Marion Davies

Marion Davies, born Marion Cecilea Douras on January 3, 1897, started out as a chorus girl in New York. When Marion moved to California, she had already met William Randolph Hearst and then began a 30 year romance. They lived together at San Simeon, aka Hearst's Castle, which stands as a California landmark today. At San Simeon they threw very elaborate formal parties and the guests included basically all of Hollywood and other prominent people of the day. Being the practical joker that she was, Marion once got President Calvin Coolidge drunk by feeding him wine and simply telling him it was fruit juice.

Hearst bankrolled many of Marion's screen roles, but she was a very good comedic actress and probably would have succeeded just as well on her own. Their life together was dubiously mirrored in the films Citizen Kane (1941) and RKO 281 (1999) (TV), and more factually in The Cat's Meow (2001).

By the late 1930's Hearst was suffering financial reversals and it was Marion who bailed him out by selling off $1 million of her jewelry. Without her the Hearst Corporation might not be where it is today. Because of Hearst's financial problems, it also spelled the end to her career. Although she had made the transition to sound, other stars seemed to fare better. Roles for her became fewer. By 1937, Marion was 40 and she filmed the last production for the silver screen, EVER SINCE EVE.

Marion Davies - What do you think? Allure?

Courtesy of Operator99.