Jetta made several DeMille films that helped her become one of the top box office draws of the late 1920's. The films include The Coming of Amos (1925), The Road to Yesterday (1925), and White Gold (1927). However, it may have been that Jetta's success went to her head. In 1927 DeMille canceled her contract saying she was too difficult to work with. She then filed a lawsuit for breach of contract and although DeMille claimed her conduct had caused numerous and costly production delays, Jetta, in a landmark ruling, won the suit when DeMille couldn't or wouldn't provide the financial records to support his claim. This decision set a precedent in establishing an actor's rights.
Unfortunately her high-profile suit stunted her Hollywood career as no studio wanted her on their roster. Jetta made her last screen appearance in a talkie, Business and Pleasure (1932). In later years she became active in Actors Equity's fight for the unionization of film actors. She became known as the "Joan of Arc of Equity." Interviewed late in life she is quoted as saying "I don't like being called a silent star. I was never silent." Jetta has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6333 Hollywood Blvd. She died in California 1985.
Click on the images for a larger view.
Bio from the 1924 edition of Stars of the Photoplay
Publicity still postcard.
Publicity still from The SpaniardJetta Goudal - What do you think - Allure?
8 comments:
Dazzling woman, seems like an interesting person as well. How many of her films survive?
Campaspe,
Grapevine Video has two - Open All Night (frame caps from that release), and White Gold (1927). I haven't been able to find any others. Yes, she was quite the diva from what I gather, and she was not afraid to say so :-)
And postscript - turns out The Coming of Amos is also available - from Netflix no less. It's in the queue! Now I will be able to verify whether the postcard is indeed from that film.
Wish one could add a postscript to a postscript, but you can't so here is a follow up to my last comment. I have just watched The Coming of Amos, and can confirm that the first postcard image is NOT from that film and the caption under it now makes no attribution to any film. If you know the film it is from, hey, let me know.
The postcard where she is holding a
fan???? Could it be "Lady of the
Pavements" (1929)????
She is very beautiful by the way.
Diane, you guess is as good as mine, maybe better :-)
I just saw "Lady of the Pavements" at the SF Silent Film Festival 2009, and it looks like the picture with the fan is from that. I don't recognize the costume specifically (Jetta wore some very notable costumes in that flick), but it's the right style, and I recognize the tiara and background setting. Jetta had an amazing presence in that movie -- she seems more like a living fashion illustration from the 1920's than a regular person, which is very interesting to watch. Lupe Velez was adorable in the film; I highly recommend it. I had no idea Griffith could do comedy.
Hi there! Sorry to be one of "those" people but Goudal's first name is not pronounced "zah-hetta"
This mistake came about due to someone misreading the phonetic rendering of the soft J sound. Spelled ZH, it is pronounced like the S in treasure. I have since corrected the IMDB listing and would be happy to share my sources, should you like further information.
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