Angela Firkus's Blog: Women Celebrities Remembered and Forgotten: Stars who Dazzled America

Anita Thompson in By Right of Birth, 1921.

When Anita Thompson looked back on her time as a young woman, she claimed she was “an asteroid then, in orbit about the brilliant stars.” Becoming a celebrity takes a combination of luck and hard work. Thompson certainly had the luck to draw attention but seemed indifferent to fame and content to look on from far away.

Thompson enjoyed a privileged childhood as a member of a prominent mixed-race family clan. She was born in Chicago in 1901 but her imme...

“Hattie Stewart, Champion Female Boxer of the World, from the Champions of Games and Sport series issued by W.S. Kimball &Co.” (1887) The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick. The Met.

Hattie Stewart sat down with a reporter in 1887 to recount her victories both in the ring and outside of it. She knocked out Annie Lewis, who had been calling herself world champion, in less than two minutes and beat a man named Jones in Missouri. With these feats and others, she earned a ...

In 1935, Bette Davis was on the verge of eclipsing all other actors in Hollywood. Fans such as Gordon Sellett of New Jersey sensed she was something special. He wrote a letter published in the June 1935 edition of Picture Play that praised Davis for her performance in Of Human Bondage and called for her to take home an Academy Award (she was nominated but did not win). He concluded by calling her “all too magnificent for mere words.” A few months later, Davis herself seemed to pause and take sto...

You have seen Kay Francis if you, like me, watch movies from the 1930s. She is the tall, dark-haired woman wearing impossibly elegant clothes. You might not be able to recall any of her sixty film titles since none are considered essentials but she was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. When I noticed that Turner Classic Movies would be featuring her all day on August 9, I knew I needed to know more about her to prepare for the marathon. I hope you enjoy this post. Please comment below and find p...

Sarah Bernhardt, 1892
Library of Congress, 2005683732

French actor Sarah Bernhardt toured the United States nine times between 1880 and 1918, crisscrossing the country to perform in towns as tiny as Shawnee, Oklahoma (population of less than 10,000--that is like Lady Gaga giving a concert in Joplin, Missouri, today!) 

Bernhardt became a superstar with her dramatic portrayal in Camillebut also because of her outlandish behavior: photos of her sleeping in a coffin circulated widely. She could always...

Shirley Temple, 1938
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Elsie M. Warnecke

Cottey College student Mackenzie Green is back with another post about a child star. Thanks Mac!

A woman nearly killed child star Shirley Temple in 1939. She took aim with a loaded gun while seated in the front row of the audience as Temple performed on a radio program. The woman claimed that Temple had stolen her daughter's soul and hoped that the assassination would release it. Eleven-year-old Tem...

 Our guest blogger today is Cottey College student Carmen Key. Thanks Carmen!

Ellen Craft in Disguise. Five Hundred Thousand Strokes for Freedom. London: W. & F. Cash, 1853.

At eleven years old, Ellen Craft was given as a “gift” to her half-sister in 1837. The daughter of a biracial mother and a wealthy slave owner, Ellen’s fair-skin ensured her an in-house servant position which made her privy to conversations about the city she was in that would later help guide her to freedom. Moreover, her ...

 Our guest blogger today is Cottey College student Baylee Wilson. Thanks Baylee!

Carolyn Jones, Modern Screen, July 1958

Carolyn Jones took entertaining seriously. She told her sister Bette that her most important duty was to bring joy to the world. As Morticia Addams on the beloved Addams Family she did and is still doing just that.

Carolyn Sue Jones was born April 28, 1930 to Chloe Southern-Jones and Julius Jones. Her father was never a steady presence in her life, causing her mother, her youn...

 Mackenzie Green’s post about Judy Garland got me wondering about movies that tell the story of actual stars. Some of Hollywood’s best movies are about celebrity: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Sunset Boulevard, All About Eve, and of course the many versions of A Star is Born. But where are the films that feature the amazing lives of real celebrities? Well, here are some suggestions to get you started!

Judy (2019) Dir. Rupert Goold

If you have not yet seen this film, look no further for a g...

 Photoplay, November 1944

Today’s guest blogger is Cottey College student Mackenzie Green. She wrote this very sad article for my Women Celebrities class last semester. Good job and thanks for allowing me to share it, Mac!

Frances Ethel Gumm, also known as Judy Garland, became a celebrity at an early age. She starred in The Wizard of Oz at the age of sixteen, but becoming famous came with a price for her. Garland was fed amphetamines while she was filming to keep her slim and peppy. After finis...