Author Susan Goldman Rubin remembers twelves of Hollywood’s female trailblazers in “The Women Who Built Hollywood.” These pioneers changed the film industry for the better, and opened to the door to many talented woman that followed in their footsteps. Rubin profiles ground breakers that become household names, but also spotlights ladies that are often overlooked.
– Mary Pickford, “America’s Sweetheart,” a silent film star that was a United Artists studio founder. Her illustrious Hollywood career spanned five decades
– Lillian Gish, “First Lady of American Cinema,” she designed her own costumes
– Frances Marion, became of the highest paid screenwriter, who also cut film, and wrote for Pickford
– Louise Beavers, despite performing stereotypical parts, was an activist for civil rights
– Fredi Washington, civl rights activist
– Hattie McDaniel, “Gone with the Wind” actress, first African American to receive an Academy Award
– Marion Wong, started the Mandarin Film Company
– Anna May Wong, first Chinese American film star to achieve international fame
– Dorothy Arzner, film director, invented the boom microphone
– Margaret Booth, MGM film editor
– Costume designer Clare West
– Helen Holmes, a screenwriter, director and one of the first action heroes
I enjoyed the Rubin’s profile of each trailblazer, and recommend this work to anyone interested in Hollywood history.
By: Susan Goldman Rubin
Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins
Release date: 01-16-24
