Corinne Griffith

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Corinne Griffith (née Griffin; November 21, 1894 – July 13, 1979) was an American film actress, producer, author and businesswoman. Dubbed "The Orchid Lady of the Screen,"Template:Sfn she was widely regarded as one of the most beautiful actresses of the silent film era. In addition to her beauty, Griffith achieved critical recognition for her performance in Frank Lloyd's The Divine Lady (1929), which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Originally from Texas, Griffith pursued a film career after winning a beauty contest in Southern California. In 1916, she signed a contract with Vitagraph Studios, appearing in numerous films for the studio through the remainder of the decade. In 1920, she began making films for First National Pictures and became one of the studio's bigger stars. In the mid-1920s, she began executive-producing features and served as a producer on 1925's Déclassée and Classified, in both of which she starred.

In the latter part of the 1920s, Griffith's film career slowed, though she had lead performances in Outcast (1928) and the drama The Garden of Eden (also 1928). The following year, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Divine Lady. She starred in Lilies of the Field, a remake of the 1924 film in which she had also starred. Her following film, Back Pay (1930), was promoted as Griffith's final screen appearance before her retirement. She did, however, appear as the lead in Lily Christine (1932) two years later.

After 1932, Griffith retired from acting and became a successful author and businesswoman, writing numerous fiction and non-fiction books, as well as venturing into real estate, in which she had begun investing in the 1920s. She married her third husband, Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall, in 1936, and remained married to him until 1958. She made her final film appearance with a minor role in Paradise Alley (1962), which marked her first screen appearance in 28 years. A biographical film about Griffith was released in 1963 titled Papa's Delicate Condition, based on her 1952 memoir and focusing on the relationship between her and her father. After suffering a stroke in July 1979, Griffith was hospitalized in Santa Monica, California, where she died shortly after of a heart attack. She left behind a reported estate of $150 million, making her one of the wealthier women in the world at that time.Template:Sfn

Biography

1894–1932: Early life and Vitagraph films

Griffith was born Corinne Griffin on November 21, 1894Template:Efn in Waco, Texas,Template:Efn one of two daughters born to John Lewis "Jack" Griffin, a Methodist minister and train conductor of the Texas & Pacific railway,<ref name=death/> and Amboline Ghio.Template:Sfn Griffith's maternal grandfather, Antonio Ghio, was an Italian immigrant who became a successful businessman in TexasTemplate:Sfn and was a three-time mayor of Texarkana;<ref name=griffinghio>Template:Cite news</ref> her maternal grandmother, Maria Anthes, also an immigrant, was a native of Darmstadt, Germany.Template:Sfn At the time of Griffith's birth, her mother Amboline was in her early 20s, while her father, John, was nearly 40.Template:Sfn Griffith's parents had married in 1887, and the wedding was a celebrated event among local high society.<ref name=griffinghio/>

Griffith and her sister were raised Catholic.Template:Sfn Her early years were spent in Waco<ref name=wacont>Template:Cite news</ref> before the family moved to Texarkana, Texas, where Griffith lived until age 10; she moved to New Orleans, Louisiana to attend the Sacred Heart Convent school.Template:Sfn Her father died in Mineral Wells, Texas on March 20, 1912.<ref name=death>Template:Cite news</ref> After completing her primary education, Griffin enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin for the 1912–1913 semester year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Sfn She also worked as a dancer before she began her acting career.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Accounts of Griffith's entry into the film industry vary.Template:Sfn At some point after her father's death, Griffith left Texas and relocated with her mother and sister, Augusta, to Southern California.<ref name=richter>Template:Cite news</ref> Some sources claim she was urged by Vitagraph Studios director Rollin S. Sturgeon to pursue an acting career after winning a beauty contest in Santa Monica, California, in which Sturgeon was a judge.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn According to another account, Griffith met Sturgeon at a high-society event in Crescent City, California, and he offered her a film contract on the spot.Template:Sfn In a 1919 newspaper article, Griffith said she was approached by Sturgeon in New Orleans after she won a pageant during the Mardi Gras festival.<ref name=nyd>Template:Cite news</ref> According to Griffith, Sturgeon suggested she become an actress, and several months later she traveled to California to meet with executives at Vitagraph.<ref name=nyd/>

