This site is dedicated to preserving the memory of silent movie actress Claire Windsor. Claire's journey from the pastoral Kansas prairie to the wilds of Hollywood was unplanned and unexpected. However upon her arrival, her natural beauty and poise soon earned her a career in film which lasted as long as the movies remained silent. In the short span of a decade, Claire experienced the glorious height of the silent era and the utter turmoil caused by the advancement of modern technology. The microphone ended many careers, as well as the genre of silent movies, and the former stars of the silver sheet had to cope with life apart from the industry they helped create. Claire was able to turn her attention to her own artistic talents and found new expression in the art of ceramics and landscape painting. She also lived long enough to experience the renewed interest in the silent movie era in the late 1950's and early 1960's.
Although the bulk of her moving images have been lost to time, the still photos of Claire give us a glimpse into a bygone era which gave birth to the modern film industry. This website is a "virtual museum" to share the Windsor Collection of the Cawker City Museum and other related images found on the internet. It is hoped that this site can aid in the identification of newly discovered stills and footage which continue to surface.
This site also endeavors to separate truth from Hollywood fiction.
Although the bulk of her moving images have been lost to time, the still photos of Claire give us a glimpse into a bygone era which gave birth to the modern film industry. This website is a "virtual museum" to share the Windsor Collection of the Cawker City Museum and other related images found on the internet. It is hoped that this site can aid in the identification of newly discovered stills and footage which continue to surface.
This site also endeavors to separate truth from Hollywood fiction.
Our heartfelt thanks is tendered to the many people who have helped assemble the information for this website, but In particular to the Cronk family descendants, Al Bohrer and Mary Maturi.
"Talking Tombstones" was created as a countywide program to bring to life the memory of individuals from our local cemeteries. Extensive research is done to provide the historical material from which a script is crafted and historically accurate costumes are chosen to complement the performance. This year it was decided to expand the scope of the program to include individuals from Mitchell County who are not necessarily buried locally. Silent movie actress Claire Windsor was among those chosen for this year's performance at the Mitchell County Museum in Beloit, Kansas, on Memorial Day weekend, May 23 and 24, 2015.
The following is the script that was used in the original performance and is being made available to the public to inspire it's further use. This script may be used free of charge as long as credit is given to the "Cawker City Hesperian Historical Society" for its creation. We would also like to hear about your performance and photos of your "Claire Windsor." We may be contacted at cawkercitymuseum@yahoo.com and further information about the silent movie actress can be seen at our website clairewindsor.weebly.com
Please welcome silent movie actress, CLAIRE WINDSOR...
I would like to thank you for inviting me here today. I must confess that I feel more comfortable in front of a camera on the film set than I am before a live audience. It reminds me of my first interview for Motion Picture Classic magazine. I was so self conscience that I had to write notes to myself on a recipe card: [as if holding a card and reading from it...] "My name is Claire Windsor" (I had to keep reminding myself that my name was Claire Windsor and not Ola Cronk!), "I was born in Cawker City*, Kansas, educated at Washburn in Topeka and studied music and dance in Seattle. I'm 5 foot 6 1/2 inches tall, have blond hair, blue eyes and weigh 130 lbs."
I can hardly believe that was just five short years ago! I barely knew a soul here in Los Angeles. But now when I go out, I'm recognized and get compliments from people I don't even know. And the mail ! I receive so many requests for my picture that my mother has to help me answer them all. Most of my fans request the 5 by 7 inch size for a dime, but more and more are requesting the 8 by 10 size for a quarter.
I have Lois Weber to thank for giving me a career on the silver sheet. She was the one who discovered me and gave me my first staring role. But then again, it was my neighbor friend who deserves some of the credit, too. I had just moved to California with my little son Billy to be with my parents. See, Father retired and sold the store in Kansas and came to join mother here in Los Angeles. Just before the war, I was married in Denver and we had a sweet baby boy. But unfortunately our marriage failed, and I decided to leave the past behind and start a new life in sunny California. I was on my own and had to support myself and my little boy. It was the daughter of the landlord who suggested I try getting work as an extra at the film studios. She had made a tidy sum working at the studios and said it was fun, to boot. She encouraged me by saying "why, with your good looks, it's a cinch." You know, I had been crowned "Queen of Jappyland" during the Potlatch Festival in Seattle a few years back. That settled it. The very next day we went to get my picture made and then it was off to the studios.
On the way, my friend said it was really important to get a personal interview with the talent scout--but that you had to get past the secretary first. Well, I didn't have any time to waste in making an appointment. So when I entered the office I went straight to the secretary and said I was here for my appointment. It worked! I had my interview, and they called me back the very next day.
I was what they called an "extra" and made $1 per day. It was so exciting. I never knew in advance where I would be sent, but it was a steady job and I made so many friends. Why, I even met and had a date with Rudolph Valentino before he became famous. He was working as an "extra," too.
In those early pictures I often played a waitress or a bridesmaid. In fact, I was playing a bridesmaid attendant in an Allan Dwan picture when he singled me out to kiss the bride in the scene we were filming. He explained what he wanted me to do and when he said "Action" I walked over to the seated bride, bent down, and tenderly kissed her on the cheek. As I stepped back, there was an audible gasp from the film crew and the director threw up his hands and cried "CUT!" There on the bride's cheek was the distinct impression of my lips. I was almost in tears and was convinced my future days at the studio were ended. The filming had to stop as the makeup was repaired and another bridesmaid, with more experience, was selected. I had not yet learned that the art of acting is the art of mime.
In any case, I had made a lasting impression on the director too, for when Lois Weber sought a replacement for a "no show" actress, it was Allan Dwan who suggested me. Lois had signed a contract with Paramount to produce and direct four films at their studio and on the first day of filming, the main actress failed to show and it was learned that she had skipped town for personal reasons. Undeterred, Lois was not about to loose money by a lengthy search for a replacement. She thought that with all the talent on that studio lot, there must be someone she could find right then and there. Lois happened to confer with Allan and explained the predicament she was in. Allan replied "I know just the type you are looking for." Well, it was approaching the noon hour, so they headed off to the commissary at the Lasky Studio. I had just set my tray down and had begun to eat when Ms. Weber entered the dining hall. After scanning the food line and the tables, her eyes lingered in my direction and she marched straight over to where I was sitting. She introduced herself, sat down and we talked for 20 minutes. I explained that I hadn't had much experience, but she said "if you have the courage, I have the patience." Well, she had the patience and on January 12, 1921, I signed a contract for $150 a week for one year with an option to extend the contract for one more year at the sum of $350.
Although I signed the contract with my real name "Ola Cronk," Ms. Weber said that was definitely NOT the name of a "star." After consulting her screenwriter, it was Francis Marion who suggested the name "Claire Windsor" for me. Now that I had a new name, I needed a little publicity to let the world know who I was.
Charlie Chaplin was the most influential person in Hollywood, and with his recent divorce, he was the most eligible bachelor too. Everyone was speculating on who the next "Mrs." Chaplin would be. Ms. Weber was a personal friend of Mr. Chaplin and knew her new "star" would capture his attention if the proper situation presented itself. Ms. Weber arranged the "proper situation" and I was introduced to Mr. Chaplin and, as predicted, he began to request my company. He loved children, and when he would come by the house, he always had a toy or a piece of candy for little Billy. The newspapers caught wind of our budding romance, and my name began to appear next to Charlie's.
By this time, I had completed four films for Lois Weber Productions: "To Please One Woman," "What's Worth While," "Two Wise Wives" and the fourth one, "What Do Men Want" was being held up by the film censors.
It was mid July of 1921, when Ms. Weber invited Charlie and me to an intimate dinner gathering of friends at her home. Charlie was punctual as usual, but when I failed to make my appearance, Ms. Weber made a few inquiring phone calls and eventually alerted the police. It was determined that I had gone to the Riding Academy earlier that morning and had simply not returned. My horse had been found in the hills but there was not a trace of my whereabouts. The police sent out a search party and the speculation began---Had I had an accident, been robbed, kidnapped, was I hurt or, God forbid, dead! "Film Star lost in the Hollywood Hills" was the headline that evening. The search continued through the night, but to no avail. A supply of publicity photos of me in my riding outfit from "What's Worth While" were made available for immediate publication. The morning newspapers reported that over 400 police and Boy Scouts were scouring the countryside. Charlie had arrived to personally lead a search party, and at noon, he offered a $1,000 reward for my return. It was not until the late afternoon, after about 33 hours of being "lost," that I staggered out of the forest near Stella Dodge's home. An ambulance had been called and I was whisked away to the hospital. At the hospital, Dr. Cook immediately barred the press from seeing me, explained that I "was in a critical condition from exhaustion, exposure and lack of food, and that any strain might cause a serious relapse." The ploy worked in keeping the newspaper reporters and the police inspector from asking too many questions. Poor Charlie was not let in on the publicity stunt until Mrs. Dodge came to claim her $1,000 reward. Needless to say, Charlie stopped calling for me.
