Kathleen Kirkham
Encyclopedia
Kathleen Kirkham was a silent film
actress from Menominee, Michigan
.
Her mother, Mrs. L.B. Kirkham, resided at 1135 Windsor Boulevard in Los Angeles, California
. She was a stage actress prior to marriage.
, it was one of the highly regarded films of 1915. In the drama Kirkham plays the part of Mrs Taine, The Age.
In July 1920 Kirkham vacationed at Balboa Beach, California and read books and stories as a prelude to selecting material for motion pictures to be produced by her own film company. It was then being organized.
Kirkham is in the cast of the screen version of The White Moth (1924). Written by Izola Forrester, the movie was produced by First National Pictures. Barbara LaMarr and Ben Lyon
are among the featured players in a melodrama that is set in both New York
and Paris, France.
Kirkham returned to movies in 1925 following a two year absence.
Her first effort was in the role of Beatrice Selignac in Sackcloth and Scarlet (1925), a film produced by Henry King
. She played the companion of Mary Brian
in A Regular Fellow (1925), a Paramount Pictures
comedy release.
, playwright, producer, and manager. When her family moved to Los Angeles she acted in plays in Burbank, California
. At the time it was a center of theatrical life. She was featured in productions like The Virginian and The Squaw Man, with actor Dustin Farnum
.
The Kangaroos, a play produced by Frank Egan
, debuted at the Little Theater (Helen Hayes Theatre
) on July 20, 1921. Neely Edwards starred with Kirkham, who was cast as a tall woman who was in love with a shrimp aviator, played by Edwards. Kirkham was in a one-act thriller, The Retake, which was staged at the California Theater in August 1921. The play entertained those who also came to see Betty Compson
in the film For Those We Love (1921). Kirkham's co-stars were Phil Ryder and Arthur Clare. In August 1925 Kirkham was in a production of Redemption at the Potboiler Art Theater in Los Angeles.
vaudeville
company for failure to pay $750 it owed her as an employee. Another $350 was requested for a motion picture wardrobe which she had purchased. Fox countered Kirkham's action by asserting that the actress had asked for, and was
granted, rescission from her contract, before performing the services specified by it. Kirkham was granted a full judgment against Fox, but the company asked for a rehearing in September 1924.
Kathleen Kirkham died in Santa Barbara, California
in 1961.
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 Menominee, Michigan
Menominee, Michigan
Menominee is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,131. It is the county seat of Menominee County. Menominee is the fourth-largest city in the Upper Peninsula, behind Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, and Escanaba...
.
Her mother, Mrs. L.B. Kirkham, resided at 1135 Windsor Boulevard in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. She was a stage actress prior to marriage.
Film actress
Kirkham was blonde and considered one of the best-dressed actresses. In most of her films she appears in fifteen to eighteen changes of clothing. Kirkham became widely known after the release of The Eyes of the World (1915). Based on a novel by Harold Bell WrightHarold Bell Wright
Harold Bell Wright was a best-selling American writer of fiction, essays, and non-fiction during the first half of the 20th century. Although mostly forgotten or ignored after the middle of the 20th century, he is said to have been the first American writer to sell a million copies of a novel and...
, it was one of the highly regarded films of 1915. In the drama Kirkham plays the part of Mrs Taine, The Age.
In July 1920 Kirkham vacationed at Balboa Beach, California and read books and stories as a prelude to selecting material for motion pictures to be produced by her own film company. It was then being organized.
Kirkham is in the cast of the screen version of The White Moth (1924). Written by Izola Forrester, the movie was produced by First National Pictures. Barbara LaMarr and Ben Lyon
Ben Lyon
Ben Lyon was an American film actor and a 20th Century Fox studio executive.-Life:Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Lyon entered films in 1918 after a successful appearance on Broadway opposite Jeanne Eagels. He attracted attention in the highly successful film Flaming Youth , and steadily developed into...
are among the featured players in a melodrama that is set in both New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Paris, France.
Kirkham returned to movies in 1925 following a two year absence.
Her first effort was in the role of Beatrice Selignac in Sackcloth and Scarlet (1925), a film produced by Henry King
Henry King (director)
Henry King was an American film director.Before coming to film, King worked as an actor in various repertoire theatres, and first started to take small film roles in 1912. He directed for the first time in 1915, and grew to become one of the most commercially successful Hollywood directors of the...
. She played the companion of Mary Brian
Mary Brian
Mary Brian was an American actress and movie star who made the transition from 'silents' to 'talkies'.-Early life:...
in A Regular Fellow (1925), a Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
comedy release.
Theater
Kirkham began her stage career at the age of nine in Menominee. She was the leading ladyLeading lady
Leading lady is an informal term for the actress who plays a secondary lead or supporting role, usually a love interest, to the leading actor in a film or play. It is not usually applied to the leading actress in the performance if her character is the protagonist.A leading lady can also be an...
, playwright, producer, and manager. When her family moved to Los Angeles she acted in plays in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
. At the time it was a center of theatrical life. She was featured in productions like The Virginian and The Squaw Man, with actor Dustin Farnum
Dustin Farnum
Dustin Lancy Farnum was an American singer, dancer and an actor in silent movies during the early days of motion pictures. After a great success in a number of stage roles, in 1914 he landed his first film role in the movie 'Soldiers of Fortune', and later in Cecil B. DeMille's The Squaw Man...
.
The Kangaroos, a play produced by Frank Egan
Frank Egan
Frank Egan was a rugby league player in Australian leading competition - the New South Wales Rugby League.Egan played with the Eastern Suburbs club in the 1923 season and is recognised as that clubs 139th player.-References:...
, debuted at the Little Theater (Helen Hayes Theatre
Helen Hayes Theatre
Helen Hayes Theatre with 597 seats is the smallest Broadway theatre and is located at 240 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan....
) on July 20, 1921. Neely Edwards starred with Kirkham, who was cast as a tall woman who was in love with a shrimp aviator, played by Edwards. Kirkham was in a one-act thriller, The Retake, which was staged at the California Theater in August 1921. The play entertained those who also came to see Betty Compson
Betty Compson
Betty Compson was an American actress. Born Eleanor Luicime Compson in Beaver, Utah, she had an extensive film career. Her father died when she was young, and she was forced to drop out of school and earn a living for herself and her mother...
in the film For Those We Love (1921). Kirkham's co-stars were Phil Ryder and Arthur Clare. In August 1925 Kirkham was in a production of Redemption at the Potboiler Art Theater in Los Angeles.
Legal action
In 1924 Kirkham sued the William FoxWilliam Fox (producer)
William Fox born Fried Vilmos was a pioneering Hungarian American motion picture executive who founded the Fox Film Corporation in 1915 and the Fox West Coast Theatres chain in the 1920s...
vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
company for failure to pay $750 it owed her as an employee. Another $350 was requested for a motion picture wardrobe which she had purchased. Fox countered Kirkham's action by asserting that the actress had asked for, and was
granted, rescission from her contract, before performing the services specified by it. Kirkham was granted a full judgment against Fox, but the company asked for a rehearing in September 1924.
Post Hollywood
In July 1934 Kirkham was working as a teller at Security-First National Bank in southern California.Kathleen Kirkham died in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
in 1961.