tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980451224965693513.post4456610614558916580..comments2024-03-12T08:14:06.224+00:00Comments on Kent Today & Yesterday: Kitty Gordon - Kent's Colourful Silent Movie StarLights 2 Flaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383019714425986128noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980451224965693513.post-50345627915136967602016-11-11T21:18:34.702+00:002016-11-11T21:18:34.702+00:00Further to previous discrepancy about Kitty's ...Further to previous discrepancy about Kitty's daughter, Vera, I have since found another entry noting that Vera was Michael Levenston's daughter?! It's all getting very confusing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980451224965693513.post-81214947195732285012016-11-11T21:02:29.261+00:002016-11-11T21:02:29.261+00:00Having inherited a box of vintage postcards I am r...Having inherited a box of vintage postcards I am researching the various personalities. I have one signed postcard of Kitty Gordon. During my research I have come across a slight discrepancy with your information regarding her daughter, Vera. According to other sources, Vera was the daughter of Kitty and her first husband, Maxwell James, and that she became Cynthia Vera Beresford (Actress) when Kitty married Captain Henry Beresford.<br />Obviously lots of information gets confused over the years but thank you for your input for my search.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980451224965693513.post-7333470745634077212013-12-29T04:40:48.945+00:002013-12-29T04:40:48.945+00:00Thank you for this very informative article on Kit...Thank you for this very informative article on Kitty Gordon. One bit of mistaken information involves Kitty’s second husband. He was Captain Henry Beresford born Apr 22, 1876, died Jan 28, 1924. His full name is Henry William Walter Horsley Beresford, the fourth son of the third Lord Decies. He was a military man who fought in both the Boer War and World War One. He was not the actor Harry Beresford. His obituary is in The Times, Jan 29, 1924. He was married to Kitty Gordon.<br /><br />Michael Levenston (descendent of Kitty Gordon’s first husband, Michael Levenston)mikelevhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08785634057615657647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980451224965693513.post-33679178985049764142012-01-26T16:11:38.420+00:002012-01-26T16:11:38.420+00:00How fascinating. I am currently doing a lot of rea...How fascinating. I am currently doing a lot of reading about George Arliss and thought you may be able to help me with an enquiry. Most studies of his life refer to only two autobiographies ('Up The Years From Bloomsbury' and 'My Ten Years In The Studio') - but many booksellers also mention 'On The Stage' and 'George Arliss, By Himself'). I was wondering whether you could tell me whether all four are genuine autobiographies by George, as I thought one of two might be red herrings.<br />Many thanks<br />Jeremy Isaac Jezza5@yahoo.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980451224965693513.post-77266217098782336382011-02-08T01:20:26.278+00:002011-02-08T01:20:26.278+00:00Reading about Kitty Gordon's long and adventur...Reading about Kitty Gordon's long and adventurous life - what a gal - reminds me of another Kent-connected movie star, George Arliss (given name, Augustus George Andrews). Although born in Bloomsbury, London in 1868 he had a life-long love of the Kent coast and built his family home 'Crossways' overlooking the Dover Straights in St Margaret's at Cliffe, which he visited whenever in the UK (he writes about this in volume 2 of his memoirs, 'George Arliss, By Himself'). Unfortunately, his Kent home was demolished by German shellfire in 1942 but rebuilt to the original plans by his nephew and legatee, my great uncle George Arliss Andrews (the distaff side). George Arliss (Gus, as he was known) made a successful late career transition to the talkies with Warner Brothers and would certainly have known Kitty Gordon socially as he made his career principally in the USA keeping an apartment in 5th Avenue, New York City. He toured theatres across America, initially with Mrs Patrick Campbell and subsequently with his own acting troupes between 1900 and 1936, doing the occasional London season as well. He played the Rajah in 'The Green Goddess' at St James's Theatre in the 1920s; Disraeli in the film and play of that name, making some twenty movies altogether and receiving an Oscar in 1929 as best actor - the first Englishman to do so (Chaplin received his Oscar for directing). The Andrews family had strong connections with Kent throughout the C20th, both at Deal and St Margaret's, and I think George Arliss would thoroughly approve of being included in your pantheon of Kentish people.Andrew Hallhttp://andrewatrookerypark.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980451224965693513.post-55267739338559463242010-07-30T22:58:45.272+01:002010-07-30T22:58:45.272+01:00Glen, I am sure I read somewhere that Kitty Gordon...Glen, I am sure I read somewhere that Kitty Gordon and the gun incident was the inspiration for the musical Chicago - <br />great post, I love reading stuff like this, thank you for doing the research and creating the postAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980451224965693513.post-37898237908504760502010-03-10T23:34:39.917+00:002010-03-10T23:34:39.917+00:00Hi Hels and many thanks for leaving a comment.
I...Hi Hels and many thanks for leaving a comment. <br /><br />I would say (in my opinion) at the time that Kitty was on stage nobody really "acted" apart from those playing in Shakespeare plays and such like.<br /><br />Kitty was in the music hall, vaudeville, light opera vein. The films she played in were mainly melodramas and as they were silent films the "acting" would have to be exaggerated to make up for the lack of sound.<br /><br />Kitty's father was in the military and I can imagine he would have run a disciplinarian household which may explain the attraction of a life on the stage!<br /><br />GlenGlen / Kent Today and Yesterdayhttp://kenttodayandyesterday.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2980451224965693513.post-24287873474087158782010-03-07T04:06:19.223+00:002010-03-07T04:06:19.223+00:00Super stuff :)
I never know if calling a woman an...Super stuff :)<br /><br />I never know if calling a woman an "actress" in the 1890s was tantamount to calling her a call girl. Could Kitty Gordon act? Did it matter?<br /><br />I am glad she was said to have the most beautiful back in the world and that she was the most magnificently gowned woman on the screen. Those two factors would help get her out of her very ordinary life in Folkestone.Helshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.com