I made five more films before I signed my contract with Goldwyn Pictures. My salary was raised to $400.00 a week and when they loaned me out to the other studios, I was to get $500.00 a week. I remember that just before I signed the contract, that dreadful murder of director William Desmond Taylor happened and almost ended my career before it had begun. The newspapers claimed that I had been Mr. Taylor's dinner guest the night of his murder! Well, they got it all wrong. I was working on a film with Marshall Neilan called "Fools First" and we were working nights so I had to sleep during the day. Two days before the murder, Mr. Moreno took me to the Coconut Grove and Mr. Taylor was one of the dinner guests at our table. Later that evening, instead of calling a cab, Mr. Taylor offered to drive me home, which he did, and that was the last I saw of him. On the third day of filming, the reporters descended upon the Santa Fe Station where we were working and showed me the newspaper headlines linking my name with the murder! The murder quickly became a sensational story for Hollywood and the film industry and as a result, Mary Mile Minter was blacklisted because of it. My film "One Clear Call" had been finished, but Mr. Mayer refused to release it and even contemplated re-shooting my part with another actress. Luckily, I was able to straighten things out and clear my name of any involvement in the murder case and the film was released.
Things can happen so quickly these days.
The film industry has been changing so quickly. Just two years ago in the spring of 1924, Marcus Lowe, the theater magnate who had purchased Metro Pictures back in 1919, acquired Goldwyn Pictures and within months, bought Louis B. Mayer Pictures. I was one of the first to sign a five year contract with the newly formed Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studio.
Yes, things can change quickly.
My personal life has seen a few changes too. Just about a year after signing with M-G-M, I married Bert Lytell. He is best known as an actor on the legitimate stage, but he is in pictures, too. Perhaps you remember his picture "Alias, Jimmy Valentine"? Well, he stole MY heart in Algeria while we were filming "A Son of the Sahara" and we were married in a double wedding with Edwin Carewe and Mary Akin at the city hall in Juarez, Mexico. We all honeymooned together in Mexico City and that is where we met Dolores del Rio and her husband Jaime. They took Edwin's advice and have since come to Hollywood.
That reminds me of another up and coming actor, another Kansan who recently arrived in Hollywood. His name is Buddy Rogers. He comes from Olathe and is a great musician and a pretty good dancer, too. Bert got so jealous when he saw us dancing "The Charleston." I had to work hard to learn those steps for my film "Dance Madness" but for Buddy, they seem completely natural. Buddy plays the trombone and has his own jazz band. He tells me that all his musician friends are quite worried about this new film "Don Juan." Have you seen it yet? It stars John Barrymore and they play a recording of an orchestra instead of having real musicians! Talk is that Warner Brothers wants their "Vitaphone" system installed in all the movie palaces across the nation which would put all the musicians out of work! Just think of that. Oh, I think it is just a fad. I just can't imagine that movie-goers would pay good money to listen to a recording instead of a live orchestra. Time will tell.
Well, I see that my allotted time is about up, so thank you for inviting me here today and keep a watch out for my next MGM films "Tin Hats" and "A Little Journey." See you at the movies.
May 15, 2015
The Cawker City Hesperian Historical Society
NOTES:
*Clara Viola Cronk was in fact born in Marvin, Phillips County, Kansas. She was still two years old when the family moved to Cawker City in January of 1895.
"Don Juan" staring John Barrymore Warner Bros. premiered August 6, 1926.
The following is the script that was used in the original performance and is being made available to the public to inspire it's further use. This script may be used free of charge as long as credit is given to the "Cawker City Hesperian Historical Society" for its creation. We would also like to hear about your performance and photos of your "Claire Windsor." We may be contacted at cawkercitymuseum@yahoo.com and further information about the silent movie actress can be seen at our website clairewindsor.weebly.com
Please welcome silent movie actress, CLAIRE WINDSOR...
I would like to thank you for inviting me here today. I must confess that I feel more comfortable in front of a camera on the film set than I am before a live audience. It reminds me of my first interview for Motion Picture Classic magazine. I was so self conscience that I had to write notes to myself on a recipe card: [as if holding a card and reading from it...] "My name is Claire Windsor" (I had to keep reminding myself that my name was Claire Windsor and not Ola Cronk!), "I was born in Cawker City*, Kansas, educated at Washburn in Topeka and studied music and dance in Seattle. I'm 5 foot 6 1/2 inches tall, have blond hair, blue eyes and weigh 130 lbs."
I can hardly believe that was just five short years ago! I barely knew a soul here in Los Angeles. But now when I go out, I'm recognized and get compliments from people I don't even know. And the mail ! I receive so many requests for my picture that my mother has to help me answer them all. Most of my fans request the 5 by 7 inch size for a dime, but more and more are requesting the 8 by 10 size for a quarter.
