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Mystery
and glamour are the first things that come to mind when the
name Marlene Dietrich is mentioned. Working her way from the
German cabaret stage to the glittering lights of Hollywood,
Marlene starred in some of the most memorable films of the
early 1930s including, "Morocco," "Dishonored,"
"Blonde Venus," "Shanghai Express," "The
Scarlet Empress" and "The Devil Is A Woman."
Born
Maria Magdelena in Berlin, even her birthday remained a mystery
for many years. It was originally believed she was born in
1904, the daughter of Edouard von Losch and Wilelmina Elisabeth
Josephine Felsing. A birth certificate found years later showed
that she was born on December 27, 1901 and was a stepdaughter
to von Losch. Her real father, Louis Erich Otto Dietrich,
a Royal Prussian officer died when she was very young. Her
family life was conservative, upper-middle class, and with
her father's military influence, it regarded the importance
of duty and discipline to the utmost degree. It would be this
influence which would shape her acting career and her life
as a citizen in years to come.
Her
first love was the violin and she aspired to become a concert
violinist. Suffering a wrist injury which made it impossible
for her to continue playing, her dreams were shattered. Turning
to the stage, she appeared in German cabaret productions and
small films. She met and married Rudie Sieber, a production
assisstant on the film Tragedie der Liebe (Tragedy of Love),
in 1924 and the following year Marlene gave birth to their
daughter, Maria. Continuing to perform in various productions,
she was still an unknown actress when she was discovered by
Josef von Sternberg and offered a part in his film "The
Blue Angel," the first German "talkie." The
film became an international success, and when von Sternberg
returned to Hollywood, Marlene joined him, leaving behind
her husband and daughter.
Her
work with von Sternberg was truly a collaboration where the
two transformed Marlene into a glamourous starlet, a vision
of von Sternberg's ideal woman. This collaboration lasted
until 1935 with the dismal failure of "The Devil Is A
Woman." Josef ended his relationship with Marlene and
moved from Paramount to Columbia. She made another unsuccessful
film "Knight Without Armor" in 1937 and during the
filming she was approached by Nazi agents trying to persuade
her to come back to Germany. When she refused Hitler's offer,
her films were banned in Germany, and viewed as a traitor
by many of her countrymen.
With
her career on the decline, she left Hollywood for two years
and returned to Europe. In
1939, producer Joe Pasternak offered her role in the film
"Destry Rides Again" with star James Stewart. A
western, the role transformed her femme fatale image to that
of a leathery saloon hostess and in effect, resurrected her
career.
Marlene
helps in the war against the Nazis->
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