Alma Rubens, Silent Snowbird: Her Complete 1931 Memoir, with a New Biography and Filmography (Paperback)

~ Gary Don Rhodes (Editor), Alexander Webb (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Dark-eyed and distant Alma Rubens was one of the first female stars of the early feature film industry in the 1910s. She was a major star by 1920, but before the decade was over her screen career was marked and marred by cocaine abuse. She died in 1931 at age 33—a Hollywood beauty, a casualty of Hollywood "snow," yet much more. As an actress she was versatile, demonstrating a talent that was ahead of its time with her gentle and subtle expressions.

This book contains Rubens’s autobiography, a text titled This Bright World Again that was serialized in newspapers in 1931. Ghost-written or not or somewhere in between, this long forgotten document deals with Rubens’s addiction and despair. In addition, a new biography of Rubens takes the reader from her birth in San Francisco through an impoverished upbringing, three short-lived marriages, and her career in pictures for Triangle Film, Cosmopolitan, Fox and other production companies. The story of her film career mingles with a tale of desperate drug addiction that led to hospital stays, violence and deception. A filmography lists her credits from 1913 to 1929.

About the Author

Editor Gary D. Rhodes, is a filmmaker and a professor at the Queen’s University, Belfast. He directed the documentary Lugosi: Hollywood’s Dracula and is the author of Lugosi (1997) and White Zombie (2001). Writer and producer Alexander Webb currently resides in Chicago.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (July 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786424133
• ISBN-13: 978-0786424139
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #551,372 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for all Silent Star Fans, November 8, 2007

By	B. Corp "Silent Star Fan" (Joliet, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is unique in that the authors write their biography on Ms. Rubens and then present her autobiography in the next half of the book.

Alma pulled no punches in presenting her drug infested life. Even thought it was so long ago and I certainly didn't know her, my heart broke for her and the wasted life.

She wrote this in hopes to get people to realize the life of a drug addict.