My October 18 Barbara La Marr Program at La Venta Inn

I (Sherri Snyder) am honored to present a program on illustrious silent screen star Barbara La Marr at the historic La Venta Inn on the Palos Verdes Peninsula on Wednesday, October 18.  Hosted by the Palos Verdes Historical Society as part of a fundraising event, my program will feature my one-woman performance as Barbara and slideshow lecture about her astounding life and laudable career.

La Venta Inn, an event and wedding venue, was a getaway for the rich and famous in the 1920s and 1930s.  It was also the setting for Barbara’s final film, The Girl from Montmartre, filmed in 1925 and released in 1926.

For additional information and tickets, click here

Barbara and Lewis Stone on location at La Venta Inn filming The Girl from Montmartre.
An early 1930s postcard.

Happy National Silent Movie Day (September 29)!

Though not all silent films have survived, some of Barbara’s most noteworthy film acting work has!  Why not celebrate the day by watching one of Barbara’s wonderful films free online?

The Nut (1921)

The Three Musketeers (1921)

The Prisoner of Zenda (1922)

Souls for Sale (1923)

The Whilte Moth (1924)

Barbara, Ramon Novarro, director Rex Ingram, and cameraman John F. Seitz film a scene from The Prisoner of Zenda, 1922.

October 15 Hollywood Forever Tour and My Performance as Barbara La Marr

Silent screen actress Barbara La Marr was a legend in her time, leading an astounding, oftentimes scandalous life described by newspapers of the day as “a wilder story than she ever helped to film.” Join me, Sherri Snyder, at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Sunday, October 15 as I once again portray Barbara in a one-woman performance piece that I wrote about her. Barbara’s banishment from Los Angeles at age seventeen for being “too beautiful”; her notable careers as an actress, a dancer, a vaudevillian, and a screenwriter; her tragic death at age twenty-nine in 1926; and more will be spotlighted.

My performance is part of the Los Angeles Art Deco Society’s 40th Hollywood Forever Cemetery walking tour. Also featured on the tour are the stories—told by performers and historians—of silent screen god Rudolph Valentino, matinee idol Douglas Fairbanks Jr., actress and William Randolph Hearst mistress Marion Davies, filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille, slain director William Desmond Taylor, glamour ghoul Vampira, and over twenty other Old Hollywood stars, movie moguls, and pioneers interred at Hollywood Forever.

In addition to portraying Barbara on the tour for many years, I have had the honor of producing it since 2017.

Click here for tickets and additional details. This event typically sells out.

(Photo: Barbara and me as Barbara.)

My September 17 Barbara La Marr Performance (Mountain View Mausoleum Centenary Celebration)

Join me, Sherri Snyder, at the majestic Mountain View Mausoleum (2300 North Marengo Avenue, Altadena, CA) on Sunday, September 17 as I portray Barbara in a one-woman performance piece that I wrote about her. Barbara’s banishment from Los Angeles at age seventeen for being “too beautiful”; her notable careers as an actress, a dancer, a vaudevillian, and a screenwriter; her tragic death at age twenty-nine in 1926; and more will be spotlighted.

My performance is part of the Mountain View Mausoleum Centenary Celebration.  Sponsored by Altadena Heritage, the celebration will take place from 4 to 7:30 p.m. and feature performers portraying famous Altadenans (Barbara passed away in Altadena after battling tuberculosis) and live 1920s music.  Click here for additional information and tickets.    

Me as Barbara on Mountain View Mausoleum’s grand staircase. / Los Angeles Times photo by James Staub.

My July 30 Barbara La Marr Program at the Old Town Music Hall

Silent screen actress Barbara La Marr was a legend in her time, leading an astounding life described by newspapers of the day as “a wilder story than she ever helped to film.” Join me, Sherri Snyder, at the Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo as I portray Barbara in a self-authored performance piece, then present a slideshow lecture about her, detailing her oftentimes scandalous life from her humble beginnings to her tragic death at age twenty-nine in 1926. Barbara’s banishment from Los Angeles at age seventeen for being “too beautiful”; her notable careers as a dancer, a vaudevillian, a screenwriter, and an actress; her impact upon cinematic history; and her fierce determination to forge her own destiny amid the constant threat of losing it all to scandal and, ultimately, death will be spotlighted. The program, beginning at 2:30 p.m. and roughly an hour and a half long, will also feature clips from some of Barbara’s films, musical accompaniment by Pete Eveland, and a question-and-answer session. The Old Town Music Hall, a cherished cultural landmark, is located at 140 Richmond Street, El Segundo, CA 90247. Click here to purchase tickets.

Barbara La Marr
Built in the 1920s, the theater became the Old Town Music Hall in the 1960s.

Watch Barbara La Marr in THE WHITE MOTH (1924) Free Online

The White Moth, directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Barbara La Marr as Mona Reid (aka the White Moth), a famous dancer caught in a love tangle with Ben Lyon, Charles De Roche, and Conway Tearle, may now be viewed for free online here.  The photo below, from one of the film’s scenes, features Barbara in what was considered in 1924 to be a very provocative scenario in a film: a woman in a bathtub.  Though she was completely covered, censors in some states cut the scene before allowing the film in theaters.  Still, one critic raved that “Barbara is scintillating as she has never scintillated before” in the film.    

Barbara in The White Moth (1924)

My April 1 Barbara La Marr Event at the Los Angeles Central Library

Silent screen actress Barbara La Marr was a legend in her time, leading an astounding life described by newspapers of the day as “a wilder story than she ever helped to film.”  Join me, Sherri Snyder, on Saturday, April 1 at the Los Angeles Central Library as I portray Barbara in a self-authored performance piece, then present a slideshow lecture about her, detailing her oftentimes scandalous life from her humble beginnings to her tragic death at age twenty-nine in 1926.  Barbara’s banishment from Los Angeles at age seventeen for being “too beautiful”; her notable careers as a dancer, a vaudevillian, a screenwriter, and an actress; her impact upon cinematic history; and her fierce determination to forge her own destiny amid the constant threat of losing it all to scandal and, ultimately, death will be spotlighted. 

A question-and-answer session will follow the performance and lecture.  I will also be signing copies of my biography, Barbara La Marr: The Girl Who Was Too Beautiful for Hollywood (a limited number of books will be available for $35 each, cash only).     

The event, beginning at 2:00 p.m. and roughly an hour and ten minutes long, is being held in Meeting Room A on the first floor of the Los Angeles Central Library (630 West 5th Street, Los Angeles) and is FREE to attend.

(Left to right) Barbara La Marr, me as Barbara, and my book.