I have Lois Weber to thank for giving me a career on the silver sheet. She was the one who discovered me and gave me my first staring role. But then again, it was my neighbor friend who deserves some of the credit, too. I had just moved to California with my little son Billy to be with my parents. See, Father retired and sold the store in Kansas and came to join mother here in Los Angeles. Just before the war, I was married in Denver and we had a sweet baby boy. But unfortunately our marriage failed, and I decided to leave the past behind and start a new life in sunny California. I was on my own and had to support myself and my little boy. It was the daughter of the landlord who suggested I try getting work as an extra at the film studios. She had made a tidy sum working at the studios and said it was fun, to boot. She encouraged me by saying "why, with your good looks, it's a cinch." You know, I had been crowned "Queen of Jappyland" during the Potlatch Festival in Seattle a few years back. That settled it. The very next day we went to get my picture made and then it was off to the studios.
On the way, my friend said it was really important to get a personal interview with the talent scout--but that you had to get past the secretary first. Well, I didn't have any time to waste in making an appointment. So when I entered the office I went straight to the secretary and said I was here for my appointment. It worked! I had my interview, and they called me back the very next day.
I was what they called an "extra" and made $1 per day. It was so exciting. I never knew in advance where I would be sent, but it was a steady job and I made so many friends. Why, I even met and had a date with Rudolph Valentino before he became famous. He was working as an "extra," too.
In those early pictures I often played a waitress or a bridesmaid. In fact, I was playing a bridesmaid attendant in an Allan Dwan picture when he singled me out to kiss the bride in the scene we were filming. He explained what he wanted me to do and when he said "Action" I walked over to the seated bride, bent down, and tenderly kissed her on the cheek. As I stepped back, there was an audible gasp from the film crew and the director threw up his hands and cried "CUT!" There on the bride's cheek was the distinct impression of my lips. I was almost in tears and was convinced my future days at the studio were ended. The filming had to stop as the makeup was repaired and another bridesmaid, with more experience, was selected. I had not yet learned that the art of acting is the art of mime.
In any case, I had made a lasting impression on the director too, for when Lois Weber sought a replacement for a "no show" actress, it was Allan Dwan who suggested me. Lois had signed a contract with Paramount to produce and direct four films at their studio and on the first day of filming, the main actress failed to show and it was learned that she had skipped town for personal reasons. Undeterred, Lois was not about to loose money by a lengthy search for a replacement. She thought that with all the talent on that studio lot, there must be someone she could find right then and there. Lois happened to confer with Allan and explained the predicament she was in. Allan replied "I know just the type you are looking for." Well, it was approaching the noon hour, so they headed off to the commissary at the Lasky Studio. I had just set my tray down and had begun to eat when Ms. Weber entered the dining hall. After scanning the food line and the tables, her eyes lingered in my direction and she marched straight over to where I was sitting. She introduced herself, sat down and we talked for 20 minutes. I explained that I hadn't had much experience, but she said "if you have the courage, I have the patience." Well, she had the patience and on January 12, 1921, I signed a contract for $150 a week for one year with an option to extend the contract for one more year at the sum of $350.
Although I signed the contract with my real name "Ola Cronk," Ms. Weber said that was definitely NOT the name of a "star." After consulting her screenwriter, it was Francis Marion who suggested the name "Claire Windsor" for me. Now that I had a new name, I needed a little publicity to let the world know who I was.
Charlie Chaplin was the most influential person in Hollywood, and with his recent divorce, he was the most eligible bachelor too. Everyone was speculating on who the next "Mrs." Chaplin would be. Ms. Weber was a personal friend of Mr. Chaplin and knew her new "star" would capture his attention if the proper situation presented itself. Ms. Weber arranged the "proper situation" and I was introduced to Mr. Chaplin and, as predicted, he began to request my company. He loved children, and when he would come by the house, he always had a toy or a piece of candy for little Billy. The newspapers caught wind of our budding romance, and my name began to appear next to Charlie's.
By this time, I had completed four films for Lois Weber Productions: "To Please One Woman," "What's Worth While," "Two Wise Wives" and the fourth one, "What Do Men Want" was being held up by the film censors.
