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美国国家公共电台 NPR How Movie Darling Mary Pickford Became The Most Powerful Woman In Hollywood

时间:2018-03-05 01:44:27

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RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

On Sunday, Hollywood will celebrate itself at the Academy Awards even as sexual harassment1 in the industry continues to make headlines. A hundred years ago, one of the most powerful stars in Hollywood was a woman. She would go on to become a producer, a studio head and a founder2 of the motion picture academy. NPR special correspondent Susan Stamberg has the story of Mary Pickford.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SUSAN STAMBERG, BYLINE3: She was the darling of the silent screen - no talk, just title cards flashing fragments of dialogue and goopy live musical accompaniment like this. In her 20s, she got famous playing 14-year-olds. Her characters were always sweet, virginal girls, usually waifs.

SCOTT EYMAN: Eternally feminine, but wouldn't allow herself pushed to be around by anybody.

STAMBERG: Scott Eyman wrote "Mary Pickford: From Here To Hollywood."

CARI BEAUCHAMP: A girl with spunk4, a girl with backbone5.

STAMBERG: Cari Beauchamp, a resident scholar of the Pickford Foundation, describes Mary's roles.

BEAUCHAMP: She can be poorer than dirt and literally6 be covered in dirt, and yet she stands up for what's right. She stands up for her community. And she has a sense of self.

STAMBERG: America's sweetheart, they called her in her heyday7 in 1912-25 when she was the biggest star in the world - blondie locks with golden curls, sausagelike, down to her shoulders.

DOE MAYER: You know, her curls weren't real.

STAMBERG: Well, not all of them. Doe Mayer is Mary Pickford professor of film and television at USC.

MAYER: They bought hair from, ostensibly, prostitutes and built hairpieces for her ringlets.

STAMBERG: Pickford auctioned8 off one of her curls for the World War I effort. It went for $15,000. Eventually, tired of playing little girls, she cut the curls off.

EYMAN: You would've thought she'd murdered the American eagle.

STAMBERG: That's how much fans all over the world adored Pickford's little-girl image. They needed that image of sweetness and innocence9. And at just 5 feet tall, she portrayed10 it so convincingly without speaking a single word that audiences could hear. In fact, when movies began to talk in 1927, Doe Mayer says Mary disapproved11.

MAYER: She thought that sound was a terrible idea, that movies were an art in the silent form. And she said it was like putting lipstick12 on the Venus de Milo.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "COQUETTE")

MARY PICKFORD: (As Norma Besant) Well, I told you, I told you he made love to me.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Yes, and he was gentle and tender.

PICKFORD: (As Norma Besant) No, no, no.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Are you sure?

PICKFORD: (As Norma Besant) No.

STAMBERG: Her first talkie was "Coquette," 1929 - no curls, an unsuitable suitor, a murder, a new Mary and the Oscar. Four years later, she gave up acting13 but continued as a major force in the industry.

Look at the ceiling in here - just soaring.

A theater in downtown LA is a marvel14 thanks to Mary. In 1919, she and three other big movie pioneers - Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks - she married him the next year - and director D.W. Griffith - founded United Artists to make and distribute their own films and rake in the profits. They built a big office building on LA's Broadway. Today, it's the Ace15 Hotel. The adjacent theater - ornate Spanish Gothic with sculptures and lobby fountains and murals - was for showing their films.

MAYER: This is nice decoration, too, with...

STAMBERG: Mary supervised every inch. I mean, the toilets in the ladies' room are pink. It was a movie palace.

MAYER: And they called the actors the kings and queens of the industry.

STAMBERG: Before United Artists, Queen Mary had launched her own royal playground, the Pickford-Fairbanks Studio. She hired directors, writers, cast and crew, OK'd the scripts. She would be the envy of every one of today's industry women. How did she get that power a century ago? It started with her popularity as a star.

EYMAN: She leveraged16 her box office in a way that most actors didn't. She saw herself as a franchise17, and she demanded more, and more and more.

BEAUCHAMP: Remember, this is a woman who in 1909 is making $10 a day. And in 1919, she's making $250,000 a film.

STAMBERG: Again, Cari Beauchamp.

BEAUCHAMP: Ten years - poof. But she didn't just accept being a star. She took that power and became a producer, became a company owner, and became an owner of the theaters themselves and of a studio lot.

STAMBERG: No casting couch for Pickford - she owned the couch.

BEAUCHAMP: You didn't mess with Mary. I mean, you can call her America's sweetheart or the little girl with the curls, but boy, you didn't mess with Mary.

STAMBERG: But by many accounts, she used her power with savvy18 grace. Say she clashed with her director.

BEAUCHAMP: She would never criticize a director on the set. But still, you can imagine - 1924, the man taking direction from his star. But she was very cognizant of this, and that's why she - whenever she criticized someone, it was in private.

STAMBERG: Grace, power and the heart of an angel. On every set, she hung up a bucket and asked everybody working that day to put some money in the bucket for industry people who had no work. She organized the Motion Picture Relief Fund. Her foundation supports film preservation19 and many charities - amazing, given her background. Born Gladys Louise Smith in Toronto, there was no money. Her absentee father was alcoholic20. She had to start working in theater when she was 6.

EYMAN: She was just very attuned21 to human misery22, and I suspect because she'd grown up in human misery. And she didn't forget it.

BEAUCHAMP: But it wasn't just the poverty. It was that innate23 sense of empathy with other people.

