Vivian Reed (actress, born 1894)

Vivian Reed (April 17, 1894 – July 19, 1989), also known as Vivian R. Green, was an American silent film actress. She appeared in 36 films between 1914 and 1938, and was described in news reports during her early years as "the girl-with-the-million-dollar-smile" and a "screen beauty" who was "one of the most beautiful young women in motion pictures."[1][2]

Vivian Reed
Reed in 1915
Born(1894-04-17)April 17, 1894
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJuly 19, 1989(1989-07-19) (aged 95)
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1914–1938
SpouseAlfred E. Green (m. 1918)

Personal life
Reed in Motion Picture Classic magazine (September 1915)

Born in Chicago, Illinois on April 17, 1894, Vivian Reed was a daughter of William L. and Cora Reed. Raised in Chicago's twelfth ward during the early 1900s, and educated in the city's public schools, she married film director Alfred E. Green in Manhattan on July 19, 1918. They were the parents of three children: Douglas Green, Hilton A. Green, and Marshall Green, all of whom later worked as assistant directors in the film industry.[3][4][5]

Listed in film credits as Vivian Reed during the 1910s and 1920s, she was known by her married name, Vivian R. Green, in later life. She was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred, who died in Newport Beach, California on September 4, 1960, following a lengthy illness.[6]

A resident of the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles in her later years, she died there on July 19, 1989.[7]

Film career

Reed performed the role of Princess Gloria in His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz. This was the last Oz film produced by L. Frank Baum.[8][9]

Another of her films, The Lad and the Lion (1917), was the first adaptation of an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, predating the Tarzan films. As with many early silent films, no copies of this lost film are known to exist. In 1918, she was cast as "the wronged girl," Marie Dubois, in The Guilty Man.[10]

Reportedly an adept horsewoman and "regular whirlwind" with "nerve in abundance" who could "ride a horse with the most daring cowboys" and was "not a mere camera poser," Reed was associated with the Selig Polyscope Company in 1917 and 1918, and appeared with Eddie Polo in the twelfth episode of the 1917 series, The Bull's Eye.[11]

Reed also portrayed Princess Ozma in the introductions to films made by The Oz Film Manufacturing Company. She had a non-speaking, minor role in the 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz.[12]

Selected filmography
Year Film Role
1914 The Patchwork Girl of Oz Ozma head logo
The Magic Cloak of Oz Quavo
His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz Princess Gloria, niece to King Krewl
The Last Egyptian Aneth Consinor
1917 The Lad and the Lion Nakula
Bull's Eye Cora Clayton
1918 The Guilty Man Marie Dubois

References
  1. "The Wizard." York, Pennsylvania: The York Dispatch, September 6, 1917, p. 8.
  2. "At the Iris." Topeka, Kansas: The Topeka State Journal, February 13, 1915, p. 8.
  3. "The Scenic." York, Pennsylvania: The York Dispatch, April 29, 1918, p. 10.
  4. Alfred E. Green and Vivian Reed, in "Marriage Licenses, New York City" (July 19, 1918). New York, New York: New York City Clerk's Office, retrieved online July 3, 2023.
  5. "Cupid Bulletin." Los Angeles, California: The Los Angeles Times, June 18, 1918, p. 15.
  6. "Alfred Green Dies; Veteran Film Director". Oakland Tribune. September 6, 1960. p. D 41. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  7. Vivian R. Green, in "U.S. Social Security Death Index" (July 1989). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Social Security Administration, retrieved online July 3, 2023.
  8. The History of American Literature in Film
  9. "The Wizard," The York Dispatch, September 6, 1917.
  10. "'The Guilty Man' Special Feature at City Square." Atlantic City, New Jersey: Atlantic City Daily Press, May 7, 1918, p. 9.
  11. "The Scenic," The York Dispatch, April 29, 1918, p. 10.
  12. "Vivian Reed Biography". Fandango.
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