Mary Pickford: America's Sweetheart

by Scott Eyman

Chronicles the life of film's first "celebrity," recounting Pickford's rise to stardom, her tremendous power and influence in the film industry, rumors of her bout with alcoholism, and her marriages to Douglas Fairbanks and Buddy Rogers

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, American, Film

Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Scott Eyman has authored 11 books, including, with Robert Wagner, the New York Times bestseller Pieces of My Heart.

Among his other books are "Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer," "Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford," "Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise," and "The Speed of Sound" (all Simon & Schuster) and "John Ford: The Searcher" for Taschen.

He has lectured extensively around the world, most frequently at the National Film Theater in London, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Moscow Film Theater. He's done the commentary tracks for many DVD's, including "Trouble in Paradise," "My Darling Clementine," and Stagecoach.

Eyman has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune, as well as practically every film magazine extinct or still extant.

He's the literary critic for the Palm Beach Post; he and his wife Lynn live in Palm Beach.

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Pickford, America's sweetheart, born and raised in Toronto, Canada, was the most famous woman in the world in the first quarter of the 20th century. The first of the legendary Hollywood screen actresses, Mary will always be associated with silent film and of playing a certain type of role. Pollyana, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

Eyman is very thorough covering Mary's early years when, after the accidental death of her father on the Toronto dockyards, her mother Charlotte got Mary and her siblings work at local theatres. It was the age of vaudeville and travelling theatre productions. Hard times for many years, but Mary had the talent and personality to become the breadwinner for all of them. Eyman writes of her arrival in Hollywood, still in its infancy, and of the early days of silent movies. So many short films, many of them lost to history, but Mary was a veteran by her late teens and had a work ethic to go along with it.

Her rise to superstardom is described along with her determination, rare in those days, to be a strong independent woman with control over the movies she made. In fact she succeeded so well that eventually she formed United Artists along with her future husband Douglas Fairbanks and Charles Chaplin.

Douglas Fairbanks is mentioned often, as he became her second husband (and true love of her life) but the emphasis is on Mary. Her home "Pickfair" became the centre of the movie world, a place flocked to by all in the industry. When the "talkies" arrived it seemed sad but inevitable that her career would fade quickly. Despite a talkie Oscar for COQUETTE (which Eyman dismisses and calls the first honourary Oscar) Mary's last film was in 1933. This was followed by Fairbanks leaving her for another woman, and his death in 1939, well before his time.

Perhaps too much is made of her dowager years here. She was still active in the Hollywood community although her ventures often ran aground. Eyman tries hard to paint a "Sunset Boulevard" picture of a long-faded actress living in her mausoleum. Perhaps that was true in her later years, but she still had her friends and her 3rd husband Buddy Rogers, who was married to her for over 40 years. Eyman disparages many get-togethers of surviving friends from her Biograph film days (c. 1910) but there is nothing wrong with being among people from one's early days.

Overall it is a fairly well-balanced biography. The content gets a bit too dishy and sensationalistic when it comes to her later years; a lot of disjointed anecdotes that could have come from the gossipy movie magazine Photoplay. The reader might want to check out some of her work as shown on YouTube, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm for example. See for yourself, it was a different world 100 years ago but there is so much humanity there. Although I was born and raised in Toronto myself I have never been past her plaque and statue on University Ave. One day I will check it out.

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Pickford is appreciated by today's film historians as a major pioneer in film history, but at the time of this book's publication, she was an underrated and undermined actress, brushed aside as a no-talent who played little girls when she was much too old to. In reality, she was very convincing in her parts, and she was tremendously popular in her time. This is the story of her humble beginnings as Gladys Smith, the breadwinner for her mother and two siblings, her rise to being the highest paid woman in Hollywood, and her fall soon after the introduction of sound.

It is always difficult to read about Pickford's life. The beginning is so hopeful and fun to read about. The early days of Hollywood were so innocent and exciting, and Pickford worked with many of the most important players including D. W. Griffith, Charles Rosher, Ernst Lubitsch, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, etc. It is heartbreaking, though, to read onto the sound era, when Pickford's marriage to Fairbanks crumbles, her career is lost, and all three members of her immediate family die. Her descent into alcoholism and seclusion is all the more painful to read about as a modern audience who loves her and her work. Eyman writes with sensitivity, as he is obviously a fan of Pickford's work. His research is impressive, especially considering he wrote the book before most of Pickford's films were available on VHS or DVD.

