Twinkle Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 No woman in the history of the movies has ever experienced the popularity or power Mary Pickford enjoyed during the movies silent era. Her face was known throughout the world when the silence of movies produced a universal language. Mary was mobbed by huge crowds in Paris, London and Moscow, she was the first female movie star to have complete creative control over the production of her movies. Mary Pickford (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979) was an Academy Award-winning Canadian motion picture star, as well as a co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Known as "America's Sweetheart," "Little Mary" and "The girl with the curls," she was one of the first Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood and one of film's greatest pioneers. Her influence in the development of film acting was enormous. Because her international fame was triggered by moving images, she is a watershed figure in the history of modern celebrity. And as one of silent film's most important performers and producers, her contract demands were central to shaping the Hollywood industry. In consideration of her contributions to American cinema, the American Film Institute named Pickford 24th among the greatest female stars of all time. Legacy The "Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study" at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood, constructed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, opened in 1948 as a radio and television studio facility. The "Mary Pickford Theater" at the Library of Congress is named in her honor.[ There is a first-run movie theatre in Cathedral City, California, called "The Mary Pickford Theatre". The theater is a grand one with several screens and is built in the shape of an Spanish Cathedral, complete with bell tower and three-story lobby. The lobby contains a historic display with original artifacts belonging to Ms. Pickford and Buddy Rogers, her last husband. Among them are a rare and spectacular beaded gown she wore in the film "Dorothy Vernon at Haddon Hall" (1924) designed by Mitchell Leisen, her special Oscar and jewelry box. Mary Pickford received a posthumous star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto in 1999. In 2006, along with fellow deceased Canadian stars Fay Wray, Lorne Greene and John Candy, Pickford was featured on a Canadian postage stamp. [18] In 2007, the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences has sued the estate of the deceased Buddy Rogers' second wife, the late Beverly Rogers, in order to stop the public sale of one of Pickford's Oscars.[19] She was the recipient of an honorary doctorate degree from Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Mary Pickford Auditorium at Claremont McKenna College is named in her honor. Quote
Twinkle Posted January 5, 2009 Author Posted January 5, 2009 Mary's last silent film Love Light 1926 Quote
Twinkle Posted January 5, 2009 Author Posted January 5, 2009 She is a legend she was extremley populer in her day, and one of the original major actresses. Quote
Twinkle Posted January 5, 2009 Author Posted January 5, 2009 A song written about Mary Pickford with movie clips Quote
Twinkle Posted January 9, 2009 Author Posted January 9, 2009 Me too, she was the 1st Movie Star, i'm surprised this thread isn't more popular Quote
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