Jean Bart (c.1876 – 1955; pseudonym of Marie Antoinette Sarlabous) was a French-born American playwright and screenwriter. She began writing silent film scenarios under her married name in 1915, but after America entered the Great War she adopted as a pen name that of the French naval hero, Jean Bart. Her greatest success came with the long-running Broadway melodrama, The Squall (1926). She had two other plays produced on Broadway by 1932, and continued writing scenarios and screenplays up through 1945.
Jean Bart | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marie Antoinette Vilardell c.1876 France |
| Died | March 6, 1955 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | French (1876) US (1900) |
| Other names | Marie Sarlabous, Marie de Sarlabous |
| Occupation(s) | Scenarist and playwright |
| Years active | 1915 - 1945 |
| Known for | The Squall |
| Spouse |
|
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Joseph Fields (son-in-law) |
Biography
editAs Marie Antoinette Vilardell, she was born in France sometime during 1876 or 1877.[1] According to multiple US Census returns, her father was born in Spain and her mother in Belgium, while her first language was French.[2][3][4] She was fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian, besides her native French.[5]
She married Dr. Emile Joseph Sarlabous[fn 1] on June 14, 1900, at the St. Peter's Episcopal Church in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.[6] Sarlabous was from Cuba, the son of the French Consul General there and a Cuban woman. He came to the United States for training as a doctor, gaining his M.D. from New York University in 1883.[7] He became a naturalized US citizen in 1884.[8] The marriage, under the then prevailing concept of coverture, automatically granted her the legal standing of her husband, and so she become a naturalized US citizen. The couple had one child, Germaine Emilie Sarlabous, born in Manhattan, who married Joseph Fields.[7]
She died March 6, 1955, in New York City, with The New York Times obituary giving only her stage name and citing her age as 75.[9]
Works
editAs Maria de Sarlabous
edit- The Sin of Napoleon (1915 scenario) with Andreas de Segurola for Mirror Films, Inc.[10]
- A Prince in a Pawnshop (1916 scenario) with Andreas de Segurola for Greater Vitagraph.[11]
- Grandma Knew Best (1918 operetta book) with music by Gabrielle Sibella.[12]
As Jean Bart
edit- The Flaming Omen (1917 film)
- The Squall (1926 play; film version 1929)
- Man Who Reclaimed His Head (play; film version 1934)
- Verbena trágica aka Tragic Festival (1939 film)
- The Mad Empress (1939 film)
- Strange Confession (1945 film)
Notes
edit- ^ His first name is often given in various forms: Emil, Emile, and Emilio.
References
edit- ^ Marie Vilardell in the New York, U.S., Arriving passenger and crew lists, 1820-1957, retrieved from Ancestry.com
- ^ 1910 United States Federal Census for Marie Sarlabous, New York > New York > Manhattan Ward 16 > District 0842, retrieved from Ancestry.com
- ^ 1920 United States Federal Census for Marie Sarlabous, New York > New York > Manhattan Assembly District 7 > District 0566, retrieved from Ancestry.com
- ^ 1930 United States Federal Census for Marie Sarlabous, New York > New York > Manhattan Districts (251-500) > District 0462, retrieved from Ancestry.com
- ^ "Lakewood Notes". Morning Sentinel. Waterville, Maine. August 13, 1926. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Marie Antoinette Vilardell in the New York, U.S., Episcopal Diocese of New York Church Records, 1767-1970, retrieved from Ancestry.com
- ^ a b "Dr. Emilio Sarlabous, Long Ill, Dies At 62". The New York Times. New York, New York. June 14, 1931. p. 28 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes (1791-1992) for Emile J. Sarlabous, retrieved from Ancestry.com
- ^ "Mrs. Jean Bart". The New York Times. New York, New York. March 8, 1955. p. 27 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "News of the Movies". Des Moines Tribune. Des Moines, Iowa. December 20, 1915. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Big Bernard Film Is Poli Feature". The Tribune. Scranton, Pennsylvania. October 16, 1916. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Will Offer Mozart In Miniature Form". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco, California. September 15, 1918. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
edit
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