Esther Ralston (born Esther Louise Worth, September 17, 1902[citation needed] – January 14, 1994) was an American silent film star. Her most prominent sound picture was To the Last Man in 1933.
Esther Ralston | |
|---|---|
 Ralston in Photoplay Magazine, 1930 | |
| Born | Esther Louise Worth September 17, 1902 Bar Harbor, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | January 14, 1994 (aged 91) Ventura, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1915–1962 |
| Spouses | George Webb
(m. 1926; div. 1934)Will Morgan
(m. 1935; div. 1938)Ted Lloyd
(m. 1939; div. 1954) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Bob Ralston (nephew) |
Early life and career
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2016) |
Ralston was born Esther Louise Worth in Bar Harbor, Maine,[a] one of five siblings. She was the older sister of actor Howard Ralston (July 25, 1904 – June 1, 1992), who appeared in nine films between 1920 and 1924.[citation needed]
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She began her career as a child actress in a family vaudeville act which was billed as "The Ralston Family with Baby Esther, America's Youngest Juliet". From this, she appeared in a few small silent film roles, including a role alongside her brother in the 1920 film adaptation of Huckleberry Finn. Ralston later gained attention as Mrs. Darling in the 1924 film version of Peter Pan.
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In the late 1920s, she appeared in many films for Paramount, at one point earning as much as $8,000 per week, and garnering much popularity, especially in United Kingdom. She appeared mainly in comedies usually with her name billed above the title, often portraying spirited society girls, and also received good reviews for her forays into dramatic roles.
On radio, Ralston portrayed Kathy Marsh in Portia Faces Life[1] and Marcella Hudnall in Our Gal Sunday.[2]
Retirement and later years
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Despite making a successful transition to sound films, she mainly was relegated to supporting roles by the mid-1930s. Her last leading role was in To the Last Man in 1933, directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Randolph Scott with a supporting cast featuring Noah Beery Sr., Buster Crabbe, Shirley Temple and John Carradine. In his book, The Hollywood Western: Ninety Years of Cowboys and Indians, Train Robbers, Sheriffs and Gunslingers, film historian William K. Everson discusses the film,[3] writing:
To the Last Man was almost a model of its kind, an exceptionally strong story of feuding families in the post-Civil War era, with a cast worthy of an "A" feature, excellent direction by Henry Hathaway, and an unusual climactic fight between the villain (Jack LaRue) and the heroine (Esther Ralston, in an exceptionally appealing performance).
Ralston made her final film Tin Pan Alley in 1940 and chose to retire from films. She continued working on the stage and in radio throughout the 1940s,[4] including being the leading lady for part of the run of Woman of Courage.[5]
She returned to the screen in the early 1950s with guest roles on television series, including a Kraft Television Theatre version of Daphne Du Maurier's "September Tide" and an episode of Tales of Tomorrow titled "All the Time in the World." In 1962, she had a leading role in the short-lived daytime drama Our Five Daughters, her final onscreen role (all five of the actresses playing her daughters resembled Ralston in her heyday).
In 1985, Ralston released her autobiography Some Day We'll Laugh.[6] In the book, she mentions that her career was sabotaged by Louis B. Mayer when she refused to sleep with him at the beginning of a swiftly abortive contract at his studio. She was graylisted and soon found herself toppled from the height of the industry to being predominantly relegated to supporting roles, mainly at minor studios, solving the mystery of why her career faltered at the dawn of sound despite her having had a lifetime of theatrical stage experience and a superb speaking voice.
