Customer Reviews

Olive Thomas: The Life and Death of a Silent Film Beauty

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Olive Thomas is a mystery in modern times to those who are familiar with her story. She began on the Ziegfeld stage as one of the most talked about beauties. Her looks led her to the silver screen where she was hailed as the princess of Selznick Studios. She married into Hollywood royalty when she wed rambunctious Jack Pickford who eventually was the only source for clues to her demise. Thomas died at age 25 thanks to swallowing mercury bichloride pills in a Paris hotel during their second honeymoon. Whether this was a suicide, a murder, or an accident is left to history.

Also included at the end of Olive's story is a filmography for her career including synopsis, cast lists, and the status of the film today.

One major flaw with this book is that Vogel seems unfocused. There is a lot of information about Jack Pickford and Marilyn Miller, information that really has little to do with Thomas. The story jumps around chronologically and suggests many different conclusions to Thomas' death, but no solid explanation. Also, her early life is barely touched upon; her stage and screen career and early death are the focus. Granted, the information is valuable because so little is available, but the format of the book is disappointing, especially for its price. Vogel seemingly did not intend to create the definitive biography on Thomas as she often isolates her information to a time period. She references the "recent" release of The Flapper on DVD and has a fascination with translating dollar amounts into modern prices.

This book is certainly entertaining, though brief, but hardly stands as a worthy evaluation of Olive Thomas' career.

I was extremely disappointed in this biography. Little of Olive's early life and the development of her personality is touched on. Granted, there isn't much material out there to draw on, so I am sympathetic to the author's attempt to write a definitive biography of this interesting young woman. However, why this book is so expensive is beyond me. I was left with absolutely no new knowledge or insight into what made (and still makes) Olive such a fascinating study. It would have been more apt to title the book: The DEATH of a Silent Film Beauty. Building a biography around the mystique of her death is not my idea of time or money well spent.

While I agree that a book length biography of Olive Thomas was long overdue, I found myself disappointed with this book. I hoped that there would be a more in-depth look at Olive's early life, but it was quickly skimmed over while her career in the Ziegfeld Follies was barely discussed. Furthermore, the author arrived at the story of Olive's mysterious death before page 100.

Maybe it isn't possible to delve any further into Olive's story, but I don't think that's true. This book is a good start, but it's not the definitive biography of the tragic Olive Thomas. Since her death was the main focus of this book, it should have been titled "The Death of a Silent Screen Beauty."

However, if you are interested in the history of early Hollywood, check this book out.

I was so thrilled to buy this book despite the price, but while it is well written, I wish there was more information on what she was really like. I can't fault the author because too too many years have passed and who could the author interview?

Every silent fan should have this book in their collection. It is a good read.

I found out about Olive Thomas accidently, became interested in her story, got some of her movies and bought the book because I wanted to know more about her. Ms. Vogel has definitely done deep research into Olive Thomas (with back-up included in the book that supports this). She not only told of Olive's life and death but also of the way people lived and behaved during those earlier times, which may have effected Olive's life and possibly her death.
Of her untimely death, we can only summize what happened. Theories are raised and some are stretching it, some are not. Ms. Vogel has added her own theory; which to me seems entirely proable. Again, the reader must come to his/her own conclusions.
The book moves past the eyes quickly, yet pays great attention to the deatils of Olive Thomas and her times. It tells of the way things are now vs. how they were then and wraps everything up in a neat package; without a sugar/salt coating that some biographies tend to have.
I can only add that if you are curious or interested in Olive Thomas, then this is a MUST read book for you. You will not be disappointed you purchased it.

Doug G.--Bronx, N.Y.

Michelle Vogel's biography of tragic actress Olive Thomas is very well researched. She found and excerpted dozens of movie magazine articles and interviews about Olive and bad-boy husband Jack Pickford. Unfortunately at this late date, is was probably difficult to find any information about her early life.

Ms. Vogel also has an extremely detailed filmography, with multiple trade magazine reviews. These are very helpful for films that no longer exist. The book is also filled with excellent photos.

My only quibble with this book is that it spends a little too much time on the reported sightings of Olive's spirit at the New Amsterdam theater in New York. It certainly deserved a mention in the book though.

The defining moment in Ms. Thomas' life was her death, and the book rightly spends a third of its length in discussing all of the different stories and scenarios about what caused her early death. Her investigation of the tragic event of Olive Thomas death makes for gripping reading, and you won't want to put this book down until Ms. Vogel reveals the likely scenario of what actually happened. I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in biographies of actresses, especially those from the silent film era.

