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Silent Star
Autobiography of silent film star Colleen Moore.
262 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1968
196 people want to read
About the author
Colleen Moore
26 books6 followersColleen Moore was born Kathleen Morrison but changed her name so it would easily fit on a marquee. She had a passion for movies from an early age and began working as a teenager for director D.W. Griffith. She later became a big star when she began to embody the flapper persona but faded away when the talkies came in.
Her relationship with first husband John McCormick inspired the relationship in the film A Star is Born. She married three other times to Albert Scott, Homer Hargrave, and Paul Maginot.
She created a highly ornate and richly detailed doll house which the Museum of Science and Industry preserved and put on display.
Her relationship with first husband John McCormick inspired the relationship in the film A Star is Born. She married three other times to Albert Scott, Homer Hargrave, and Paul Maginot.
She created a highly ornate and richly detailed doll house which the Museum of Science and Industry preserved and put on display.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 9, 2013
If you’re a big fan of silent film goddesses of the Jazz Age like Louise Brooks and Clara Bow then you need to seek out films of Colleen Moore, practically forgotten in comparison to the aforementioned silent cinema vixens. Although Colleen Moore made broth dramatic and comedy films she embodied the humor and gaiety of the Flapper Era with comedies like “Flaming Youth”, her performance inspiring F. Scott Fitzgerald to pay tribute to.
Most of her films are impossible to get on DVD save a few clips here and there on You Tube, but what you can catch of her she’s definitely the equal of Brooks and Bow, especially when it comes to comedy. Her stature as a major movie star and box office attraction in her time was considerable.
Unfortunately, her autobiography only gets three stars from me because she keeps going off the track about her life to discuss endless “Hollywood Babylon” scandals, from Fatty Arbuckle’s hotel incident to William Desmond Taylor’s murder to Mabel Normand’s drug abuse. The only real gossipy tidbit that sounds new to me is her contention that Cowboy film star William S. Hart was madly in love with his sister, their incest love tainting his marriage to a woman almost thirty years his junior. El Scandalo!
But therein lies the problem: There’s too much sleaze and not enough Colleen. Plus she never mentions her slapstick comedy classic, “Ella Cinders” featuring the immortal eyeball scene.
When Colleen does get around to discussing her love life, most of it sounds eerily similar to “Inside Daisy Clover”, drunken runaway groom and all. Wonder how much material Gavin Lambert would cop to taking from her life story? One person who comes clean is Adela Rogers St. Johns, who admitted that she drew a lot from Colleen’s marriage as the basis for “A Star Is Born”.
In addition to Moore’s autobiography there’s a dedicated biography about her still in print, and I’m more inclined to recommend that a more satisfactory insight in her legendary career. And make sure you check out her entertaining comedy bits on You Tube.
Most of her films are impossible to get on DVD save a few clips here and there on You Tube, but what you can catch of her she’s definitely the equal of Brooks and Bow, especially when it comes to comedy. Her stature as a major movie star and box office attraction in her time was considerable.
Unfortunately, her autobiography only gets three stars from me because she keeps going off the track about her life to discuss endless “Hollywood Babylon” scandals, from Fatty Arbuckle’s hotel incident to William Desmond Taylor’s murder to Mabel Normand’s drug abuse. The only real gossipy tidbit that sounds new to me is her contention that Cowboy film star William S. Hart was madly in love with his sister, their incest love tainting his marriage to a woman almost thirty years his junior. El Scandalo!
But therein lies the problem: There’s too much sleaze and not enough Colleen. Plus she never mentions her slapstick comedy classic, “Ella Cinders” featuring the immortal eyeball scene.
When Colleen does get around to discussing her love life, most of it sounds eerily similar to “Inside Daisy Clover”, drunken runaway groom and all. Wonder how much material Gavin Lambert would cop to taking from her life story? One person who comes clean is Adela Rogers St. Johns, who admitted that she drew a lot from Colleen’s marriage as the basis for “A Star Is Born”.
In addition to Moore’s autobiography there’s a dedicated biography about her still in print, and I’m more inclined to recommend that a more satisfactory insight in her legendary career. And make sure you check out her entertaining comedy bits on You Tube.
August 13, 2022
Such an incredible book!! I didn’t want it to end. Colleen Moore is forever a legend, icon, and inspiration! I wish I could’ve known her!!
September 1, 2018
Lots of fun! Moore was a delightful woman. I enjoyed reading about the evolution of the film flapper and Moore's mostly happy experiences in early Hollywood. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Moore was not running away from home, or impoverished and working to support her family. Her family was close-knit, middle-class, and loving. They supported Colleen's dream of becoming a movie star.
What I really appreciate about Moore is how she always enjoyed life and always looked toward the future. She accepted that her movie career was fading and so focused on what her life should be post-Hollywood. Moore married a widower with children and made her family the center of her world. She also learned a few things from her stockbroker husband and eventually wrote a book urging women to learn how to invest.
