Griffith Actresses

by Anthony Slide

Eight biographies of actresses known for working in D.W. Griffith films, plus short information on lesser knowns.The first Griffith Girl was the 18-year old Lillian Gish in the Birth of a Nation. During his career he acquired a whole stable of them, some like the Gish sisters and Mary Pickford still remembered, most long forgotten.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Anthony McGill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of brief biographies of the most famous of actresses who starred for D.W. Griffith during the silent film era.

Of the eight actresses featured in this book, four have been covered extensively elsewhere. People interested in Lillian and Dorothy Gish, Mary Pickford and Miriam Cooper have the choice of many other volumes to get copious details of their careers, so this edition is really nothing more than a brief but handy synopsis of their film lives.

The lesser known of the actresses: Mae Marsh, Clarine Seymour, Carol Dempster and especially Blanche Sweet get their long overdue recognition with well written, factually sound biographies.
Added bonuses are sections including: 'What Made a Griffith Girl?'/ 'The Ladies of the Biograph' and a listing of all the actresses and the films they appeared in.

If for nothing else, this book is well worth it, just to enjoy the 100 or so rare stills that accompany the text.

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice,but a bit sketchy (tiny bit on Claire MacDowell and nothing on Dorothy Bernard).