Paulette Goddard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paulette Goddard
Goddard studio publicity portrait
Born	Marion Goddard Levy or Pauline Goddard Levy or Pauline Marion Levy or Marion Pauline Levy (disputed) June 3, 1910 Whitestone Landing, Queens, New York or Great Neck, Long Island or Manhattan, New York (disputed)
Died	April 23, 1990 (aged 79) Ronco sopra Ascona, Ticino, Switzerland
Cause of death	Heart failure and emphysema
Resting place	Ronco Village Cemetery, Ticino, Switzerland
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actress, film producer, dancer, model
Years active	1926–1972
Spouse(s)	Edgar James (m. 1927; div. 1932) Charlie Chaplin (m. 1936; div. 1942) Burgess Meredith (m. 1944; div. 1949) Erich Maria Remarque (m. 1958; wid. 1970)

Paulette Goddard (June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an American actress. A child fashion model and a performer in several Broadway productions as a Ziegfeld Girl, she became a major star of the Paramount Studio in the 1940s. Goddard was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 1943's So Proudly We Hail! (1943)

Discrepancies re year of birth

Like many other actresses, Goddard fudged her year of birth. According to one of Goddard's biographers, Julie Gilbert, the actress was born in either Whitestone Landing, Queens, New York or Great Neck, Long Island on June 3, 1910, and according to her birth certificate was named Marion Goddard Levy.^[1] However, various later documents mention different birth years and places as well as names. Legal documents and a passport listed her birth year as 1905 and 1915,^[1] and when asked to clarify the confusion over her age in a 1945 interview with Life, Goddard claimed she was in fact born in 1915.^[2]
She later claimed in a magazine column to have been born in Manhattan, and according to her second husband, Charlie Chaplin, she was born in Brooklyn.^[1] Goddard's name has also been cited as Pauline Goddard Levy and Pauline Marion Levy.^[1]^[3] However, according to the U.S. Census taken on January 5, 1920, Goddard (as Pauline G. Levy) and her parents (Joseph R. and Alta M. Levy) were living in Kansas City, Missouri. She is listed as having been born in New York, and her age is given as 9 years old, the age being the age of the individual as of his or her last birthday, which is the question as asked by census enumerators (see Jackson County, Missouri enumeration District 236, p. 5-B, family 145.) Also, her gravestone in Switzerland clearly gives her year of birth as 1910. The 1910 Census confirms Pauline's self-report as her parents were living in Manhattan in April 1910, less than two months before her birth.

Early life

Goddard was the only child of Joseph Russell Levy (1881-1954), son of a prosperous Jewish cigar manufacturer from Salt Lake City, and Alta Mae Goddard (1887–1983), who was Episcopalian and of English heritage.^[4]^[5] They had married in 1908 and separated while their daughter was very young, although the divorce did not become final until 1926. According to Goddard, her father had left them, but according to J.R. Levy, Alta had vanished with her.^[4] Goddard was raised by her mother, and did not meet her father again until in the late 1930s, when she was famous.^[6] In a 1938 interview published in Collier's, Goddard claimed Levy was not her biological father.^[6]
In response, Levy filed a suit against his daughter, claiming that the interview had ruined his reputation and lost him his job, and demanded financial support from her. In a December 17, 1945 article written by Oliver Jensen in Life Magazine, Goddard admitted to having lost the case and forced to pay her father $35 a week. In order to avoid a custody battle, she and her mother moved often during her childhood, even relocating to Canada at one point.^[4] Goddard began modelling at an early age to support herself and her mother, working for Saks Fifth Avenue and Hattie Carnegie amongst others. An important figure in her childhood was her great-uncle, Charles Goddard, the owner of the American Druggists Syndicate. He played a central role in Goddard's career, introducing her to Broadway impresario Florenz Ziegfeld.^[4]
In 1926, she made her stage debut as a dancer in Ziegfeld's summer review, No Foolin', which was also the first time that she used the stage name Paulette Goddard.^[7] Ziegfeld also hired her for another review, Rio Rita, which opened in February 1927, but she left the show after only three weeks to appear in the play The Unconquerable Male, produced by Archie Selwyn.^[8] It was, however, a flop and closed after only three days following its premiere in Atlantic City.^[8]
Soon after the play closed, Goddard was introduced to Edgar James, president of the Southern Lumber Company, located in Asheville, North Carolina, by Charles Goddard.^[9] Although considerably younger than James, they married on June 28, 1927 in Rye, New York. It was a short marriage, and Goddard was granted a divorce in Reno, Nevada in 1929, receiving a divorce settlement of $375,000.^[9]

Film career

Goddard's first visit to Hollywood had taken place in 1929, when she had appeared as an uncredited extra in two films, the Laurel and Hardy short film Berth Marks, and George Fitzmaurice's drama The Locked Door.^[10] Following her divorce, she briefly visited Europe before returning to Hollywood in late 1930 with her mother.^[10] Her second attempt to succeed as an actress was initially no more successful than the first, as she landed work only as an extra.^[10] In 1932, she signed her first film contract with producer Samuel Goldwyn to appear as a Goldwyn Girl in The Kid from Spain.^[10] However, she and Goldwyn did not get along, and she began working for Hal Roach, appearing in a string of uncredited supporting roles for the next four years.^[10]

Studio publicity portrait for Modern Times (1936), in which Goddard had her first substantial film role.

However, the same year as she signed with Goldwyn, Goddard also began dating film comedian Charlie Chaplin, a relationship which received a substantial amount of attention from the press.^[10]^[11] It also marked a turning point in Goddard's career when Chaplin cast her as his leading lady in his next box office hit, Modern Times, in 1936.^[10] Her role as "The Gamin", an orphan girl who runs away from the authorities and becomes The Tramp's companion, was her first credited film appearance and garnered her mainly positive reviews, Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times describing her as "the fitting recipient of the great Charlot's championship".^[10]
Following the success of Modern Times, Chaplin planned other projects with Goddard in mind as a co-star, but he worked slowly, and Goddard worried the public might forget about her if she did not continue to make regular film appearances. She signed a contract with David O. Selznick and appeared with Janet Gaynor in the comedy The Young in Heart (1938) before Selznick loaned her to MGM to appear in two films. The first of these, Dramatic School (1938), co-starred Luise Rainer, but the film received mediocre reviews and failed to attract an audience.^[12] Her next film, The Women (1939), was a success. With an all-female cast headed by Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, and Rosalind Russell, the film's supporting role of Miriam Aarons was played by Goddard. Pauline Kael would later comment of Goddard, "she is a stand-out. She's fun."^[13]

Studio publicity portrait from the 1940s, when Goddard was working for Paramount Pictures.

Selznick had been pleased with Goddard's recent performances, and specifically her work in The Young at Heart, and considered her for the role of Scarlett O'Hara. Initial screen tests convinced him and the director George Cukor that Goddard would require coaching to be effective in the role, but that she showed promise,^[14] and she was the first actress given a Technicolor screen test.^[15] Russell Birdwell, the head of Selznick's publicity department, had strong misgivings about Goddard. He warned Selznick of the "tremendous avalanche of criticism that will befall us and the picture should Paulette be given this part… I have never known a woman, intent on a career dependent upon her popularity with the masses, to hold and live such an insane and absurd attitude towards the press and her fellow man as does Paulette Goddard… Briefly, I think she is dynamite that will explode in our very faces if she is given the part."^[14] Selznick remained interested in Goddard and after he had been introduced to Vivien Leigh, he wrote to his wife that Leigh was a "dark horse" and that his choice had "narrowed down to Paulette, Jean Arthur, Joan Bennett, and Vivien Leigh".^[16]
After a series of tests with Leigh that pleased both Selznick and Cukor, Selznick cancelled the further tests that had been scheduled for Goddard, and the part was given to Leigh.^[16] It has been suggested that Goddard lost the part because Selznick feared questions surrounding her marital status with Charlie Chaplin would result in scandal. However, Selznick was aware that Leigh and Laurence Olivier lived together as their respective spouses had refused to divorce them,^[17] and in addition to offering Leigh a contract, he engaged Olivier as the leading man in his next production Rebecca (1940).^[18] Chaplin's biographer Joyce Milton wrote that Selznick was worried about legal issues by signing her to a contract that might conflict with her preexisting contracts with the Chaplin studio.^[19]

Paulette Goddard in a publicity shot for A Stranger Came Home.

