Friday, October 30, 2020

Born Today October 30: Lori Bara

 

 

1897-1965

 

Lori Bara (seen above on the right), baby sister of famed vamp Theda, and occasional actress in her own right, was born on this day in Cincinnati as Esther Goodman.  She was in actuality only two years younger than her sister Theodosia, but many sources during her lifetime listed her birth year as 1903.  She appeared in two silent films in the 1920's, the first of which was in the Buster Keaton feature Seven Chances in 1925. She next appeared with Lon Chaney in MGM's romantic war comedy Tell It to the Marines in 1926. Both roles were tiny and went uncredited.  She was much happier as a writer and has two credits in the 1930's in the film industry as such.  One for the "pseudo-documentary" Samarang in 1933, filmed in Malaysia; and the other for the screenplay produced into Hate in Paradise in 1938. Both were directed by her husband Ward Wing. Archival footage of her from the Keaton film was used in the 1970 tribute film 4 Clowns, in homage to Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel, Charley Chase and Keaton (a film produced and released five years after her own death).  She passed away on the 4th of August of a heart ailment in Culver City at the age of 61; she outlived her far more famous sister by ten years. She is interred in the Main Mausoleum at Holy Cross Cemetery, which is also located in Culver City under the name "Lori De Coppet Bara" (the De Coppet was her's and Theda's mother's maiden name).  

 

[source: Bernard Johnson (Find A Grave)]

 

Find A Grave entry 

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