Information about Colleen Moore

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Colleen Moore
Birth name	Kathleen Morrison
Born	July 19 1900(1900--) Port Huron, Michigan, U.S.
Died	January 25 1988 (aged 89) Paso Robles, California, U.S.

Colleen Moore, born Kathleen Morrison (August 19 1900 – January 25 1988) was an American film actress, and one of the most fashionable stars of the silent film era.

Early life

The year of Colleen’s birth was 1900, based upon Social Security and DMV records. However, these records would have been based upon information supplied by the applicant and would not have been subject to cross-checking. Her stepson Homer Hargrave Jr. has said his father told him she was born the same year as is biological mother, which was 1898. The lion’s share of documentation points to 1899 as the actual year of birth; this documentation being the 1900 and 1910 census information for her family, her First Communion records,^[1] and school records from Santa Clara University for her brother, Cleeve Morrison, which cite a birth year for him of 1902. Cleeve was always said to be about 2 years younger then his sister. However, no birth record exists, and until baptismal records for Port Huron, St. Clair County, Michigan, can be located, the subject will remain open for debate.

In any case, she was born Kathleen Morrison, oldest child of Charles R. Morrison and Agnes Morrison. For the first years of her life they remained in Port Huron, Michigan, at first living with Moore’s grandmother Mary Kelly (often spelled Kelley) and with one or several of Moore’s aunts.^[2]

By 1905 the family moved to Hillsdale, Michigan and remained there for over two years. Following that the family had relocated to Atlanta, Georgia; this was by 1908. They are listed at three different addresses during their stay (From the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library city directories): 301 Capitol Avenue -1908; 41 Linden Avenue – 1909; 240 N. Jackson Street - 1910. They lived briefly—probably less than a year—in Warren, Pennsylvania, and by 1911 they had settled down in Tampa, Florida.

Two great passions of young Moore’s were dolls and movies; both would play a great role in her life in later years. She and her brother began their own stock company, reputedly performing on a stage created from a piano packing crate. She admired the faces she saw on the silver screen and on the magazine covers. She had resolved at a young age that she would be a star… not just an actress, but a star. Her aunts, who doted on her, indulged her other great passion and often bought her miniature furniture on their many trips, with which she furnished the first of a succession of doll houses.

The family summered in Chicago, where Moore enjoyed baseball and the company of her Aunt Lib (Elizabeth, who changed her name to "Liberty"… Lib for short) and her uncle Walter Howey. Howey was an important newspaper editor in the publishing empire of William Randolph Hearst, and he was the inspiration for Walter Burns, the fictional Chicago newspaper editor in the play and the film The Front Page.^[3]

At the time, Chicago was the center of the motion picture industry in America. The Essanay Studios was within easy walking distance of Northwestern L, which ran right past the Howey residence (they lived at at least two addresses between 1910 and 1916: 4161 Sheridan and 4942 Sheridan).

In interviews later in her silent film career, she would claim that she had appeared in the background of several Essanay films, often just a single face in a crowd. One story has it she had gotten into the Essanay studios and waited in line to be an extra with Helen Ferguson: in an interview with Kevin Brownlow many years later Helen told a story that substantially confirmed many details of claim, though it is not certain if she was referring to Moore’s stints as a background extra (if she really was one) or to her film test there prior to her departure for Hollywood in November 1916.

Either way, the story has it that Aunt Lib intervened on Kathleen’s behalf, convincing Walter to wrangle a contract for young Kathleen from D.W. Griffith to perform at his Triangle-Fine Arts studio in Hollywood. The contract would only be good with the proviso that she pass a film test to see if her eyes (one brown, one blue) would photograph close enough in darkness as not to be a distraction. Her eyes passed the test, and so she left for Hollywood with her grandmother as chaperon and her mother along as well.

Career

Moore made her first credited film appearance in 1917 in The Bad Boy for Triangle Fine Arts, and for the next few years appeared in small, supporting roles^[4] gradually attracting the attention of the public. There is a persistent rumor that she appeared in the 1916 film Prince of Graustark in the role of "the maid." Those who have seen the film say the actress in that part bears a striking resemblance to Colleen. However, the part is uncredited, and while Colleen spent her summers in Chicago where the film was made, there is no definite proof yet that she played the part.

