Elsie Fox
Encyclopedia
Elsie Fox was an American minor screenwriter in the 1930s. She is the biological mother of novelist Paula Fox
.
to a sugarcane plantation owner, Fermin de Sola, and Spanish-born Candelaria de Carvajal. The marriage took place when the bride was 16 years old and arranged by her father, Vicente de Carvajal. Elsie was the only daughter and had four older brothers, Fermin, Leopold, Frank (also known as Panchito), and Vincent.
Fox was married to novelist/screenwriter Paul Hervey Fox, and they collaborated on numerous films. They were the biological parents of novelist Paula Fox and great-grandparents of musician Courtney Love
. By all accounts, both Elsie and Paul were alcoholics; their script for "The Last Train from Madrid" (1937) was reportedly so bad that Graham Greene
called it "the worst movie I ever saw." However, Elsie and Paul led an outwardly glamorous and excessive life, in the same vein as the Fitzgeralds (and in fact socialized with F. Scott
and Zelda
, among others), and were devoted passionately to their drinks, cigarettes and madcap outings. Elsie partied with her husband's cousin Douglas Fairbanks
, and was once thrown into a lake by Humphrey Bogart
because, according to her granddaughter, she "was quite awful... She was really mean."
When Paul and Elsie gave birth to daughter Paula in 1923, they were ill-equipped to raise a child, and gave the infant up for adoption. According to Paula, Elsie meant to abort Paula but didn't notice she was pregnant in time. After being passed among friends and relatives, Paula met her mother for the first time at age 5, whereupon Elsie snatched her away for a chaotically itinerant life roaming Manhattan, Florida, Cuba, New Hampshire, and Hollywood.
According to the Seattle Weekly
, Elsie was Courtney Love's "intellectual wild-child doppelgänger." Her granddaughter Linda Carroll
said, "They [Paul and Elsie] were wild ... I think what's fascinating is that Courtney has this showbiz life inside her that emerged with no knowledge that it was in her background."
According to Paula's 2001 memoir, Borrowed Finery, encounters with Elsie ranged from hysterical to brutal. During one visit, Elsie threw her full drink at Paula, who wrote, "For years I assumed responsibility for all that happened in my life, even for events over which I had not the slightest control... It was a hopeless wish that I would discover why my birth and my existence were so calamitous for my mother."
When Paula was grown, she and Elsie became so estranged that they did not see each other for nearly 40 years. Paula described their final visit before Elsie died, at age 92. The visit was so disastrous that when Elsie died months later, Paula "felt hollow, listless," and did not mourn her. Paula's daughter, Linda Carroll
, also visited Elsie shortly before her death, and claimed that Elsie "answered the door and said, 'Are you a Jehovah's Witness?' I said, 'No, actually I'm your granddaughter.' She was really remarkable, really fun. She was very estranged from my mother. She was very gracious, but she wasn't warm. She was very cold."
In the 1940s, Elsie was living in New York with Harmon Tupper (born February 7, 1907 in Easton, PA; died September 21, 1988 in Nantucket). Paula Fox mentions Harmon several times in her memoir, "Borrowed Finery." Elsie and Harmon were married (date unknown) and later lived in Nantucket. The Estate of Elsie DeSola Tupper left an unrestricted bequest to the Nantucket Atheneum.
Paula Fox
Paula Fox is an American author of novels for adults and children and two memoirs. Her novel The Slave Dancer received the Newbery Medal in 1974; and in 1978, she was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal. More recently, A Portrait of Ivan won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 2008.Her...
.
Life and career
Elsie was born Elsie de Sola in CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
to a sugarcane plantation owner, Fermin de Sola, and Spanish-born Candelaria de Carvajal. The marriage took place when the bride was 16 years old and arranged by her father, Vicente de Carvajal. Elsie was the only daughter and had four older brothers, Fermin, Leopold, Frank (also known as Panchito), and Vincent.
