(Photo courtesy of Rita Chotiner) (c) Susann Gilbert 2011

Keeping fans of Alice Calhoun updated on the progress of the upcoming biography

Alice In Hollywoodland: The Life and Times of Silent Screen Actress Alice Calhoun by Susann Gilbert

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Web Site is Back Up!

While still in the embryonic stages, I've managed to get the official Alice Calhoun website back onto the World Wide Web. Please bookmark it and check back frequently as I continue adding to it: http://alicecalhoun.net


Monday, December 28, 2009

Out With the Old, In With the New?

Random thought:


This week’s topic includes two points of views regarding the change from “silent” to “sound” film. The first is from a TCM feature Cecil B. DeMille - American Epic directed by Kevin Brownlow

“…The moment sound came in, everyone threw the technique of silent pictures away…swept the stage clean, swept everybody who had been working in silent pictures away and brought in from the stage people who were used to reading lines.

“And they put the camera in a little glass box. You couldn’t pan it, you couldn’t move it, it was in glass…

“And I took the camera out of the glass room, and put it on the stage to try and bring [the art] back…and the sound engineer walked off.”

- Cecil B. DeMille

I love this quote; Mr. DeMille explains so much about what I often disliked about the first sound films. Much of the cinematic strides that had been made in the previous two decades were tossed off the sets and largely forgotten in the novelty of talkies. Even in early television, dialogue only took place when everyone was sitting around a table, for example (“speak into the flower pot, my dear; that’s where the microphone is”). In that media form, it wasn’t until Desi Arnez came along and insisted on utilizing three cameras. It also helped that Lucille Ball was a gifted comedienne, surrounded by a great supporting cast, but “I Love Lucy” reruns would not still be airing somewhere right now, if the camera work hadn’t been so good.

The second example is what I am focusing on this week, the last of ‘09. I’m writing about the frustration that Alice Calhoun felt toward the last few years of her career. She had already proven her acting chops with diversified roles in a number of very good films. But when Warner Brothers bought out Vitagraph Studios and included her contract with the sale , she was treated with disregard by the new production company and given mediocre roles in second-rate films. A number of notable directors wanted her in their films, but Warner Bros. refused to loan her out. Little wonder that she decided to walk away and give up her acting career. It certainly must have been a real heartache. Especially since she was only thirty-three years old when she came to that decision.

People come and go so fast in the revolving door of Hollywood. Techniques and talents are quickly forgotten. It’s remarkable…even if only for the reason that this art form - of cinema- is little more than a century old.

Certainly some food for thought to reflect on during the last week of the year. ~ SDG 12/28/09


Friday, December 11, 2009

"The Muses"

The Muses, in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature are the goddesses or spirits who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. I'd like to touch on that topic a little bit today. It is the Muses who keep me away from the tempting song of Sirens...Those devilish imps who call to me from across the lethargic waters, tempting me to their dangerous isle of quicksand called The Writers Block.

Somewhere in the front or back of any work of nonfiction is that section listing all of the people who have contributed to researching. The majority of these are folks who have either gone above and beyond the call of professional research duties, or others who have kindly given of their time and expertise with no personal agenda. I'm not going to list everyone that I am indebted to (this is neither the time nor have I the space), but did want to point out a few very important people that I am grateful to for their contributions thus far to my research into the life story of Alice Calhoun:

William M. Drew has authored countless articles, film reviews, and a number of books about classic film. He's an encyclopedic wealth of knowledge on the subject. I would estimate that he has provided me with 30+ articles and resources dealing with Alice Calhoun. He's been a wonderful mentor, and many the emails have flown back and forth between us, discussing theories and motivations regarding Alice's life and career.

Clan Coloquhuon, specifically in the persona of Tom Calhoun Hodges, has been an enthusiastic promoter for Alice. A display of photos, literature and showing of her remaining films is always featured at the Southeastern Scottish Games events that he and the rest of the Clan attend, keeping her memory alive for an audience that probably would never know about her otherwise.

So many, many others have assisted me in a wide variety of ways...My cousin, Carolyn Chopskie took photos while on a visit to California...Ken Robichaux of The Picture Show Man website regularly comes up great angles of film topics, acting techniques, research sources, etc., for me to consider delving into further...other writers, including Jessica Johnson of the Post & Courier; Victoria Mushoff of the Park West Palazzo blog (http://parkwestpalazzo.blogspot.com/); retired editor Hans J. Wollstein of the All Movie Guide; archivists from the University of Chicago, UCLA, Stanford University, Warner Brothers, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences....well, I'm sure that you're getting the idea! It doesn't just take a village, these folks are from all over the U.S., and some come from Europe and South America, too.

While I most certainly have neglected to mention many, I wanted to take the time to point out that no author is an island. Researching and writing are often thought to be a solo gig, but without the enthusiasm, encouragement, thoughts and ideas of so many others, my project would have never come so far.

