Theda Bara: The Wicked Intellectual

of light and she liked to spend her spare time reading. To keep the vampire image alive, Fox had to stage press conferences in exotically decorated hotel rooms. Though most of the press knew Theda's true origins by now, reporters still faithfully reported every outlandish story she recited to them (though often tongue-in-cheek).

The "vamp" nickname was born on location in St. Augustine, Florida, where she was filming The Devil's Daughter (1915). A reporter overheard the crew jokingly call her the name and it quickly became popular. That movie was her first to be threatened by the censors. Now making Theda's movies became more complicated; the shots the censors wanted to cut were exactly what the audience came to see.

Contrary to common belief, Theda also played a number of non-vamp roles in her career. One of her first "heroic" roles was in The Two Orphans (1915), in which Theda played an orphan who takes care of her blind sister. Fox gave the film little promotion; he believed her fans preferred the vamp and he didn't want to dilute the power of her image.

Later that year, Theda was given her first big production. She was to star as Carmen in a story based on the original novel. Though Fort Lee, New Jersey had to stand-in as Seville, the movie was a critical and popular success. Theda was also pleased with the quality of her role; she was still playing a vamp, but a famous one.

Theda finished her breakthrough year with more vamp roles in The Galley Slave and Destruction. In the former, she worked for the first time with director J. Gordon Edwards, and it was the start of a pleasant working relationship that would continue through most of her Fox movies.

A year before, Theda had been unknown. Now she was one of the biggest stars in the movies. She was known as "The Wickedest Woman in the World" when in fact, she would go home after work, eat dinner, take a nap, and then wake up to read into the night. This vamp was not a party girl.

Coming up in part two: Superstardom, leaving Fox, finding love and society

Theda Bara Links

Thank you to Silent Ladies & Gents for the great pictures of Theda.

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