Interview with a Vampire!

1. What events in your early life made you get interested in the theater?

I have always loved the theater. Being dramatic is just a way of life for me. I went to Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati (“Theda Bara Biography“, 2004). There I made my mark as a member of the Dramatic Club, and as a literary staff member of The Gleam, the school paper (Genini, 1996). What can I say, most great artists are multi-talented after all!

I always had the instincts of an actress. The difficulty in my childhood ambition was to get an audience. When I was young, my brother arranged a lone performance for me in the barn of “Old Man Dyker” (Genini, 1996). I sang, I danced, and how happy was I to do this for myself. no star has ever enjoyed such complete domination as I did that day. It was the dawn of my career.


2. That’s adorable! What role did mentors play in helping you develop your interests and talents in acting?

I never really had a mentor as I began my interest in acting. I was born as a phenomenal actress. I loved anything to do with the theater, and I was simply infatuated by actresses (Golden, 1996). I must say that Walnut’s Dramatic Club did help me develop as an actress, but I had all the talent in the world just waiting to come charging out. Cincinnati was a very fertile ground for a young woman who wanted to be in the entertainment field, I will admit to that. It was the eighth largest city in the United States in 1990, and was the cultural center for the entire Ohio Valley (Genini, 1996).

By the time I was graduating from high school I knew I would have all the fame and glory my heart desired. My final words to my graduating class of 1903 were, “With heart and fancy all on fire, To climb the hill of fame,” (Golden, 1996). I was then off to attend the University of Cincinnati, majoring in theater (“Theda Bara Biography“, 2004). After two years still in Cincinnati, I was off to New York with my family (Genini, 1996). New York was filled with so much life, every corner lead to some new, appealing journey, whisking me on my way to stardom.


3. Ah, New York. Everybody loves the Big Apple! What was the world of entertainment like in the theater when you entered it?

In my earliest years, a new era of entertainment was born, film. The United States started to become aware of technical innovations from around the world (Trumbull, 2007). The turn of the century brought with it the Nickelodeon Theaters. There were more than 600 Nickelodeon Theaters in New York in 1908 (Mullins, 2000). Many people loved the Nickelodeons, for they were a very convenient way to be entertained. You’d walk down the street to your neighborhood square, pay a nickel, and be happy for half an hour or so (Encyclopedia, 2011).

Yiddish theater became popular in 1910, which was good for me and opened a couple doors (Hirsch, 1999). Yet, the era of film was here, and the theater was less appreciated day by day. I always said to myself that I would remain true to the theater. I would scorn a film career and have to be dragged kicking and screaming to my first job (Golden, 1996). Well as we all know, that was hardly the case.


4. That’s very interesting, a theater marine gone movie star? Desperate times call for desperate measures. How did cultural, economic, and political situations impact your work?

During my reign as queen of the silver screen, many things were happening in the world. War, disease, betrayal. During World War I while I was filming ‘The Forbidden Path,’ I received a telegram from the troops. They asked me to adopt the 158^th Infantry Regiment as their godmother (Avrech, 2008). The whole thing was profoundly touching, I do believe it to be the highlight of my career (Avrech, 2008). From there on out I was a very big supporter of the troops. I became one of the mot effective war bond sales people in the United States.

When the flu epidemic of 1918-19 hit, the motion picture business was hit hard. Film and stage shows closed, people wore cotton masks in the street. I, being an extremely patriotic individual, visited veterans in the hospital while the flu was still raging (Avrech, 2008). I never wore a mask. Those men gave so much for America, they deserved to have a chance to look at their idol’s face (Avrech, 2008).


5. Wow, that’s really big of you to do that for them. It shows a good sense of character. What were your major accomplishments and methods you used in your art?

My greatest accomplishment would have to be my dark and most recognized role in ‘A Fool There Was’ (Fact Monster, 2007). It was the first film I ever starred in. it forever marked me as Hollywood’s first ‘Vamp.’ I was the ruthless, dark, and evil temptress that every man desires (Dirks, 2009). Oh, how I teased and taunted. I had all hearts in the world wrapped around my finger.

I was a Charlatan, a register of human emotions (Genini, 1996). I was the most powerful symbol of seduction in a world in which romance is a food all hearts crave. I have no method, just pure, deep emotion. You cannot learn something such as that. It is a power you must be born with.


6. What were the key opportunities you had that led to turning points in your life and art?

At the top of the list, as far as my career goes, would have to be meeting Mr. Frank Powell. He was the man who discovered me and cast me as an extra in ‘The Stain,’ my first film (Marie, 1999). He convinced me to ride the horse of film and look back with no remorse. He and Mr. William Fox molded me into the vamp you all know and love dearly. If not for him, I most likely would have starved out of New York and lived the life of a commoner.
In my life, I have had no greater turning point then when I met my husband, Charles. He and I acquired a small, yet very elegant house in Beverly Hills(Golden, 1996). After we married and my career had come to an end, my former workaholic self came out of its shell. I began to enjoy life in a way that I found nearly impossible when employed at Fox. I took up golf, and enjoyed many country clubs and restaurants (Golden, 1996). It was a long shot from the Theda who would scurry home after work to read a book. I actually lived and enjoyed I never had before. For that I am eternally grateful for my husband.


