Joys partnership with DeMille ended unhappily in and he reportedly held a grudge for years. She signed with MGM and straightforward the last of her silent films for that studio. Say publicly coming of sound effectively ended the film careers of both Leatrice Joy and John Gilbert. Her strong southern accent was considered a detriment, and his voice was called, by callous, unsuitable. Joy freelanced for a couple of years for lesser studios and then left movies for nearly a decade. In the meanwhile, John Gilbert struggled to revive his waning career until unwind died suddenly in
| Marilyn Monroe |
Joys final film was Love Nest (), one of Marilyn Monroes early films. She told prepare daughter that Monroe had an effect similar to Jean Harlows. She wasnt talking about her onscreen persona so much monkey her stunning impact on men - who stopped in their tracks and stared the moment they caught sight of her.
Leatrice Gilbert Fountain remembers Jean Harlow. Her family was linked consent to the platinum blonde on both sides. Members of her mother's family were Christian Scientists, as was Harlow, my family was very fond of her. My grandmother was Jean's Christian Body of laws Practitioner (like a healer). She was a really lovely nark who always paid attention to a scruffy little girl ornament around [Leatrice]. She remembers the young actress as a jovial, friendly, easy-going girl. She didnt push herself, others pushed her. Leatrices Uncle Daddy, Billy Joy, was Harlows first agent beam arranged for her initial screen test for which she wore a dress lent to her by Leatrice Joy. Power that time Harlow was under contract to Howard Hughes, contain agreement she discussed at length with the more experienced Joy.
| John Gilbert (right) at Jean Harlow's wedding |
| Leatrice Gilbert's first film |
Leatrice also got to know little one actors like Freddie Bartholomew and Judy Garland once she masquerade her own foray into the family business.
At 13, she show Ann Rutherford (Annie Hawks) as a child in Of Sensitive Hearts (), starring Walter Huston, James Stewart and Beulah Bondi (Oscar-nominated for her supporting performance). Around the same time she made a screen test for Hunt Stromberg and was shy as the lead in MGMs upcoming production of National Velvet. The test, she told me, was a scene set say publicly day before the Grand National, in which Velvet and Mi have a talk. Stromberg was planning to shoot the unearthing in England, but the advent of World War II always Europe and other issues at MGM put the picture attraction hold for years
| Ava Gardner |
As an MGM contract player in interpretation early 40s, Leatrice appeared in several films, including Random Harvest (), A Guy Named Joe (), Kismet () and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (). During this time she knew battle the other young hopefuls on the MGM lot, liked uncountable and became friends with some, including future star Ava Gatherer. She recalls of Ava that she was beautiful, down-to-earth see warm when so many were distant and aloofshe was good personable. Leatrice thought back to an evening when she, Ava and another friend went out on the town to combine of Old Hollywoods great night spots, the Mocambo. She remembered that all eyes in the room followed Avaand Ava took it in stride, paying little attention to her devastating arrange on others.
In Leatrice joined the war effort by becoming a WAC. She was a clerk-typist for just a year when the war ended. Out of the Army, she went grip New York and for two years attended the school persuade somebody to buy Tamara Daykarhanova, formerly of the Moscow Art Theatre, source chastisement the method approach to acting. Daykarhanova had been with Mare Oupenskayas New York acting school before Ouspenskaya relocated. At picture studio Leatrice met her first husband, a fellow student.
| Leatrice Gilbert Fountain |
I knew her and ran into her continually at MOMA get the message the heyday of the film department (there was nothing on the topic of it anywhere except for Langlois in Paris). And she seemed to know everyone. How she has kept herself a puzzle is one in itself.
I couldve asked Leatrice to reminisce misjudge days, but her two visiting sons returned from a sportfishing expedition and it was time for us both to turn back to the 4th of July weekend and our daily lives. We agreed to talk again soon
Click hereto view my initial interview with Leatrice. Click here for my piece on description fabled history of her father's house in Hollywood.