Alma Rubens
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Alma Rubens (born Alma Genevieve Reubens; February 19, 1897 – January 21, 1931) was an American film
actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
and stage performer. Rubens began her career in the mid 1910s. She quickly rose to stardom in 1916 after appearing opposite
Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor and filmmaker best known for being the first actor to play the masked Vigilante Zorro and other swashbuckler film, swashbu ...
in ''The Half-Breed''. For the remainder of the decade she appeared in supporting roles in comedies and drama. In the 1920s she developed a drug addiction that eventually ended her career. She died of lobar pneumonia and
bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...
shortly after being arrested for
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
possession in January 1931.


Early life

Alma Genevieve Reubens was born on February 19, 1897, to John B. and Theresa (née Hayes) Reubens in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Her father, John Reubens, born in 1857 in Germany, was
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, and emigrated to the United States in 1890. Alma vehemently denied any Jewish heritage throughout her lifetime however. Her mother was of Irish Catholic descent. She and her elder sister, Hazel (born 1893) were raised in their mother's
faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...
and attended Sacred Heart Convent in San Francisco. Some biographies erroneously state that her birth name was Genevieve Driscoll. That name was in fact a pseudonym that she later used in a non-professional capacity, as Genevieve was her middle name and Driscoll was her maternal grandmother's maiden name.


Career

Her first stage opportunity came when a chorus girl in a musical comedy theater troupe became ill. Rubens was chosen to take her place and joined the troupe as a regular performer. There she met Franklyn Farnum who was also a member. He later convinced Rubens to leave the troupe and try film acting. In 1916, Rubens signed with
Triangle Film Corporation Triangle Film Corporation (also known as Triangle Motion Picture Company) was a major American motion-picture studio, founded in July 1915 in Culver City, California and terminated 7 years later in 1922. History The studio was founded in Jul ...
. Her first film for the company was the comedy-drama '' Reggie Mixes In'', starring
Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor and filmmaker best known for being the first actor to play the masked Vigilante Zorro and other swashbuckler film, swashbu ...
. Later the same year, Rubens was re-teamed with Fairbanks for
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
comedy '' The Mystery of the Leaping Fish'', ''The Half-Breed'' and '' The Americano''. The next year, Rubens co-starred in two westerns, ''Truthful Tolliver'' with William S. Hart and ''The Firefly of Tough Luck'' with Charles Gunn. In 1918, she announced that she was changing the spelling of her last name of Rueben to "Rubens" because it caused too much confusion in the movie industry and in publications. She later told ''
Photoplay ''Photoplay'' was one of the first American film fan magazines, its title another word for screenplay. It was founded in Chicago in 1911. Under early editors Julian Johnson and James R. Quirk, in style and reach it became a pacesetter for fan m ...
'' magazine, "As a matter of fact my name is not the same pellingas the painter's. It's either Reubens or Ruebens—I forget which. I never could spell it. Couldn't remember where the 'e' came. So I let it go Rubens." In 1920, Rubens signed with
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher and politician who developed the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His extravagant methods of yellow jou ...
's Cosmopolitan Productions. The studio promoted Rubens as its newest starlet, falsely claiming she was a descendant of Flemish painter
Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...
. Her first film for the studio was '' Humoresque'', which became the studio's only hit that year. Later that year, she starred in dramas '' The World and His Wife'', opposite Montague Love, and ''Thoughtless Women'', both of which further solidified her popularity. By 1921, Rubens had developed an addiction to
heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...
after she was prescribed
morphine Morphine, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...
by a doctor for a physical ailment. Due to her drug use and difficult behavior on set, William Randolph Hearst removed her from a film she was set to star in but kept her on the payroll for the next two years. There were rumors that Hearst continued to pay her a salary because the two were involved romantically. Hearst denied this rumor, claiming he continued to pay Rubens because he had invested a substantial amount of money promoting her as the studio's leading lady and that good lead actresses were difficult to find. Rubens returned to the screen in 1922 with roles in '' Find the Woman'' and '' The Valley of Silent Men''. Her final film for Cosmopolitan Productions was the historical drama '' Under the Red Robe'' in 1923. Hearst released Ruben from her contract the same year. In 1924, she starred in ''The Price She Paid'' for Columbia Pictures Corporation and had a supporting role in the Associated First National production '' Cytherea''. From 1925 to 1926, she worked for
Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox (producer), William Fox. It was the corporate successor to ...
. While at Fox, she starred in the hit melodrama '' East Lynne'' (1925) opposite Edmund Lowe and Lou Tellegen. She also had roles in ''The Gilded Butterfly'' with Bert Lytell and ''Siberia'' (both 1926), the latter of which re-teamed Rubens with Edmund Lowe and Lou Tellegen. Her final film for Fox was 1927's ''Heart of Salome'', after which she decided to work freelance.


