Cincinnati Sells Out Screening for Silent Star Whose Career Reduced to Three Films

Theda Bara, born Theodosia Goodman in Avondale, will be honored at a sold-out event at the Mariemont Theatre on Saturday, October 24. The program marks the enduring local connection of the silent film actress who became a national icon in the early 20th century. Nadya Ellerhorst, the producer of the public television series The Art Show, describes Bara as a truly fascinating Cincinnati figure. She serves as the producer-director for the evening's featured documentary, Theda Bara's Memoirs.

Bara’s rise to fame was driven by a carefully constructed public image. Studio publicists presented her as an Arab princess named after an anagram for "Arab Death." This fictional narrative obscured her actual background as the daughter of a Jewish tailor and a Swiss mother. She was born on July 29, 1885, at 823 Hutchins Avenue. After attending Walnut Hills High School and the University of Cincinnati, she moved to New York City to pursue an acting career. She described herself simply as a nice Jewish girl from Cincinnati.

Between 1914 and 1919, Bara appeared in 40 films, including titles such as The Stain, The Devil's Daughter, and Cleopatra. Her career on the big screen largely ended before she turned 35. She returned to the industry in 1925 for The Unchastened Woman and again in 1926 for Madame Mystery. A major portion of her filmography was destroyed in a 1937 fire at Fox Studios. Only three of her original films survive to this day.

Saturday's program will screen the eight-minute documentary Theda Bara's Memoirs alongside the surviving print of A Fool There Was. A panel discussion will follow the screenings. The panel includes Dr. Jennifer Glaser, an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati and Bara historian; Brian Powers, a historian with the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library; and Ellerhorst. The evening will also feature a costume contest, timed to coincide with the upcoming Halloween holiday.

Those who do not have tickets can access Theda Bara's Memoirs online. The film aired on local channels in May 2025 and has since accumulated 50,000 views on YouTube. The documentary contains excerpts from four films: A Fool There Was, East Lynne, The Unchastened Woman, and Cleopatra. It also provides details on a 450-page unpublished biography currently held in the University of Cincinnati Archives and Rare Book Library.

Bara’s personal history remains tied to the city. She married film director Charles Brabin in 1921. Her former residence at Victory Parkway and Ledgewood Drive was acquired by Xavier University in 1979. The university used the Spanish-style house as the Villa for its Honors College before demolishing the structure in 2011. Bara died of abdominal cancer in Los Angeles in 1955 at the age of 69.