Dorothy Cumming
Encyclopedia
Dorothy G. Cumming was an actress of the silent film era
. She appeared in 39 American, English, and Australian films between 1915
and 1929
, notably appearing as the Virgin Mary in Cecil B. DeMille's 1927 film The King of Kings and the jealous wife in Lillian Gish
's 1928 The Wind
. She also appeared in stage productions in those same countries. After her film career ended, she became a designer of wallpaper
s in association with her sister Rose Cumming.
. Her 1932 wedding announcement in the New York Times states that her family was from Morrengullen Estates in New South Wales
. Though her Hollywood biography gives her birth year as 1899, a ship's manifest gives Cumming's age as 26 years and 7 months, which would mean she was born four years earlier, in 1895. The 7 months also puts her birth month at odds, since it indicates that she was born in July, rather than April.
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...
. She appeared in 39 American, English, and Australian films between 1915
1915 in film
The year 1915 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 8 : D.W Griffith's The Birth of a Nation premieres at Clune's Auditorium Los Angeles and breaks box office and film length records, running at a total length of 3 hrs 10 minutes.* June 18 : The Motion Picture Directors...
and 1929
1929 in film
-Events:The days of the silent film are numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound is on.*January 20 - The movie In Old Arizona is released. The film is the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors....
, notably appearing as the Virgin Mary in Cecil B. DeMille's 1927 film The King of Kings and the jealous wife in Lillian Gish
Lillian Gish
Lillian Diana Gish was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987....
's 1928 The Wind
The Wind
The Wind is a 1928 American dramatic silent film directed by Victor Sjöström. The movie was adapted by Frances Marion from the novel The Wind written by Dorothy Scarborough. It features Lillian Gish, Lars Hanson, Montagu Love, Dorothy Cumming, and others...
. She also appeared in stage productions in those same countries. After her film career ended, she became a designer of wallpaper
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is a kind of material used to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes, offices, and other buildings; it is one aspect of interior decoration. It is usually sold in rolls and is put onto a wall using wallpaper paste...
s in association with her sister Rose Cumming.
Birth
She was born in New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. Her 1932 wedding announcement in the New York Times states that her family was from Morrengullen Estates in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. Though her Hollywood biography gives her birth year as 1899, a ship's manifest gives Cumming's age as 26 years and 7 months, which would mean she was born four years earlier, in 1895. The 7 months also puts her birth month at odds, since it indicates that she was born in July, rather than April.
Family
The youngest daughter of Victor Cumming, a sheep rancher, and his wife, the former Sarah T. Fennell, she had two full siblings: Rose Cumming, who became a prominent American interior decorator, and Eileen Cumming, an advertising executive who married rheumatologist Dr. Russell LaFayette Cecil. She also had several half-siblings from her mother's first marriage.Marriages
Dorothy Cumming was married twice. Her husbands were:- Frank Elliott Dakin (married 4 April 1922, separated 1925, divorced 9 December 1927), a stage director known professionally as Frank Elliott. They had two sons, each of whom took his mother's maiden name after their parents' divorce: Anthony Cumming and Lt. Greville C. E. Cumming (1921–1942).
- Allan McNab (born 1901), married 2 August 1932. He was a British artist and designer who became the art director of LifeLife (magazine)Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, worked as design director for Norman Bel GeddesNorman Bel GeddesNorman Melancton Bel Geddes was an American theatrical and industrial designer who focused on aerodynamics....
, and became the director of administration of the Art Institute of ChicagoArt Institute of ChicagoThe School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
.
Selected filmography
- Snow WhiteSnow White (1916 film)Snow White is a 1916 American silent film made by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation and produced by Adolph Zukor and Daniel Frohman. It was directed by J...
(19161916 in filmThe year 1916 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 17 - release of A Daughter of the Gods, the first US production with a million dollar budget, with the first nude scene by a major star....
) - Don't Tell EverythingDon't Tell EverythingDon't Tell Everything is a 1921 silent drama film directed by Sam Wood and starring Gloria Swanson. Wood apparently used much cutting room floor footage from Cecil DeMille's The Affairs of Anatol. This film is lost.-Cast:* Wallace Reid - Cullen Dale...
(1921) - The Man from HomeThe Man from Home (1922 film)The Man From Home is a 1922 UK drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice. The story had been filmed before in 1914 by Cecil B. DeMille as The Man from Home. Alfred Hitchcock was credited as a title designer on the 1922 production. The film is now considered a lost film.-Cast:* James Kirkwood -...
(1922) - ManslaughterManslaughter (1922 film)Manslaughter is a 1922 silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Thomas Meighan, Leatrice Joy and Lois Wilson.-Plot summary:...
(19221922 in film-Events:* June 11 - United States première of Robert J. Flaherty's Nanook of the North, the first commercially successful feature length documentary film....
) - A Kiss for CinderellaA Kiss for Cinderella (film)A Kiss for Cinderella is a silent fantasy taken from the stage play by James M. Barrie. The film stars Betty Bronson and Tom Moore and was made at Paramount's Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens...
(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 King of Kings (19271927 in film-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
) - Our Dancing DaughtersOur Dancing DaughtersOur Dancing Daughters is a 1928 MGM silent drama film starring Joan Crawford and John Mack Brown , about the "loosening of youth morals" that took place during the 1920s. The film was directed by Harry Beaumont and produced by Hunt Stromberg...
(1928) - The WindThe WindThe Wind is a 1928 American dramatic silent film directed by Victor Sjöström. The movie was adapted by Frances Marion from the novel The Wind written by Dorothy Scarborough. It features Lillian Gish, Lars Hanson, Montagu Love, Dorothy Cumming, and others...
(19281928 in film-Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first "100% Talkie" feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film...
) - KittyKitty (1929 film)Kitty is a 1929 British drama film directed by Victor Saville and starring Estelle Brody and John Stuart. The film was adapted from the 1927 novel of the same name by Warwick Deeping and marked the third co-star billing of Brody and Stuart, who had previously proved a very popular screen pairing...
(19291929 in film-Events:The days of the silent film are numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound is on.*January 20 - The movie In Old Arizona is released. The film is the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors....
)