Theda Bara Is Taught The Chinese Game Pung-Chow 1922
The Original Movie Vampire Learns Intricate Chinese Game
Theda Bara the original movie vampire learned a new game yesterday, while at the Westchester-Biltmore Club. It is called Pung-Chow, the Royal Game of China, played for thousands of years in the land of Confucius, the mystic charm of the East, combined with the excitement and entertainment which Americans demand, and a game for young and old. The game is even more intricate than chess and Miss Bara had the pleasure of being instructed by these two fair Chinese experts. photo: Wide World Photos 12/7//1922
Theda Bara (born Theodosia Goodman 1885-1955) is virtually unknown today because she was a silent star and only six of her films are extant. People usually recognize publicity stills of Bara without necessarily knowing her name as the title character in Cleopatra (1917). That film is lost, as are 40 of Bara’s other movies.
A huge star earning $4,000 per week when there was practically no income tax, Bara slowed down after making dozens of films in the nineteen teens. From 1920-1926 Bara made only more three films.
In 1921 Bara married director Charles Brabin, becoming a socialite living the high life in Beverly Hills.
A brief return to the stage in 1929 found Bara looking slim and younger than her age. With no need for money but still wanting to perform, Bara told a reporter, “It’s that I’m tired of the routine of Hollywood life, teas and bridge and small talk and running around. So I decided to return to the theatre.”
Besides appearing in some vaudeville houses including the Jefferson Theatre in New York and some stock company appearances in the mid-west, the comeback did not lead anywhere.
After an appearance on Groucho Marx’s Pabst Blue Ribbon Town radio show on May 17, 1943. Bara stayed out of the limelight for the remainder of her life.
I guess it’s because at this point I’ve almost completely tuned out the modern world, but still, I do find it hard to believe that the average person wouldn’t, at the very least, still know her name. One would think that it would show up in a Jeopardy clue, be mentioned on a popular podcast, or spoke of in conjunction with something TCM related from time to time.
As late as the early ’80s, Theda Bara was commonly found in the NY Times crossword (all those vowels!), along with the clue “It Girl” (Clara Bow). But at least two generations have arrived since, and they don’t even know who Cary Grant is. Hey, one of the new movie critics at Variety proudly boasts he’s never seen “Casablanca”. I suppose it’s like my generation having no clue as to, say, stage actors from the 1890s. I’ve accepted the fact that folks like Jack Benny will disappear from pop culture knowledge at the end of my generation. And, perhaps, the Marx Brothers — and even Monty Python.
While on the Dick Cavett show, Groucho once confused Theda Bara’s name with Greta Garbo’s. I wonder if he had been thinking of her appearance on Pabst Blue Ribbon Town. On the other hand, he confused one or two other names that evening, so maybe it was old age catching up with him.