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When it comes to discussing the women of Old Hollywood, most people think of actresses like Marilyn Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor. They rarely think of silent movie actresses – and even less often, the women behind the camera who MADE silent movies! Unsurprisingly, we have made this our mission here at SCS: to showcase the diverse people who made Hollywood successful in it’s early days. Today’s Friday Filmmaker? The Fabulous Female Filmmaker who was... Miss Dorothy Arzner.
1897 – 1979
IMDb: Dorothy Arzner
Dorothy Emma Arzner was born in San Fransisco, California. Early in her childhood, her family moved to Los Angeles. Dorothy’s father opened a restaurant that served some of the biggest names in early Hollywood, including Mary Pickford (and hubby Douglas Fairbanks)! )! But this was all “normal” for young Dorothy, and she wasn't "star struck" in the least. When she finished high school, she enrolled at UCLA with the intention of becoming a doctor. Being financially independent was a priority for the highly intelligent young lady. After 2 years, she realized that practicing medicine was not what she truly wanted to do, particularly after working in a medical office one summer! We relate, Dorothy. In spite of abandoning her medical degree, Dorothy was very educated in a wide variety of subjects, including architecture and art history.
Young Dorothy
After World War 1, the booming film industry was in desperate need of workers – female or male, it made no difference. As Dorothy said herself in a 1974 interview:
"It was possible for even inexperienced people to have an opportunity if they showed signs of ability or knowledge."
A friend from college suggested that she go and see director William DeMille (yes, there was more than Cecil!) at Paramount Pictures in 1919. Dorothy wasn’t sure what area she wanted to work in, so William suggested that she take a week to explore the different positions in filmmaking and then discuss it with his secretary. After a week, Dorothy knew that what she really wanted to do....was direct.
But even in the early days, you couldn’t just walk onto a set and appoint yourself a director. Dang it. So at William’s advice, Dorothy started as a script typist. This way, she learned about the making of a film from the very beginning. 6 months later, she was a film editor – and edited 52 films in all! In 1922, Paramount asked her to help with the editing of “Blood and Sand”, the latest film of superstar Rudolph Valentino and legendary director Fred Niblo.
Lots of talent on this 1922 poster - and it would have been more, if Dorothy had been credited!
Well, Dorothy ended up not only editing the film, but also directing the bullfight scene and editing it together with stock footage. By using pre-existing footage from an actual bullfight, she saved Paramount thousands of dollars and nobody knew that the movie, said to have been “filmed in Spain”, was actually filmed in Southern California at a more modest price than anticipated! Ain’t nobody gots to know about it.
Although Dorothy was not credited for directing a part of “Blood and Sand”, word got around. As it always does in the film industry. Famed director James Cruze was impressed with her ability, and he hired her to write and edit several of his films. He told others that Dorothy was his “right arm”. Now there’s a real man, folks! Giving credit where credit is due. Respect.
ABOVE: A still from "Fashions for Women".
BELOW: Directing Clara Bow in "Get Your Man" (1927)
Anyway, with the endorsement of one of Paramount’s finest directors, Dorothy approached the studio with an ultimatum: “Let me direct or I’ll go to Columbia Pictures!” Yikes. Columbia?? Apparently the studio run by the cantankerous Harry Cohn had made her an offer. Paramount finally came though, and Dorothy directed her first-ever film, “Fashions for Women” (1927). Sadly, this film and most of her other silent movies are now considered "lost".
“No one gave me trouble because I was a woman. Men were more helpful than women”
Dorothy and Marion (1927)
While keeping her private life “private”, Dorothy made no attempts to hide who she was in her dress and demeanor, and several her films, both silents and talkies, center around unconventional - and sometimes, forbidden - romances. While this in itself is not unusual for movies of that time, it may have had a more personal meaning for Dorothy. In 1927, she began a relationship with dancer Marion Morgan, who had her own dance troupe and would often assist Dorothy with choreographing dance sequences in her films. The two remained partners for over 40 years, until Marion’s death in 1971. How’s THAT for an “unstable, uncommitted Hollywood marriage”, hm??
Dorothy (center) directing Joan Crawford in "The Bride Wore Red" (1937)
Dorothy’s success in directing continued well into “talkies”, and she is credited with discovering stars such as Katharine Hepburn, Rosalind Russell and Lucille Ball! She made her final film, “First Comes Courage” (1943). After retiring, Dorothy made training films for the Women’s Army Corps during World War 2, and later began teaching filmmaking classes at the prestigious Pasadena Playhouse. She also produced a radio show, several plays and directed several successful Pepsi commercials in the late 1950s! In 1961, Dorothy joined the staff at UCLA in the Motion Picture division, supervising advanced cinema courses there for 4 years. One of her students? The great Francis Ford Coppola!
In the 1970s, after Marion’s death, Dorothy moved to La Quinta, California (not far from Palm Springs). She passed away in 1979, leaving a legacy that few can hope to achieve! Her documents, files and films have been carefully preserved at UCLA, largely due to the efforts of actress Jodi Foster, who funded their maintenance. Dorothy's work has been often studied and referred to by several generations of film students, as well as feminist scholars and the LGBTQ+ community - and we have no doubt that it will be for many more generations to come!
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