Jean Darnell

Thanhouser Career Synopsis: Jean Darnell appeared in many Thanhouser films circa 1912-1913. Biographical Notes: Jean Jarrett Darnell was born in Sherman, Texas in 1889 (in her adult life she gave the date as 1893). Her youth was spent on a nearby ranch, where she became an accomplished horsewoman and acrobatic rider. She was a cousin of Joe Bailey, a Texas senator who received much publicity in his day. After a primary and secondary education from private tutors on her family's ranch, she attended Virginia College at Roanoke. Upon graduation she wrote the class prophecy, which several years later was still considered the best prophecy ever done for any class at that institution. After graduation she went on the stage, circa 1907-1908, where she was seen in minor parts in musical comedies. Over a period of several years the actress was in stock in New York City (with actress Cecil Spooner), Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere. She appeared in such productions as Pink Lady (1911), Miss Nobody, and Flirting Princess. She was outspoken on the women's suffrage movement, stating it was no different from the "taxation without representation" which caused the colonies to declare independence. With Thanhouser: An attractive and very intelligent young woman, Jean Darnell subsequently played in many Thanhouser films in 1912 and 1913, including His Father's Son, Carmen, and The Woman Who Did Not Care. She lived in New Rochelle at the time, was fond of walking, and was often seen on the streets with her nephews and various of the "Seven Little Foys," from the well-known family of actors, who lived in the same city. In addition to her duties at the Thanhouser studio, she wrote a "gossip" column for The Photoplay Magazine. At one time she was also a writer for The Motion Picture Magazine and provided the column, "A Chorus Girl's Experiences," for The Chicago Record-Herald. In the September 1913 issue of The Photoplay Magazine she stated that her best friend was actress Mary Fuller, and that she was also a friend of Florence LaBadie. The three women would often go on drives and spend their spare time together. By this time she had relocated to Uptown Manhattan, where she shared an apartment with an aunt and three young cousins. The youngsters were on the stage in Winthrop Ames' Snow White. Another relative, a nephew, Charles Frohman Everett, was a child actor with Thanhouser in 1913. In The Photoplay Magazine, May 1914, Jean Darnell told of her most dangerous and exciting moments as a movie actress (additional excerpts from this article appear under the filmography entries for The Forest Rose, released November 29, 1912, and Carmen, May 27, 1913): "In another picture I led a wild cavalry charge straight at the camera operator. I was almost racing when my horse stumbled, and there were 100 horsemen thundering close behind. You can imagine my feelings, perhaps, but I made a desperate effort and pulled my horse to his feet. After the charge I slipped from the horse, and was carried back to my hotel a physical wreck. "Another time, while dressed as bathing girls for a seashore picture, Florence spied a boat while we were lounging on the sand. We got into it and fell asleep. When we awoke we were right under a large sign that read: Private Bathing Beach. We had drifted across the bay with the tide and started to drift away from the beach toward the sea. It was a hard task to row back to safety against the rushing tide. My nerves could not stand the continual strain. They went to pieces and for two months I was under a doctor's care. But I would not lead another life. Every day there is a thrill. The more thrills the better I like it." The incapacitation referred to occurred in the autumn of 1913, when the actress had severe intestinal troubles. She spent December in the German Hospital, New York City. Reel Life, December 13, 1913, told of her illness: "Jean Darnell, well known as a Thanhouser leading woman, lies ill at the German Hospital, New Y