Letitia Fairbanks' "Princess April Morning-Glory"

Letitia Fairbanks, the niece of Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Mary Pickford, lived a life guided by artistic passions. On December 11, 1939 – the author's 26th birthday and the night of her Uncle Doug's death – Letitia began work on Princess April Morning-Glory, commemorating the exuberant spirit that had been her uncle by combining her lifelong creative talents: painting, writing, and illustration. In 1953 Letitia co-authored Douglas Fairbanks: The Fourth Musketeer, with Ralph Hancock, publishing the first definitive biography of her uncle. After a life rich in artistic accomplishment, Letitia passed away in September of 1992.

[letitiafairbanks]

1972-05-23_The-Kandinsky-Kaper_Outtakes from Princess April Morning-Glory on Vimeo.

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Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, New York City late August/early September 1921.

[letitiafairbanks]

Charlie, Mary and Doug were truly best friends, as much as they were business partners, especially in those early, halcyon days! Love this!

[letitiafairbanks]

The Guardians - Trailer from Imagin8r on Vimeo.

Written, Produced,and Directed by Billie Mintz

The Guardians exposes corruption in Las Vegas municipal government’s involvement in the kidnapping of elderly people under the color of law in order to steal their estate. In an unfolding saga that reaches to the top level of government, growing communities of Las Vegas Clark County victims come together to bring the corrupt cabal of judges, lawyers, court clerks, doctors, and nursing home employees to justice. What investigative filmmaker Billie Mintz exposes in this documentary is how many people are involved in a systemic conspiracy against the most vulnerable members of our society.

[the1920sinpictures]

Kittyinva: 1922 Sid Grauman sells a ticket to Doug Fairbanks for “Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood”. “Robin Hood” was the first film ever to have a Hollywood premiere, held at Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre on Oct. 18, 1922. The admission price to the premiere was $5.00 (equivalent to about $70.00 today). Evening admission was $0.75, $1.00 or $1.50 and seats could be reserved up to two weeks in advance. The film was not shown in any other L.A. theatres during that year! From Flickers, FB.

[letitiafairbanks]

Love this picture! Shows what a sensation the premier and subsequent showings of Douglas Fairbanks' motion pictures were in 1915-1929+. Douglas' need to have quality venues screen his movie pictures, commanding top dollar prices, along with Sid's ability for promotion and attract star talent - a winning duo was formed.

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Charlie Chaplin in Biarritz, France 1931.

[letitiafairbanks]

One of my favorite comedians in one of my favorite towns!

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Douglas Fairbanks Jr. kissing in the style of John Gilbert, with a Greta Garbo look-a-like in Our Modern Maidens (1929)

[oldhollywood-glamour]

[chaplinfortheages]

Great close-up of Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford & Douglas Fairbanks and a very cooperative dog.

[letitiafairbanks]

#CharlieChaplin #MaryPickord #DouglasFairbanks They had so much fun, back in the day....

[chaplinfortheages]

United Artists founded - February 5th 1919

Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks & D.W. Griffith

The first of the big four to leave, D.W. Griffith around 1924, Douglas Fairbanks passed in 1939, Charlie Chaplin sold his 20% in 1955 for $1.1 million, followed about a year later - Mary Pickford 20% she got 3 million.

United Artists is now a subsidiary company of MGM.

[letitiafairbanks]

This was the start of an almost magical level of creativity coupled with master execution - indeed the start of Hollywood as we know think of it.

[letitiafairbanks]

The animated gif version of Mary Pickford having a Happy New Year! From Princess April Morning-Glory and Letitia Fairbanks, we wish you & your family a Happy and Joyous 2017!

h/t @Eileen Whitfield

[letitiafairbanks]

Mary Pickford and Anna Pavlova. 

Hat-tip and Thank you to Nelson Viraj Santini!

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Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks Jr, circa 1918.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr  born December 9th 1909 - 107 years ago. 

Douglas Jr the son (and only child), of silent film legend Douglas Fairbanks.

.source: www.facebook.com/DouglasFairbanksJr 

https://www.facebook.com/DouglasFairbanksJr/photos/a.509106905773661.121534.507144545969897/697727976911552/?type=1&theater

[letitiafairbanks]

Mary Pickford blows a kiss to @brentonfilm on the occasion of their showing of  #DouglasFairbanks in #RobinHood (1922) live with Neil Brand's stunning new score https://t.co/iNL8HcrYdd

[chaplinfortheages]

Douglas Fairbanks - In remembrance

May 23rd 1883 - December 12th 1939

The last time Charlie Chaplin saw him was November 15th 1939. Charlie was in the middle of making “The Great Dictator”, Doug came to the set.

“He laughed uproariously during the taking of one our scenes. “I can’t wait to see it,’ he said

Doug died in his sleep less than a month later, at the age of 56. His son Douglas Fairbanks Jr called Charlie to let him know. 

Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin met in 1916, Charlie considered Doug the only true friend he had in Hollywood.

This is what Charlie said about Doug in his autobiography released in 1964:

“I have missed Douglas-I have missed the warmth of his enthusiasm and charm. I have his friendly voice over the telephone, that use to call me up on a bleak and lonely Sunday morning: ‘Charlie, coming up for lunch - then for a swim - then for dinner - then afterwards, see a picture?’  Yes, I have missed his delightful friendship.”

[letitiafairbanks]

The beauty of silent film lives on. Celebrate it. #WeLoveTheSilents http://thndr.it/1HRsPH6

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[letitiafairbanks]

Joan Fontaine shouting abuse in Gunga Din (1939) with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. 

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Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in Little Caesar (1931)

[theacademy]

This extraordinary silent footage housed at the Blackhawk Films Collection housed at the Academy Film Archive provides a look at the spectacular 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. An almost year-long celebration staged in San Francisco, California, the Expo celebrated the completion of the decade-long construction of the Panama Canal.

The City by the Bay embraced the opportunity to rebuild its community following a devastating and destructive earthquake that fell on its citizens’ shoulders in 1906. The Expo took three years to construct and opened to great fanfare on February 20, 1915. The fair housed many international pavilions and stretched 635 acres on the north end of the city between Van Ness and the Presidio. Of the dozens of structures that were built for the fair, only the Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District survives.

This highlight footage is a wonderful record of the exquisite courtyards, towers and entertainment that a patron attending the fair could experience. The worldwide attention that the fair received helped to reinvigorate the morale, industry and commerce of the city of San Francisco.

To view the complete film, totaling nearly sixteen minutes, click here.

[letitiafairbanks]

It's amazing to see what archival footage The Academy has preserved!