor Russian Doll
by Sad Hill - Bizarre Los Angeles Archive
Title
Florence Vidor Russian Doll
Artist
Sad Hill - Bizarre Los Angeles Archive
Medium
Photograph - Digital Image
Description
"I personally take all the responsibility for my wardrobe in a picture because I believe that clothes are all important to an actress. For several years now, I have designed every dress, gown, or frock that I have worn in my various productions. It's my hobby, is this matter of dress and it's great fun." -- Florence Vidor
Source: 1928
From IMDB:
Florence Vidor
Date of Birth
23 July 1895, Houston, Texas, USA
Date of Death
3 November 1977, Pacific Palisades, California, USA
Birth Name
Florence Iona Arto
Height
5' 4½" (1.64 m)
Quite renown in her day, movie fans witnessed the great photogenic beauty but not the Southern-bred tones of silent star Florence Vidor, for she abruptly left the silver screen after her first disastrous attempt at a talking picture. Born Florence Arto on July 23, 1895, she was the daughter of John F. Arto, a realtor, and his wife Ida, and raised in Houston, Texas. Educated under both the public and finishing school systems, she was also a student at the Convent of the Sacred Heart for a time. Her fate was sealed after an eventful but happenstance meeting of two local aspiring filmmakers -- Edward Sedgwick and King Vidor. Vidor, a freelance photographer, cast Florence in his very first two-reel picture, although she had no real designs on being an actress. The two went on to become a romantic item and married in 1915. They would have one child, Suzanne Vidor Parry, in 1919. King set his sites on Hollywood and the couple made the big move, financing their trip by filming travelogue footage for the Ford Motor company.
Settling in Santa Monica, both husband and wife soon found employment at the Vitagraph studio. Florence knew actress Corinne Griffith from her days in Houston and was introduced around the sets. The studio was quite taken by her exquisite beauty and quickly signed her to a contract, starting with some minor roles in such comedy shorts as The Yellow Girl (1916) and Curfew at Simpton Center (1916). In the meantime, husband King sought work as a scriptwriter and occasional movie extra.
Florence first turned heads portraying the tragic seamstress "Mimi" in A Tale of Two Cities (1917). Audiences took notice and the attractive brunette was immediately promoted to leading lady status opposite such established stars as Sessue Hayakawa and chic "drag" performer Julian Eltinge. A frequent co-star alongside Hayakawa, they appeared together in Hashimura Togo (1917), The Secret Game (1917) and The White Man's Law (1918), among others. For the popular Eltinge, who often outdressed his leading ladies, the actress graced the comedies The Countess Charming (1917) and The Widow's Might (1918). Within a short time, Florence was starring in quality pictures for both William C. de Mille and his brother, Cecil B. DeMille, but still preferred to work for her husband, King, who had by this time established himself as a formidable director after opening his own studio in 1919.
A mature, opulent presence, Florence became a huge star under her husband's guidance operating under the banners of King Vidor Productions and Florence Vidor Productions. With such silent classics as The Other Half (1919), Poor Relations (1919), The Family Honor (1920), The Jack-Knife Man (1920), Real Adventure (1922), Dusk to Dawn (1922) and Conquering the Woman (1922), Florence came to the forefront. Her best-regarded film of that period, was King's comedy-drama Alice Adams (1923), which was remade successfully a decade or so later by Katharine Hepburn. That following year (1924), she and King also divorced. Florence went on to appear for other well-known directors, notably Ernst Lubitsch, in such glossy pictures as The Marriage Circle (1924) and The Patriot (1928). She also portrayed the famous female Revolutionary War figure, Barbara Frietchie (1924), but actually earned most of her kudos specializing in sophisticated comedy. She was well represented in that genre with the films Marry Me (1925), The Grand Duchess and the Waiter (1926) and The Magnificent Flirt (1928). Her stylish humor coupled with a charming sensitivity put her squarely on top throughout most of the 1920s opposite such other well-tailored charmers as Adolphe Menjou, Clive Brook and William Powell.
Florence's first major talking film would also become her last. The unhappy experience and end result of working on Chinatown Nights (1929), which used highly experimental sound equipment, was enough for her to leave films, altogether. Moreover, divorced from Vidor, Florence had married a second time to the famed violinist Jascha Heifetz in 1928, and preferred, instead, to raise a family. The couple went on to have two children. Following her divorce from Heifetz in 1946, Florence continued to remain completely out of the limelight. She later resided in Pacific Palisades, California, and stayed there for the remainder of her life, succumbing to heart failure in 1977 at age 82.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net
Uploaded
August 9th, 2020
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