It was mid July of 1921, when Ms. Weber invited Charlie and me to an intimate dinner gathering of friends at her home. Charlie was punctual as usual, but when I failed to make my appearance, Ms. Weber made a few inquiring phone calls and eventually alerted the police. It was determined that I had gone to the Riding Academy earlier that morning and had simply not returned. My horse had been found in the hills but there was not a trace of my whereabouts. The police sent out a search party and the speculation began---Had I had an accident, been robbed, kidnapped, was I hurt or, God forbid, dead! "Film Star lost in the Hollywood Hills" was the headline that evening. The search continued through the night, but to no avail. A supply of publicity photos of me in my riding outfit from "What's Worth While" were made available for immediate publication. The morning newspapers reported that over 400 police and Boy Scouts were scouring the countryside. Charlie had arrived to personally lead a search party, and at noon, he offered a $1,000 reward for my return. It was not until the late afternoon, after about 33 hours of being "lost," that I staggered out of the forest near Stella Dodge's home. An ambulance had been called and I was whisked away to the hospital. At the hospital, Dr. Cook immediately barred the press from seeing me, explained that I "was in a critical condition from exhaustion, exposure and lack of food, and that any strain might cause a serious relapse." The ploy worked in keeping the newspaper reporters and the police inspector from asking too many questions. Poor Charlie was not let in on the publicity stunt until Mrs. Dodge came to claim her $1,000 reward. Needless to say, Charlie stopped calling for me.
I made five more films before I signed my contract with Goldwyn Pictures. My salary was raised to $400.00 a week and when they loaned me out to the other studios, I was to get $500.00 a week. I remember that just before I signed the contract, that dreadful murder of director William Desmond Taylor happened and almost ended my career before it had begun. The newspapers claimed that I had been Mr. Taylor's dinner guest the night of his murder! Well, they got it all wrong. I was working on a film with Marshall Neilan called "Fools First" and we were working nights so I had to sleep during the day. Two days before the murder, Mr. Moreno took me to the Coconut Grove and Mr. Taylor was one of the dinner guests at our table. Later that evening, instead of calling a cab, Mr. Taylor offered to drive me home, which he did, and that was the last I saw of him. On the third day of filming, the reporters descended upon the Santa Fe Station where we were working and showed me the newspaper headlines linking my name with the murder! The murder quickly became a sensational story for Hollywood and the film industry and as a result, Mary Mile Minter was blacklisted because of it. My film "One Clear Call" had been finished, but Mr. Mayer refused to release it and even contemplated re-shooting my part with another actress. Luckily, I was able to straighten things out and clear my name of any involvement in the murder case and the film was released.
Things can happen so quickly these days.
The film industry has been changing so quickly. Just two years ago in the spring of 1924, Marcus Lowe, the theater magnate who had purchased Metro Pictures back in 1919, acquired Goldwyn Pictures and within months, bought Louis B. Mayer Pictures. I was one of the first to sign a five year contract with the newly formed Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studio.
Yes, things can change quickly.
My personal life has seen a few changes too. Just about a year after signing with M-G-M, I married Bert Lytell. He is best known as an actor on the legitimate stage, but he is in pictures, too. Perhaps you remember his picture "Alias, Jimmy Valentine"? Well, he stole MY heart in Algeria while we were filming "A Son of the Sahara" and we were married in a double wedding with Edwin Carewe and Mary Akin at the city hall in Juarez, Mexico. We all honeymooned together in Mexico City and that is where we met Dolores del Rio and her husband Jaime. They took Edwin's advice and have since come to Hollywood.
That reminds me of another up and coming actor, another Kansan who recently arrived in Hollywood. His name is Buddy Rogers. He comes from Olathe and is a great musician and a pretty good dancer, too. Bert got so jealous when he saw us dancing "The Charleston." I had to work hard to learn those steps for my film "Dance Madness" but for Buddy, they seem completely natural. Buddy plays the trombone and has his own jazz band. He tells me that all his musician friends are quite worried about this new film "Don Juan." Have you seen it yet? It stars John Barrymore and they play a recording of an orchestra instead of having real musicians! Talk is that Warner Brothers wants their "Vitaphone" system installed in all the movie palaces across the nation which would put all the musicians out of work! Just think of that. Oh, I think it is just a fad. I just can't imagine that movie-goers would pay good money to listen to a recording instead of a live orchestra. Time will tell.
Well, I see that my allotted time is about up, so thank you for inviting me here today and keep a watch out for my next MGM films "Tin Hats" and "A Little Journey." See you at the movies.
May 15, 2015
The Cawker City Hesperian Historical Society
NOTES:
*Clara Viola Cronk was in fact born in Marvin, Phillips County, Kansas. She was still two years old when the family moved to Cawker City in January of 1895.
"Don Juan" staring John Barrymore Warner Bros. premiered August 6, 1926.