Goddard signed a contract with Paramount Pictures and her next film The Cat and the Canary (1939) with Bob Hope, was a turning point in the careers of both actors. She starred with Chaplin again in his 1940 film The Great Dictator. The couple split amicably soon afterward, and Goddard allegedly obtained a divorce in Mexico in 1942, with Chaplin agreeing to a generous settlement. She was Fred Astaire's leading lady in Second Chorus (1940), where she met her third husband, actor Burgess Meredith. One of her best-remembered film appearances was in the variety musical Star Spangled Rhythm (1943), in which she sang a comic number, "A Sweater, a Sarong, and a Peekaboo Bang", with Dorothy Lamour and Veronica Lake.^{[citation needed]}
She received one Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, for the 1943 film So Proudly We Hail!, but did not win. Her most successful film was Kitty (1945), in which she played the title role. In The Diary of a Chambermaid (1946), she starred opposite Burgess Meredith, to whom she was married at the time. Cecil B. DeMille cast her in three blockbusters: North West Mounted Police (1940), Reap the Wild Wind (1942) (where Goddard played a Scarlett O'Hara-type role), and Unconquered (1947). In 1947 she made An Ideal Husband in Britain for Alexander Korda, and was accompanied on a publicity trip to Brussels by Clarissa Spencer-Churchill, niece of Sir Winston Churchill and future wife of Prime Minister Anthony Eden. In 1949, she formed Monterey Pictures with John Steinbeck. Her last starring roles were the English production A Stranger Came Home (known as The Unholy Four in the United States), and Charge of the Lancers in 1954. She also acted in summer stock and on television, including the 1955 television remake of The Women, this time playing the Sylvia Fowler role, however.^[11]

Later life

After her marriage to Erich Maria Remarque, Goddard largely retired from acting and moved to Ronco sopra Ascona, Switzerland. In 1964, she attempted a comeback in films with a supporting role in the Italian film Time of Indifference, which turned out to be her last feature film. After Remarque's death in 1970, she made one last attempt at acting, when she accepted a small role in an episode of The Snoop Sisters (1972) for television.
Upon Remarque's death, Goddard inherited much of his money and several important properties across Europe including a wealth of contemporary art, which augmented her own long-standing collection. During this period, her talent at accumulating wealth became a byword among the old Hollywood élite. During the 1980s she became a fairly well known (and highly visible) socialite in New York City society, appearing, covered with jewels, at many high-profile cultural functions with several well-known men including Andy Warhol, with whom she sustained a friendship for many years until his death in 1987.^[20]

Death

Goddard was treated for breast cancer, apparently successfully. On April 23, 1990, she died from heart failure under respiratory support due to emphysema, aged 79,^[21] at her home in Switzerland.^[20] She is buried in Ronco Village Cemetery, next to Remarque and her mother.

Personal life

Goddard married lumber tycoon Edgar James on June 28, 1927, and moved to North Carolina.They separated in 1929, and divorced in 1932.^[22]
In 1934, Goddard began a relationship with Charlie Chaplin. She later moved into his Beverly Hills home. They were reportedly married in secret in Canton, China in June 1936. Aside from referring to Goddard as "my wife" at the October 1940 premiere of The Great Dictator, neither Goddard nor Chaplin publicly commented on their marital status. On June 4, 1942, Goddard was granted a Mexican divorce from Chaplin.^[23] In May 1944, Goddard married Burgess Meredith at David O. Selznick's Beverly Hills home.^[24] They divorced in June 1949.^[25]
In 1958, Goddard married author Erich Maria Remarque. They remained married until Remarque's death in 1970.^[26]
Goddard had no children from any of her marriages. In October 1944 she suffered the miscarriage of a son with Burgess Meredith.^[27]^[28] She was the first step-mother to Chaplin's sons, Charles, Jr. and Sydney Chaplin whose mother was Lita Grey.

Legacy

Goddard, whose own formal education did not go beyond high school, bequeathed US$20 million to New York University (NYU). This was also in recognition of her friendship with the Indiana-born politician and former NYU President John Brademas. Goddard Hall, an NYU freshman residence hall on Washington Square, is named in her honor. Efforts to raise CHF 6.2M ($7M) to purchase and save Remarque and Goddard's villa from demolition, are underway, proposing to transform the Casa Monte Tabor into a museum and home to an artist-in-residence program, focused on creativity, freedom and peace.^[29]

Fictional portrayals

Goddard was portrayed by Diane Lane in the 1992 film Chaplin, and by actress Natalie Wilder in the 2011 play Puma, written by Julie Gilbert, who also wrote Opposite Attraction: The Lives of Erich Maria Remarque and Paulette Goddard.^[30]

Filmography

Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1929	Berth Marks	Train passenger	Short subject
1929	The Locked Door	Girl on rum boat	Uncredited
1931	City Streets	Dance extra	Uncredited
1931	The Girl Habit	Lingerie salesgirl
1931	Ladies of the Big House	Inmate in midst of crowd	Uncredited
1932	The Mouthpiece	Blonde at party	Uncredited
1932	Show Business	Blonde train passenger	Uncredited Short subject
1932	Young Ironsides	Herself, Miss Hollywood	Uncredited Short subject
1932	Pack Up Your Troubles	Bridesmaid	Uncredited
1932	Girl Grief	Student	Uncredited Short subject
1932	The Kid From Spain	Goldwyn Girl	Uncredited
1933	Hollywood on Parade No. B-1	Herself	Short subject
1933	The Bowery	Blonde who announces Brodie's jump	Uncredited
1933	Hollywood on Parade No. B-5	Herself	Short subject
1933	Roman Scandals	Goldwyn Girl	Uncredited
1934	Kid Millions	Goldwyn Girl	Uncredited
1936	Modern Times	Ellen Peterson – A Gamine
1936	The Bohemian Girl	Gypsy vagabond	Uncredited
1938	The Young in Heart	Leslie Saunders
1938	Dramatic School	Nana
1939	The Women	Miriam Aarons
1939	The Cat and the Canary	Joyce Norman
1940	The Ghost Breakers	Mary Carter
1940	The Great Dictator	Hannah
1940	Screen Snapshots: Sports in Hollywood	Herself	Short subject
1940	North West Mounted Police	Louvette Corbeau	Alternative titles: Northwest Mounted Police The Scarlet Riders
1940	Second Chorus	Ellen Miller
1941	Pot o' Gold	Molly McCorkle	Alternative titles: The Golden Hour Jimmy Steps Out
1941	Hold Back the Dawn	Anita Dixon
1941	Nothing But the Truth	Gwen Saunders
1942	The Lady Has Plans	Sidney Royce
1942	Reap the Wild Wind	Loxi Claiborne	Alternative title: Cecil B. DeMille's Reap the Wild Wind
1942	The Forest Rangers	Celia Huston Stuart
1942	Star Spangled Rhythm	Herself
1943	The Crystal Ball	Toni Gerard
1943	So Proudly We Hail!	Lt. Joan O'Doul	Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
1944	Standing Room Only	Jane Rogers/Suzanne
1944	I Love a Soldier	Evelyn Connors
1945	Duffy's Tavern	Herself
1945	Kitty	Kitty
1943	The Diary of a Chambermaid	Célestine	Producer (Uncredited)
1947	Suddenly, It's Spring	Mary Morely
1947	Variety Girl	Herself
1947	Unconquered	Abigail "Abby" Martha Hale
1947	An Ideal Husband	Mrs. Laura Cheveley	Alternative title: Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband
1948	On Our Merry Way	Martha Pease
1948	Screen Snapshots: Smiles and Styles	Herself	Short subject
1948	Hazard	Ellen Crane
1949	Bride of Vengeance	Lucretia Borgia
1949	Anna Lucasta	Anna Lucasta
1949	A Yank Comes Back	Herself	Uncredited Short subject
1950	The Torch	María Dolores Penafiel	Associate producer Alternative title: Bandit General
1952	Babes in Bagdad	Kyra
1953	Vice Squad	Mona Ross	Alternative title: The Girl in Room 17
1953	Sins of Jezebel	Jezebel
1953	Paris Model	Betty Barnes	Alternative title: Nude at Midnight
1954	Charge of the Lancers	Tanya
1954	A Stranger Came Home	Angie	Alternative title: The Unholy Four
1964	Time of Indifference	Mariagrazia	Alternative titles: Les Deux Rivales Gli Indifferenti

Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1951	Four Star Revue	Guest actress	Episode #1.41
1952	The Ed Sullivan Show	Herself	2 episodes
1953	Ford Theatre	Nancy Whiting	Episode: "The Doctor's Downfall"
1954	Sherlock Holmes	Lady Beryl	Episode: "The Case of Lady Beryl"
1955	Producers' Showcase	Sylvia Fowler	Episode: "The Women"
1957	The Errol Flynn Theatre	Rachel	Episode: "Mademoiselle Fifi"
1957	The Joseph Cotten Show: On Trial	Dolly	Episode: "The Ghost of Devil's Island"
1957	Ford Theatre	Holly March	Episode: "Singapore"
1959	Adventures in Paradise	Mme. Victorine Reynard	Episode: "The Lady from South Chicago"
1959	What's My Line?	Guest panelist	November 29, 1959 episode
1961	The Phantom	Mrs. Harris	TV movie
1972	The Snoop Sisters	Norma Treet	TV movie Alternative title: Female Instinct

Midtown Blogger/Manhattan Valley Follies

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Born Today- Film Actress Paulette Goddard- wikipedia