From 1913-1917 Cecil made at least 22 movies, most with melodramatic titles like The White Light of Publicity, The Sacred Tiger of Agra and The Lad and the Lion. Most of the movies were produced by Selig Polyscope, where Holland was a contract stock player. It is very likely Holland made far more than 22 movies during this period. Unlike today, where listing the cast and craftsmen who worked on a film can take an endless 7 or 8 minutes to scroll out, Hollywood was very stingy with credits in those days, and usually just a handful of the actors appearing in a movie got screen credit. And since a huge majority of the films made during the Teens are lost, it is, a century later, an era cloaked in some mystery. Cecil’s early years in Hollywood wear that same cloak.
When the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, Cecil very quickly enlisted in the Army and was assigned to the 316th Engineers, Company C, 91st Division. After training for more than a year, Holland arrived in France in August of 1918, just in time for fierce and ceaseless fighting in the Argonne region. The 316th Engineers’ job partly involved repairing roads, bridges and train tracks to speed the advance of the U.S. troops. This was often front line work, and highly dangerous. Unlike dodging bullets as a stuntman, this was the real thing.
Sometime before the armistice in November, Cecil, now a Sergeant, joined a theatrical troupe of enlistees to provide entertainment for soldiers — an early version of a USO show. This performance tour continued into 1919 and earned him a government commendation. And his service in the U.S. Army earned him U.S. citizenship.
The Man of 1000 Faces
Holland returned to Hollywood by early 1920. Given that a three year absence in Hollywood is like a 50 year absence anywhere else, it’s a testament to Holland’s talents that he was back in business almost immediately, transforming well-known wrestler Bull Montana into a gorilla for the melodrama, Go and Get It. To help publicize that he was back in town, Cecil wrote a series of articles on movie make-up for Camera magazine, a motion picture trade publication, and was the solo performer in a widely-distributed Camera-produced short called The Mind of Man. In it, Holland plays all five very different-looking characters, and at the end of the short, shows the viewer how he did it through the magic of make-up.
Mary Pickford
In 1921, Cecil did make-up for the Mary Pickford films Little Lord Fauntleroy and The Love Light, as well as a Jackie Coogan starrer, My Boy. At the time, Mary Pickford was inarguably the most famous woman in the world and Coogan, fresh off Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid, was the hottest child star in Hollywood. Holland was most definitely “A-List.” Cecil also performed in a pair of Paramount pix called The Great Impersonation and A Wise Fool. Cecil promoted himself as The Man of 1000 Faces. I know. You think this was Lon Chaney’s moniker. And you’re right. But not until Cecil gifted his pal with the title years later.
Lon Chaney
1922 brought roles in four more movies, with Holland playing dual characters in the best known of them, the Rudolph Valentino vehicle Moran of the Lady Letty. This is the only Cecil Holland silent movie I was able to locate on DVD, and I can report he was quite a good actor, with an expressive face and considerable presence. And his dual make-up concoctions made it virtually impossible to tell it was the same actor playing the parts — a Mexican bandit and an old seaman who shanghais Valentino.
Cecil Holland (left) and Rudolph Valentino in yachting cap (center) in Moran of the Lady Letty.
Also in 1922, the 35 year old Holland eloped with Norma Taylor, 11 years his junior. To top off the year, Cecil signed a two-year contract with Samuel Goldwyn Pictures as a stock player, while continuing freelance make-up work all over town.
The media started paying attention to Cecil Holland. There are headlines from this era in the LA Times entertainment pages like “Wrinkles in Norma [Shearer]‘s Face His Doings” and “Holland to Hand Jack [Dempsey] Black Eye.” It’s clear that if the LA Times had speed dial in those days, Holland’s name and number would have been next to the entry for “story on movie make-up.
Famous wrestler Bull Montana as an apeman in The Lost World.
Cecil making up Bull Montana for The Lost World.
Bull Montana
Welcome to MGM
1925 was a watershed year for Holland. He started off by transforming Bull Montana into an apeman — again — but this time for The Lost World, one of the best remembered of all silent movies. And Holland was signed to an acting contract by one-year-old MGM.
Simultaneously, and much more significantly, Cecil was hired by MGM chief Louis B. Mayer to form a permanent make-up department, the first to exist at a major motion picture studio. MGM was a factory, with films rolling off the assembly line about once a week. Having a make-up department that produced consistent, reliable, and even inspired make-up was an indispensable part of the mass-production process.
It is likely that one of Holland’s first assignments at MGM was the gargantuan epic Ben-Hur. Over 3,000 extras for the legendary chariot race sequence were tended to by a small army of make-up artists using Max Factor body paint (at 600 gallons, it was Factor’s largest order to date). And in addition to working his magic on famous and not so famous faces (MGM, like all studios, was constantly making screen tests of potential contract players), Holland had considerable administrative challenges — setting up a permanent make-up facility, hiring and training other make-up artists, not to mention analyzing the make-up needs of 50-plus films and shorts a year.
With those kinds of responsibilities (think of tending to those famous MGM stars — Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, John Gilbert, Lillian Gish, Buster Keaton, Marion Davies, Renee Adoree, Mae Murray, Ramon Novarro! Norma Desmond was right; they really did have faces then), it’s not surprising that Cecil only had time to appear in small roles in two films during 1925 and 1926. There was The Show, a goulash about a Hungarian carnival troupe directed by Tod Browning, and The Blackbird, starring Holland’s good friend Lon Chaney (one can just imagine their conversations about make-up).
A 1927 MGM advertisement featuring their almost-stars and supporting players. Cecil is in the upper right corner. With some naked ladies around the border, this was probably created for exhibitors, not the general public.
In 1927, Holland’s wife gave birth to their daughter, Margaret, joining a son, Richard, who’d arrived a few years earlier. By then they were residing, with a live-in servant, in a hillside house with a pool up on Hazen Drive in the Coldwater Canyon section of Beverly Hills. The house had a tunnel into the mountain that led to a secret barroom (the influence of Prohibition on interior design?).
Richard, Cecil and Norma Holland at home. Check out those spats Cecil is wearing.
The Holland house was filled with mementos picked up on Cecil’s world travels.
Cecil Holland, circa 1926, thanks to some MGM publicity stills. The house is quintessential 1920′s — filled with velvet furniture, dark walls and heavy curtains to keep out the sunlight.
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.