Unfortunately because of the way Mary's life went, the beginning of this book is bright and cheerful, and the end is highly depressing. It does leave you wanting to find out more, and thankfully, now that more people have taken interest in Pickford as an important figure of the silent era, there are other books available. My only complaint about this book is the lack of detail about Pickford's adopted children Ronnie and Roxanne. This is always a subject that is only glossed over in biographies, but one which I am very curious about. Overall though, this is an informative and enjoyable read.

I got my copy signed at Cinevent in Columbus, Ohio in 2018.

[Martin Mintman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignant look at a strong and complicated woman who should be better remembered than she is today, if not for being one of the most popular stars of silent film, but as a shrewd and successful actor, businesswoman and co-creator of United Artists. Some of her business dealings I found a little dull, but knowing how these made her so far ahead of her time, they are certainly important to her story.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid, and rather opinionated, biography of Mary Pickford. I like that the Scott Eyman gives his views on the various pictures that Mary made during her career; I find that I like biographers of artists to simultaneously serve as critics. Eyman does get a bit judgmental at times, especially when the story gets to Mary's old age and her third husband, Buddy Rogers, who comes across as a bit of a dim-witted puppy. Overall, we get a good sense of who Mary Pickford was, and the part she played in the early days of the American movie industry. Eyman undermines his credibility at times, such as when he said that Mary was the most powerful woman since Cleopatra, a ridiculous assertion.

[Aleisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An early edition of this book was a "pick up and read because you're bored and the neighbor just gave you a box of old books" read. Thus began my life-time love-affair with the jazz age and the early motion picture industry. I've done two research papers on Mary alone and tons of for-fun research on most of the influential members of the era cited in this book. And not until just now has this obsession ever been disturbing to me.

[Bonni Sweet]

I thought this was a great read. I love reading about MAry Pickford. Good or bad.

[David Allwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silent movies created a cultural revolution of which we are the modern beneficiaries and yet there are only very few remnants of this major industry remaining. Much has been lost or forgotten, which is why Scott Eyman’s biography of Mary Pickford remains relevant and important. Mary Pickford was an actress, producer and pioneer, and the original queen of Hollywood. Today, she is largely overlooked but this book covers her life story highlighting her crucial role as a titan in the establishment of the silent motion picture industry. The book is well-researched and well-written although Pickford’s later years and legacy are disproportionately brief. To understand the true history of Hollywood, it is essential to understand Mary Pickford’s life and influence.

[Mauri Baumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book--read this as a supplemental for a book club choice. I liked the fact that it didn't end with her last picture, and paint her as a recluse alcoholic. It talked about the next 50+ years and what she did during those years. Very sad that she didn't continue her career.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive - and surprisingly, great - movie star bio. I was a bit leery on this one since Pickford honestly doesn't seem like all that interesting a person. Of course, she became famous playing "the girl with the golden curls" in dozens of sentimental melodramas and comedies. Unlike many silent film stars, however, she never had that one indelible, career-defining role. Playing virtuous, optimistic young women and kids became her trademark and, ultimately, her downfall. Scott Eyman has the ability to capture the moments of her life, while also casting a realistic, critical view on her personal eccentricities and films. Pickford was a cold, pragmatic woman in real life whose mother and siblings met early deaths through alcohol (it would eventually get her, too) and self-destruction. She was also an astute businesswoman, co-founding and running United Artists motion picture studio from the silent era through the '50s. Unwilling to break out of the sweetie-pie image that made her famous, she retired from acting relatively young (early 40s) and lived out the second half of her life as a semi-recluse and priggish moral crusader. I finished the book with a grudging respect for the woman, however. A few dull passages delved into United Artists business dealings, but mostly it was an absorbing portrait of a multi-faceted personality. I was also impressed with the research/detail in describing the rise and fall of her estate, Pickfair, and the loyalty of her few intimates such as Lillian Gish, stepson Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and her third husband, Charles "Buddy" Rogers. This book is apparently out of print, but well worth seeking out.

[CB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Pickford's life was certainly interesting, but this book, not so much. I was also disappointed with how lightly her relationship with Douglas Fairbanks was treated.

[Debbie]

Wonderful insight to "the first woman" of cinema and to silent picture history in general.

[Faeryleeza · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was interesting to find out what she was like and how she conducted her business affairs. Her business management was astounding.

[Mary Narkiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading biographies of film stars, especially legendary stars like Mary Pickford.

[La Cranberry · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Canadian edition was titled: Mary Pickford: From here to Hollywood