Zelda Sears
Encyclopedia
Zelda Sears, née Paldi was an American actress, screenwriter, novelist and businesswoman.
. Her father, Justin Lewis Paldi, ran a farm more than twenty miles from the closest railroad station. By age 12, she worked for L.A. Sherman, a wealthy man in Brockway. He owned a general store where she became a salesgirl. Her father moved his family to Port Huron
.
She found employment for a time as check girl before advancing to cashier and general clerk. The job was obtained by capturing a $10 prize on the stock contained in the store. Winning gave her the privilege of working for $3 a week. Sears was eventually hired to contribute pieces to the town's newspaper by the managing editor. Dissatisfied that Port Huron was too small, she left after five years, aged seventeen. She journeyed first to Detroit and then ventured to Chicago.
for three and a half dollars weekly. Sears answered an ad for women to paint flowers on vases and boxes. Her grandfather, Andrew Paldi, was an Italian painter who painted mural
decorations in Detroit
. She secured employment in a crowded loft where twenty girls painted on celluloid
. She expended great effort and earned double the cost of her board.
who was performing in Chicago. She observed the famous actress and was lucky enough to obtain an interview on one occasion. This came about when she saved Bernhardt from tripping over a loose carpet on stage. Sears' father died around this time. He left his children a small sum in life insurance and a library amply furnished with volumes. Among the books were paperbacks of plays, which she read voraciously.
girl and in an opera chorus. Sears joined a class in a dramatic school. She journeyed to New York City
with a letter of introduction to a New York theatrical manager. Her initial opportunity in New York City
was obtained through A.L. Erlanger
. She joined a ballet and earned $20 a week while also learning toe dancing. Her first part was a very small one in a stock production of Sowing The Wind. She played comic roles on stage, learned shorthand, and even opened her own typewriting business. The impetus of her writing career occurred when her landlady went on vacation to the mountains and Sears managed her boarding house while she was away. She began to copy scientific articles for the noted surgeon, Dr. William Bull. Sears observed life in his sanitarium and turned what she saw into a fictional story, which she sold to a magazine. Readers became privy to the inner workings of the institution by reading Zelda's The Name Above The Door. Her income grew after several more short stories were accepted for publication.
Dissatisfaction led Sears to return to Chicago, where she joined the acting troupe of John Stapleton. Her first meaningful part came by way of Harry Parker, who was general manager for William A. Brady. Sears' stage career was further boosted by her acting in a production of Lovers Lane. Other plays in which she appeared were Women and Wine, Girls, The Blue Mouse, Love Among The Lions, The Girl He Couldn't Leave Behind Him, Keeping Up Appearances, The Nest Egg, Standing Pat, The Truth, The Show Shop, The Scarlet Woman, and Undertow.
in stage productions. Sears learned to write stage speeches and construct scenes. Over a period of eleven years she read more than one hundred plays. She embellished ten of these for production. As a writer she benefited greatly from her association with Clyde Fitch
. Earlier he had cast her in Lovers Lane. Sears wrote dialogue for theatrical shows like Lady Billy, Cornered, The Clinging Vine, and The Magic Ring. She came to Hollywood to be a scenarist for Cecil B. DeMille
and MGM in the early 1930s. She had a part in her final film scenario, A Wicked Woman (1934).
Youth
Sears was born near Brockway Township, St. Clair County, MichiganBrockway Township, Michigan
Brockway Township is a civil township of St. Clair County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 1,900.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , all land....
. Her father, Justin Lewis Paldi, ran a farm more than twenty miles from the closest railroad station. By age 12, she worked for L.A. Sherman, a wealthy man in Brockway. He owned a general store where she became a salesgirl. Her father moved his family to Port Huron
Port Huron
Port Huron is the name of a city and a township in St. Clair County, Michigan. See:* Port Huron, Michigan* Port Huron Township, MichiganSee also:* Port Huron Statement...
.
She found employment for a time as check girl before advancing to cashier and general clerk. The job was obtained by capturing a $10 prize on the stock contained in the store. Winning gave her the privilege of working for $3 a week. Sears was eventually hired to contribute pieces to the town's newspaper by the managing editor. Dissatisfied that Port Huron was too small, she left after five years, aged seventeen. She journeyed first to Detroit and then ventured to Chicago.