The Bad Boy was released on February 18th. It featured Robert Harron, Richard Cummings, Josephine Crowell, and Mildred Harris (who would later become Charles Chaplin's first wife). Two months later it was followed by An Old Fashioned Young Man, again with Robert Harron. Colleen’s third film was Hands Up! filmed in part in the vicinity of the Seven Oaks (a popular location for productions that required dramatic vistas). This was her first true western. The film’s scenario was written by Wilfred Lucas from a story by Al Jennings, the famous outlaw who had been freed from jail by presidential pardon by Theodore Roosevelt in 1907. Monte Blue was in the cast and noticed Moore could not mount her horse, though horseback riding was required for the part (during casting for the part she neglected to mention she did not know how to ride.) Blue gave her a quick lesson essentially consisting of how to mount the horse and how to hold on for deal life. He also suggested she go out and get lessons. In a climatic scene she was locked in a closet and was able to scream her head off for the camera.

The May 3rd, 1917 the Chicago Daily Tribune said: "Colleen Moore contributes some remarkable bits of acting. She is very sweet as she goes trustingly to her bandit hero, and, O, so pitiful, when finally realizing the character of the man, she goes into an hysteria of terror, and, shrieking 'Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!' beats futilely on a bolted door, a panic stricken little human animal, who had not know before that there was aught but kindness in the world." About the time her first six month contract was extended an additional six months, she requested and received a five weeks release to do a film for Universal Bluebird, released under the name The Savage. This was her fourth film, and she was only needed for two weeks. Upon her return to the Fine Arts lot, she spent several weeks trying to get her pay for the three weeks she had been again been available for work for Triangle (finally getting her pay in December of that year).

Unfortunately for her, the Triangle Company went bust, and while her contract was honored, she found herself scrambling to find her next job. With a reel of her performance in Hands Up! under her arm. Colin Campbell arranged for her to get a contract for her with Selig Polyscope. She was very likely at work on A Hoosier Romance before The Savage was released in November. After A Hoosier Romance, she went to work on Little Orphant (sic) Annie. Both films were based upon poems by James Whitcomb Riley, and both proved to be very popular. It was her first real taste of popularity.

Little Orphant Annie was released in December. The Chicago Daily Tribune wrote of Moore "She was a lovely and unspoiled child the last time I saw her. Let’s hope commendation hasn’t turned her head." Despite her good notices, her luck took a turn for the worst when Selig Polyscope went bust. Once again Moore found herself unemployed, but she had begun to make a name for herself by 1919. She had a series of films lined up: She went to Flagstaff, Arizona for location work on The Wilderness Trail, another western, this time with Tom Mix. Her mother went along as chaperon. Moore wrote that while she had a crush on Mix, he only had eyes for her mother. The Wilderness Trail was a Fox film, and while it had started production earlier, it would not be released until after The Busher, which was released on May 18th. The Busher was an H. Ince Productions-Famous Players Lasky-American production; it was a baseball film wherein the hero was played by Jack (later John) Gilbert. The Wilderness Trail followed on July 6th, another Fox film. A few weeks later The Man in the Moonlight, a Universal Film Manufacturing Company film was released on July 28th. The Egg Crate Wallop, a Famous Players-Lasky Corp.; Paramount Pictures was released September 28th.

The next stage of her career was with the Christie Film Company, a move she made when she decided she needed comic training. This was in 1920, and it was a good move because it allowed her to work on her comic timing, and because the arrangement she had made with Al Christie allowed her to go out and look for other work while with the comic troupe. While with Christie Film Company she made Her Bridal Night-mare, A Roman Scandal, and So Long Letty. At the same time as she was working on these films, she worked on The Devil's Claim with Sessue Hayakawa, in which she played a Persian woman, When Dawn Came, and His Nibs with Chic Sales. All the while, Marshall Neilan had been attempting to get Moore released from her contract so she could work for him. He was successful and made Dinty with Moore, releasing near the end of 1920, followed by When Dawn Came.

For all his efforts to win Moore away from Christie, it seems he farmed her out most of the time. He loaned her out to King Vidor for The Sky Pilot, released in May, 1921, yet another western. Rumor has it there was a romance between Moore and the young director, although as with The Wilderness Trail, her mother was along on the production acting as chaperon and she again thought her mother might be the center of attention. Whether or not there was a romance, the fact remains that many years later the two were reunited and maintained a long, friendly relationship, even living on neighboring ranches in the last years of their lives.

After working on "The Sky Pilot" on location in the snows of Truckee, she was off to Florida for work on "The Lotus Eaters" with John Barrymore. From there she was off to New York for more location work, then back to California where Neilan put her to work in Slippy McGee. Work on Slippy McGee took her to Mississippi.

