Theda Bara, My Mentor ─ Under the Wing of Hollywood's First Femme Fatale

Joan Craig was five years old when she made the acquaintance of the iconic, quintessential vamp, Theda Bara, and her husband, Charles Brabin, as neighbors in Beverly Hills in 1945. She was 10 when the popular movie femme fatale died in 1955, bestowing on Joan all her costumes, jewels, and favorite china. Joan recounts the decade of her unique relationship with the childless Brabins as they shared their love, lives, friends and life philosophy. After Theda’s death, her sister gave Joan family documents which included letters of Madame de Stael and Lord Byron. In 1961, Joan traveled to Europe to visit all the places in Madame de Stael and Lord Byron’s history meeting with historians and reporters and acquiring additional information regarding Theda’s French-Swiss grandmother, Regine de Coppets. Was she or was she not the offspring of the celebrated couple? The second half of the book lists Theda’s films and includes stills and lobby cards from most of her films with a brief synopsis of each movie. Only four films remain. There is a multitude of illustrations. Annotation c2016 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

Joan Craig lives in Burbank, California. Beverly F. Stout lives in Greenwood, Mississippi.