Painter
She roomed at the Chicago YWCAYWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
for three and a half dollars weekly. Sears answered an ad for women to paint flowers on vases and boxes. Her grandfather, Andrew Paldi, was an Italian painter who painted mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
decorations in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. She secured employment in a crowded loft where twenty girls painted on celluloid
Celluloid
Celluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from nitrocellulose and camphor, plus dyes and other agents. Generally regarded to be the first thermoplastic, it was first created as Parkesine in 1862 and as Xylonite in 1869, before being registered as Celluloid in 1870. Celluloid is...
. She expended great effort and earned double the cost of her board.
Newspaper writer
She continued painting flowers on vases but started to contribute her writings to a humor column of a Chicago newspaper. She submitted a story about her first bicycle ride. She made $8 a week as a full-time reporter. Sears became fascinated with Sarah BernhardtSarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
who was performing in Chicago. She observed the famous actress and was lucky enough to obtain an interview on one occasion. This came about when she saved Bernhardt from tripping over a loose carpet on stage. Sears' father died around this time. He left his children a small sum in life insurance and a library amply furnished with volumes. Among the books were paperbacks of plays, which she read voraciously.
Actress
She moved on, working successively as an extraExtra (actor)
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
girl and in an opera chorus. Sears joined a class in a dramatic school. She journeyed to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with a letter of introduction to a New York theatrical manager. Her initial opportunity in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
was obtained through A.L. Erlanger
A.L. Erlanger
Abraham Lincoln Erlanger was an American theatrical producer, director, designer, theatre owner, and a leading figure of the Theatrical Syndicate....
. She joined a ballet and earned $20 a week while also learning toe dancing. Her first part was a very small one in a stock production of Sowing The Wind. She played comic roles on stage, learned shorthand, and even opened her own typewriting business. The impetus of her writing career occurred when her landlady went on vacation to the mountains and Sears managed her boarding house while she was away. She began to copy scientific articles for the noted surgeon, Dr. William Bull. Sears observed life in his sanitarium and turned what she saw into a fictional story, which she sold to a magazine. Readers became privy to the inner workings of the institution by reading Zelda's The Name Above The Door. Her income grew after several more short stories were accepted for publication.
Dissatisfaction led Sears to return to Chicago, where she joined the acting troupe of John Stapleton. Her first meaningful part came by way of Harry Parker, who was general manager for William A. Brady. Sears' stage career was further boosted by her acting in a production of Lovers Lane. Other plays in which she appeared were Women and Wine, Girls, The Blue Mouse, Love Among The Lions, The Girl He Couldn't Leave Behind Him, Keeping Up Appearances, The Nest Egg, Standing Pat, The Truth, The Show Shop, The Scarlet Woman, and Undertow.
Writer
Playwrights began to trust her to add dialogue to her rolesin stage productions. Sears learned to write stage speeches and construct scenes. Over a period of eleven years she read more than one hundred plays. She embellished ten of these for production. As a writer she benefited greatly from her association with Clyde Fitch
Clyde Fitch
Clyde Fitch was an American dramatist.-Biography:Born William Clyde Fitch at Elmira, New York, he wrote over 60 plays, 36 of them original, which varied from social comedies and farces to melodrama and historical dramas.As the only child to live to adulthood, his father, Captain William G...
. Earlier he had cast her in Lovers Lane. Sears wrote dialogue for theatrical shows like Lady Billy, Cornered, The Clinging Vine, and The Magic Ring. She came to Hollywood to be a scenarist for Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
and MGM in the early 1930s. She had a part in her final film scenario, A Wicked Woman (1934).
Death
Sears died at her Hollywood home in 1935, aged 62 from undisclosed causes. She was survived by her second husband, Louis Wiswell, and a sister, Marie Paldi. She had taken her professional name from her first husband, Herbert E. Sears.External links
- Zelda Sears at IBDb.com
- Zelda Sears at IMDb.com
- Portrait of Zelda Sears, NY Public Library Billy Rose Collection