Episode 37: Florence Lawrence

The very first movie star. 

Transcript

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Hey everybody, this is Shannon, and welcome to the They Hid What Podcast. On this podcast, I explore parts of history that have been kept hidden or swept under the rug. In this week's episode, I will be discussing Florence Lawrence. Let's get into it. Now think about how easy that was. But can you believe that when the moving picture industry began, no one knew the names of the people on screen? Some people in the industry didn't even know the actors' names. That was until Florence Lawrence came into play. Florence Annie Bridgewood was born in Hamilton, Ontario, on January 2nd, 1886. The year of her birth has often been misstated, even on her headstone, because later in her career, Florence would tell people she was born in 1890 to appear younger. Anyway, Florence was the youngest of three children to parents George and Charlotte. George was an English-born carriage builder, and Mom Charlotte, called Lotta Dunn, was a vaudeville actress. I found differing stories about Florence's mom. One said that Lotta emigrated to Canada as a child when her family left Ireland after the Great Famine. And in another, it's said that Lotta's family fled Ireland during the famine, and Lotta was born in Canada. Either way, professionally, she was known as Lotta Lawrence, and she was the leading lady and director of the Lawrence Dramatic Company. At three years old, in 1889, Florence made her stage debut with her mom, where they performed a song and dance routine. As Florence got older and could memorize lines, she began to perform in her mother's plays. However, playing sad roles began to depress young Florence, so those were soon dropped from her repertoire. In 1890, Florence's parents separated, but she continued working with her mother. In 1892, at six years old, Florence gained the nickname Baby Flo, the Child Wonder, due to her compelling performances on stage. Florence enjoyed acting and was very good at it, but the required travel that came with the vaudeville lifestyle was not her favorite. On February 18, 1889, Florence's father George Bridgewood died from an accidental coal gas poisoning in his Hamilton, Ontario home. Lotta moved the family to Buffalo, New York to live with her mother. Lotta stopped bringing the kids to the theater and instead enrolled them in school. Lotta Lawrence wasn't just acting on the vaudeville circuit, though. We have her to thank for something that we use almost every day. Do you want to guess what it is? The windshield wiper. Charlotte was a bit of an automobile enthusiast. She became president of the Bridgewood Manufacturing Company and decided to improve Mary Anderson's invention of manual windshield wipers. Apparently, back in the day, if it was raining and you were driving your car, it was just accepted that you wouldn't be able to see. Mary Anderson didn't like that and came up with a lever-operated windshield wiper in 1903. Mary's device was made up of a squeegee-like blade, much like we use today, that could be removed. And Mary received a 17-year patent for it in 1903. By 1916, windshield wipers were standard on most vehicles. And even though Mary had a patent for her invention, the credit was given to a man. Through Charlotte's new manufacturing company, she invented the automatic windshield wiper and she called it Electric Storm Windshield Cleaner. She patented her first electric-powered wiper in 1917, but the wiper used rollers instead of Mary Anderson's blades. So it didn't catch on. Charlotte never put her design through production, so her patent expired in 1920. And then two years later, Cadillac started using her design. After Florence graduated high school, she rejoined her mother's theater company, but in 1906, Charlotte disbanned the company and she and Florence moved to New York City. Later that year, Florence appeared in her first motion picture, The Automobile Thieves. She was also auditioning for Broadway shows in the spring and summer, but didn't find much success. Then on December 27th, 1906, Florence was hired by the Edison Manufacturing Company to play Daniel Boone's daughter in Daniel Boone, also called Pioneer Days in America. The only reason Florence got the part was because she knew how to ride a horse. But she and her mother were in the film and were paid$5 per day for two weeks of outdoor filming in freezing weather. In today's money, the two made about$720. In 1907, Florence began working for the Vitagraph Film Company in Brooklyn, New York. Her first role was Moya, an Irish peasant girl in The Chafron. Florence returned to the stage briefly to play the leading role in Seminary Girls, where her mother played her final role. When this touring show was over, Florence said that she would never again lead the gypsy life. In 1908, she returned to