Fox was married to novelist/screenwriter Paul Hervey Fox, and they collaborated on numerous films. They were the biological parents of novelist Paula Fox and great-grandparents of musician Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
. By all accounts, both Elsie and Paul were alcoholics; their script for "The Last Train from Madrid" (1937) was reportedly so bad that Graham Greene
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
called it "the worst movie I ever saw." However, Elsie and Paul led an outwardly glamorous and excessive life, in the same vein as the Fitzgeralds (and in fact socialized with F. Scott
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
and Zelda
Zelda Fitzgerald
Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald , born Zelda Sayre in Montgomery, Alabama, was an American novelist and the wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. She was an icon of the 1920s—dubbed by her husband "the first American Flapper"...
, among others), and were devoted passionately to their drinks, cigarettes and madcap outings. Elsie partied with her husband's cousin Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
, and was once thrown into a lake by Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
because, according to her granddaughter, she "was quite awful... She was really mean."
When Paul and Elsie gave birth to daughter Paula in 1923, they were ill-equipped to raise a child, and gave the infant up for adoption. According to Paula, Elsie meant to abort Paula but didn't notice she was pregnant in time. After being passed among friends and relatives, Paula met her mother for the first time at age 5, whereupon Elsie snatched her away for a chaotically itinerant life roaming Manhattan, Florida, Cuba, New Hampshire, and Hollywood.
According to the Seattle Weekly
Seattle Weekly
Seattle Weekly is a freely distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as The Weekly...
, Elsie was Courtney Love's "intellectual wild-child doppelgänger." Her granddaughter Linda Carroll
Linda Carroll
Linda Carroll is an American author and the mother of Courtney Love.Carroll was adopted into an Italian Catholic family. She graduated from high school in 1961 and gave birth to Love in 1964. After finishing her bachelors degree in Oregon in the 1970s, she moved to New Zealand...
said, "They [Paul and Elsie] were wild ... I think what's fascinating is that Courtney has this showbiz life inside her that emerged with no knowledge that it was in her background."
According to Paula's 2001 memoir, Borrowed Finery, encounters with Elsie ranged from hysterical to brutal. During one visit, Elsie threw her full drink at Paula, who wrote, "For years I assumed responsibility for all that happened in my life, even for events over which I had not the slightest control... It was a hopeless wish that I would discover why my birth and my existence were so calamitous for my mother."
When Paula was grown, she and Elsie became so estranged that they did not see each other for nearly 40 years. Paula described their final visit before Elsie died, at age 92. The visit was so disastrous that when Elsie died months later, Paula "felt hollow, listless," and did not mourn her. Paula's daughter, Linda Carroll
Linda Carroll
Linda Carroll is an American author and the mother of Courtney Love.Carroll was adopted into an Italian Catholic family. She graduated from high school in 1961 and gave birth to Love in 1964. After finishing her bachelors degree in Oregon in the 1970s, she moved to New Zealand...
, also visited Elsie shortly before her death, and claimed that Elsie "answered the door and said, 'Are you a Jehovah's Witness?' I said, 'No, actually I'm your granddaughter.' She was really remarkable, really fun. She was very estranged from my mother. She was very gracious, but she wasn't warm. She was very cold."
In the 1940s, Elsie was living in New York with Harmon Tupper (born February 7, 1907 in Easton, PA; died September 21, 1988 in Nantucket). Paula Fox mentions Harmon several times in her memoir, "Borrowed Finery." Elsie and Harmon were married (date unknown) and later lived in Nantucket. The Estate of Elsie DeSola Tupper left an unrestricted bequest to the Nantucket Atheneum.
Further reading
- Seattle WeeklySeattle WeeklySeattle Weekly is a freely distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as The Weekly...
, Courtney's Family Curse: Kurt Cobain's wild widow comes from a long line of misbehaving mamas, March 22, 2006, by Tim Appelo - Borrowed Finery: A Memoir (Henry Holt) by Paula Fox, 2001s