Gladys Hulette
Encyclopedia
Gladys Hulette was a silent film
actress from Arcade, New York
. Her career began in the early years of silent movies and continued until the mid-1930s. She first performed on stage at the age of three and on screen when she was seven years old. Hulette was also a talented artist. Her mother was an opera star.
on October 4, 1907. She helped support Bertha Kalich
in the Percy MacKaye
production. As a child she also appeared in Romeo and Juliet (1908) and The Smoke Fairy (1909). On stage, in Blue Bird, she played the wonder child. She was the sweet youth, Beth, in Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott
.
. There was a stigma for Broadway theater actors to be seen in motion pictures when silent films first began to be made. Hulette later discussed this, saying the picture heroes were mostly Coney Island
life savers. One company prevailed upon a leading stage actor to play the role of Hamlet on screen. This began the influx of more Broadway actors into the new medium.
By 1917 Hulette's films were being produced by leading director William Parke. In that year she made her most popular film to date, Streets of Illusion. Playing the part of Beam, Hulette's co-stars included Richard Barthelmess
and J.H. Gilmour. Parke owned theatrical companies and assisted Hulette in making one hit after another.
She married William Parke Jr., the director's son in 1917. They divorced in 1924.
By 1921 she was a veteran of the motion picture industry. She again played opposite Barthelmess, this time in Tol'able David
. She played the ingenue
part of Esther Hatburn. In an interview she said she wished for no different type of roles than the one she played in this film. Later she sought comedy-drama parts which she portrayed in Jack O' Hearts (1926) and A Bowery Cinderella (1927).
She researched her own roles like the dance hall girl she played in The U.P. Trail (1924). Hulette consulted Social Life of the Pioneers for the Fox Film production, filmed over a period of two months in Nevada
. The book was published in the 1880s in San Francisco, California
. She discovered that saloons in America's old west provided a softening influence, and the nucleus of community consciousness. This was due to the young women entertainers found there.
Gladys Hulette died in Montebello, California
in 1991, aged 95.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
actress from Arcade, New York
Arcade, New York
Arcade, New York is the name of two locations in Wyoming County, New York.*Arcade , New York, the Village of Arcade*Arcade , New York, the Town of Arcade...
. Her career began in the early years of silent movies and continued until the mid-1930s. She first performed on stage at the age of three and on screen when she was seven years old. Hulette was also a talented artist. Her mother was an opera star.
Child Actress
Hulette was among the principal players in Sappho and Phaon which had its first performance in Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
on October 4, 1907. She helped support Bertha Kalich
Bertha Kalich
Bertha Kalich, was a Jewish actress, born in Lemberg, Galicia...
in the Percy MacKaye
Percy MacKaye
Percy MacKaye was an American dramatist and poet.-Biography:MacKaye was born in New York City, New York. After graduating from Harvard in 1897, he traveled in Europe for three years, residing in Rome, Switzerland and London, studying at the University of Leipzig in 1899–1900...
production. As a child she also appeared in Romeo and Juliet (1908) and The Smoke Fairy (1909). On stage, in Blue Bird, she played the wonder child. She was the sweet youth, Beth, in Little Women
Little Women
Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott . The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869...
by Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women was set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and published in 1868...
.
Silent Film Player
In her earliest motion picture features she was under contract to Vitagraph StudiosVitagraph Studios
American Vitagraph was a United States movie studio, founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York. By 1907 it was the most prolific American film production company, producing many famous silent films. It was bought by Warner Bros...
. There was a stigma for Broadway theater actors to be seen in motion pictures when silent films first began to be made. Hulette later discussed this, saying the picture heroes were mostly Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
life savers. One company prevailed upon a leading stage actor to play the role of Hamlet on screen. This began the influx of more Broadway actors into the new medium.
By 1917 Hulette's films were being produced by leading director William Parke. In that year she made her most popular film to date, Streets of Illusion. Playing the part of Beam, Hulette's co-stars included Richard Barthelmess
Richard Barthelmess
Richard Semler "Dick" Barthelmess was an Oscar-nominated silent film star.-Early life:Barthelmess was educated at Hudson River Military Academy at Nyack and Trinity College at Hartford, Connecticut...
and J.H. Gilmour. Parke owned theatrical companies and assisted Hulette in making one hit after another.
She married William Parke Jr., the director's son in 1917. They divorced in 1924.
By 1921 she was a veteran of the motion picture industry. She again played opposite Barthelmess, this time in Tol'able David
Tol'able David
Tol'able David is a 1921 American silent film based on the Joseph Hergesheimer short story. It was adapted to the screen by Edmund Goulding and directed by Henry King for Inspiration Pictures....
. She played the ingenue
Ingenue (stock character)
See also Disingenuous, which is not quite the antonym that it may seem!The ingénue is a stock character in literature, film, and a role type in the theatre; generally a girl or a young woman who is endearingly innocent and wholesome. Ingenue may also refer to a new young actress or one typecast in...
part of Esther Hatburn. In an interview she said she wished for no different type of roles than the one she played in this film. Later she sought comedy-drama parts which she portrayed in Jack O' Hearts (1926) and A Bowery Cinderella (1927).
She researched her own roles like the dance hall girl she played in The U.P. Trail (1924). Hulette consulted Social Life of the Pioneers for the Fox Film production, filmed over a period of two months in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. The book was published in the 1880s in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. She discovered that saloons in America's old west provided a softening influence, and the nucleus of community consciousness. This was due to the young women entertainers found there.
Late career
Hulette made her debut in sound films in Torch Singer (1933). Her final film appearances came in Her Resale Value (1933) and with uncredited roles in The Girl From Missouri and One Hour Late, both from 1934.Gladys Hulette died in Montebello, California
Montebello, California
Montebello is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the southwestern part of the San Gabriel Valley. It is located on of land just east of downtown Los Angeles. It is considered part of the Gateway Cities, and the city is a member of the Gateway Cities Council of...
in 1991, aged 95.
Selected filmography
- Be Your AgeBe Your AgeBe Your Age is a 1926 film starring Charley Chase and features Oliver Hardy in the cast.-Cast:* Charley Chase - Charley, the Bashful Clerk* Gladys Hulette - The Widow's Secretary* Lillian Leighton - Mrs. Schwartzkopple* Frank Brownlee - Mr. Blaylock...
(19261926 in film-Events:*August - Warner Brothers debuts the first Vitaphone film, Don Juan. The Vitaphone system used multiple 33⅓ rpm disc records developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric to play back audio synchronized with film....
) - The MysticThe MysticThe Mystic is a 1925 silent drama film directed by Tod Browning, who later directed MGM's Freaks . Aileen Pringle's gowns in the film were by already famous Romain de Tirtoff .-Plot:...
(19251925 in film-Events:*November 5: The Big Parade holds its Grand Premier*December 30: premier of Ben-Hur the most expensive silent film ever made costing 4-6 million dollars -Top grossing films :...
) - The Family SecretThe Family Secret (1924 film)The Family Secret is a 1924 silent film featuring child star Baby Peggy. It is based on Editha's Burglar, a story by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in 1881 by St. Nicholas Magazine and adapted for the stage by Augustus E...
(19241924 in film-Events:* Entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures to create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
) - The Iron HorseThe Iron Horse (film)The Iron Horse is a silent film directed by John Ford in 1924. It was produced by Fox Film. -Synopsis:The film presents an idealized image of the construction of the American first transcontinental railroad. It culminates with the scene of driving of the golden spike at Promontory Summit on May...
(1924) - Hoodman BlindHoodman BlindHoodman Blind is a 1923 drama film directed by John Ford. The film is considered to be lost. It is a remake of a 1913 film of the same name directed by James Gordon.-Cast:* David Butler - Jack Yeulette* Gladys Hulette - Nancy Yeulette / Jessie Walton...
(19231923 in film-Events:*April 15 - Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1923:U.S.A...
) - Enemies of WomenEnemies of WomenEnemies of Women is a 1923 silent romantic drama film directed by Alan Crosland and starring Lionel Barrymore, Alma Rubens, Gladys Hulette, Pedro de Cordoba, and Paul Panzer. The film was produced by William Randolph Hearst through his Cosmopolitan Productions...
(1923) - Tol'able DavidTol'able DavidTol'able David is a 1921 American silent film based on the Joseph Hergesheimer short story. It was adapted to the screen by Edmund Goulding and directed by Henry King for Inspiration Pictures....
(19211921 in film-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1921:U.S.A. unless stated*$10,000 Under a Pillow, silent film directed by Frank Moser*The Ace of Hearts, silent film directed by Wallace Worsley*Across the Divide, silent film directed by John Holloway...
) - The Active Life of Dolly of the DailiesThe Active Life of Dolly of the DailiesThe Active Life of Dolly of the Dailies is a 1914 drama film serial directed by Walter Edwin. The serial was considered to be lost in entirety, until a copy of the fifth episode was discovered in the New Zealand Film Archive in 2010.-Cast:...
(19141914 in filmThe year 1914 in film involved some significant events, including the debut of Cecil B. DeMille as a director.-Events:*The 3,300-seat Mark Strand Theatre opens in New York City....
) - Alice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice's Adventures in Wonderland (1910 film)Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a 10-minute black-and-white silent film made in the United States in 1910.Made by the Edison Manufacturing Company and directed by Edwin S. Porter, the film starred Gladys Hulette as Alice...
19101910 in filmThe year 1910 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The newsreel footage of the funeral of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom is shot in Kinemacolor, making it the first color newsreel.... - A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream (1909 film)A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1909 film directed by Charles Kent and starring Walter Ackerman and Charles Chapman. This is the first film version of the classic play by William Shakespeare.-Plot synopsis:...
(19091909 in filmThe year 1909 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Matsunosuke Onoe, who would become the first superstar of Japanese cinema, appears in his first film, Goban Tadanobu.*James Joyce opens the Volta, the first cinema in Dublin....
) - Princess Nicotine; or, The Smoke FairyPrincess Nicotine; or, The Smoke FairyPrincess Nicotine; or, The Smoke Fairy is a 1909 five minute silent film directed by J. Stuart Blackton.In the film, a smoker falls asleep and is visited by two fairies...
(1909)