Colleen Moore is now best remembered for the incredible fairy castle doll house she conceived and helped design. Moore toured the country with it for many years to raise money for handicapped children. The castle has resided for many years at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Seeing the castle is now on my bucket list.
What I really appreciate about Moore is how she always enjoyed life and always looked toward the future. She accepted that her movie career was fading and so focused on what her life should be post-Hollywood. Moore married a widower with children and made her family the center of her world. She also learned a few things from her stockbroker husband and eventually wrote a book urging women to learn how to invest.
Colleen Moore is now best remembered for the incredible fairy castle doll house she conceived and helped design. Moore toured the country with it for many years to raise money for handicapped children. The castle has resided for many years at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Seeing the castle is now on my bucket list.
January 18, 2022
A lively if over-familiar memoir from silent film star Colleen Moore.
You can tick off the cliches as we come to them: a night at Chaplin's; a trip to San Simeon; the scandals of the '20s and '30s (Arbuckle, William Desmond Taylor, Paul Bern); the matter of John Gilbert's voice. As ever, key figures are idealised (Tom Mix, Mervyn LeRoy) while others are traduced (William S. Hart), as the subject finds professional success but personal disappointment, while taking credit for various discoveries (boosting Gary Cooper, renaming Loretta Young). It can be hard to take this sort of book entirely seriously once you've read Me, Cheeta.
Moore's proximity to Hollywood lore is a draw, though – she double-dated with Taylor's mistress, was Errol Flynn's landlady, and can debunk misinformation about Harlow from being at her wedding reception – and there are enough diverting if hardly uproarious after-dinner stories to you keep you engaged. I wouldn't have minded a bit more about her own movies, though. She lists The Power and the Glory as her favourite film, and So Big! as her best performance, but doesn't even mention the classic Why Be Good?, while her comic masterclass in Ella Cinders is only deemed worthy of a photo and caption.
One interesting side-note: when F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, "I was the spark that lit up Flaming Youth, Colleen Moore was the torch," he wasn't referring to himself! He was inscribing a miniature of his book, This Side of Paradise, and writing the sentence from the book's perspective. That's obvious in the text ("My author's name is F. Scott Fitzgerald," his inscription concludes), but misconstrued by whoever wrote the jacket copy, and misrepresented ever since.
You can tick off the cliches as we come to them: a night at Chaplin's; a trip to San Simeon; the scandals of the '20s and '30s (Arbuckle, William Desmond Taylor, Paul Bern); the matter of John Gilbert's voice. As ever, key figures are idealised (Tom Mix, Mervyn LeRoy) while others are traduced (William S. Hart), as the subject finds professional success but personal disappointment, while taking credit for various discoveries (boosting Gary Cooper, renaming Loretta Young). It can be hard to take this sort of book entirely seriously once you've read Me, Cheeta.
Moore's proximity to Hollywood lore is a draw, though – she double-dated with Taylor's mistress, was Errol Flynn's landlady, and can debunk misinformation about Harlow from being at her wedding reception – and there are enough diverting if hardly uproarious after-dinner stories to you keep you engaged. I wouldn't have minded a bit more about her own movies, though. She lists The Power and the Glory as her favourite film, and So Big! as her best performance, but doesn't even mention the classic Why Be Good?, while her comic masterclass in Ella Cinders is only deemed worthy of a photo and caption.
One interesting side-note: when F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, "I was the spark that lit up Flaming Youth, Colleen Moore was the torch," he wasn't referring to himself! He was inscribing a miniature of his book, This Side of Paradise, and writing the sentence from the book's perspective. That's obvious in the text ("My author's name is F. Scott Fitzgerald," his inscription concludes), but misconstrued by whoever wrote the jacket copy, and misrepresented ever since.
February 20, 2021
I own a copy of "Silent Star", actress Colleen Moore's autobiography courtesy of my parents' purchase of it for me. I remember Ms. Moore's Chicago TV appearances publicizing it. I remember that she had a great personality and was an excellent communicator. That is why I asked my parents for a copy.
As I remember this book it is somewhat non-linear but contains many photographs of her career and personal life. Apparently her co-writer on the project was journalist Adela Rogers St. John who made many a television appearance during her life and wrote several books about Hollywood, so the choice of Ms. St. John was an excellent one. I have obtained a copy of Jeff Cordori's book about Ms. Moore and am looking forward to his account, with the assistance of one of Ms. Moore's stepchildren, of the career of Colleen Moore up to the end of her motion picture career as an actress.
As I remember this book it is somewhat non-linear but contains many photographs of her career and personal life. Apparently her co-writer on the project was journalist Adela Rogers St. John who made many a television appearance during her life and wrote several books about Hollywood, so the choice of Ms. St. John was an excellent one. I have obtained a copy of Jeff Cordori's book about Ms. Moore and am looking forward to his account, with the assistance of one of Ms. Moore's stepchildren, of the career of Colleen Moore up to the end of her motion picture career as an actress.
