Film History: 37 of 40 Theda Bara Movies Lost in 1937 Blaze

Thirty-seven of the 40 silent films produced by Cincinnati actress Theda Bara vanished in a 1937 fire at Fox Studios, leaving only three titles in existence. The Mariemont Theatre will screen those three surviving works on Saturday, Oct. 24, in a sold-out event.

Bara, born Theodosia Goodman in 1885 at 823 Hutchins Ave., dominated the silent screen from 1914 to 1919. Studio publicists marketed her as an Arab princess and an anagram for "Arab Death," but she described herself as "a nice Jewish girl from Cincinnati." She studied at the University of Cincinnati before moving to New York City.

Her filmography included "The Stain," "A Fool There Was," and "Cleopatra." Nadya Ellerhorst, a producer for WCET-TV and WPTD-TV, called Bara "truly a fascinating Cincinnati figure." Ellerhorst also directed the eight-minute documentary "Theda Bara's Memoirs," which will open the Mariemont program.

The event features a panel discussion with Dr. Jennifer Glaser, an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati, and Brian Powers, a historian for the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library. A costume contest will also take place during the evening, one week before Halloween.

The documentary "Theda Bara's Memoirs" is available online and has received 50,000 views on YouTube since May 2025. It examines a 450-page unpublished biography housed in the University of Cincinnati Archives and Rare Book Library. The film includes excerpts from "A Fool There Was," "East Lynne," "The Unchastened Woman," and "Cleopatra."

Bara's career ended in 1919, before her 35th birthday, though she returned for two roles in 1925 and 1926. She married director Charles Brabin in 1921. Xavier University demolished her former home on Victory Parkway in 2011 after using it as the Honors College "Villa." Bara died of abdominal cancer in Los Angeles in 1955 at age 69.