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Gishing it
Wednesday, September 5, 2012 at 11:44PM 
She lived to be ninety-nine and died in her sleep.
She never married but worked at her craft from the first time she appeared before an audience at age six, until she played her last film role at the age of ninety-four.
In her heyday she was more famous than Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock put together.
Her ethereal beauty was the stuff of legend. She was the waif after which all subsequent waifs have been modeled.
Her name was Lillian Diana Gish and I totally admire her work.
Several weeks ago I watched the 1926 silent version of The Scarlet Letter in which Lillian masterfully portrayed Hawthorne's exquisite heroine, the poor, deserted, passionate, flawed, beleaguered, loyal, misunderstood Hester Prynne.
Afterwards, while doing some online research about Lillian, I learned that she and her sister Dorothy have been memorialized at a theater on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.
The Gishes were originally from Springfield, near Dayton and not far at all from Bowling Green.
Since we were anticipating a trip to that part of the world and planned to stop at BGSU anyway -- it's the university where my in-laws met and fell in love right after World War II -- to take pictures, I told TG I wanted to make a point to visit the theater put there to honor the Gish sisters.
It was easy to find. It's in Hanna Hall, right across the parking lot from Kohl Hall, which figures into my in-laws' love story but I can't quite remember how. I think maybe my mother-in-law lived in Kohl Hall while she was a coed.
At any rate, Hanna Hall houses The Gish Film Theater and although we were there on the weekend, the building was open and we walked right in.
Charming early '20s-era architecture greeted us. Lots of marble. A foyer floor of honeycomb tile in white, with an authentic iron radiator on one wall. A few steps down to the Gish Film Theater.
Extra-large photographs of Lillian and Dorothy adorn the walls on either side of the theater, which has a small marquee over the entrance.
I especially liked this picture of Lillian and Eva Marie Saint (a BGSU alumnus who attended at the same time as TG's parents), portraying Carrie Watts and Thelma in a '50s-era Goodyear Television Playhouse production of Horton Foote's The Trip to Bountiful.
The 1985 film version is one of my favorite movies, with another of my top ten most-admired actresses, the late Geraldine Page.
The doors to the Gish Film Theater were locked but I peered in. Just what you'd expect: red velvet seats, a red velvet curtain over the stage.
Audrey loved it and so did TG and I just felt so privileged to be there. I'd love to go back and see a Lillian Gish silent film in that theater!
Maybe someday. The Birth of a Nation, anyone? I hope they pop extra popcorn.
That is all! Happy day to you!
Reader Comments (6)
I've heard of Lillian Gish but never saw one of her movies. She was beautiful and I loved seeing the tributes to her.
I remember her. I can't off the top of my head cite anything I saw her in just now, but with an 88 year career, I am sure I have seen her in something.
Oh Jenny, I can only imagine how exciting it was to visit this place. And to go see one of her silent films there, wouldn't that be fun. She was probably my Mother's favorite actress. Mom did love watching her movies and I watched them with her. There was one called Portrait of Jennie, in which she played a nun that Mom loved. I love the movie Trip to Bountiful too. I'll have to put a lot of these on my movie list. Great post my friend......................G. Oh, and I love popcorn!!
Love Lillian Gish...She was my Mom's favorite actress...
hughugs
Oh I bet that was SO neat to see!!!!! Love all the photo's too!
Just an afterthought on this....I remembered that I really like Jennifer Jones and she played Jennie in this movie with Lillian Gish..love them both!!...........G.