So to all those that I mentioned, and to all the many others who will be listed in the final publication, I can't thank you enough for being my inspiration. It is YOU who are my Muses.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Photo Montage of "Angel Face"
The Immortal Alice Calhoun

Saturday, December 5, 2009

The Flag: A Story Inspired By the Tradition of Betsy Ross (1927)
Color, Silent, 29:52
A patriotic and romantic silent film. 20 min.
Score added by Vivak Maddala in 2002.
Directed by Arthur Maude.
Stars Francis X. Bushman, Enid Bennett, Alice Calhoun, Johnnie Walker.

Searching for America's past on the silver screen

Mount Pleasant residents keeping memories of movies, S.C. single-screen theaters alive through their Web sites

The Post and Courier
Thursday, June 11, 2009


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The Post and Courier

Susann Gilbert created this collage to inspire her research into a cousin, 1920s movie star Alice Calhoun.

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The Post and Courier

Calhoun, a silent-screen star, will be the subject of a book by the Mount Pleasant resident.

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The Post and Courier

Mark Tiedje (left) and John Coles started www.scmovietheatres.com, which features a history of single-screen movie theaters in the state, primarily to collect people's memories. The doors came from a former Charleston single-screen theater, the Gloria, now the Sottile Theatre, at King and George streets.

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The Post and Courier

John Coles of Mount Pleasant stands in the Paradise Theatre, a former mother-in-law suite he and Tiedje converted into a small, eight-seat movie theater complete with a cafe. The movie poster frame next to Coles was taken from the former single-screen theater on Sullivan's Island.

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The Post and Courier

Ken Robichaux, Picture Show Man Web site director of operations, plays 'The Sneeze,' the first movie ever copyrighted.

What if you could watch a 1920s video of your grandmother or other relative and see the way she was, but at 25?

Susann Gilbert can, almost. One of her relatives lives on in silent films, and her voice is in some clips.

Tracing her family roots, Gilbert found some interesting sparks in hunks of tedious research. But a member of her family tree who especially caught her attention was a first cousin of her grandfather: actress Alice Calhoun. Naturally, Gilbert, a former performer, was interested in learning more about the silent star born in 1900. But she couldn't find much. "In Hollywood, people come and go. People get very forgotten," Gilbert said.

When the Mount Pleasant resident searched for information on the Web, she kept finding the same biography repeated on different sites and with mistakes, including eight different birth dates.

To set the story straight, Gilbert launched her own Web site to tell her relative's story.

The site is part of a larger movement to preserve America's 20th-century film and theater history here in the Lowcountry. Gilbert and three other Mount Pleasant residents maintain Web sites dedicated to the history of motion pictures and the state's single-screen theaters.

If our family trees tell us who we are, then maybe films tell us what America was. You can see how people dressed, how they lived and what they thought was funny, Gilbert said.

"If you want to understand the 20th century, study the movie theater," said John Coles, who maintains www.scmovietheatres.com with Mark Tiedje.

What the railroad was to the 19th century, the movie theater was to the 20th century. The railroad, the men said, united the country physically. The movie theater unified the country culturally and socially. A trip to the movie theater in the early days included news reels, cartoons and coming attractions in addition to the feature-length film.

After the movie, you grabbed a soda and talked about what you saw, Tiedje said.

The men have been studying the state's single-screen theaters because it limits the scope of their research to a specific period. The state's first theaters built for movies opened in 1915. In 1930, there were 200 single-screen theaters in South Carolina. Many towns, no matter how small, had one. Tiedje and Coles likened it to bringing the Internet to town. Cottageville, barely a bend in the road, with a gas station and maybe a nursery, opened a single-screen in 1941.

The men have been collecting people's theater memories via the Web site www.scmovietheatres.com. But they also traveled the state and others to gather information. During their travels, Tiedje and Coles often stuck out in the smallest towns. They were met with, "Who are you?" until the men said that they'd come to learn about the town's old theater.

"People open up, they share their personal stories once you ask them about their memories," Coles said.

The most common South Carolina story involves the excitement after hearing that a live Tarzan star would come to the theater. Everyone thought it would be Johnny Weissmuller. Instead, they were greeted by "Cheetah" the chimpanzee. Everyone thought it was the real Cheetah, Tiedje said, but it was a chimpanzee rented out by a Florence man.

By the 1980s, most single-screen theaters had disappeared. Twin and triple screens opened in the 1970s and 1980s, changing the way people saw films.

"Movie theaters in the 20th century are more representative of the American culture," Coles said. "I don't think the movie theaters represent anything today."

Tiedje said, "The movies still do."

Ken Robichaux, The Picture Show Man Web site director of operations, said films of the 20th and 21st centuries are a reflection of society's tastes because they are so commercial.

