Girls With Curls - 'Cute' Silent Ingenues

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BettyLouSpence
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Girls With Curls - 'Cute' Silent Ingenues

Post by BettyLouSpence »

Alright, so I've been growing curious as to how many silent ingenues with little girl curl hairstyles there were. The most obvious is Mary Pickford...

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...but how many others were there? I imagine that after Mary hit the scene she must've had her fair number of imitators as other studios wanted to cash in.

But - could Lillian Gish then be considered a curly-haired ingenue?

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I think she would be based on appearance alone. They're similar in that they both posess a waif-like appearance, and portrayed wholesome characters; however, Lillian seemed geared much more towards drama, while Mary strikes me as more light-hearted and comedic.

I suppose that's the crux of my question: I immediately think of Mary as a 'cute' ingenue while Lillian is a 'dramatic' ingenue.

With that in mind, how many 'cute' silent ingenues can you guys think of? The definition might be a bit narrow because of my explanation, so feel free to share silent ingenues that you would peg as cute at first glance.
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Re: Girls With Curls - 'Cute' Silent Ingenues

Post by BettyLouSpence »

Here's a good example of what I'm talking about: Bessie Love.

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Kitty
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Re: Girls With Curls - 'Cute' Silent Ingenues

Post by Kitty »

While she doesn't have the long curls that you speak of, Grace Lewis seems like she would have been very 'cute' at first glance.
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Mabel Trunelle is adorable!
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And I just had to share this positively lovely picture of Alice Joyce.
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Re: Girls With Curls - 'Cute' Silent Ingenues

Post by BettyLouSpence »

Yep, those are fine examples!

Ooh - Mabel Normand could also exude that adorable aura:

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Re: Girls With Curls - 'Cute' Silent Ingenues

Post by BettyLouSpence »

How could I forget Mary Miles Minter?

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donnie
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Re: Girls With Curls - 'Cute' Silent Ingenues

Post by donnie »

Good examples, though Mabel would be more the sassy mischievous type, though she could play the ingenue when she wanted to (as proved by that photo!). Mae Marsh is another one that comes to mind.

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Re: Girls With Curls - 'Cute' Silent Ingenues

Post by BettyLouSpence »

As Donnie mentioned, Mae Marsh:

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Last photo is from 1916.
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Re: Girls With Curls - 'Cute' Silent Ingenues

Post by donnie »

Yeeeesss...I love those photos. Mae was such a good actress. If you've ever seen her in Intolerance, you will never forget her.

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Re: Girls With Curls - 'Cute' Silent Ingenues

Post by BettyLouSpence »

I think Madge Bellamy could actually be a good contender at times.

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Re: Girls With Curls - 'Cute' Silent Ingenues

Post by BettyLouSpence »

I'm not familiar with May McAvoy's work other than Ben-Hur and The Jazz Singer, but - perhaps in her early career - did she play any ingenue-type roles? She certainly has the looks to pull it off.

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"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
~ Cicero, Letters to Friends, Book IX Letter IV

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