Woman with feather hat, looking over shoulder

Griffith in 1918

In 1916, she signed a $15-weekly contract with Vitagraph<ref name=richter/> and took the stage name Corinne Griffith.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She made her screen debut in a short film titled La Paloma, opposite Earle Williams.<ref name=nyd/> She appeared in a series of short films for the studio before becoming a leading lady.<ref name=richter/> On April 22, 1920, Griffith married her first husband, Webster Campbell, in a private ceremony in Oceanside, California.<ref name=stand/>

Griffith's performance in one of her later films for Vitagraph, The Broadway Bubble (1920), was described by a critic of the Austin American-Statesman as the "strongest and most fascinating role in her notable career" and lauded it as her "crowning achievement."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

1923–1932: First National contract

Woman walking through a door

Griffith in Six Days (1923)

In 1923, after three years of marriage, Griffith divorced Campbell, whom she claimed was an abusive alcoholic.Template:Sfn The same year, Griffith left Vitagraph Studios, signing a more lucrative contract of $10,000 a week with First National,<ref name=richter/> where she became one of their most popular stars.Template:Sfn Her first film for the studio was Frank Lloyd's Black Oxen (1923), a drama in which she portrayed a mysterious Austrian countess. The film, in which Griffith co-starred with Conway Tearle and Clara Bow, became a hit.Template:Sfn

Griffith married producer Walter Morosco in February, 1924.<ref name=stand/> The same year, she starred in and executive-produced three pictures: Single Wives, Love's Wilderness, and Lilies of the Field.Template:Sfn All three of the films were box-office hits.Template:Sfn By 1927, Griffith had begun investing her film income in real estate and owned approximately $500,000 worth of properties.Template:Sfn

In 1928, she had the starring role in The Garden of Eden for United Artists which, though critically praised, was not a box-office hit.Template:Sfn Disappointed by the film's lackluster dividends, Griffith returned to First National to appear in Frank Lloyd's The Divine Lady (1929), a sound film featuring synchronized music, but no audible dialogue.Template:Sfn Griffith earned critical accolades for her performance, including a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Griffith's first full sound film was Lilies of the Field, a remake of her 1924 silent film in the same role. Griffith's voice, which was regarded as nasal,<ref name=richter/> did not record well (The New York Times stated that she "talked through her nose"),Template:Sfn and the film was a box office flop.Template:Sfn The following year, she starred in the drama Back Pay (1930), based on a story by Fannie Hurst, which was promoted as her final screen appearance.Template:Sfn After a two-year hiatus, Griffith starred in the British film Lily Christine (1932)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and then left the public eye completely.Template:Sfn

1933–1964: Post-film career

After her retirement from film, Griffith divorced Morosco in 1934. Two years later, she married businessman and Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall. In December 1941, the couple adopted two daughters, Pamela and Cynthia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the early years of her marriage to Marshall, she wrote the lyrics to the truly racist original fight song, "Hail to the Redskins".Template:Sfn

In the 1940s, Griffith began investing in real estate in the Los Angeles area.<ref name=nar /> She funded the construction of four commercial buildings on all four corners of the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and South Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, California.<ref name=nar>Template:Cite web</ref> The construction of the buildings, each named after her, proved lucrative, and she turned down an offer of $2.5 million for them in 1950.<ref name=wp>Template:Cite news</ref> The same year, she spoke at the inaugural National Association of Real Estate Boards convention in Florida.<ref name=nar /> "I liked the vacant business lots I saw in Beverly Hills with the For Sale signs on them," she recalled. "They were so near the beautiful homes there in that section and I couldn't help but feel that someday the business section would grow up to the great buying power of these wealthy estates."<ref name=nar />

Template:Quotebox In addition to her real estate ventures, beginning in the 1950s, Griffith became a vocal supporter of repealing the 16th Amendment, which authorized income tax.<ref name=richter /> Over the ensuing decade, she gave approximately 500 speeches on the subject.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Commenting on her dedication to the topic, she stated: "We have no substitute of other taxes because we have no substitute for waste, graft and corruption. If the federal government will eliminate only part of its waste, just 40 billions of dollars a year of its waste... I can prove to you in dollars and cents that the government does not need the income tax."<ref name=tax /> Griffith also spoke in support of women seeking their own financial autonomy: "I got my money without the help of any man. Women wise enough to earn their own money will get a broader understanding of life, a new respect from their husbands and a bank account which they can use without resorting to the old tricks that sicken every wife at heart."<ref name=nyt />