In October 1921, His Nibs was released, her only film t be released that year besides The Sky Pilot. 1922 proved to be an eventful year for the actress. Moore was named as a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1922 during a "frolic" at the Ambassador Hotel which became an annual event, in recognition of her growing popularity. In early 1922 "Come On Over" was released, made from a Rupert Hughes story and directed by Alfred Green. Hughes directed Colleen himself in "The Wallflower," released that same year. She was very popular in both films. In addition, Neilan introduced her to John McCormick, a publicity man who had had his eye on Moore ever since he had first seen her photograph. He had prodded Marshall into an introduction. The two hit it off, and before long they were engaged. By the end of that year three more of her films were released: Forsaking All Others, The Ninety and Nine, and Broken Chains.

Look Your Best and The Nth Commandment were released in early 1923, followed by two Cosmopolitan Productions, The Nth Commandment and Through the Dark. By this time she had publicly confirmed her engagement to McCormick, a fact that she had been coy about to the press previously. Before mid-year she had signed a contract with First National, and her first two films were slated to be The Huntress and Flaming Youth. Slippy McGee came out in June, followed by Broken Hearts of Broadway.

Colleen and John McCormick married while "Flaming Youth" was still in production, and just before the release of "The Savage." When it was finally released, Flaming Youth, in which she starred opposite actor Milton Sills was as great a hit as the book. Moore's vivacious flapper caused a sensation and made her one of the most talked about actresses of her day. Moore (and many years later Louise Brooks, who would become a public figure until near the end of the 1920s) were seen as the people who epitomized the young adult society of their day. Moore's career grew over the next few years. As she continued to play similar characters in successful films such as Flirting With Love and The Perfect Flapper, Moore's bobbed hairstyle was widely copied throughout the world. By the late 1920s she had progressed to more important roles in films such as So Big and was also well received in light comedies such as Irene. Fortunately for Colleen, the cameras didn't pick up that she had one brown eye and one blue one.

Talkies

With the advent of talking pictures in 1929, Moore took a hiatus from acting. During this interim, Moore was briefly married to a prominent New York-based stockbroker, Albert Parker Scott, one of her four husbands. She and Scott lived at that time in a lavish home in Bel Air, where they hosted parties for and were supporters of the U.S. Olympic team, especially the yachting team, during the 1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles. In 1933, Moore, by then divorced, returned to work in Hollywood. She appeared in three films. None of these were successful, and Moore retired. She later married the widower Homer Hargrave and raised his children (she never had children of her own) from a previous marriage, with whom she maintained a life-long close relationship. Throughout her life she also maintained close friendships with other colleagues from the silent film era, such as King Vidor and Mary Pickford.

Colleen Moore Dollhouse

In 1928, inspired by her father and with help from her former set designer, Horace Jackson, Moore constructed an 8-foot tall miniature "fairy castle" which toured the United States. The interior of "The Colleen Moore Dollhouse," designed by Harold Grieve, is a classic example of the Art Deco Style, complete with miniature bear skin rugs and streamlined furniture and art. Moore's dollhouse has been a featured exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois since the early 1950s, where, according to the museum it is seen by 1.5 million people each year. Moore continued working on it, and contributing artifacts to it, until her death.

Later life and career

In the 1960s she formed a television production company with King Vidor with whom she had worked in the 1920s. She also published two books in the late 1960s, her autobiography Silent Star: Colleen Moore Talks About Her Hollywood (1968) and How Women Can Make Money in the Stock Market (1969), a subject she had proved herself well-qualified to discuss.

At the height of her fame, Moore was earning $12,500 per week. She was an astute investor, and through her investments remained wealthy for the rest of her life. In her later years she would frequently attend film festivals, and was a popular interview subject always willing to discuss her Hollywood career. She was a participant in the 1980 documentary series Hollywood, providing her recollections of Hollywood's silent film era.

Moore died from cancer in Paso Robles, California, aged 87. Her contribution to the motion picture industry has been recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1551 Vine Street.

Quote

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote of her: "I was the spark that lit up Flaming Youth, Colleen Moore was the torch. What little things we are to have caused all that trouble."

References

Further reading

• Jeanine Basinger (1999), chapter on Moore in Silent Stars, (ISBN 0-8195-6451-6).

External links

• Colleen Moore at the Internet Movie Database
• Colleen Moore at the TCM Movie Database
• Colleen Moore research/history project page
• Colleen Moore Image Gallery
• Article: "Loveable and Sweet: Colleen Moore" (with photographs)
• The Jazz Age - Flapper Culture (discusses mainly Louise Brooks)
• The Fairy Castle at the Museum of Science and Industry
• Detailed information about the Fairy Castle, its construction and its history
• Images and articles
• Colleen Moore and the Making of HER WILD OAT