Marvel Rea
Encyclopedia
Marvel Rea was an American silent film actress best known for her work aside Ford Sterling
. She was one of Mack Sennett
's "Bathing Beauties".
and Louise Fazenda
. Rea played the character, The Screen Idol's Heroine. The movie was a humorous satire on the matinee idol
of
motion pictures. Sennett displayed the technique of illustrating a play within a play in this production.
Rea was in movies from 1917 through 1921. Among more than twenty-five screen credits are roles in A Clever Dummy
(1917), The Summer Girls (1918), East Lynne with Variations (1919), When Love Is Blind (1919), A Lightweight Lover (1920), The Simp (1920), and For Land's Sake (1920). Her death certificate lists her as an actress with the Fox Film Corporation up until 1932.
She later became engaged to Edwin J. Wilkinson in August 1936 right before her assault. They married on an unknown date and stayed married until her death.
on September 2, 1936. She was then assaulted by the three. As she screamed they threw her on the ground. Her body was scratched by broken bottles and she was left semiconscious. She recovered four hours later.
Rea had been attacked while walking at 107th Street and Compton Avenue in Los Angeles, California
. The youths offered to take her to her home at 159 East 107th Street. She refused. The three suspects were apprehended and questioned by Los Angeles Police Department
detectives after Rea was taken home to rest. Another account says that she "staggered" into the Compton, California
police station at dawn. She claimed the seizure and attack occurred around midnight. The three men were booked on suspicion of kidnaping and attack after denying the assault.
In January 1937 the three young truck drivers unsuccessfully requested a new trial on charges that they attacked Rea. They gave oral notice of appeal in Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Frank M. Smith's court. The three were sentenced to prison terms of from one to fifty years. In 1939 the three men were released from prison on technicalities regarding their trials.
Ford Sterling
Ford Sterling was an American comedian and actor best known for his work with Keystone Studios. One of the 'Big 4' he was the original chief of the Keystone Cops.-Biography:...
. She was one of Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"...
's "Bathing Beauties".
Early life
Rea's family moved from Nebraska to California in 1910. She entered silent films in 1918 joining the Keystone Film Company and becoming one of the Sennett Bathing Beauties. Her brother Thomas Rea would later enter film as well.Film comedian
Rea was in Her Screen Idol (1918) with Ford SterlingFord Sterling
Ford Sterling was an American comedian and actor best known for his work with Keystone Studios. One of the 'Big 4' he was the original chief of the Keystone Cops.-Biography:...
and Louise Fazenda
Louise Fazenda
Louise Fazenda was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films.-Early life:Of Portuguese ancestry, she was born in Lafayette, Indiana. Her father, Joseph Fazenda, was a merchandise broker. After moving west Louise attended Los Angeles High School and St. Mary's Convent...
. Rea played the character, The Screen Idol's Heroine. The movie was a humorous satire on the matinee idol
Matinee idol
Matinée idol is a term used mainly to describe film or theatre stars who are adored to the point of adulation by their fans.The term almost exclusively refers to male actors. Invariably the adulation was fixated on the actor's looks rather than performance...
of
motion pictures. Sennett displayed the technique of illustrating a play within a play in this production.
Rea was in movies from 1917 through 1921. Among more than twenty-five screen credits are roles in A Clever Dummy
A Clever Dummy
A Clever Dummy is a 1917 American film directed by Ferris Hartman, Robert P. Kerr, Herman C. Raymaker and Mack Sennett.-Cast:*Ben Turpin as A romantic janitor*Chester Conklin as A playful property man*Wallace Beery as A vaudeville manager...
(1917), The Summer Girls (1918), East Lynne with Variations (1919), When Love Is Blind (1919), A Lightweight Lover (1920), The Simp (1920), and For Land's Sake (1920). Her death certificate lists her as an actress with the Fox Film Corporation up until 1932.
Marriages
Rea was married to Henry Page Wells on October 25, 1918. They separated in November. About two weeks after their wedding Rea said that Page stood her on her head. The accusation was part of a divorce suit which Rea brought in August 1922. She accused her husband of spending most of his $800 per month salary on narcotics.She later became engaged to Edwin J. Wilkinson in August 1936 right before her assault. They married on an unknown date and stayed married until her death.
Attack victim
Three young men kidnapped Rea, threw her into a large red truck, and transported her to a eucalyptus grove at 120th Street and Compton Avenue, South Los AngelesSouth Los Angeles
South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...
on September 2, 1936. She was then assaulted by the three. As she screamed they threw her on the ground. Her body was scratched by broken bottles and she was left semiconscious. She recovered four hours later.
Rea had been attacked while walking at 107th Street and Compton Avenue 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...
. The youths offered to take her to her home at 159 East 107th Street. She refused. The three suspects were apprehended and questioned by Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
detectives after Rea was taken home to rest. Another account says that she "staggered" into the Compton, California
Compton, California
Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city of Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city to incorporate. The city is considered part of the South side by residents of Los...
police station at dawn. She claimed the seizure and attack occurred around midnight. The three men were booked on suspicion of kidnaping and attack after denying the assault.
In January 1937 the three young truck drivers unsuccessfully requested a new trial on charges that they attacked Rea. They gave oral notice of appeal in Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Frank M. Smith's court. The three were sentenced to prison terms of from one to fifty years. In 1939 the three men were released from prison on technicalities regarding their trials.