The Women
Florence Sophie Bert (b. December 2, 1898 Pennsylvania; d. April 4, 1981 Los Angeles, CA) Not to be confused with Black concert and operatic soprano Florence Cole-Talbert who went by the name ‘Flo Bert.’ Flo was a Broadway actress and appeared in ‘Cinderella on Broadway: A Fantasy of the Great White Way,’ which opened June 24, 1920 and ran for 126 performances. She played Miss Moffet in ‘Humpty Dumpty Lane’ and appeared in ‘The Silver Slipper Ball’ and ‘Watteau Land.’ She also played the roles of Amy in ‘Lies’ and the First Mate in ‘Caproni Station.’ Bert appeared on stage with her husband, El Brendel and their first appearance together was in a musical/dancing skit entitled ‘Waiting for Her.’ The couple resided at 1175 West 12th Street in Los Angeles.
Lilian Bond (b. January 18, 1908 London, England; d. January 25, 1991 Reseda, CA) Educated in England, Bond was a beauty contest winner in 1926 and shortly after went to New York and appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies. On Broadway she appeared in a number of shows including: ‘Stepping Out,’ ‘Three and One’ and ‘All Men Are Alike’ with Reginald Denny and Rolfe Sedan. Going to Hollywood in the early 30’s, she appeared in a handful of films before, she was cast in "The Old Dark House" with Melvyn Douglas, Boris Karloff and Gloria Stuart, which proved to be the beginning of a very successful film career for her. Married to New York broker and game hunter Sidney Smith for nine years, Bond was married to novelist and film writer Michael Fessier up to his death in 1989. Bond died from cardiac arrest. Actress – 49 films.
Emma Josephine Bovard (b. October 28, 1862 Folsom, CA; d. December 31, 1933 Los Angeles, CA) Wife of University of Southern California president George Finley Bovard, Emma was born one of ten children to Cyrus Bradley who once operated the largest furniture store in Los Angeles. When she was six, the family moved to Oakland, California and five years later to Los Angeles. Bovard was one of the first students to enroll at USC where she studied vocal music and Spanish. She and George met there and were married in 1884 and shortly after, George was made a pastor in the city of Orange. Back in Los Angeles, their home became the social hub for USC gatherings and graduation ceremonies. In 1912 Mrs. Bovard co-founded the USC Faculty Wives’ Club and served as the president until 1921. She was an active member in university activities, especially those involving women. In addition, she served on USC’s YWCA advisory committee and was patroness of Entre Nous, a women’s sorority and was also a member of the Ebell Club which raised funds for scholarships. With her husband George and their children Edna, Gladys and Warren, the family resided at 1204 West 37th Street in Los Angeles. Mrs. Bovard died from a heart attack following a bout with pneumonia.
Hannah Chaplin (b. August 6, 1865 South London, England; d. August 1928 Glendale, CA) Mother of actor and director Charles Chaplin and grandmother of actress Geraldine, who portrayed her in the 1992 film, "Chaplin." Hannah was a headliner in London Music Halls under the name of Lily Harley and achieved her greatest success with Gilbert and Sullivan. She may have eloped to South Africa, but the man was not an English Lord, as she had told her children. Hannah had her first bout with mental illness and was placed in a hospital in 1895. In 1898, she was diagnosed with syphilis, which eventually led to her mental breakdown and admittance to a lunatic asylum. In 1921, Charlie moved her into a cottage in Santa Monica, California, even though they were not on the best of terms with one another. It was never known for sure where she'd contracted the disease that led to her eventual death from an infected gall bladder.
Rosa Rosanova (b. June 23, 1869 Odessa, Russia; d. May 29, 1944 Santa Monica, CA) Best remembered as Valentino's mother in "Blood and Sand," Rosanova began her career on Broadway and later played several immigrant women on the screen. In the film "Lucky Boy" (1929), George Jessell sang `My Mother's Eyes' to her just like Al Jolson sang to Eugenie Besserer in "The Jazz Singer." With the advent of sound, her career came to an end. During her acting days, she used water color paints for make-up which supposedly stayed in place and washed off easily after a day’s shooting. Rosa's funeral was held on Thursday, May 30 at the Hollywood Cemetery Chapel. Actress – 24 films.