Vitagraph, where she played the lead role in the Dispatch Bearer. Again, she got this role because of her equestrian skills. After this, she received parts in 11 films over the next five months. And just a quick reminder: movies in the early 1900s were short and were silent. So acting in 11 films in five months isn't as crazy as it would be today. Another actor working for Vitagraph named Henry Salter was looking for a quote, beautiful equestrian girl to star in a film being produced by the Biograph Studios under the direction of W. B. Griffith. Griffith was the most prominent producer and director with Biograph Studios. He noticed Florence in one of her Vitagraph films, but didn't know her name. What? How can he not know the actress's name? Well, I will tell you. In the beginning years of cinema, silent screen actors weren't named because the studio owners feared that the notoriety and fame might lead to demands for higher wages. Also, a lot of actors were embarrassed by performing pantomime, so even though they were grateful for the work, they didn't necessarily want their name out there. Florence Lawrence gained so much popularity from her films, but no one knew her name. Fans of her films began writing to the studio asking about her identity. Because her name was never mentioned, director Griffith had to ask around to find out who she was so that he could set up a meeting. Originally, Griffith was going to give the role to Biograph's leading lady Florence Turner, but with his meeting with Florence Lawrence, he found that she was best suited for the job and was the star of The Girl and the Outlaw. With Vitagraph, Florence was making$20 a week, not only as their actress, but also as their seamstress. Griffith offered her$25 a week to be an actress only. Obviously, she took the job. And after the success of Outlaw, she appeared in Betrayed by a Handprint and The Red Girl. Still, Florence's name wasn't public knowledge, and so she was now being called The Biograph Girl. By 1908, Florence had parts in most of the 60 films that Griffith directed. She met actor Harry Salter while making Romeo and Juliet for Viograph, and the two married on August 30th of that year. In 1909, Florence demanded a higher wage and was given double the normal rate. Florence and Harry also joined the Independent Moving Pictures Company, or IMP, as the first featured players. The IMP company was founded by Carl Lemley. He was the owner of a film exchange who later absorbed IMP into Universal Pictures, of which he was also founder and president. In 1909, Carl was looking for experienced filmmakers and actors. Florence's move to IMP got her blacklisted by the Motion Picture Trust. The trust was headed by Thomas Edison. Yes, that Thomas Edison. And it was where most motion pictures producers belonged. The trust held the patents on most film production equipment and would not allow any companies that did not belong to the trust to use them. Lle refused to join the Motion Picture Trust, and the Trust took action, both legal and otherwise, to discourage Lemley from producing films on his own. Acting out of anger over the trust's actions, Carl decided to advertise that he had Lawrence as his star and he needed to build up some hype. First, Carl organized a publicity stunt by starting a rumor that Florence had been killed by a streetcar in New York City. Then, after gaining much media attention, he placed ads in the newspapers that announced, quote, We nail a lie, and included a photo of Florence. The ad declared she is alive and well, making The Broken Oath, a new movie for his IMP film company, to be directed by her husband, Harry Salter. Carl had Florence make a personal appearance at St. Louis, Missouri in March of 1910 with her leading man to show her fans that she was very much alive, making her one of the early performers not already famous in another medium to be identified by name by her studio. By late 1910, Florence left IMP to work for Lubin Studios and advised a fellow Canadian film star, 18-year-old Mary Pickford, to do the same. In 1912, Florence and Harry made a deal with Carl Lamely and formed their own company. Carl gave the pair complete artistic freedom of the Victor Film Company. Florence was paid$500 per week as the leading lady, and Harry was paid$200 a week as director. The film studio was established in Fort Lee, New Jersey and made a number of films before being sold to Carl's Universal Pictures in 1913. After this sale, Florence was able to, quote, realize a lifelong dream of buying a 50-acre estate in Rivervale, New Jersey. In August 1912, she had a fight with Harry in which he, quote, made cruel remarks about his mother-in-law. He left and went to Europe. However, he wrote sad letters to Florence every day telling her of his plans to commit suicide. His letters softened her feelings and they were reunited in November of 1912. Soon