Friday, June 27, 2008

My Original Alice Calhoun Article

We’re planning on attending the Charleston, SC games the weekend of September 15th. The Colquhoun tent at this festival is very aptly manned by Steve and Mary Hudson. We are also hoping to meet Susann Disbro Gilbert who is working on a biography about her relative who was a Silent Film star named…
Alice Calhoun.
Postcard 1922
Alice started her film career in 1919 (possibly as early as 1918 in a role not credited) and made her last film in 1934. Susann writes:
“Alice Beatrice Calhoun (nicknamed "ABC") was born on November 24, 1900 in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Florence F. Payne and Joseph Chester Calhoun. She had one brother, Joseph Jr., who was not only a practicing attorney in Cleveland, but also a Danish and Norwegian consul.”
We’ve searched the “Glendex” (the index written by Glen Ethier and eight volunteers of the 4 volumes of Orval Calhoun’s Our Calhoun Family) and haven’t found an exact match for Alice’s ancestry there yet. If anyone recognizes Alice’s parents names, please let us know.
Original pictures acquired off of E Bay.
Alice was regarded among her peers as a professional. She was able to portray a personality over the Silent Screen that exuded a charm that warmed her audience to her. Letters sent to her active fan club were always personally answered. In the 49 films she made, Alice often played strong, successful characters. Some of the other professionals our members may recognize that Alice worked with are Oliver Hardy (“in two rare dramatic roles in Little Wildcat and One Stolen Night”), Rin Tin Tin, and the great character actor Alan Hale, Sr. who looks very similar to his son who played the Skipper on Gilligan’s Island. Alice had a savvy indication of how the city of Los Angeles would grow and built a movie theatre in 1925. Her Star is on Hollywood’s Walk Of Fame and a plaque is outside the Alice Calhoun Chotiner Wing of the Los Angeles City of Hope biomedical research, treatment and educational institution that her husband financed in her honor. Alice died June 3, 1966 and rests at the Little Garden of Faithfulness at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Thanks to Susann Disbro Gilbert for this information and photos. Her website is:

http://www.alicecalhoun.net/welcome.html

2 comments:

Beach Lassie said...

Hello!
Glad I found this site, as I would love to attend the Games and will do so this year.
Is anyone planning to attend the Celtic Festival in Goderich, Canada in August?

I have my plans made, and wondered if anyone locally is going to meet up with to share common interests.

My family history involves Kirkpatricks, which I understand is a sub-clan of the Colquhoun branch. This family branch originated from the borders area of Scotland and I don't know but a little. Wish I knew more!
Warm Wishes from AnneMarie Summerville, SC

Anonymous said...

Hello to all! I am tracing my family tree (seems there are a lot of us amateur "genealogists" nowadays. I am trying to find information about an Alice Calhoun who was born around 1705 in Ireland. I would like to be able to verify that she is connected to the Scottish man, Robert Colquhoun, who immigrated to Donegal from Dumbartonshire, Scotland. His son, William, and his grandson, also a William, remained in Ireland, but the unverified information that I have is that the second William had a daughter, Alice, who immigrated to Virginia, where she died in 1753. I believe she married Robert Armstrong who was born in Ireland and later immigrated to Abbeyville, South Carolina. I know this is a long shot posing this query here, but I'm really stuck!
Barbara