Marriages
edit- On December 25, 1925, Ralston married her manager, actor George Webb Frey in Manhattan, New York.[7] He was credited in films as George Webb. They had a daughter, Mary Esther (born 1931), who, at birth was known as the "$100,000 Baby" because her mother turned down a substantial film contract while pregnant.[8] George and Esther divorced in 1934.[9] George filed for bankruptcy in Los Angeles in March 1934.[10]
- On June 16, 1935, Ralston married actor Will Morgan (Wilburt Whitfield Morgan), then a former New York stage actor and singer. They divorced in 1938.[11] Morgan led the saxophone section for eight years for Fred Waring.[citation needed]
- On August 6, 1939, Ralston married radio announcer and columnist Ted Lloyd (Theodore Allen Lloyd) in Greenwich, Connecticut.[12] Music publisher Jack Robbins (John Jacob Robbins) was Lloyd's best man. The couple had two children, Judy and Ted, Jr. Ted and Esther divorced in 1954. Before marrying Ralston, Lloyd had worked for newspapers and Radio News. In 1942, Lloyd became director of radio for 20th Century Fox. In 1946, with Hal Horne and Armand Deutsch, Lloyd formed Ted Lloyd, Inc. to manage personalities and to produce radio (later TV) programs. He produced several radio dramas, including My True Story for the NBC Red Network, Adventures of the Abbotts on NBC Red Network (18 episodes in 1955), Whispering Streets for CBS Radio, and Escape for CBS-TV.[citation needed]
Death
editOn January 14, 1994, Ralston died of a heart attack at age 91 in her home in Ventura, California.[13] The family held services on January 17, 1994, in Ventura, California, the day of the Northridge earthquake.[citation needed]
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For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Esther Ralston had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6664 Hollywood Boulevard.[14]
Filmography
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | The Deep Purple | Bit, extra...as an Angel | Uncredited Lost film |
| 1918 | The Doctor and the Woman | Minor Role | Uncredited; Lost film |
| For Husbands Only | Bit part | Uncredited Lost film | |
| 1920 | Huckleberry Finn | Mary Jane Wilks | |
| The Peddler of Lies | Minor Role | Lost | |
| The Butterfly Man | Uncredited Lost film | ||
| Dangerous Love | |||
| Whispering Devils | Rose Gibbard | Lost film | |
| To Please One Woman | Presumed lost | ||
| 1921 | The Kid | Extra in Heaven Scene | Uncredited |
| What Do Men Want? | Uncredited Incomplete film | ||
| Crossing Trails | Helen Stratton | Lost film | |
| 1922 | Daring Danger | Ethel Stanton | Lost film |
| Remembrance | Beatrice | Lost film | |
| Pals of the West | Nina | ||
| Youth to Youth | Lost film | ||
| The Lone Hand | Lost film | ||
| Oliver Twist | Rose Maylie | ||
| 1923 | The Prisoner | Marie | Lost film |
| The Phantom Fortune | Mary Rogers | Lost film | |
| Railroaded | Joan Dunster | Lost film | |
| The Victor | Chewing Gum Baron's Daughter | Lost film | |
| Blinky | Mary Lou Kileen | Lost film | |
| The Wild Party | Bess Furth | Lost film | |
| Pure Grit | Stella Bolling | Lost film | |
| 1924 | The Marriage Circle | Miss Hofer | |
| Jack O'Clubs | Queenie Hatch | Lost film | |
| Fight and Win | Holly Malloy | ||
| The Heart Buster | Rose Hillyer | Lost film | |
| Wolves of the North | Madge Chester | Lost film Serial | |
| Peter Pan | Mrs. Darling | ||
| $50,000 Reward | Carolyn Jordan | ||
| 1925 | The Little French Girl | Toppie Westmacott | Lost film |
| The Goose Hangs High | Dagmar Carroll | Lost film | |
| Beggar on Horseback | Cynthia Mason | Incomplete film | |
| The Lucky Devil | Doris McDee | ||
| The Trouble with Wives | Dagmar | Lost film | |
| The Best People | Alice O'Neil | Lost film | |
| A Kiss for Cinderella | Fairy Godmother | ||
| Womanhandled | Molly Martin | ||
| 1926 | The American Venus | Mary Gray | Lost film |
| The Blind Goddess | Moira Devens | Lost film | |
| The Quarterback | Louise Mason | ||
| Old Ironsides | Esther | ||
| 1927 | Fashions for Women | Céleste de Givray and Lola Dauvry | Lost film |
| Children of Divorce | Jean Waddington | ||
| Ten Modern Commandments | Kitty O'Day | Lost film | |
| Figures Don't Lie | Janet Wells | Lost film | |
| The Spotlight | Lizzie Stokes / Olga Rostova | Lost film | |
