Fame is a Fleeting Thing
Except among make-up historians who see him as the “Father of Movie Make-up,” Cecil Holland has been forgotten. Which is sad and unfair, but it isn’t surprising. A lot of people who were once famous have been forgotten. Let me give you a list of people who signed the hat and you guess what they all have in common:
Richard Dix
Louise Dresser
Alfred Lunt
Grace Moore
May Robson
Lawrence Tibbett
H. B. Warner
Diana Wynyard
Did you guess or do you give up?
They were all nominated for a Best Actor or Best Actress Oscar in the first decade of the Academy Awards. Granted, there wasn’t quite the hoopla and ballyhoo about the Oscars back then as there is now, but in their time, they were all household names and wildly famous.
Want to try another list of hat signers? This one may be easier:
Warner Baxter
Alice Brady
Victor McLaglen
Ready for the answer?
They all won acting Oscars in the first 10 years of the Academy Awards. (Although in the case of Brady, it wasn’t an Oscar statuette, it was a plaque. This distinguished a supporting award from a lead award. Sheez. Hollywood.)
ALICE BRADY’S OSCAR A plaque, not a statuette.
The prosaic point being that fame can evaporate faster than water in the Mojave. In fact, it almost always does. Martin Scorsese’s Hugo shone a klieg light on how utterly forgotten film pioneer Georges Melies was less than 20 years after making hundreds of ground-breaking films. And that’s normal, although there are rare exceptions. The eternal fame of a Gable or a Crawford can be traced to the fact that people still avidly watch their films because their personas — against all odds— still resonate with movie watchers. The fame of a Chaplin or a Pickford is more interesting. People know of them as historical characters, just like George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, not necessarily because they sit down and enjoy the pictures they made.
But for most of those who autographed The Hollywood Hat, fame had an expiration date. When the movies went from silent to talkies, lots of big-time careers crashed. Sometimes it was because of their thick foreign or regional accents. Sometimes it was because the early recording equipment distorted voices by making them sound an octave or two higher. And, sometimes it was because their style of acting, perfectly appropriate for the silent era, seemed overwrought, florid, and, to be blunt, too clunky for talkies. Dialogue totally undercut their mojo.
It doesn’t have to be something as catastrophic as a technical revolution to send a career off the tracks. There comes a time in most stars’ careers when the public is tired of them, when what they have to offer no longer matches current manias, tastes and styles. When that happens, some, like Garbo or Shearer, retire and never look back. For all the others, it must have been quite painful when we, the public, muscled them aside and just moved on. Darwinism works in pop culture the same way it works elsewhere.
The Hollywood Hat sprang to life in an era when all of this drama was first transpiring. I’ve lived in Los Angeles for years now, and when I drive around town, I see the studios, large and small, that are still standing and I see the 1920′s Spanish-style mansions on the winding roads of the hills and canyons, and often think, what was it like back then, when all this was fresh and new and happening for the first time? Why can’t Woody Allen do Midnight in Hollywood and send a chauffeured Duesenberg to take me back 75 or 85 years?
After reading about all of the roller coaster lives of the hundreds of people who signed the hat and how they, like Cecil Holland, serendipitously came to participate in the creation of an entire industry and art form, it certainly seems like it was more exciting back then.
If I could meet Cecil Holland, the first thing I’d say to him is “thanks for creating the hat, Cecil. It’s been quite an education.” And, then I’d let him do the rest of the talking.
Read more about The Hollywood Hat:
Mysteries of The Hollywood Hat
Five Hat Signers You May Not Know Who Lived Fascinating Lives
Who Signed The Hollywood Hat?
About the Author
It was always the silly season in Hollywood for WAMPAS Baby Stars or just plain starlets, like Joan Marsh, shown here adorned here with necklaces, bracelet and ring hand-painted on by Cecil.
Very helpful article. I HAVE A HAT JUST LIKE THIS! However, my hat has those who have played in cowboy movies. I wonder if there was a certain method to obtaining signatures on both hats, perhaps by genre?!?
Didn’t you notice that all the handwriting looks the same?
What an interesting article and what a fantastic piece of memorabilia. I wonder if someone like AC Lyles of Paramount would know about this hat? He has worked for the studio for over 80 years. I would be interested in knowning how much you paid for it.
Great story. I think George Bernard Shaw visited Hollywood for more than 3 hours….I’m pretty sure that I read he spent some time at Pickfair — where he signed Mary Pickford’s autograph book.
Thanks for the compliment. In my research, I came across a number of confusing references to George Bernard Shaw visiting Pickfair and signing Mary Pickford’s autograph book. Apparently, he never visited Pickfair, but he did sign Pickford’s autograph book when she was in England and went to visit him.
I just LOVE this story !! and i will share it with my movie buff friends back home in New England. The Hollywood Studio Museum on Highland once had in their collection a drum cover that included signatures of performers who participated in Cecil B. DeMille’s Lux radio program. it was a “who’s -who” in Hollywood. My wife Laurie was a volunteer at the barn. Every time I’d go visit here, I’d run over to the drum and marvel at the signatures. Sad to say, there was a fire at the barn and the signatures went up in flames.
I am directing and co-producing a feature documentary on actress-activist Marsha Hunt. I wonder if she signed the hat? I’ll have to ask her. thanks again for your wonderful story take good care of that hat!! ..