7. That’s absolutely wonderful. What kinds of personal choices did you make to become successful?

That is a very good question. How does one go from a nice, quiet Jewish girl from Cincinnati to the heart stopping, mysterious Vamp? That, my dear is even a mystery I have not discovered myself. I did drastically change the way I looked. I began with dying my hair from blonde to black to achieve the look I prayed for as a child (Genini, 1996).

Also, I had an exhilarating time vamping up my wardrobe! I did change my name quite a few times, as well. I was born as Theodosia Goodman (Genini, 1996). I later then adopted Theodosia de Coppet as my dramatic stage name (“Theda Bara Biography“, 2004). I took ‘Coppet’ from my mother because I was so fond of her madden name (Genini, 1996). My final name transition was Theda Bara, and here we are.


8. And how much fun it has been! What hardships or roadblocks did you have to overcome on your rise to
fame?

My greatest roadblock would have to be the one I uncovered as a child. That was to get enough people to pay attention to me and my wondrous talent. I would give verse recitations and dramatic readings at public functions (Genini, 1996). My favorite skits to perform were those from ‘Dirty Faced Brat,’ and ‘Which Shall It Be?’ (Genini, 1996). Though I attempted many times to throw myself into the eyes of the public, I never was truly recognized for my talent.

During my time in New York, I yet again had a lot of trouble catching people’s attention. Did no one know of the talent I had? I looked for work in the theater for maybe three years or so before I was cast in a play. In the summer of 1908, I landed my first Broadway role in ‘The Devil’ (Golden, 1996). That whole experience did not last too long. So once again I was looking for work, and pushing 30. I felt as though all hope was lost, until one day I was given a golden opportunity-film.


9. So what kind of limitations did you run into as both a person and The Vamp?

I found it rather difficult to keep up with the demands of the silver screen. Most women film stars were young, skinny, and blonde (Genini, 1996). I was the dark haired, curvy, elderly woman that did not seem to fit the picture. I was very anti-social, as I have been my whole life, and I did not have many friends that were women (Golden, 1996).

I was such an extreme workaholic during my filming career (Golden, 1996). I was in forty-one films in just twelve short years (“Theda Bara Biography“ , 2004). At heart I just wanted to relax and read a book, but I never had time to do so. My life was moving so fast, and the demand for The Vamp never ceased. It was so very difficult to manage, but I still loved every moment of it.


10. Do you have any stories that best illustrate how you became successful?

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The one thing that I must give credit to my success was publicity. Everyone wanted to know the real Theda Bara. Who is this mystery woman? Where on earth did such a gem come from? So Fox, Powell, and I created such an extreme story that only the infamous Theda Bara could pull off. It was released to the press that “Theda Bara” was an anagram for “Arab Death” (IMDb, 2010).

Oh, how excited was I to create this new persona! Soon, stories of me being the daughter of a talented artist and an Arabian princess began to emerge (IMDb, 2010). I, not wanting to ruin all of the fun, graciously went along with it. So many were intrigued by me. By this beautiful temptress, born to rule the world of men, conceived on a beautiful Arabian night. I never once openly denied my Arabian heritage. A woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets, and my lips are forever sealed!




Bibliography

Genini, Ronald. Theda Bara: A Biography of the Slient Screen Vamp, with a Filmography Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1996. Print.

Golden, Eve. Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara. Vestal, New York: Emprise Publishing, Inc., 1996. Print

Avrech, Robert J. Seraphic Press: Theda Bara. http://www.seraphicpress.com/archives/2008/theda_bara_adop.php. 2008. Print.

Britannica, . Nickelodeon. http://m.eb.com/redirect?type=topic&id414336. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2011. Print.


Dirks, Tim. A Fool There Was (1915). http://www.filmsite.org/sexinfilms1.html. American Movie Classics Company, LLC, 2009. Print.

Fact, Monster. Theda Bara. http://factmonster.com/ipka/A0880258.html. Pearson Education, Inc., 2007. Print.

Hirsh, David. Modern Theater. http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspex/Operetta. 1999. Print

Marie, Dawn. Theda Bara. http://www.bombshells.com/gallery/bara/theda_bio.php. bombshells.com, 1999. Print.

Mullins, Patrick. Film History. http://www.jstor.org/pss/3815273. 1. 12. Maloysia: John Libbey & Company, 2000. Print.