| 1928 | Love and Learn | Nancy Blair | Lost film |
| Something Always Happens | Diana Mallory | Lost film | |
| Half a Bride | Patience Winslow | Lost film | |
| The Sawdust Paradise | Hallie | Lost film | |
| 1929 | The Case of Lena Smith | Lena Smith | Lost film |
| Betrayal | Vroni | Lost film | |
| The Wheel of Life | Ruth Dangan | ||
| The Mighty | Louise Patterson | ||
| 1931 | Lonely Wives | Madeline Smith | |
| The Prodigal | Antonia Farraday | ||
| 1932 | Rome Express | Asta Marvelle | |
| After the Ball | Elissa Strange | ||
| 1933 | Black Beauty | Leila Lambert | |
| To the Last Man | Ellen Colby | Alternative title: Law of Vengeance | |
| By Candlelight | Baroness von Ballin | ||
| 1934 | Sadie McKee | Dolly Merrick | |
| Romance in the Rain | Gwen de la Rue | ||
| The Marines Are Coming | Dorothy Manning | ||
| Strange Wives | Olga | ||
| 1935 | Mister Dynamite | Charmian Dvorjak | |
| Ladies Crave Excitement | Miss Winkler | ||
| Shadows of the Orient | Viola Avery | ||
| Streamline Express | Elaine Vincent | ||
| Together We Live | Jenny | ||
| Streamline Express | Elaine Vincent | ||
| Forced Landing | Ruby Anatole | ||
| 1936 | The Girl from Mandalay | Mary Trevor | |
| Hollywood Boulevard | Flora Moore | ||
| Reunion | Janet Fair | ||
| We're in the Legion Now! | Louise Rillette | ||
| 1937 | As Good as Married | Miss Danforth | |
| Jungle Menace | Valerie Shield | Serial, [Chs. 1, 3, 6, 7, 15] | |
| The Mysterious Pilot | Vivian McNain | Serial, [Chs.10-11] | |
| 1938 | The Spy Ring | Jean Bruce | |
| Letter of Introduction | Mrs. Sinclair | Uncredited | |
| Slander House | Ruth De Milo | ||
| 1940 | Tin Pan Alley | Nora Bayes | |
| The San Francisco Docks | Frances March |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Kraft Television Theatre | Episode: "September Tide" | |
| Tales of Tomorrow | The Collector | Episode: "All the Time in the World" | |
| 1953 | Broadway Television Theatre | Mrs. Bancroft | Episode: "The Noose" |
| 1962 | Our Five Daughters | Helen Lee |
References
editNotes
edit- ^ The birth certificate of Esther Louise Worth indicates that she was born in Eden, Maine, which – until March 3, 1918 – had been the name of Bar Harbor
Citations
edit- ^ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 274. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
- ^ "You asked for them, and here they are" (PDF). Movie and Radio Guide. 9 (21): 11. March 2, 1940.
- ^ Everson, William K. The Hollywood Western: Ninety Years of Cowboys and Indians, Train Robbers, Sheriffs and Gunslingers. New York. Citadel Press, 1992, First edition 1969.
- ^ Coons, Robbin (October 15, 1940). "Former Star Is Satisfied To Play Bits". Toledo Blade. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 726. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ Mayne, Judith (1994). Directed by Dorothy Arzner. Indiana University Press. p. 37. ISBN 0-253-20896-3.
- ^ Thomas, Dan (March 4, 1929). "Home Wins Esther Ralston". San Jose News. p. 4. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ "Esther Ralston, Filmstar of Yesteryear, Enjoys Active and Happy Live in Salem," by Beatrice McKinney, Times Record (Troy, New York), June 10, 1970, pg. 38
- ^ "Esther Ralston Wins Divorce for Cruelty". The Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal. March 6, 1934. p. 12. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ "George Webb Frey Files Bankruptcy, Hollywood," Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), March 23, 1934
- ^ "Breaks Her Splice". The Leader-Post. May 10, 1938. p. 6. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ "Actress Esther Ralston Wed to Ted Lloyd, Radio Man". The Milwaukee Journal. August 7, 1939. p. 2. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ Collins, Glenn (January 27, 1994). "Esther Ralston, 91, A Featured Actress of Silent-Film Era". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ "Hollywood Star Walk". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
Sources
edit- Speaking of Silents: First Ladies of the Screen, by William H. Drew, Vestal Press (1989); OCLC 19668794
- Some Day We'll Laugh: An Autobiography, by Esther Ralston, Anthony Slide (ed.), Scarecrow Press (1985); OCLC 11917591
External links
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