Women pt 2 ~Entertainers

Now that we have covered women educators in the first part how about we now move to another slice of life.

For almost 50 years this actress would charm both mexican and american audiences.

From the time she was born in 1904, Delores Del Rio lived a life of luxury unlike most others of her generation. She would get the chance to meet and be presented to the king of Spain when she was only 13 when most girls are still in school. At the tender age of 15 she would marry her first husband, Jaime. He would initially help her get involved in the movie business before his untimely death.

Her debut into the world of acting would be the film "Joanna"where she basically played the villainess. Unfortunately, most of her part would be cut out of the film. The next roll that would help Deloris achieve star status would be (having been recently widowed) the film "Ramona." Then she would go one to star in the film, “Evangeline." After that she signed a contract for $9000 which was her weekly salary with United Artists. She would also meet her second husband, Cedric Gibbons.

The next few years she starred in Bird of Paradise, Flying Down to Rio, (which happened to feature the first teaming of Fred and Ginger), Wonder Bar, Madame Du Barry, I Live for Love, Widow from Monte Carlo, and finally the Accused. Some of these were good and some werent depending on how the studio developed her screen persona.

During the early 1940's, Deloris noticed that she often wasn't getting good roles an tried every thing that she could to rectify the problem. During this slump of good film roles, Deloris would divorce her second husband and wind up getting into a relationship with Orson Welles. Deloris was understandably upset when the relationship ended abruptly. She decides that she can get better roles in her native Mexico and goes back home but always keeping one foot in Hollywood with her real estate and contacts that she had built up.

Returning to Mexico,she was able to contribute more to her career becoming adored by both critics and the public alike. During the first three years, she would win the Mexican Oscar, and make star in five movies, including Maria Candelaria. In 1947, she would star with Henry Fonda in The Fugitive, before switching back and forth between hollywood and Mexico during the late 40's. She would eventually marry a third time in 1959, to Lewis A. Riley, an American film producer, which was remarkably successful.

In the early 60's she would have a sort of "comeback" playing Elvis Presley's mother in the film Flaming Star. She followed that role up with playing Omar Sharif's mother in C'era Una Volta in 1967. In 1978, she starred in her final film “The Children of Sanchez” co-starring with Anthony Quinn and Katy Jurado.

Deloris Del Rio passed away in April of 1983 in Newport Beach, California.

Her career could have been longer foregoing her tragedy.

Evelyn was born on July 26, 1896 in Vicksburg, Mississippi but would later relocate with her mom and siblings to Chicago, Illinois where she completed high school before pursuing acting. Her big break came at the age of 23 when she landed a role in Oscar Micheaux’s first film, The Homesteader. Impressed with her talent, He would cast her in several dramatic roles challenging many of the prevailing black stereotypes of the 1920's. Examples of some of these The Brute, The Gunsaulus Mystery, Deceit, Birthright , and The Spider's Web. She would later alternate between the screen and stage as she became a staple for Micheaux’s dramatic films and an esteemed actress for the Lafayette Players.

During her time with the players she would marry Edward Thompson and the duo would headline productions the 1920s. Her impressive theatricality would lead her to Broadway where she recorded withDuke Ellington, performed with Ethel Waters, and won acclaim for her role as Sadie Thompson in the revival of Somerset Maugham’s classic melodrama Rain.

By the end of the decade,she became a contract player for Paramount Studios. Evelyn appeared in productions of Melancholy Dame and Oft in the Silly Night both in 1928 but these roles were uncredited. The Framing of the Shrew , also in 1928 would become her most notable as well as credited Hollywood role as she parlayed her comedic and vocal talents into her act.

Tragically if she had not developed post-parturition complications and died of double pneumonia in November, 1932 at the age of 36, just months after giving birth to her only child, Edeve (Francesca) Thompson, her career might have lasted longer

*Francesca Thompson would grow up to become a franciscan nun and living in New York City as of 2006.