after, Florence announced her intention to retire from acting. Two years later in 1914, Florence was persuaded to return to work for her former company Victor Film. During the filming of Pawns of Destiny in 1915, a staged fire got out of control. Florence was burned, her hair was singed, and she suffered a serious fall which fractured her spine. She went into shock for months. Florence eventually returned to work, but collapsed after the film she was working on was completed. What's worse is Universal refused to pay her medical expenses, which left Florence feeling betrayed. By mid-1916, Florence returned to work for Universal and made elusive Isabel. However, the strain of working took its toll on her and she suffered a serious relapse. She was completely paralyzed for four months. On March 2nd, 1920, Florence's husband Harry died of a stroke at 46. Florence waited until 1921 to marry a car salesman named Charles Bryn Woodring. Florence traveled to Hollywood to attempt a comeback but had little success. She received a leading role in her minor melodrama, The Unfoldment, and then two supporting roles. All of her film work after 1924 was in uncredited bit parts. Florence and Charles opened a cosmetic store in Los Angeles called Hollywood Cosmetics. The store sold theatrical makeup and also sold a line of cosmetics that Florence had developed. Florence made a lot of not so great business decisions and lost much of her fortune after the stock market crash in October 1929 and the Great Depression. The cosmetic store did well in the beginning, but also fell victim to the Great Depression. Florence lost her mother on August 20, 1929, and she and Charles separated in December of that year. The two continued with the business before closing its doors in 1931. And by 1932, the divorce between Florence and Charles was finalized. And 1933, Florence married an abusive alcoholic, Henry Bolton, but the union only lasted five months. In 1936, Metro Goldwyn Mayer studio head Louis B. Mayer began giving extra and bit parts to former silent film actors for$75 a week. Florence, along with other old timers from the silent era whose careers had all but ended when Sound Films replaced silent films, signed with MGM. In mid-1939, Florence was ill. She was diagnosed with what her doctors described as, quote, a bone disease which produces anemia and depression. It's believed that the disease was likely myelefibrosis, a rare bone marrow disease, or agnogenic melode metaplasia, both of which were incurable at the time. This left Florence in poor health and with chronic pain, which led her to experience bouts of depression, not unsimilar to what she experienced as a child. Florence kept working through and moved into a home on Westburn Drive in West Hollywood with a studio worker named Robert Bob Brinlow and his sister. On December 28, 1939, at 1 p.m., Florence called the offices of MGM, claiming that she was ill. Sometime later in the afternoon, Florence ingested ant poison and cough syrup. Accounts differ as to how she was discovered. Some media reports stated her neighbor Marion Medzner heard her screams, while others said that Florence called Mariam, stating that she had poisoned herself. Either way, Marion called an ambulance and Florence was rushed to Beverly Hills Emergency Hospital. Doctors were unable to save her and she died at 2.45 p.m. at 52 years old. Florence's death was ruled a probable suicide owing to her quote ill health. She had left a note for her housemate Bob Brinlow stating, quote, Dear Bob, call Dr. Wilson. I am tired. Hope this works. Goodbye, my darling. They can't cure me, so let it go at that. Lovingly, Florence. P.S. You've all been swell guys. Everything is yours. The Motion Picture and Television Fund paid for Lawrence's funeral, which was held on December 30th, and they paid for her unmarked grave in the Hollywood Cemetery. Her grave remained unmarked until 1991, when an anonymous British actor paid for the memorial marker for her. It reads, quote, Florence Lawrence, the biograph girl, the first movie star. I'm not sure of the year, but before her passing, Florence had continued in her mother's footsteps and created more designs for cars. Florence had designed the first auto signaling arm, which is now the turn signal, and the first mechanical break signal. She didn't patent her designs and so doesn't get any of the credit or profit from them. Florence Lawrence is the reason that movie stars now are known by name. She started it. She was big time. She was it. And unfortunately, she was cast aside once the silent movie era moved over to Talkies. She then was left alone with roommates and ended up in an unmarked grave for far too long. It's important to not forget the firsts and the founders of gigantic things that we use and experience today. That's all for this week. Come back next week to find out what else has been hidden.