Madge Bellamy (Star of Love Never Dies )
Madge Bellamy was born in 1899. During her teenage years she appeared on the stage. Her first film was The Riddle: Woman (1920) starring Geraldine Farrar and Montague Love. By her third film, Madge was starring or costarring in films.
Her costars included Hobart Bosworth, Matt Moore, William Haines, Charles Farrell, Jack Holt, and Buck Jones. Her directors included Maurice Tourneur (Lorna Doone, with John Bowers, 1922), John Ford (The Iron Horse, with George O'Brien, 1924) and Frank Borzage (Lazybones with Buck Jones, 1925). By 1929, she had appeared in over 40 silent movies, many of them for Fox Pictures.
As with many other silent actresses, her career declined greatly with the coming of sound. She gives a stiff performance in White Zombie (1932) in which Bela Lugosi and the zombies overshadow the remainder of the cast. By 1934, she is well down the cast list in Charlie Chan in London. Her last appearance, Crack-Up (1936) was uncredited. Her autobiography, "A Darling of the Twenties" (1989) was published the year before her death.
John Bowers (Star of The Sky Pilot )
According to his listing in “Silent Film Necrology”, John Bowers was born in Garrett, Indiana on Dec 27, 1894 and died Nov 15, 1936 in Malibu, California. The references differ about date of birth, some state 1885, others 1899. Although he appeared in more than 90 films, he is now known mostly for the manner of his death.
His first appearances were in 1914, at the beginning of feature film production, and he was continuously active, most frequently as star or co-star, until the end of the silent era. He made only four talkies, all in minor roles. By 1936 he was divorced from actress Marguerite De la Motte, had been out of films for five years, and was (reportedly) an alcoholic.
On the day of his death, he rented a boat in Santa Monica, Ca and sailed into the Pacific Ocean. The next day his body came ashore on a Malibu beach. He probably committed suicide.
Marion Davies (Star of The Patsy & Show People )
Marion Davies is better known for her relationship with William Randolph Hearst than for her movie career. She was born in Brooklyn, New York on Jan. 3, 1897. While in her teens, Marion became a showgirl. In 1917, she appeared in her first movie, Runaway Romany, at the age of twenty. In 1918, while appearing in the Ziegfeld Follies, Marion Davies met W. R. Hearst. Although Hearst was over fifty and had a wife and five sons, they soon started a relationship of mutual devotion which lasted until Hearst's death, over thirty years later.
Hearst's financial backing assured that Marion would appear in first-rate productions, work with top leading men, and receive favorable treatment at the film studios. His control of a newspaper chain guaranteed positive reviews and extensive advertising for her films. Davies appeared in films for several studios, but from 1925 to 1934, her films were produced by MGM, including three successive late silents directed by King Vidor: The Patsy, Show People and Not So Dumb. Many critics consider Show People to be her best movie. Although Hearst is said to have preferred her in dramatic roles, her abilities were in comedy, and she found her greatest success in the silent comedies, while the majority of her talkies were flops. But for Hearst’s support, Davies' career in motion pictures would not have lasted as long as it did. She made her last film in 1937, a year in which Hearst’s financial situation deteriorated. In California, Hearst built several homes for himself and Marion. The houses were pen to guests from around the world. They staged elaborate parties at the beach house in Santa Monica and the palatial mansion on a hillside along the central coast. Marion was well known for her friendliness, cheerfulness, and hospitality. Marion's movie career had long ended, but she and Hearst were still together when he died in 1951. Marion married for the first and only time shortly after Hearst’s death in 1951. She died September 22, 1961 in Los Angeles of cancer.
William Haines (Star of Show People )
William Haines was a baby of the new century, born January 2, 1900. He left his Virginia home while still a teenager. Following the path of many show business hopefuls, he traveled to New York City. His first movie appearances were in bit and supporting parts for Goldwyn Productions in 1922 and 1923. As he gained experience, he received larger supporting roles at the newly formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He starred in low budget productions at Columbia Pictures and co-starred with Mary Pickford, Norma Shearer, and Sally O'Neil.
His first starring role at MGM, Brown of Harvard, 1926, fixed both his screen persona and the general story line of his films. Initially, his character is a brash, confident, know-it-all who lacks discipline and dedication. Eventually he learns the errors of his ways, reforms, and makes good. He was one of the first MGM stars to appear in a part-talkie, Alias Jimmy Valentine, 1928. Although he continued to star at MGM, his popularity had waned, and he was released in 1932. Allegedly, his release was related to his refusal to separate from his partner, Jimmy Shields.
Haines' final two films were low-budget productions made for Mascot Pictures in 1934. After his movie career ended, Haines established a successful second career as an interior decorator. William Haines died in Santa Monica, California in December, 1973.
Colleen Moore(Star of The Sky Pilot )
Colleen Moore was born in Port Huron, Michigan Aug 19, 1900. From an early age she was interested in an acting career. She obtained her first film roles at age 17 and had four years of experience when she made The Sky Pilot in 1921.
During the twenties she was the epitome of the Jazz-age flapper and one of the most popular stars in movies. At the transition to talking pictures, her inability to adjust to changing public tastes led to the decline of her career. She appeared in only six talkies and was retired by age 34.
After two divorces, she made a happy marriage in 1937 and moved from Hollywood to Chicago. She was a successful business woman and wrote a book about investing for women. She was creative and loved miniature dollhouses and castles. She built and exhibited a complex and ornate "Fairy Castle" now at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. After the death of her third husband and her marriage to a fourth, she returned to California. She lived near King Vidor in Paso Robles where she died January 25, 1988.