November 18, 2023
I've always been a fan of Colleen Moore (aka Kathleen Morrison)...even before I knew she was an actress because of her donation of the famed Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Now, 50+ years after seeing the Fairy Castle, I have read Ms. Moore's book, Silent Star. I really enjoyed this book & learning of her life which is a piece of disappearing history in todays society. Silent Star first came to my attention when someone posted on one of my book pages about the 2023 fictionalized book of Ms. Moore's life, From Dust To Stardust by Kathleen Rooney. Before I read that, I wanted to read the non-fiction book written by Ms. Moore herself. (Facts before fiction for me.)
March 28, 2022
I’m a bit biased, as Colleen Moore is one of my all-time favorite actresses. This was a great autobiography by a fantastic actress, who is unfortunately often overshadowed by her more famous contemporaries. A good number of the ladies of the silent screen wrote memoirs, and they are worth checking out to get a window into the world of silent movies, as well as the Roaring ‘20s. This book is a great example.
February 13, 2019
Colleen does a fabulous job of painting life for her 100 years ago from a point 50 years ago. Humble, she give credit where credit is due (and blame when necessary) but shies away from gossip to only tell the facts and what she witnessed herself. Hoping for dirt on Clara Bow? Too bad, she only met her twice and left it there. Easy read, but satisfying. Wonderful voice she writes with as well.
October 5, 2017
A pleasure to read and the references to stars were done in a matter of fact, easy voice. What an incredible journey she had!! So many personal photos!
February 7, 2020
Colleen Moore was a big star in the late silent era, but today few of her films are accessible and not many books outline her career. My own familiarity with her comes as much from her participation in Kevin Brownlow's Hollywood documentary series as her stardom in the 20s. In the documentary she comes off as bubbly, cute, and friendly so I was naturally interested in reading her autobiography.
Her personality shines through in these pages, although she is somewhat sparse with details about her personal life, especially after she divorces John, the man who inspired the character Norman Mayne in A Star is Born. However, Moore loves talking about her fellow actors and there are lots of interesting stories, many of which I've never seen duplicated in other books. She certainly has a lot of opinions about these people, some which have since been proven otherwise as in such controversial issues like John Gilbert's fall from fame and the William Desmond Taylor murder. (Curiously, Moore is mentioned in A Cast of Killers, the story of director King Vidor's search for the truth, but not here. She was dating Vidor at the time and got constant updates on his research.)
This book was published in 1968, so a lot has changed since then, and Moore's occasional updates on what her friends are doing "now" are no longer accurate. But as this is a remembrance of an era before Colleen Moore was a "private" person, these minor discrepencies don't affect the reading.
Her personality shines through in these pages, although she is somewhat sparse with details about her personal life, especially after she divorces John, the man who inspired the character Norman Mayne in A Star is Born. However, Moore loves talking about her fellow actors and there are lots of interesting stories, many of which I've never seen duplicated in other books. She certainly has a lot of opinions about these people, some which have since been proven otherwise as in such controversial issues like John Gilbert's fall from fame and the William Desmond Taylor murder. (Curiously, Moore is mentioned in A Cast of Killers, the story of director King Vidor's search for the truth, but not here. She was dating Vidor at the time and got constant updates on his research.)
This book was published in 1968, so a lot has changed since then, and Moore's occasional updates on what her friends are doing "now" are no longer accurate. But as this is a remembrance of an era before Colleen Moore was a "private" person, these minor discrepencies don't affect the reading.
May 20, 2016
Colleen Moore invented the iconography of the flapper. She sets out in the book to tell her story. In addition she tries to right the misinformation printed about those she worked with in silent films with her version of their deeds. Toward the end of her career she had a doll house built which she feels is a good part of her legacy and spends much paper describing it in detail. All in all this is an interesting look at the silent years of Hollywood.
March 31, 2015
Delightful. Colleen Moore is a great writer, with sprite timing and a wonderful sense of life and adventure. It's a pleasurable read and also filled with illuminating details about life as a silent film actor. It focuses mostly on her career in Hollywood, so it will likely not satisfy you if you're looking for a complete biographical portrait.
May 1, 2008
A fun, charming autobiography by silent film star Colleen Moore. Loved her description of a visit to Hearst Castle. This book gives you a real feel of what it was like to work in the flickers in the early days of Hollywood.
November 5, 2008
Nice, interesting book, she seems a sensible sort. Nice looks at early Hollywood. Tells stories of Connie Talmadge giving away her clothes when Norma married a millionaire (presumably Schenck) and Norma’s breakup with Gilbert Roland.
November 6, 2009
Entertaining, though somewhat rambling, autobiography of silent film actress Colleen Moore, who began as an ingenue with D. W. Griffith and went on to play flapper roles in the 1920s.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews