Joan Lowell
Encyclopedia
Helen Joan Lowell was a movie actress of the silent film
era from Berkeley, California
. Lowell published a sensational autobiography, Cradle of the Deep in 1929, which turned out to be a pure fabrication.
, in which she claimed that her sea captain father took her aboard his ship, the Minnie A. Caine, at the age of three months when she was suffering from malnutrition
. He nursed her back to health. She lived on the ship, with its all-male crew, until she was 17. She became skilled in the art of seamanship and once harpooned a whale by herself. Ultimately, the ship burned and sank off Australia, and Lowell swam three miles to safety, with a family of kittens clinging by their claws to her back. In fact, the book was a fabrication; Lowell had been on the ship, which remained safe in California, for only 15 months. The book was a sensational best seller until it was exposed as pure invention. The book was later parodied by Corey Ford in his book Salt Water Taffy in which Lowell abandons the sinking ship (which had previously sunk several times before "very badly") and swims to safely with her manuscript.
Lowell. Her father was the
son of a landowner from Montenegro
and a Turkish
woman.
Lowell feared that her father, Captain Nicholas Wagner (Preacher Nick), had died on December 24, 1924. Newspapers reported his ship, the Oceanic Vance, sank off the coast of Mexico. Two weeks overdue in Los Angeles, California, the schooner was sighted in January 1925, fifteen miles (24 km) northwest of San Diego, California. The Oceanic Vance had lost her convoy
, the schooner Westerner, on Christmas Eve, 1924.
in Cap'n Dan and in the Thompson Buchanan production of The Cub.
After completing a leading part in Branded a Thief (1924), about Mexican frontier life, Lowell was chosen as the "Queen of the Fourth of July" for 1924 in Tijuana, Mexico. She was selected by Senor De Los Rios, a noted bullfighter from Spain.
Her last screen role was in Adventure Girl (1934), a film directed by Herman C. Raymaker
and loosely based on her fictionalized autobiography. In 1935, Lowell sued Van Beuren Studios
and Amedee J. Van Beuren
for an accounting of the profits. Van Beuren promptly made a counter-claim for $300,000 damages allegedly sustained because of Lowell's "inexpert" performance in the picture.
.
She married playwright Thompson Buchanan on October 16, 1927. The couple resided on a 170 acre (0.6879662 km²) farm three miles (5 km) from New Hope, Pennsylvania
. They separated in October 1929. Lowell continued to live in the smaller of two old stone houses on the property. She named the home Joan's Ark. Lowell liked the country, her horses, and books, while Buchanan preferred city life.
Lowell became a newspaper reporter in Boston, Massachusetts in the
early 1930s. She was assaulted by booking agent Morris Levine. He was sentenced to fourteen months in the House of Correction in January 1932.
Lowell worked for WOR (AM)
radio station in New York City in 1934.
Joan Lowell married a sea captain, Leek Bowen, in 1936. He took her to the jungles of Brazil to carve out a coffee plantation. She chronicled their adventures in a book, Promised Land (1952).
Joan Lowell died in Brasilia, Brazil in 1967. Photo Joan Lowell in Brasilia, 1966.
http://www.svpvril.com/Joan_Lowell.jpg
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...
era from Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. Lowell published a sensational autobiography, Cradle of the Deep in 1929, which turned out to be a pure fabrication.
Childhood story
In 1929, Joan Lowell published an autobiography, Cradle of the Deep, published by Simon & SchusterSimon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
, in which she claimed that her sea captain father took her aboard his ship, the Minnie A. Caine, at the age of three months when she was suffering from malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
. He nursed her back to health. She lived on the ship, with its all-male crew, until she was 17. She became skilled in the art of seamanship and once harpooned a whale by herself. Ultimately, the ship burned and sank off Australia, and Lowell swam three miles to safety, with a family of kittens clinging by their claws to her back. In fact, the book was a fabrication; Lowell had been on the ship, which remained safe in California, for only 15 months. The book was a sensational best seller until it was exposed as pure invention. The book was later parodied by Corey Ford in his book Salt Water Taffy in which Lowell abandons the sinking ship (which had previously sunk several times before "very badly") and swims to safely with her manuscript.
Background
Lowell's mother was the daughter of a MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
Lowell. Her father was the
son of a landowner from Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
and a Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
woman.
Lowell feared that her father, Captain Nicholas Wagner (Preacher Nick), had died on December 24, 1924. Newspapers reported his ship, the Oceanic Vance, sank off the coast of Mexico. Two weeks overdue in Los Angeles, California, the schooner was sighted in January 1925, fifteen miles (24 km) northwest of San Diego, California. The Oceanic Vance had lost her convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
, the schooner Westerner, on Christmas Eve, 1924.
Movie actress
Lowell received her dramatic training from Gwendolen Logan Seiler, and became an extra at Goldwyn Studios at the age of 17. She played bit parts in motion pictures as an extra. One of her first efforts was the role of Madge Barlow in the movie Loving Lies (1924). She was featured with Monte BlueMonte Blue
Monte Blue was a movie actor who began his career as a romantic leading man in the silent film era, and later progressed to character roles....
in Cap'n Dan and in the Thompson Buchanan production of The Cub.
After completing a leading part in Branded a Thief (1924), about Mexican frontier life, Lowell was chosen as the "Queen of the Fourth of July" for 1924 in Tijuana, Mexico. She was selected by Senor De Los Rios, a noted bullfighter from Spain.
Her last screen role was in Adventure Girl (1934), a film directed by Herman C. Raymaker
Herman C. Raymaker
Herman C. Raymaker was an American film director and actor. He directed 51 films between 1917 and 1934. His last two films as director were Trailing the Killer and Adventure Girl ....
and loosely based on her fictionalized autobiography. In 1935, Lowell sued Van Beuren Studios
Van Beuren Studios
Van Beuren Studios was an American animation studio that produced theatrical cartoons from 1928 to 1936.Producer Amedee J. van Beuren first became involved in the animation industry in 1920, when he formed a partnership with Paul Terry and formed the "Aesop's Fables Studio" for the production of...
and Amedee J. Van Beuren
Amadee J. Van Beuren (producer)
Amedee J. Van Beuren was the producer of Frank Buck’s first three films, as well as many cartoons and short films.-Early years:...
for an accounting of the profits. Van Beuren promptly made a counter-claim for $300,000 damages allegedly sustained because of Lowell's "inexpert" performance in the picture.
Author and reporter
Lowell's book about growing up at sea, Cradle of the Deep, became a nonfiction bestseller in 1929, until it was exposed as a fabrication when neighbors of her parents were interviewed by the San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
.
She married playwright Thompson Buchanan on October 16, 1927. The couple resided on a 170 acre (0.6879662 km²) farm three miles (5 km) from New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, formerly known as Coryell's Ferry, is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 2,528 at the 2010 census. The borough lies on the west bank of the Delaware River at its confluence with Aquetong Creek. A two-lane bridge carries automobile and foot traffic across the...
. They separated in October 1929. Lowell continued to live in the smaller of two old stone houses on the property. She named the home Joan's Ark. Lowell liked the country, her horses, and books, while Buchanan preferred city life.
Lowell became a newspaper reporter in Boston, Massachusetts in the
early 1930s. She was assaulted by booking agent Morris Levine. He was sentenced to fourteen months in the House of Correction in January 1932.
Lowell worked for WOR (AM)
WOR (AM)
WOR is a class A , AM radio station located in New York, New York, U.S., operating on 710 kHz. The station has a talk format and has been owned by Buckley Broadcasting since 1987, after the station was sold by RKO. The station has conservative, or right-of-center hosts.Its call letters have no...
radio station in New York City in 1934.
Joan Lowell married a sea captain, Leek Bowen, in 1936. He took her to the jungles of Brazil to carve out a coffee plantation. She chronicled their adventures in a book, Promised Land (1952).
Joan Lowell died in Brasilia, Brazil in 1967. Photo Joan Lowell in Brasilia, 1966.
http://www.svpvril.com/Joan_Lowell.jpg
