Item Detail
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Astor, Mary
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1906-1987
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MSS SC 435
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Scrapbook
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Lucille Vasconcellos was born 3 May 1906 in Quincy, Adams, Illinois. At the age of fourteen, she won a beauty contest that enabled her to get a contract to be in silent films. Later, she proved her vocal acting ability when she played a role in Among the Married. As she gained more opportunities to act for radio and film, she felt it necessary to change her name to Mary Astor to accommodate her acting career. With her new name, Mary Astor played a role in the radio show, Birth of a Nation and also in several films, including: The Mortal Storm, Queen of the Yukon, Prisoner of Zenda, Hurricane, Turnabout, Brigham Young, and Western Union. The leading role she played in Brigham Young won her praise from many critics. Mary married Dr. Franklyn Thorpe, with whom she had one daughter. When their marriage ended in divorce, Mary met and married Tono Del Campo, a film editor from MGM Studios. They had one son and lived in North Hollywood, California. Mary died on 25 September 1987 in Los Angeles, California.
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This collection consists of an eighty page scrapbook of newspaper and magazine articles relating to Mary Astor's acting career in film and radio. The articles have been clipped from newspapers and magazines and glued onto paper. Although the clippings are fading, they are still easy to read. Most of the articles in this scrapbook relate to Mary's starring role in the film, Brigham Young, which was released in 1966. In this film, Mary played the role of Brigham Young's first wife. Critics claimed she had one of the best performances of the month, that she was a Hollywood eyeful brightening the local skyline, and that her performance was particularly good in Brigham Young. They also give information about Mary's experience with the making of Brigham Young, claiming that she lost two pounds from wearing fur coats in the middle of the summer and that she fainted on the set after walking through a field of crickets six inches deep. Publicity writers report when Mary is seen shopping, eating out with friends, or traveling with her husband. Some articles give information about Mary's supporting roles in Turnabout and Western Union. Very little biographical information can be found in these articles.
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1916-1984