Quietly, A Star is Born

On July 23, 1895, Florence Arto was born in Houston, Texas. This was 50 years after Texas became a state, but Houston was still a dusty cow town. As a teen, Flo met another young Houstonian with the intriguing name of King Vidor. They were both anxious to leave Houston, thinking it something of a teenage wasteland (see below). They shared an intense interest in the nascent film industry. Flo and King got married, made a few short silent movies in Houston, and headed for California, which, then as now, was the center of the film universe.

Flo became a silent film star and her hubby a film director. As things often go in Hollywood, the two soon divorced. Florence married a dashing violinist named Jascha Heifetz and more or less retired from the movie biz. Jascha became a star and they traveled the world together.

Jascha didn't have the advanced technology to loop and distort and layer, like this clever young man, Noah Hoehn. Noah is seen here at a recital hall at the University of Minnesota, working on his doctoral dissertation. Enjoy!