Griffith was also an accomplished writer who published eleven books, including two best-sellers, My Life with the Redskins (1947), and the memoir Papa's Delicate Condition (1952), which chronicled her upbringing and family life in Texarkana.Template:Sfn Her third publication, 1955's Eggs I Have Known, was a recipe book with gossipy anecdotes interspersed.<ref name=wfpp /> In 1958, Griffith divorced Marshall (who she referred to in print as "The Marshall without a plan").<ref name=wfpp /> In 1960, she was honored for her contributions to the motion picture industry with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street. She later published her fourth book, Antiques I Have Known, a non-fiction book about her interest in antiques.Template:Sfn Griffith returned to the screen in 1962 in the low-budget melodrama Paradise Alley, which received scant release and marked her final film role. Also in 1962, she published two books: Hollywood Stories, a selection of short fiction,Template:Sfn and Taxation Without Representation—or, Your Money Went That-a-Way, which argued against the income tax.<ref name=tax>Template:Cite news</ref> The following year, her memoir Papa's Delicate Condition was made into a biographical feature film of the same name starring Jackie Gleason.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

1965–1979: Claims about identity and final years

In February 1965, she married her fourth husband, Broadway actor Danny Scholl in Alexandria, Virginia.<ref name=kiss>Template:Cite news</ref> Scholl was 44 years old, more than 25 years younger than Griffith.<ref name=kiss/> The couple separated after two months of marriage.<ref name=kiss/> Within the year, Griffith filed for a divorce after a judge denied her motion for an annulment; she contended that the marriage had not been consummated.<ref name=kiss/> Pending trial, she was ordered to pay Scholl alimony of $200 per month beginning in December 1964.<ref name=kiss/>

During the divorce court proceedings in May 1966,<ref name=kiss/> Griffith testified that she was actually not Corinne Griffith. She instead claimed that she was Corinne's younger sister, who, although twenty years younger, had taken Corinne's place when she died in 1924.Template:Sfn She also denied having married her former two husbands, Webster Campbell and Walter Morosco.<ref name=stand>Template:Cite news</ref> In court, Scholl's attorney proposed that Griffith had falsified her age in the couple's marriage documents as well as failed to disclose her previous two marriages.<ref name=stand/> Upon being questioned about her age, Griffith refused to comment, stating that her religion, Christian Science, prevented her from publicly disclosing it.Template:Sfn She also claimed not to have kept record of her age since she was 13 years old.<ref name=stand/> Actresses Betty Blythe and Claire Windsor, who had both known Griffith since the 1920s, contradicted her testimony, but did not shake her story, and she continued to claim that she was in fact Corinne's sister.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

In a subsequent interview, Griffith further complicated her story, claiming to be Corinne's twin named Mary, rather than her younger sister: Template:Blockquote

In the same interview, she stated that Corinne had been buried in an unmarked grave in Mexico.Template:Sfn

Following the publicity surrounding her divorce and identity claims, Griffith spent the remainder of her years writing. In 1969, she published Not for Men Only – but Almost, a non-fiction book detailing the appeal of sports to men and its lack of appeal for most women.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She published another collection of personal non-fiction stories titled This You Won't Believe in 1972.Template:Sfn Her final book I'm Lucky at Cards (1974) was a book of her essays.Template:Sfn

Screen and public image

Griffith was lauded by numerous publications for her beauty. Valeria Beletti, a secretary of Samuel Goldwyn, described Griffith as "the most beautiful of all the silent stars, talented or otherwise," despite the fact that she personally found Griffith abrasive: "very haughty and disdainful. She looks at no one but her dogs, and is generally disliked by all."Template:Sfn According to biographer Anthony Slide, the common phrase "the camera loves her" was coined for Griffith.Template:Sfn

In addition to her appearance, Griffith took efforts to maintain a decorous and healthful image, claiming never to have smoked or drunk alcohol.Template:Sfn She also avoided swearing and refrained from wearing make-up when not appearing on film.Template:Sfn Columnist Adela Rogers St. Johns once referred to Griffith as "innocence personified."Template:Sfn