This is a beautiful book, with tons of photos. It went along nicely with the DVD about Olive.

There are so many interesting actors and actresses who have been among the most famous people and have been called great stars at their time which are now almost forgotten in the sands of time.
One of them is beautiful Olive Thomas (1894-1920)- the original Flapper-girl. Her name would probably be completely unknown had not fate provided an early death for her at the young age of 25. Yet most of her films are indeed forgotten or actually lost and have hardly been watched by anybody for more than 85 years.
This book helps to trace the life and career of the charming Follies-girl, the highly gifted movie actress and wife to Mary Pickford's little brother Jack. It gives insight into her life and tries to sketch her personality. Her mysterious death is extensively dealt with as well and you may find an answer for yourself among all the different stories offered regarding what really had happened in that fatal night in Paris when Olive Thomas met her fate.
A very well researched and well written biography with many photos and interesting anecdotes. A biography that has been overdue for decades. Now at last there is a book about this outstanding silent star. And hopefully it will help to keep her name and face from falling into oblivion or being merely remembered for her tragic early death.

The first biography written on silent screen beauty Olive Thomas is
packed full of rare photos and newspaper clippings surrounding her
tragic death. The author even researched the nightclubs she visited
during her fateful trip to Paris and she's included rare photographs
(both old and new) of each nightclub. Meticulously researched from
start to finish, this book is a 'must have' for any silent movie lover
out there. If only there were more of Miss Thomas' films in existence
today. She was an amazing talent taken way too soon. Thanks to Michelle's hard work on this book the world can get an in-depth look at the talented Olive Thomas.

Writer Michelle Vogel is putting her knowledge of Classic Hollywood on the printed page once again with Olive Thomas - The Life and Death of a Silent Film Beauty. Thomas, hailed the "most beautiful woman in the world" by artist Harrison Fisher, was a girl on her way to the top. Like many aspiring actresses, she traveled to Hollywood with a dream. She first won a beauty contest in New York which led her to a part in Florenz Zeigfeld's "Follies", and the rest, should have been film history. Instead, Thomas' story took a tragic detour with her untimely and mysterious death at the young age of 25.

The Roaring 20s, as they were known, were full of parties and letting loose. World War I was over and everything seemed to return to normal. Maybe they had in Anytown, USA. In 1920s Hollywood, life was anything but normal. Vogel's prologue takes us back in time to those golden and scandalous Tinseltown nights. The lives and infamous deaths of such stars as Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Wallace Reid and director William Desmond Taylor seem too surreal to believe; but, these are the people to whom we're immediately introduced. It's the perfect setup to a love story, a drama and a mystery, the very things that Olive Thomas' life would become.

Vogel takes us from the prologue and throws us into a virtual timeline. The book is full of beautiful photography and rare candids, including one of Thomas posing with the 1916 New York Yankees, and even a vintage skin cream advertisement promoting the 1918 film "Heiress For A Day".

Olive, a pretty face with an unending thirst for knowledge, would ask questions to the point of annoying those around her. To her, it was the natural way of things. Incredibly, she managed to finesse her way into directing a few scenes in one of her own movies. The readers must remember, this was a woman in an industry dominated by men. She eventually married into Hollywood royalty by becoming Mrs. Jack Pickford. Jack was the brother of Mary Pickford, America's Sweetheart. Though it seemed like Mary and her mother did not approve of the marriage, Olive kept her head up the way she always did. Jack and Olive often showered each other with lavish gifts, which included jewelry and the latest automobiles. Many times they'd be working on opposite coasts, so these extreme measures were most likely over-compensation for not seeing each other. Life appeared to be grand, until a fateful trip to Paris in 1920. Olive died from what was said to be suicide by poisoning.

We delve straight into the numerous speculations about Olive's death. Vogel examines the unexplained and the unsettling angles like a rogue detective. From her birth to her childhood, from her rise to stardom to her death and finally to her funeral (attended by some 15,000 people) and the investigation thereafter, we're escorted along as if it were happening all over again. In Chapter 10, we get a "special" addition to the haunting story! I won't spoil it, but this was a great additive that, in retrospect, was very fitting to a woman as persistent as Olive Thomas. The book even gives a detailed list of Olive's stage and film appearances. If Michelle Vogel's list of credits are any indication, this is the perfect tribute to a woman that many have long forgotten. Olive Thomas was already an icon in the making, a rival to Mary Pickford that never got the chance to shine as bright as she could have. This is a book for enthusiasts and novices alike. It's written in a way that is very easy to understand, despite its incredible amount of information and research.