Jean Arthur - Movies - http://maxpages.com/classicfilmfan/Jean

"The only people who lead dull lives are the unimaginative ones." Jean Arthur

Jean Arthur was a great actress who excelled in the roles she did in the "screwball comedies" in Hollywood during the thirties and early forties. She was born Gladys Georgianna Green on October 17, 1900. She started her career modeling. She had dropped out of high school in her junior year. She then went into films. Her movie debut was a two-reel comedy short called "Somebody Lied." She did a small part in "Cameo Kirby" and the rest is history! She did many low-budget westerns. In 1928, she did "Warming Up" and it was a box office success. Paramount gave her a three-year contract. The transition from silent pictures to talkies was not a problem for her. Her voice, which sometimes was described as throaty, squeaky, scratchy or cracked became a valuable asset for her.

Jean's first talking picture was "The Canary Murder Case" with William Powell. Her stage debut came at the Pasadena Playhouse. It was a three act drama called "Spring Song." Her first Broadway play was "Foreign Affairs" in 1932.

Jean married Frank J. Ross, Jr. on June 11, 1932. He lived in New York and Jean in Hollywood. Later on he would move out to California and they would be together. But this marriage would end in divorce in 1949.

Jean did a film for Columbia Pictures called "Whirlpool" in 1934. Columbia liked what they saw and she signed a long term contract. In 1934, a new film genre was born, the "screwball comedy." Jean fit these roles perfectly. Her voice was perfect for these pictures too. Frank Capra directed her in "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" in 1936. With this picture came international stardom. Frank Capra also directed her in "You Can't Take It With You" and "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington." Jean Arthur was Frank Capra's "favorite actress." In 1935, she appeared in "The Whole Town is Talking." It was this film that brought out the comedic part of her. She was a real comedienne. In 1943, she starred in the film "The More the Merrier." This picture would get her nominated for "Best Actress." She did two more pictures before retiring from filmmaking.

Jean decided to take some courses in college and later on she would teach dramatics. After four years away from Hollywood, she signed a picture deal with Paramount. She did "A Foreign Affair" and "Shane." She made some stage appearances. Picture this:
Date: April 24, 1950
Place: Broadway's Imperial Theatre in New York City
The Play: Peter Pan
Starring: Jean Arthur (almost fifty)
Attendance: Sold Out
What a thrill it must have been, for the audience and especially for Jean. She had wanted to play Peter Pan for a long time. She lived as Peter Pan did after the play ended.

In 1963, she did the play "Saint Joan." Opening night was February 6, 1964 at Berkeley. Jean was sixty three years old. It was quite a success. She was very lucky in her life, being able to have the chance to do her two favorite roles, Peter Pan and Joan of Arc.

In 1966, Jean tried out television in "The Jean Arthur Show." Later on, she was invited by Merv Griffin to appear on his television show with Frank Capra.

For the most part, she became a film legend recluse. She sold "Driftwood," her home in Carmel, California and moved into a smaller one. She loved taking care of her gardens and cats. She spent many hours reading. She believed in individual creativity. She was a non-conformist, as was Peter Pan and Joan of Arc. She had an "inferiority complex" all through her life. She was very shy and had much self-doubt. She feared failure, she feared people she didn't know and she feared losing her own self, her own uniqueness. She also had stage and camera fright throughout her life. But through it all, she succeeded in making many wonderful pictures and becoming one of Hollywood's film legends.

If you are interested in reading more details of her life, I highly recommend the book, "Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew." It was written by John Oller, who spent a lot of time doing the research. Most of the information on this page was taken from his book.

Barb Melloh

Cincinnati

45240

USA

Barb@classicfilmfan.net

Page Updated Mon Aug 5, 2002 7:55pm EDT