Mother and Son
Mother and Son
Available in stock
Clara Kimball Young (1890-1960) was a stage actress in her early twenties when she sent a headshot to Vitagraph Studios. The execs were immediately besotted, and Clara and her husband James were soon on their way to Hollywood. A series of pictures starring the woman the fan magazines called "The Orchid of the Screen" followed, the most successful being My Official Wife (1914), which James Young directed. At her height, Clara's popularity rivaled that of Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Pearl White, and Mabel Normand. Her fortunes started to turn downhill when she began a widely publicized affair with Lewis J. Selznick, leading to a divorce from James (who, to this point, had directed her best features) and the end of her contract with Vitagraph. Without missing a beat, the infatuated Selznick formed the Clara Kimball Young Film Corporation to distribute his paramour's pictures. But even this went afoul when the actress discovered Selznick was withholding funds from her. After an unsuccessful attempt to sue the studio mogul, Clara's career in Hollywood was ruined. She spent the 1920s in vaudeville, only attempting a comeback when sound was introduced. Despite giving a bravura performance, Mother and Son would be her only starring role during this period. After a few more supporting parts (including a stint with the Three Stooges) Clara quietly retired from acting in 1941. Two decades later, her time as an ingenue long behind her, she passed away at the Motion Picture Home in Hollywood at the age of 70.
Couldn't load pickup availability
Your payment information is processed securely. We do not store credit card details nor have access to your credit card information.