Gloria Dickson (Thais Dickerson b. August 13, 1917 Pocatello, ID; d. April 10, 1945 West Hollywood, CA) Dickson began touring with stock companies when she was twelve years old and made her debut in 1937's "The Won't Forget," which launched Lana Turner’s career. Dickson was a contract player for Warner Bros. appearing in several minor roles. Said to be a combination of Bette Davis and Carole Lombard – Lombard in looks and Davis in her acting style, Dickson had a very promising career ahead of her. Married to make‑up artist Perc Westmore for 2 years, Dickson was also married to director Ralph Murphy for 3 years and to former middleweight boxer William Fitzgerald at the time of her death. Dickson died in a fire at her Hollywood home ‑ 1630 Haslam Terrace. Actress – 23 films.
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Eleanore Vogel (b. August 1, 1897 Atlanta, GA; d. June 26, 1973 Hollywood, CA) A Broadway actress, she teamed with Frankie Mack for years and together they became a very successful black-face team on stage and in films. Vogel went to Hollywood in 1923 and played uncredited roles in approximately 200 films and television shows. She was the sister of actress Jacqueline Patton. Along with actress Jane Crowley, they became known as “John Ford’s Rosebud Sisters,” even though they were not at all related. The two women were called “Hedy Vogel” and “Greta Crowley,” and were among the most colorful personalities of all Hollywood extras. They were discovered by John Ford and he used them in every picture he filmed for 25 years, sometimes as a pair, sometimes only one of them is used. Both women were middle-aged, dark haired and of similar build. Vogel was often overlooked for film parts due to her heavy Southern accent – she was to have resembled a Russian until she opened her mouth. Vogel died of a heart attack. Actress – 5 films.
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Jean Howard (Ernestine Mahoney b. October 13, 1910; d. March 20, 2000) A former Ziegfeld girl and a Goldwyn Girl, Howard studied photography at the Los Angeles Art Center. Howard appeared on Broadway in three productions ‘The Age of Innocence’ with Franchot Tone, ‘Ziegfeld Follies of 1931’ with Iris Adrian, Gladys Glad, Grace Moore and Harry Richman and, ‘Evensong.’ She often used her camera capturing moments from Hollywood during the 1940's ‑ 50's. She photographed parties, gatherings, sports tournaments, etc., shooting everyone from Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, Richard Burton to Cole Porter, Judy Garland, Hedy LaMarr and Jennifer Jones. In 1989, a book of her photography was published, ‘Jean Howard's Hollywood,’ a tribute to the golden days of Hollywood. Divorced from Hollywood talent agent Charles K. Feldman in 1948, the couple continued to live together until his death in 1968. Inheriting a fortune in jewels from Linda and Cole Porter, Jean lived on the island of Capri where she married Tony Santoro, an Italian musician. Actress – 9 films.
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Elinor Remick Warren (b. February 23, 1900 Los Angeles, CA; d. April 27, 1991 Los Angeles, CA) Educated at Westlake School for Girls and Mills College, Remick, a famed American composer, began music lessons on her fifth birthday and learned the piano as well as harmony and theory. She frequently attended recitals and began composing music and in her mid‑teens she shared a musical program with composer Charles Cadman. She moved to New York and later began touring as an accompanist for Metropolitan Opera stars Florence Easton, Richard Crooks, Lawrence Tibbett among others. At 18 years of age Warren wrote her first composition, ‘A Song of June’ which was published. Moving back to Los Angeles, she met and married Z. Wayne Griffin, a television and film producer ‑ they were wed in 1936. Warren went on to host a weekly radio program while continuing to work on her choral symphony, ‘The Passing of King Arthur.’ During the 1940s and 1950s, she produced ‘The Sleeping Beauty,’ ‘The Crystal Lake,’ ‘Along the Western Shore,’ ‘Singing Earth,’ ‘Transcontinental,’ among others. In 1953, she was named ‘Woman of the Year’ by the Los Angeles Times and received an honorary doctorate from Occidental College of Los Angeles in 1954.