He limits the information on his Web site to the 20th century from the beginnings of film to the 1960s, about the time Hollywood's studio structure and its golden age had ended.

The history of motion pictures gives a general view of the 20th century. It includes entertainment, dance, technology, patent law, censorship, the rise of unions, social values — Robichaux's list goes on.

"It encompasses everything, and because of that, it's endlessly fascinating," Robichaux said.

Reach Jessica Johnson at 937-5921 or jjohnson@postandcourier.com.

A Brief Bio of Alice Calhoun, Silent Screen Actress

Alice Calhoun (1900 ~ 1966)
A Brief Biography

Born in Cleveland, Ohio at the dawn of the twentieth century, Alice Beatrice Calhoun (nicknamed “ABC” for her unique initials) was the daughter of Florence F. Payne and Joseph Chester Calhoun. She had one brother, Joseph Jr., who was not only a successful attorney, but also a Danish and Norwegian consul.
In the 1920's, movies were basically an unchallenged mass entertainment form - radio was not yet a part of the culture, and television was years away. Most of Alice's movies were based on literary works, such as Booth Tarkington's Pulitzer-prize winning novel, "The Magnificent Ambersons" (filmed as Pampered Youth), or short stories, such as O. Henry’s final, unfinished The Dream. While she played roles in various genre including slapstick and westerns, most of her movies were script–based dramas.
Alice was a hard-working actress, and regarded as highly professional by her peers. While modern audiences may view the melodramatic acting method of silents as over-the-top or "quaint", it clearly reflected the technique necessary for interpretation. Silent film is an interactive art form. Without sound, an audience must be able to clearly understand the actor's thoughts and emotions. Alice's mastery of that technique was widely admired and considered skillful and believable. Most of her films were successful because of her charm, and that quality made her popular and durable for the period of time she worked in. There was a darling naiveté to her work that was vivid, gutsy, human, and sentimental. She had an active fan club, and always answered all the letters that she received.
This being pre-code Hollywood, many of Alice's films had themes that were considered sophisticated and risqué. In One Stolen Night (which admittedly rode in on the coattails of Valentino's The Sheik), her leading role as Diantha oozes erotica and sexual angst. Sir James M. Barrie called her “the perfect Lady Babbie” when she starred in The Little Minister, which was later remade and became Katherine Hepburn’s break-out role.
While Alice did play her share of the day’s helpless waifs and hopeless romantics, she also starred in mysteries and adventures, playing strong, action-motivated roles. One of her legacies is her modern-themed starring roles, portraying successful, educated women. Feminine assertiveness was a popular theme in films of the mid-1920's, and she was often cast as a headstrong, career woman. She was also a very skilled comedienne. One of my favorite films of hers is the slapstick comedy Hidden Aces (with renowned stuntman Charles Hutchison), in which she is adorable and hilarious.
For her contribution to motion pictures, Alice was awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in the early 1960's. She was also renowned for her patriotic contributions, community service and work on behalf of other aspiring female artists. She was an officer in the American Pen Women Society, and active in the Beverly Hills chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was a regular visitor and volunteer at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, the final resting home for many stars. The women’s diagnostic center at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles has a plaque that bears her name for her contributions to that facility. Likewise, at the City of Hope Hospital, the Alice Calhoun Chotiner Wing is a serene, comfortable waiting area for cancer patient’s families. She was diagnosed with cancer in the early 1960's, eventually succumbing to the ravages of mesothelioma. She passed on June 3, 1966, and eternally rests beside her beloved husband, Max Chotiner, at the Little Garden of Faithfulness, near the statue of Leah at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
© 2009-2010 Susann Disbro Gilbert
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The Calhoun Connection
Alice Calhoun’s father, Joseph Chester Calhoun, was born in 1866 in Vienna, Austria, and immigrated to the United States in 1872. His parents were Joseph Calhoun and Mary Neibauer. In many published interviews, Alice described her Calhoun lineage as being the great-grand niece of the statesman and vice president, John Calhoun. However, this has yet to be verified. Any further information regarding this is welcome!


Web Site

For three happy (although overpriced) years, I had a website with Yahoo! at my domain name, www.alicecalhoun.net Then Yahoo! decided to get out of the web hosting business so I was forced to move on. I registered with fatcow.com but failed to research this decision and now I am trying to figure out filezilla and upload and html and a whole bunch of other nerdy terms that completely baffle me. Needless to say, there's nothing to see if anyone tries to access my site. I hope that a miracle will occur in the near future and I will suddenly grasp the technology, but I'm afraid that the likelihood is about as possible as my understanding calculus. In the meantime, I'll be posting updates about the progress of Alice Calhoun's biography here on this blog.

Please bookmark this and subscribe and I'll keep you updated.
Thanks for stopping by for a read!


-SDG, 5 December 2009