Tribute to Marion Davies: Altamira Rag

Greenfield Bowie's CD, Hill Country Ragtime, is available for sale via his website at http://www.greenfieldbowie.com Pianist David Greenfield Bowie is a composer, and he has composed a variety of music including jazz. He is interested in other people recording his compositions, or perhaps using his music in a movie or television show. David Greenfield Bowie has been an Austin musician since 1977, playing a broad range of instrumental standards: from ragtime to classical, jazz to country, contemporary pop hits to golden oldies.

You are invited to view DGBowie's channel and enjoy listening to him performing several of his original pieces. Greenfield Bowie is the composer and pianist. Please check out David Bowie's Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/dgbowie and his website is at http://www.greenfieldbowie.com

Marion Davies (January 3, 1897 -- September 22, 1961) was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career. After making her screen debut in late 1916 in a fashion newsreel, modeling gowns by Lady Duff-Gordon, she appeared in her first feature film in 1917's Runaway Romany. It was a film written by Marion and directed by her brother-in-law, the prominent Broadway producer George W. Lederer. The following year she starred in three films, The Burden of Proof, Beatrice Fairfax, and Cecilia of the Pink Roses. Playing mainly light comedic roles, she quickly became a major film personality, making a small fortune which enabled her to provide financial assistance for her family and friends. Cecilia of the Pink Roses in 1918 was her first film backed by Hearst. She was on her way to being the most famously advertised actress in the world. During the next 10 years she appeared in 29 films, an average of almost three films a year.

By the mid-1920s, however, her career was often overshadowed by her relationship with the married Hearst and their fabulous social life at San Simeon and Ocean House in Santa Monica; the latter dubbed by Colleen Moore "the biggest house on the beach -- the beach between San Diego and Vancouver". According to her own audio diaries, she had met Hearst long before she had started working in films. Hearst, later formed Cosmopolitan Pictures which would produce several starring vehicles for her. Hearst's relentless efforts to promote her career instead had a detrimental effect, but he persisted, making Cosmopolitan's distribution deals first with Paramount, then Goldwyn, and then Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Davies herself was more inclined to develop her comic talents alongside her friends at United Artists, but Hearst pointedly discouraged this. Davies, in her published memoirs The Times We Had, concluded that Hearst's over-the-top promotion of her career, in fact, had a negative result.

Hearst loved seeing her in expensive costume pictures, but she also appeared in contemporary comedies like Tillie the Toiler, The Fair Co-Ed (both 1927), and especially three directed by King Vidor, Not So Dumb (1930), The Patsy and the backstage-in-Hollywood saga Show People (both 1928). The Patsy contains her imitations, that she usually did for friends, of silent stars Lillian Gish, Mae Murray and Pola Negri. King Vidor saw Marion as a comedic actor instead of the dramatic actor Hearst wanted her to be. He noticed she was the life of parties and incorporated that into his films.

After seeing photographs of St Donat's Castle in Country Life magazine, the Welsh Vale of Glamorgan property was bought and revitalised by Hearst in 1925 as a gift to Davies. Hearst and Davies spent much of their time entertaining, holding lavish parties with guests at their Beverly Hills estate. Frequent guests included, among others, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and a young John F. Kennedy. George Bernard Shaw, upon visiting St. Donat's, was quoted as saying "this is what God would have built if he had had the money."

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Entertainment

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• Marion
• Davies
• OneTrueMedia

[Harlemjazz1933]

Such Beautiful images!!! Wow, I would give anything to go back to these days. You are so talanted, where did you finfd this footage??

[Shabannie]

@Harlemjazz1933 I collect individual pictures from various websites, and organize the pictures on the onetruemedia website. Windows moviemaker is also good software for making slideshow videos. Anyone can learn to do this. Regarding the music, check out my friends website mentioned in my video description.

--------Ellen

[FASHIONCONSPIRACY]

Enjoyed your tribute...she was quite the looker....Hearst wanting her to do serious drama was like Olivier was with his possessiveness with Vivien trying to keep our caged to the stage....it would've been interesting to see how she would've soar if he hadn't clipped her wings, however she remains legendary....very good soundtrack to the visuals.

[Shabannie]

@FASHIONCONSPIRACY Genia106 also posted a video about Marion. I was so surprised that we happened to be working on it at about the same time. Marion made more movies than I would have thought. She could obviously afford to retire young. I am sure that she had a very interesting life.

---------Ellen

[AfsAnehAfairytale]

I so adore ragtime music, beautiful video as usual Ellen,

Thank you,

Rita

[Shabannie]

@AfsAnehAfairytale Thank you so much for watching this again!

----------Ellen

[Shabannie]

@redlipstickgurl I am so glad you found my channel.

---------Ellen

[FASHIONCONSPIRACY]

@Shabannie most actors do not want to retire.....someone like Garbo was, a true living legend walked away and never came back not even a cameo

[Shabannie]

@80stimeagain  Thank you for your thoughtful comments.

-------Ellen

[80stimeagain]

Sweet ragtime fitting for Marion Davies. Nice video. ;)