STAMBERG: So what do you think she would make of today's women, the issues that women in the industry are raising? How would she look at all this?

EYMAN: I suspect she'd think they were silly.

STAMBERG: Biographer Scott Eyman.

EYMAN: I suspect she'd ask them, why do you need each other? Why can't you stand on your own two feet? I didn't need anybody else when I founded United Artists. I thought it was the right thing to do, and because it would give me more control over my life and my career, and incidentally, make more money. Why do you need protective umbrella of each other? Why can't you stand on your own two feet?

BEAUCHAMP: Oh, see, I so disagree with that.

STAMBERG: Pickford Foundation historian Cari Beauchamp.

BEAUCHAMP: I think Mary would be thrilled. In the early days of Hollywood, women were critical mass. Remember, up till 1929, half of all films are written by women. There was a very lively, committed group of women who took care of each other professionally, but also personally. And that, in so many ways - it's what's happening today.

STAMBERG: Mary Pickford put her success to work for her own benefit and the benefit of others. So much has changed, but today's stars and other women in the film industry might use Pickford as a playbook. In movie land, I'm Susan Stamberg, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 harassment weNxI     
n.骚扰,扰乱,烦恼,烦乱
参考例句:
  • She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
  • The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。
2 Founder wigxF     
n.创始者,缔造者
参考例句:
  • He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
  • According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说,罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。
3 byline sSXyQ     
n.署名;v.署名
参考例句:
  • His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
  • We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。
4 spunk YGozt     
n.勇气,胆量
参考例句:
  • After his death,the soldier was cited for spunk.那位士兵死后因作战勇敢而受到表彰。
  • I admired her independence and her spunk.我敬佩她的独立精神和勇气。
5 backbone ty0z9B     
n.脊骨,脊柱,骨干;刚毅,骨气
参考例句:
  • The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
  • The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。
6 literally 28Wzv     
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实
参考例句:
  • He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
  • Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候,她不走到真正要昏厥了,决不肯坐下来。
7 heyday CdTxI     
n.全盛时期,青春期
参考例句:
  • The 19th century was the heyday of steam railways.19世纪是蒸汽机车鼎盛的时代。
  • She was a great singer in her heyday.她在自己的黄金时代是个了不起的歌唱家。
8 auctioned 1a9ab53832945db108ff2919e21fccc6     
v.拍卖( auction的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • It was sad to see all grandmother's lovely things being auctioned off. 眼看着祖母那些可爱的东西全都被拍卖掉,心里真不好受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 innocence ZbizC     
n.无罪;天真;无害
参考例句:
  • There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
  • The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。
10 portrayed a75f5b1487928c9f7f165b2773c13036     
v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 );描述;描绘;描画
参考例句:
  • Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中,他始终把自己说成是受害者。
  • The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
11 disapproved 3ee9b7bf3f16130a59cb22aafdea92d0     
v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • My parents disapproved of my marriage. 我父母不赞成我的婚事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing. 她不赞成儿子不加选择地收看电视。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 lipstick o0zxg     
n.口红,唇膏
参考例句:
  • Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红,开始往嘴唇上抹。
  • Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。
13 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
14 marvel b2xyG     
vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异;n.令人惊异的事
参考例句:
  • The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
  • The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。
15 ace IzHzsp     
n.A牌;发球得分;佼佼者;adj.杰出的
参考例句:
  • A good negotiator always has more than one ace in the hole.谈判高手总有数张王牌在手。
  • He is an ace mechanic.He can repair any cars.他是一流的机械师,什么车都会修。
16 leveraged 4be9cca5c3e3ca3895aa6ea20348747d     
促使…改变( leverage的过去式和过去分词 ); [美国英语]杠杆式投机,(使)举债经营,(使)利用贷款进行投机
参考例句:
  • Chrysler has traditionally been a highly leveraged company. 克莱斯勒一向是一家周转十分灵活的公司。
  • Leveraged recaps have become popular for a number of reasons. 杠杆资本重组的大行其道有好几个原因。
17 franchise BQnzu     
n.特许,特权,专营权,特许权
参考例句:
  • Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
  • The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。
18 savvy 3CkzV     
v.知道,了解;n.理解能力,机智,悟性;adj.有见识的,懂实际知识的,通情达理的
参考例句:
  • She was a pretty savvy woman.她是个见过世面的漂亮女人。
  • Where's your savvy?你的常识到哪里去了?
19 preservation glnzYU     
n.保护,维护,保存,保留,保持
参考例句:
  • The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
  • The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。
20 alcoholic rx7zC     
adj.(含)酒精的,由酒精引起的;n.酗酒者
参考例句:
  • The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
  • Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。
21 attuned df5baec049ff6681d7b8a37af0aa8e12     
v.使协调( attune的过去式和过去分词 );调音
参考例句:
  • She wasn't yet attuned to her baby's needs. 她还没有熟悉她宝宝的需要。
  • Women attuned to sensitive men found Vincent Lord attractive. 偏爱敏感男子的女人,觉得文森特·洛德具有魅力。 来自辞典例句
22 misery G10yi     
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦
参考例句:
  • Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
  • He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。
23 innate xbxzC     
adj.天生的,固有的,天赋的
参考例句:
  • You obviously have an innate talent for music.你显然有天生的音乐才能。
  • Correct ideas are not innate in the mind.人的正确思想不是自己头脑中固有的。

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