Corliss Palmer (July 25, 1899 – August 27, 1952) was an American
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
actress and model. She first came to public attention after winning ''
Motion Picture Magazine
''Motion Picture'' was an American monthly fan magazine about film, published from 1911 to 1977.Fuller, Kathryn H. “Motion Picture Story Magazine and the Gendered Construction of the Movie Fan.” ''At the Picture Show: Small-Town Audiences a ...
''s Fame and Fortune Contest in 1920, upon which she was deemed the "most beautiful girl in America." She would go on to appear in a total of sixteen films between 1922 and 1931.
Early life
Palmer was born to Luther and Julia Palmer in
Edison, Georgia
Edison is a city in Calhoun County, Georgia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,230. The Edison Commercial Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
History
The Georgia General Assembly inco ...
on July 25, 1899. She had an older sister, Mary,
["United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3FG-NDS : accessed 22 June 2017), Helen Palmer in household of Luther Palmer, Militia District Quitman town, Brooks, Georgia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 6, sheet 16A, family 296, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,181.] younger brothers, Hoke and Grady, and a younger sister, Ennis.
Career
In 1920, Palmer entered the "Fame and Fortune Contest" advertised in ''
Motion Picture Magazine
''Motion Picture'' was an American monthly fan magazine about film, published from 1911 to 1977.Fuller, Kathryn H. “Motion Picture Story Magazine and the Gendered Construction of the Movie Fan.” ''At the Picture Show: Small-Town Audiences a ...
''. She won the contest, and was heralded by the magazine as the "most beautiful girl in America."
[ The magazine's publisher, Eugene V. Brewster, allowed Palmer significant publicity in the magazine, and began to promote her as she embarked on a film career. Between 1921 and 1923, ''Motion Picture Magazine'' published a total of twenty-three articles on Palmer, while its sister publication, '']Motion Picture Classic
''Motion Picture'' was an American monthly fan magazine about film, published from 1911 to 1977.Fuller, Kathryn H. “Motion Picture Story Magazine and the Gendered Construction of the Movie Fan.” ''At the Picture Show: Small-Town Audiences ...
'', published an additional story on the actress. Palmer also had a cosmetic line named after her featuring Peach Bloom Face Powder, created by the Wilton Chemical Company in New York City,[ ] and also appeared on the cover of ''Beauty'', a women's magazine.[
She made her film debut in the short ''From Farm to Fame'', documenting her public notoriety after winning the contest, followed by an acting role in '' Her Second Chance'' (1926).
After ending her acting career in 1931, Palmer continued to model cosmetics as well as fashions for a local department store.
]
Personal life
She married Eugene V. Brewster in October 1926. The couple lived on a $500,000 estate in , but were forced to relocate to a one-bedroom apartment in Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
, California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
in 1931 after Brewster's estate was squandered when his former wife sued him for alienation of affection. The couple would divorce in 1931.
After her divorce, Palmer became an alcoholic
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...
, and on January 31, 1933, was committed to a hospital in San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
under the pseudonym Edith Mason, a name she had adopted in an attempt to revitalize her film career. It was noted in a March 12, 1933 article in the ''Portsmouth Daily Times
''Portsmouth Daily Times'' is a morning newspaper in Scioto County, Ohio with a print circulation of about 10,000. It was first printed in 1852 and printed Monday through Saturday, except Christmas Day. The newspaper is a member of the Associated P ...
'' that Palmer "had been drinking steadily for several days," and the hospital staff "feared she might harm herself or set fire to her room."[ Palmer would spend the latter half of her life in psychiatric institutions. She died in 1952 in ]Camarillo, California
Camarillo ( ) is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 70,741, an increase of 5,540 from the 65,201 counted in the 2010 Census. Camarillo is named for brothers Juan an ...
.
Filmography
Notes
Explanatory notes
Notes
References
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External links
Corliss Palmer
at the American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees.
Leade ...
catalog
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Corliss
1899 births
1952 deaths
Actresses from Georgia (U.S. state)
American silent film actresses
20th-century American actresses
Female models from Georgia (U.S. state)
People from Calhoun County, Georgia
Burials at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica