Zita Moulton (1883 – December 25, 1987), also known as Zita Gordon, was an American model and actress who appeared in theatre and film in the 1920s and 30s. She was featured in fashion photographs throughout the period and performed in
Duffy stage productions.
A
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
ian, Moulton began performing on stage after a bet from her fiancé at the time that she would be able to get an acting job within 24 hours. Performing in productions starting in 1921, she had a number of main roles before being cast in multiple films alongside
Francis X. Bushman starting in 1923. These shows increased her popularity and she was featured in many fashion magazines of the time, including ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
''. She continued in theatre and film roles until she left acting in 1937 before moving to
El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...
, and becoming a dress shop owner and spending her time caring for stray and sick animals.
Career
Born in Boston, Moulton graduated from
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...
. At the age of 16 while engaged, she made a bet with her fiancé that she would be able to get hired for the theatre within 24 hours.
She went to a local Boston booking agency and asked for a part in a stage play, and was assigned to a theatre company located in
Toronto, Canada
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...
, for two weeks before being assigned to another company for a longer five-month contract. She later had a major role in a 1921 production of
Leo Ditrichstein
Leo Ditrichstein (January 6, 1865 – June 28, 1928) was an Austrian-American actor and playwright.
Biography
He was born on January 6, 1865, in Temesvár, Austria-Hungary. He was educated in Vienna and was naturalized as an American citizen ...
's ''Toto'' as Baroness de Verdiere, one of the six main cast members. Then she was given the lead role in ''Smooth as Silk'' that same year and kept on with the production until 1922. She was contracted beginning in 1923 to films involving
Francis X. Bushman and
Beverly Bayne
Beverly Bayne (born Pearl Beverly Van Name; November 11, 1894 – August 18, 1982) was an American actress who appeared in silent films beginning in 1910 in Chicago, Illinois, where she worked for Essanay Studios.
Early life
Born in Minneapoli ...
, starring in their 1923 release of ''
Modern Marriage
''Modern Marriage'' is a 1923 American silent crime drama film directed by Lawrence C. Windom and Victor Heerman. It starred Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne in one of their last appearances together.
Cast
Preservation status
A print of ' ...
''.
After the film's premiere, she and the other actors went on tour across the United States and acted out the first scene of the film on theatre stages across the country. This promotional tour was the first "personal appearance" done by film actors.
Her theatre roles resulted in her being featured in glamour magazines, including ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'', ''
Town & Country'', and ''Theatre Weekly''. Throughout the 1920s, she was shown in advertisements as a "
clothes horse
The term 'clothes horse' is used to refer to a portable frame upon which wet laundry is hung to dry by evaporation. The frame is usually made of wood, metal or plastic. It is a cheap low-tech piece of laundry equipment, as opposed to a clothes d ...
" for presenting clothing styles and brands.
In 1932, she was signed for roles in ''
Sinners in the Sun
''Sinners in the Sun'' is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Alexander Hall, and starring Carole Lombard, Chester Morris, Adrienne Ames, and Alison Skipworth. It was produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Plot
Dor ...
'' and alongside
George Arliss
George Arliss (born Augustus George Andrews; 10 April 1868 – 5 February 1946) was an English actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker who found success in the United States. He was the first British actor to win an Academy Award – which he ...
in ''
A Successful Calamity
''A Successful Calamity'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film directed by John G. Adolfi and starring George Arliss, supported by Mary Astor and Evelyn Knapp. Based on the 1917 play ''A Successful Calamity'' by Clare Kummer, the film is ab ...
''.
Personal life
During her initial contract in Toronto, Moulton met a Canadian officer named Captain Harvey M. Gordon and they married six years afterwards. He became sick in 1953 and, in order to stay near him and his hospital, Moulton opened a
dress shop in
El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...
.
Harvey Gordon died from his illness on May 10, 1955. Moulton continued living in El Paso until her death on December 25, 1987, at the age of 104.
Moulton's personal hobby was caring for animals, ranging from dogs to seagulls to seals, and she frequently had healing animals in her home. She considered the most important event in her life was her 1939 radio appearance on the
Dave Elman
Dave Elman (May 6, 1900 – December 5, 1967) was a noted American radio host, comedian, and songwriter, and important figure in the field of hypnosis. He is most known today as the author of ''Findings in Hypnosis'' (1964). Over the course of his ...
's ''Hobby Lobby'' show where she discussed her hobby referred to as "Kindness To Animals".
Theater
*''Toto'' (1921) as Baroness de Verdiere
*''Smooth as Silk'' (1921) as Rosina
*''The Common Law'' (1922) as Rita Tevis
*''Johnny Walker'' (1922) as Margery Dawes
*''His Chinese Wife'' (1926) as Cecelia Sturgis
*''This Thing Called Love'' (1929)
*''The Skull'' (1929)
Filmography
*''
Modern Marriage
''Modern Marriage'' is a 1923 American silent crime drama film directed by Lawrence C. Windom and Victor Heerman. It starred Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne in one of their last appearances together.
Cast
Preservation status
A print of ' ...
'' (1923) as Nita Blake
*''
Big Money'' (1930) as Michael
*''
The Expert'' (1932) as Miss Lippincott
*''
A Successful Calamity
''A Successful Calamity'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film directed by John G. Adolfi and starring George Arliss, supported by Mary Astor and Evelyn Knapp. Based on the 1917 play ''A Successful Calamity'' by Clare Kummer, the film is ab ...
'' (1932)
*''
Sinners in the Sun
''Sinners in the Sun'' is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Alexander Hall, and starring Carole Lombard, Chester Morris, Adrienne Ames, and Alison Skipworth. It was produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Plot
Dor ...
'' (1932) as Florence Nelson
*''
The Tenderfoot'' (1932)
*''
Employees' Entrance
''Employees' Entrance'' is a 1933 pre-Code film about the devious manager of a New York department store (Warren William) and his romantic involvement with a reluctant new employee (Loretta Young). It was directed by Roy Del Ruth. In 2019, the f ...
'' (1933) as Marion
*''
Hoosier Schoolboy
''Hoosier Schoolboy'' is a 1937 American film directed by William Nigh and starring Mickey Rooney, Anne Nagel and Frank Shields.Halliwell p.480
Plot
Mary Evans (Anne Nagel) moves to a small town in Indiana to take a teaching job in the local ...
'' (1937) as school girl
*''
It Happened in Hollywood
''It Happened in Hollywood'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Richard Dix, Fay Wray and Victor Kilian. The arrival of sound wrecks the career of a leading western actor while his leading lady rises to new heig ...
'' (1937) as Englishwoman
*''
The Awful Truth
''The Awful Truth'' is a 1937 American screwball comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. Based on the 1923 play ''The Awful Truth'' by Arthur Richman, the film recounts how a distrustful rich couple begins d ...
'' (1937) as Lady Fabian
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moulton, Zita
1883 births
1987 deaths
American film actresses
American stage actresses
20th-century American actresses
Actresses from Boston
Radcliffe College alumni
American centenarians
Women centenarians