Cassava Films - The List of 9

the list of 9 for june 10, 2003:
NINE FAMOUS ACTRESSES WHO RETIRED FROM SHOW BIZ EARLY

For most movie stars, acting is a lifelong profession. Few give it up forever, even though someare known to take a few years off now and then. But then there are those who just up and quit -often at the height of their fame. Invariably, they gain a sort of mystique for their decision,and leave us with their radiant screen presence unmarred by the ravages of age. Interestingly, fewmale actors retire early (with the odd exception such as Rick Moranis or Ronald Reagan). That farmore women do may say something about the punishing sexism of youth-obsessed Hollywood. Inchronological order:

THEDA BARA. Retired 1919, age 34. Cinema's first great sexsymbol, Bara (born Theodosia Goodman) invented the "vamp" character, and her line "Kiss me, myfool" became a catchphrase in the teens. She made over 40 films in the mere four(!) years of herstardom, then a contractual dispute with Fox (back when it was run by an actual Fox - that wouldbe William) discouraged her from making pictures. She married in 1921 and, after three smallcameos in silent films in the mid-20's, lived out her life as a society matron.
CLARA BOW. Retired 1933, age 28. A huge star during hertime, thanks to 1927's hit comedy It (which coined the phrase "It girl"), Bow ruledHollywood until she sued her former secretary for embezzlement. At the trial, the secretarybrought up Bow's debaucherous lifestyle - heavy gambling, drinking, tons of sex - and the star'sreputation was ruined. She suffered several breakdowns, got married, and spent the rest of herunhappy life in obscurity.
LOUISE BROOKS. Retired 1938, age 31. The brilliant andbeautiful Brooks - she with the now-legendary black bob haircut - was only a minor star in herday. Always disdainful of Hollywood life, she left America in 1929 to do two films in Germany(Pandora's Box and Diary of a Lost Girl) and a film in France (Prix deBeaute). Returning to Hollywood in 1930, she worked sporadically in forgettable studio fareuntil quitting the business in disgust. She languished in New York for decades before the Frenchrediscovered her European classics and hailed her as the star of the silent era. Thissecond wave of popularity prompted Brooks to write several well-received critical essays ofHollywood in the 1920's.
GRETA GARBO. Retired 1941, age 35. Possibly the mostfamous "early retirement" story in filmdom, Garbo's enigmatic decision to quit while she was stilla top star only enhanced her mystique. The story goes that she got fed up after her one bomb,1941's Two-Faced Woman, failed, and what was meant to be a short break from acting becamepermanent. She died very rich and very old, with her long-desired privacy maintained.
SHIRLEY TEMPLE. Retired 1949, age 21. It's not uncommonfor child actors to grow up and do something outside of the movie business, but Shirley Temple wasno ordinary child actor - she was an icon, the biggest star of the mid-30's, a girl whosewildly successful pictures saved an entire studio (Fox) from bankruptcy. Then adolescence hit, andthe public moved on. Which was too bad, as she turned out to be pretty hot. After two isolated andvery brief forays into TV during the late 50's, she went into politics.
GRACE KELLY. Retired 1956, age 26. It's amazing that GraceKelly - considered one of Hollywood's greatest stars - only appeared in 11 movies during hercareer. Of course, those movies include classics such as High Noon and Rear Window.As most know, she left Hollywood to become Princess Grace of Monaco. Fewer know that all the whilethat she was royalty, she actually longed to return to acting, but her life ended at 51 before shehad the chance.
DORIS DAY. Retired 1968, age 44. Though no spring chickenwhen she stopped acting, Ms. Day's departure from movies was still unexpected, coming as it didafter the success of her film With Six You Get Eggroll (a precursor of sorts to "The BradyBunch"). The reason was the death of her manager husband. I guess it just seemed a good time toquit.
JANE FONDA. Retired 1990, age 52. Some might say that, at52, Fonda's disappearance from screens wasn't exactly "early." Yet it's notable as, at the time,she could still open a studio film - her last releases were the pseudo-classy The MorningAfter, Old Gringo and Stanley & Iris, all of which showed that even at 50, shecould still play engaging romantic leads. Then she married Ted Turner. She lived the life of thelavish housewife for a decade, then found Jesus and left Turner. God only knows what thealways-kooky Fonda is up to now. It's too early to say that she'll never act again, but...
BRIGITTE LIN. Retired 1994, age 39. This actress is fairlyunknown in the U.S., but was a superstar in her native Hong Kong. I'm including her as an exampleof the disparity between Asian cinema and Hollywood: These days, it's rare to find Americanactresses retiring early; even when their movie careers fade, they can find new life in sitcoms,cable movies and straight-to-video. But in Hong Kong, Japan, and especially India, women stillquit when they marry. Pushing 40, Lin made the decision to raise a family and not grow old infront of a camera. Perhaps too, she also saw the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema coming to an end,and didn't want to be there for the tepid aftermath. And after all, she did star in 50films!