Drug abuse and decline

By late 1927, Rubens' drug addiction severely impacted her career as she frequently was admitted to sanatariums for treatment for months at a time. One of her latter roles was as Julie in the 1929 part-sound film version of ''
Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the per ...
'', her next-to-last film roles and one of her few sound films. The soundtrack for the portion in which she spoke, however, has apparently been lost. In February 1929, Rubens' addiction became known publicly when she attempted to stab a physician who was taking her to a sanatarium for treatment. She was ordered to undergo treatment at the Spadra facility shortly thereafter. She later escaped despite being under the watch of four nurses and two male guards. She then was admitted to a sanatorium in Pasadena but left after 10 days. On May 15, 1929, Rubens' husband Ricardo Cortez and her mother had Rubens committed to
Patton State Hospital Patton State Hospital is a forensic psychiatric hospital in San Bernardino, California, United States. Though the hospital has a Patton, California address, it lies entirely within the San Bernardino city limits. Operated by the California Dep ...
for treatment after she resumed her drug habit. Rubens was released from Patton State Hospital in late December 1929. She made her first public appearance after her release on January 30, 1930, in a role in a play produced at the Writer's Club in Hollywood. Her performance was well received by the audience, and she received eight curtain calls. After the show, Rubens gave an interview to United Press stating that she was cured of her addiction. During the interview, she described her descent into drug abuse and her experiences at the sanatoriums. In early February 1930, Rubens traveled to New York where she announced she was now free of drug addiction and planning a comeback with a vaudeville tour in the East. She made an appearance on stage with her husband, but returned to California the same month. She was there less than two weeks when, on January 5, 1931, she was arrested by Federal officers in San Diego for cocaine possession and conspiracy to smuggle morphine from Mexico into the United States. Rubens claimed she was being framed, and physicians attested to her statements that she was not taking drugs. She later was released on $5,000 bail, and appeared for a preliminary hearing the second week of January 1931.


Personal life

Rubens married three times. Her first marriage was to actor Franklyn Farnum, nearly 20 years her senior, in June 1918. Rubens and Farnum were married secretly and separated about two months later. According to Rubens' divorce petition, Farnum physically abused her and once dislocated her jaw. Their divorce was finalized in December 1919. In November 1923, she married Dr. Daniel Carson Goodman, an author and film producer. They separated in late 1924, and Rubens filed for divorce in January 1925. Rubens third and final marriage was to actor Ricardo Cortez, whom she married on January 30, 1926, in Riverside, California. As her divorce from Goodman was not yet finalized, the new marriage was considered invalid. They were remarried on February 8. While touring the
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
circuit in mid-1930, the couple separated. At the time of her death, Rubens was suing Cortez for divorce. Cortez claimed he had not been notified of his wife's death, and later remarked that he had not seen her for several months and was unaware that she was seriously ill.


Death

Shortly after her release from jail on charges of
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
possession, Rubens contracted a cold that quickly developed into lobar pneumonia and
bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...
. She fell into a coma at the Los Angeles home of her friend, Dr. Charles J. Pflueger. She died on January 21, 1931, at the age of 33 having never regained consciousness. A funeral service was held on January 24 at the Little Church of the Flowers at
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California, United States. It is the original and current flagship location of Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, a chain of six cemeteries and four additional mortuaries ...
. Her body was then shipped to Fresno where a second service was held at the Christian Science Church on January 26. She is interred in a mausoleum at Mountain View Cemetery in Fresno. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Alma Rubens has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
located at 6409 Hollywood Blvd.


In popular culture

''This Bright World Again'', Rubens' memoirs, was serialized in national newspapers in 1931. The text details Rubens' career and her struggle with drug addiction. The full text, with a biography and filmography by Gary D. Rhodes and Alexander Webb titled ''Alma Rubens, Silent Snowbird: Her Complete 1930 Memoir, with a New Biography and Filmography'', was published by McFarland in 2006.


Filmography


Footnotes


References

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Further reading

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External links

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Alma Rubens
at Virtual History
Motion Picture
September 1925 cover(archived)
Find a Grave

Kinotv
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubens, Alma 1897 births 1931 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from San Francisco American film actresses 20th-century American memoirists American people of German-Jewish descent American people of Irish descent American Roman Catholics American silent film actresses American stage actresses Deaths from bronchitis Deaths from pneumonia in California American vaudeville performers Western (genre) film actresses American women memoirists