German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 4964/2, 1929-1930. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Dorothy Jordan and Ramon Novarro in In Gay Madrid (Robert Z. Leonard, 1930).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 5100/1, 1930-1931. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Ramon Novarro and Dorothy Jordan in Devil-May-Care (Sidney Franklin, 1929).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 5621/2, 1930-1931. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 5784/2, 1930-1931. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 5925/1, 1930-1931. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 7247/1, 1932-1933. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Her debut as Mary Pickford's sister
Dorothy Hendricks Jordan was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, in 1906. Jordan studied at what is now Rhodes College and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
She performed in Broadway musicals, including 'Garrick Gaieties', a revue with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart. It was the first successful musical by this songwriting team.
She was a chorus girl in top-flight musicals, like 'Funny Face' (1927), with Fred Astaire, and 'Treasure Girl' (1928), with Gertrude Lawrence and Clifton Webb.
In 1929, she made her film debut as Bianca, the sister of Mary Pickford's Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew (Sam Taylor, 1929) with Douglas Fairbanks as Petruchio. It was the first sound film adaptation of the Shakespearean play of the same name.
In the next four years, Dorothy Jordan made 22 more films. She worked for various studios and until 1933 played the female lead in various early sound films.
She co-starred with Ramon Novarro in his talkie debut, the Pre-Code musical Devil-May-Care (Sidney Franklin, 1929) with a Technicolor sequence of the Albertina Rasch Dancers. She next appeared with Novarro in another musical, In Gay Madrid (Robert Z. Leonard, 1930). But the film was critically panned though it was moderately successful at the box-office. More successful was their next film together, Call of the Flesh (Charles Brabin, 1930).
French postcard by Cinémagazine-Edition, Paris, no. 613. Dorothy Jordan in Devil-May-Care (Sidney Franklin, 1929). The French title was Bataille de Dames.
French postcard by Europe, no. 741. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Ramon Novarro and Dorothy Jordan in Devil-May-Care (Sidney Franklin, 1929).
French postcard by Europe, no. 763. Photo: United Artists. Ramon Novarro and Dorothy Jordan in Devil-May-Care (Sidney Franklin, 1929). The French title was Bataille de Dames. The United Artists logo on this card is puzzling, as the film was an MGM production.
French postcard by Europe, no. 967. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
Dutch postcard, no. 20. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Dorothy Jordan and Ramon Novarro in In Gay Madrid (Robert Z. Leonard, 1930). Editor unknown (back of the card is blank), but compare it to the postcard below, made for the same film with the same typography of the text and the number. That one is edited by JosPe in Arnhem, so this must be a JosPe card too.
Dutch postcard, no. 23. JosPe, Arnhem. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Ramon Novarro and Dorothy Jordan in In Gay Madrid (Robert Z. Leonard, 1930).
In the early 1930s, Dorothy Jordan worked with various well-known actors, including Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore, Walter Huston, and Jimmy Durante. She was also paired with Robert Montgomery in two films: Love in the Rough (Charles Reisner, 1930) and Shipmates (Harry A. Pollard, 1931).
Jordan also was Nancy, the adopted daughter of Wallace Beery and Marie Dressler in the comedy-drama Min and Bill (George W. Hill, 1930). The film was a runaway hit and made stars of Beery and Dressler.
Jordan had also an important part in the drama The Cabin in the Cotton (Michael Curtiz, 1932) with Richard Barthelmess and Bette Davis.
In 1933 Jordan left the film industry to marry film producer and director Merian C. Cooper, who co-wrote, produced and directed King Kong (1933). The couple had three children, a son, and two daughters.
In the 1950s she returned to the film industry and played small roles in three films directed by John Ford, The Sun Shines Bright (1953), The Searchers (1956), and finally The Wings of Eagles (1957).
Jordan had moved to Coronado, San Diego County, after her marriage to Cooper. She continued to live there until his death in 1973. 15 years later, Dorothy Jordan died of heart failure in Los Angeles. She was 82.
Spanish postcard in the Estrellas del cine series by Editorial Grafica, Barcelona, no. 81. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Belgian postcard. by S.A. Cacao et Chocolat Kivou, Vilvo[o]rde, Belgium.
Dutch postcard. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
British postcard in the Cameo Series, London, no. K.17.
British postcard in the Picturegoer series, London.
British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. 475b. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Italian postcard by Cinema-Illustrazione, Milano, series 1, no. 12. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Sources: Wikipedia, and IMDb.
French postcard by Cinémagazine-Edition, Paris, no. 613. Dorothy Jordan in Devil-May-Care (Sidney Franklin, 1929). The French title was Bataille de Dames.
French postcard by Europe, no. 741. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Ramon Novarro and Dorothy Jordan in Devil-May-Care (Sidney Franklin, 1929).
French postcard by Europe, no. 763. Photo: United Artists. Ramon Novarro and Dorothy Jordan in Devil-May-Care (Sidney Franklin, 1929). The French title was Bataille de Dames. The United Artists logo on this card is puzzling, as the film was an MGM production.
French postcard by Europe, no. 967. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
Dutch postcard, no. 20. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Dorothy Jordan and Ramon Novarro in In Gay Madrid (Robert Z. Leonard, 1930). Editor unknown (back of the card is blank), but compare it to the postcard below, made for the same film with the same typography of the text and the number. That one is edited by JosPe in Arnhem, so this must be a JosPe card too.
Dutch postcard, no. 23. JosPe, Arnhem. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Ramon Novarro and Dorothy Jordan in In Gay Madrid (Robert Z. Leonard, 1930).
She left the film industry to marry a film producer
In the early 1930s, Dorothy Jordan worked with various well-known actors, including Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore, Walter Huston, and Jimmy Durante. She was also paired with Robert Montgomery in two films: Love in the Rough (Charles Reisner, 1930) and Shipmates (Harry A. Pollard, 1931).
Jordan also was Nancy, the adopted daughter of Wallace Beery and Marie Dressler in the comedy-drama Min and Bill (George W. Hill, 1930). The film was a runaway hit and made stars of Beery and Dressler.
Jordan had also an important part in the drama The Cabin in the Cotton (Michael Curtiz, 1932) with Richard Barthelmess and Bette Davis.
In 1933 Jordan left the film industry to marry film producer and director Merian C. Cooper, who co-wrote, produced and directed King Kong (1933). The couple had three children, a son, and two daughters.
In 1937, she emerged from retirement unsuccessfully when she auditioned for the role of Melanie in Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939) and screen-tested for the role alongside Susan Hayward as Scarlet.
In the 1950s she returned to the film industry and played small roles in three films directed by John Ford, The Sun Shines Bright (1953), The Searchers (1956), and finally The Wings of Eagles (1957).
Jordan had moved to Coronado, San Diego County, after her marriage to Cooper. She continued to live there until his death in 1973. 15 years later, Dorothy Jordan died of heart failure in Los Angeles. She was 82.
Spanish postcard in the Estrellas del cine series by Editorial Grafica, Barcelona, no. 81. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Belgian postcard. by S.A. Cacao et Chocolat Kivou, Vilvo[o]rde, Belgium.
Dutch postcard. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
British postcard in the Cameo Series, London, no. K.17.
British postcard in the Picturegoer series, London.
British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. 475b. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Italian postcard by Cinema-Illustrazione, Milano, series 1, no. 12. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Sources: Wikipedia, and IMDb.
No comments:
Post a Comment