Author/Hollywood historian Cari Beauchamp will give an illustrated talk on actress Marion Davies July 17, 2010

Co-presented with the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles: Author/Hollywood historian Cari Beauchamp will give an illustrated talk on actress Marion Davies (1897-1961) who rose to fame in the silent era. Davies’ professional life is often overshadowed by her famous social life with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. Her work as a comedienne is revered over the serious costume dramas Hearst’s Cosmopolitan Films went on to produce for her. Following the talk is a screening of one of Davies’ best comedies – much of it shot on location in Los Angeles!
SHOW PEOPLE, 1928, Warner Bros., 78 min. Dir. King Vidor. Young Peggy (Marion Davies) from Georgia lets fame and prestige go to her head when she travels to Hollywood and snubs Comet Studio for High Art Studio, changing her name to the hilariously pretentious Patricia Pepoire. But her ex-boyfriend, Billy (William Haines) knows he can unearth the real Peggy again, and won’t give up his love without a fight.