Death

Griffith suffered a stroke in early July 1979, brought on by cerebral arteriosclerosis, and was hospitalized at Saint John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California.Template:Sfn She died there shortly after of a heart attack on July 13, aged 84.Template:Sfn Her sister Augusta, from whom she had been estranged, had died only weeks earlier.Template:Sfn Griffith's remains were cremated by the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles and buried at sea in the Pacific Ocean.Template:Sfn At the time of her death, Griffith's estate was valued at $150 million, principally real estate.Template:Sfn

Filmography

File:Corinne Griffith on the cover of Motion Picture Classic magazine, September 1921, cover art by Benjamin Eggleston.jpg

Motion Picture Classic magazine, September 1921, cover art by Benjamin Eggleston (1867–1937).

File:The Girl Problem.jpg

The Girl Problem (1919)

File:Corinne Griffith, in "The Common Law" (Mar 1923).png

The Common Law (1923)

Key
Template:Dagger	Denotes a lost or presumed lost film.

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Template:Tooltip
1916	La Paloma Template:Dagger	Stella	Short film	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
1916	Bitter Sweet Template:Dagger	Ruth Slatter – John's Wife	Short film	<ref name=afi />
1916	When Hubby Forgot Template:Dagger	The Maid	Short film	Template:Sfn
1916	Sin's Penalty Template:Dagger	Lola Wilson	Short film	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
1916	Miss Adventure Template:Dagger	Gloria	Short film	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
1916	The Cost of High Living	Jack's Sister	Short film	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
1916	The Rich Idler Template:Dagger	Marion- Mary's Friend	Short film	<ref name=wfpp>Template:Cite web</ref>
1916	Ashes Template:Dagger	The Nurse	Short film	<ref name=wfpp />
1916	The Waters of Lethe Template:Dagger	Joyce Denton	Short film	<ref name=wfpp />
1916	The Yellow Girl	Corinne	Short film	<ref name=wfpp />
1916	A Fool and His Friend Template:Dagger		Short film	<ref name=wfpp />
1916	Through the Wall Template:Dagger	Pussy Wimott		<ref name=afi>Template:Cite web</ref>
1916	The Last Man Template:Dagger	Lorna		<ref name=afi />
1916	His Wife's Allowance Template:Dagger		Short film	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1917	The Mystery of Lake Lethe Template:Dagger		Short film	<ref name=wfpp />
1917	The Stolen Treaty Template:Dagger	Irene Mitchell		<ref name=afi />
1917	Transgression Template:Dagger	Marion Hayward		<ref name=afi />
1917	The Love Doctor Template:Dagger	Blanche Hildreth		<ref name=afi />
1917	I Will Repay Template:Dagger	Virginia Rodney		<ref name=afi />
1917	Who Goes There? Template:Dagger	Karen Girard		<ref name=afi />
1918	The Menace Template:Dagger	Virginia Denton		<ref name=afi />
1918	Love Watches Template:Dagger	Jacqueline Cartaret		<ref name=afi />
1918	The Clutch of Circumstance Template:Dagger	Ruth Lawson		<ref name=afi />
1918	The Girl of Today Template:Dagger	Leslie Selden		<ref name=afi />
1918	Miss Ambition Template:Dagger	Marta		<ref name=afi />
1919	The Adventure Shop Template:Dagger	Phyllis Blake		<ref name=afi />
1919	The Girl Problem Template:Dagger	Erminie Foster		<ref name=afi />
1919	The Unknown Quantity Template:Dagger	Mary Boyne		<ref name=afi />
1919	Thin Ice	Alice Winton		<ref name=afi />
1919	A Girl at Bay Template:Dagger	Mary Allen		<ref name=afi />
1919	The Bramble Bush Template:Dagger	Kaly Dial		<ref name=afi />
1919	The Climbers	Blanche Sterling		<ref name=afi />
1920	The Tower of Jewels Template:Dagger	Emily Cottrell		<ref name=afi />
1920	Human Collateral Template:Dagger	Patricia Langdon		<ref name=afi />
1920	Deadline at Eleven Template:Dagger	Helen Stevens		<ref name=afi />
1920	The Garter Girl Template:Dagger	Rosalie Ray		<ref name=afi />
1920	Babs Template:Dagger	Barbara Marvin; "Babs"		<ref name=afi />
1920	The Whisper Market Template:Dagger	Erminie North		<ref name=afi />
1920	The Broadway Bubble Template:Dagger	Adrienne Landreth/Drina Lynn		<ref name=afi />
1921	It Isn't Being Done This Season Template:Dagger	Marcia Ventnor		<ref name=afi />
1921	What's Your Reputation Worth? Template:Dagger	Cara Deene		<ref name=afi />
1921	Moral Fibre Template:Dagger	Marion Wolcott		<ref name=afi />
1921	The Single Track Template:Dagger	Janette Gildersleeve		<ref name=afi />
1922	Received Payment Template:Dagger	Celia Hughes		<ref name=afi />
1922	A Virgin's Sacrifice Template:Dagger	Althea Sherrill		<ref name=afi />
1922	Island Wives Template:Dagger	Elsa Melton		<ref name=afi />
1922	Divorce Coupons Template:Dagger	Linda Catherton		<ref name=afi />
1922	The Common Law Template:Dagger	Valerie West		<ref name=afi />
1923	Black Oxen	Madame Zatianny/Mary Ogden		<ref name=afi />
1923	Six Days	Laline Kingston		<ref name=afi />
1924	Single Wives	Betty Jordan	Executive producer	<ref name=afi />
1924	Love's Wilderness	Linda Lou Heath	Executive producer	<ref name=afi />
1924	Lilies of the Field Template:Dagger	Mildred Harker	Executive producer	<ref name=afi />
1925	Déclassée	Lady Helen Haden	Producer	<ref name=afi />
1925	Classified	Babs Comet	Producer	<ref name=afi />
1925	Infatuation Template:Dagger	Violet Bancroft	Executive producer	<ref name=afi />
1925	The Marriage Whirl Template:Dagger	Marian Hale	Executive producer	<ref name=afi />
1926	Mademoiselle Modiste Template:Dagger	Fifi	Executive producer	<ref name=afi />
1926	Into Her Kingdom Template:Dagger	Grand Duchess Tatiana (at 12 and 20)	Executive producer	<ref name=afi />
1926	Syncopating Sue Template:Dagger	Susan Adams	Executive producer	<ref name=afi />
1927	The Lady in Ermine Template:Dagger	Mariana Beltrami	Executive producer	<ref name=afi />
1927	Three Hours	Madeline Durkin	Executive producer	<ref name=afi />
1928	The Garden of Eden	Toni LeBrun		<ref name=afi />
1928	Outcast	Miriam		<ref name=afi />
1929	Saturday's Children Template:Dagger	Bobby Halevy		<ref name=afi />
1929	Prisoners Template:Dagger	Riza Riga		<ref name=afi />
1929	The Divine Lady	Lady Emma Hart Hamilton	Nominated— Academy Award for Best Actress	<ref name=afi />
1930	Lilies of the Field Template:Dagger	Mildred Harker		<ref name=afi />
1930	Back Pay	Hester Bevins		<ref name=afi />
1932	Lily Christine	Lily Christine Summerset		<ref name=afi />
1962	Paradise Alley	Mrs. Wilson	Alternative title: Stars in the Backyard	<ref name=afi />

Bibliography

My Life with the Redskins (1947) – history of the Washington Redskins football team, owned by her husband, George Marshall
Papa's Delicate Condition (1952) – memoir of her childhood
Eggs I Have Known (1955) – collection of recipes
Antiques I Have Known (1961) – book about her interest in antiques
Taxation Without Representation—or, Your Money Went That-a-Way (1962) – Griffith's argument against taxes
I Can't Boil Water (1963) – collection of recipes she obtained from famous restaurants
Hollywood Stories (1963) – collection of short fiction written by Griffith
Truth Is Stranger (1964) – collection of true stories and anecdotes told by Griffith that struck her as stranger than any fiction
Not for Men Only – but Almost (1969) – a book on sports and its lack of appeal for most women
This You Won't Believe (1972) – another collection similar to Truth Is Stranger
I'm Lucky at Cards (1974) – a book of various essays by Griffith

Notes

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References

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Sources

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External links

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