Child Star Barbara La Marr Becomes Screen Vamp

She says she likes men like roses – by the dozen. Billed as “The Girl Who Was Too Beautiful,” silent-screen actor Barbara La Marr was for a time the most advertised actress and greatest box office attraction in America. She mesmerized audiences as a child in 1904 and later as an adult. With her black hair, heart-shaped face, enormous brown eyes, and cupid’s-bow mouth, she was most often cast as the silent-screen vamp. She was born Reatha Dale Watson in 1896 in Yakima, Wash. Her father, William W. Watson, a newspaperman, eventually moved the family to Medford, Ore., and her uncle, J. C. Watson, was a judge in Ashland. La Marr married five times and had one child – a son in 1923. During her career she appeared in 32 films. At the height of her popularity she earned $6,500 a week, an astounding amount at the time. She was one of the first stars to die from the effects of too much alcohol and drugs. Her death at age 29 in Altadena, Calif., attracted 40,000 mourners. La Marr was quoted as saying, “I like my men like I like my roses . . . by the dozen.” Sources: "Barbara La Marr, Screen Star, Dies." Oregonian 21 Jan. 1926 [Portland, Ore.] . Print; "Barbara La Marr Biography." INDb.com. 2014. Web. 13 Dec. 2014.