THANK YOU for this wonderful story I’m going to share it with my movie buff friends back home in New England. This is such an important piece of Hollywood history!! At one time, the Hollywood Studio Museum had a large drum cover of sorts – that everyone who was on Cecil B. DeMille’s LUX radio show signed. I LOVED looking at all the famous people who signed it. Unfortunately, there was a fire at the barn, and the signatures were lost forever. . Congrats on your piece of Hollywood History! I’m directing and producing a feature documentary on actress – activist Marsha Hunt ( “Marsha Hunt’s Sweet Adversity”) I wonder if she signed the hat?? I’ll have to ask her.. thanks again!! roger c. memos
so sorry for the double click. AND HERE IS MY CORRECT WEBSITE ADDRESS. for Marsha Hunt documentary thanks again! roger
That was such an interesting and well-written article! So happy I serendipitously stumbled upon it! I’m related to one of the signers (Grace Moore, my great-aunt) and am a serious student of silent films and, more specifically, Hollywood itself during the silent/early-talkie era. How fortunate you are to have become the caretaker of this marvelous relic! That is what we antique collectors are, you know…”caretakers” who shepherd these valued treasures until they find their next caretaker.
The one thing missing from your wonderful article is the “back story” on how you came upon it and how you came to own it. Was it random, or had you heard about it in advance of the auction? I dont’ suppose it’s anyone’s business, but was it outrageously expensive or did you get a “deal”? And as one of the other commenters asked, it’d be interesting to know how it ended up in an auction house, and whether Cecil’s daughter had sold it herself or if she had somehow lost track of it and was thrilled to rediscover it? Maybe all of this is for your next installment. In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed your article and look forward to your future postings. Thank you, Gregory Moore NYC
What a great article. We should never forget the pioneers. Cecil was one of them. They all paved the way for all of us today working in the industry today with or without winning awards. God Bless Them.
A great, thoroughly researched piece of history! But for collectors, a large part of the interest is about the acquisition itself. What were the circumstances of the discovery, the bidding process, if other similar items were also part of the lot, and of course, the final cost. For those of us searching for old Hollywood autographs, such information would be interesting to know about. But that is one absolutely stunning slice of history! The only problem might be how to display it fully enough to reveal all the signatures without undue handling of the item.
JOE!!!!!!! This is the find of a lifetime!!!! I will treasure this almost as much as you are treasuring the hat!!!! I will send this to many friends who’ll really savor this wonderful story, so lovingly told. I miss you.
x
Vicky
This article just hit so close to my heart for a couple of reasons. I used to collect autographs myself as a young girl as I lived near MGM. Right after highschool my first job was as a messenger girl at MGM. Later in life I became a member of the Makeup Artists and Hairstylist Union, Local 706. at MGM and worked with 2nd, and 3rd generations of artists that Cecil Holland trained. Reading his history just make me relive all that wonder life. Thank you Joe , great job.
I’d like to how such a cherished piece ended in an auction and not with Holland’s family. It’s a really great article. Wish it mentioned the last leg of the hat’s journey.
Bob Schiffer, long time head of make-up at Disney studios, once asked me if I’d ever heard of Cecil Holland. I said yes, but that I didn’t know much about him. “He taught me make-up”, Bob said.
This is such a wonderful article about one of our founding members, and a make-up artist who is still an icon. You’ve done a remarkable job researching and uncovering so many facts and details, so valuable to our history. Make-up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild, IATSE Local 706 celebrates its 75th anniversary this year and I’m going to do my best to make sure every one of our members gets an opportunity to read this. Thank you so much – it’s a wonderful article.
Excellent! Old pal, you can sure research and you can sure write.
But am I the only one who wants to know – so, what did you PAY for the hat??
Fabulous article. Why you’re a better sleuth than Nick Charles.
What a fantastic part of history…
Thanks for the share. : )
WOW! I LOVED this article, Joe! I know it really took a lot of research and the result is truly a joy to read. What a great part of Hollywood history to uncover!
This is amazing! Wonderful article and what an amazing find!
Fantastic research into a fascinating artefact of early Hollywood. A great piece of detective work, and a most entertaining piece of writing. Excellent photography showing the autographs so clearly (no surprises, Kevin!). Thank you for sharing.
This is without question one of the very best articles I have ever read about early Hollywood–and I have read many over the last 40 years! It is very well-written, and I truly enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about one of the little-known aspects of filmmaking–makeup. I would love to see you write a biography of Holland, and/or a study of 100 years of Hollywood make-up. These are both subjects ripe for study and publication, perhaps by McFarland & Company, the publisher of my book about film director Robert Siodmak. I strongly encourage you to pursue this subject further!
What a wonderful example of forensic research. Kudos to you, Joe!
This is a delightful article, wonderfully executed and covering an irresistible subject. Thank you for sharing the hat, the signatures and best of all, the theories as to how it came to be!
This was fascinating! Such a creative way to get autographs and you told such a great story of The Hollywood Hat. What a wonderful item to find!
This story is terrifically entertaining with a mystery of the “undeciphered” thrown in. I’ll be checking back to see if anyone can come up with the names. Wild Guess: (Undeciphered #3 – James Arness?) “The Farmer’s Daughter” was filmed in 1947.