Q&A with Laura Jerrolds, author of Laura La Plante: Silent Cinderella
Q: Hi Laura! Tell us about your new book, Laura La Plante: Silent Cinderella.
A: Laura La Plante: Silent Cinderella is the first-ever full-length biography written on silent star Laura La Plante. The book covers Laura’s entire life, even going back to before she was born with her mother Lydia’s incredible story. There are 101 photographs throughout the book from various stages of her life. Readers can really grow with Laura and see her evolution throughout her film career and personal endeavors.
Q: What inspired you to research and write about Laura La Plante?
A: It was while writing my first book, Help…! It’s 1928!, a middle-grade tale of time travel, that I fell in love with the 1920s. I wanted to learn about the pop culture of the decade and was so delighted to find someone named Laura, too. Originally, I simply only wanted to read a book about Laura and was disappointed to find one hadn’t been written. It came down to the fact that if I ever wanted to read a book on her, I might have to be the one to write it.
Q: Why do you think a book hadn’t been written about her at the time?
A: Sadly, I think many silent film actors and actresses have been forgotten as other old Hollywood figures tend to overshadow them. The general public usually only knows of a handful of names of silent stars, such as Charles Chaplin or Clara Bow. I also think since Laura La Plante had a relatively ordinary personal life, she isn’t as talked about anymore. The podcasts I listen to, or the books I read on the silent era tend to focus on the stars with a more scandal-ridden past. There is nothing wrong with that, but the others deserve their time to shine as well.
Q: Without any major scandals, what makes you sure that the public will find Laura La Plante’s story interesting?
A: Laura truly never cared that she was a star. She remained the same girl she always was, even when her name was in lights. I believe that readers will find her interesting because of how down-to-earth she was. Her kindness shines through every page of the book, and I know people will love and respect her even more for that.
Q: Why did you call the book Silent Cinderella?
A: The “silent” part is because she was a silent film actress, but the “Cinderella” aspect of the title refers to her upbringing. The La Plante family was very poor, and Laura didn’t always know when she’d have new clothes to wear or a full meal to eat. Her mother, Lydia, swept in like a fairy godmother to change the course of her life. When Laura’s career took off, many interviewers actually referred to her as Cinderella because of her rags-to-riches story. I was inspired by one article in particular that called her a modern Cinderella and decided to use that for the book title.
Q: It sounds like Laura had an important mother figure. How was her relationship with the rest of her family?
A: She did! Laura had a great relationship with her mother and her sister, Violet. Her father wasn’t terribly present in her life after her childhood, but she never spoke ill of him. It just seems that there wasn’t too much communication after her parents divorced.
Q: Back to Laura’s film career. What type of films was she known for?
A: The majority of Laura’s filmography is comedies. That is where she was the most comfortable and where she felt that she shined. The ironic part is the film she is most remembered for, The Cat and the Canary (1927), was a more serious role for her since it was a mystery picture. Although she was an incredible actress in drama pictures, she preferred herself as a comedienne.
Q: Did she make the transition to talkies well, or did that impact her career negatively?
A: She made a very smooth transition to talkies and didn’t worry one bit about how her voice would translate on the screen. From 1929 onward, she made several successful talkies but ultimately decided to retire in 1935 to raise a family. She did, however, come back to the movies for two last films and a few television appearances before calling it quits for good.
Q: After retiring from pictures, how did she live the rest of her life?
A: Laura lived a quiet life with her husband, Irving Asher, in Indian Wells once their children, Jill and Tony, had grown up. She and Irving often took trips to the Los Angeles area and enjoyed catching up with film friends from their past. She was happy to be a regular woman and live a normal life after much of her youth was spent in the spotlight.
Q: One last question. What do you hope to accomplish with this book?
A: I hope that Laura La Plante: Silent Cinderella inspires readers to want to learn more about the silent era, especially those actors and actresses who are lesser known in our modern world. My main mission with this book is to spread the word about Laura La Plante, as she was such an important woman with a heart of gold. People deserve to know her. I’m so glad I got to know her through this project.