Esther Ralston

Esther Ralston (born Esther Louise Worth, September 17, 1902 – January 14, 1994) was an American silent film star. Her most prominent sound picture was To the Last Man in 1933.

Early life and career

Ralston was born Esther Louise Worth in Bar Harbor, Maine in 1902, and Marcella Hudnall in Our Gal Sunday.

Retirement and later years

Despite making a successful transition to sound films, she mainly was relegated to supporting roles by the mid-1930s. Her last leading role was in To the Last Man in 1933, directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Randolph Scott with a supporting cast featuring Noah Beery Sr., Buster Crabbe, Shirley Temple and John Carradine. In his book, The Hollywood Western: Ninety Years of Cowboys and Indians, Train Robbers, Sheriffs and Gunslingers, film historian William K. Everson discusses the film, writing:To the Last Man was almost a model of its kind, an exceptionally strong story of feuding families in the post-Civil War era, with a cast worthy of an "A" feature, excellent direction by Henry Hathaway, and an unusual climactic fight between the villain (Jack LaRue) and the heroine (Esther Ralston, in an exceptionally appealing performance).

Ralston made her final film Tin Pan Alley in 1940 and chose to retire from films. She continued working on the stage and in radio throughout the 1940s, including being the leading lady for part of the run of Woman of Courage.

She returned to the screen in the early 1950s with guest roles on television series, including a Kraft Television Theatre version of Daphne Du Maurier's "September Tide" and an episode of Tales of Tomorrow titled "All the Time in the World." In 1962, she had a leading role in the short-lived daytime drama Our Five Daughters, her final onscreen role (all five of the actresses playing her daughters resembled Ralston in her heyday).

In 1985, Ralston released her autobiography Some Day We'll Laugh. In the book, she mentions that her career was sabotaged by Louis B. Mayer when she refused to sleep with him at the beginning of a swiftly abortive contract at his studio. She was graylisted and soon found herself toppled from the height of the industry to being predominantly relegated to supporting roles, mainly at minor studios, solving the mystery of why her career faltered at the dawn of sound despite her having had a lifetime of theatrical stage experience and a superb speaking voice.

Marriages On December 25, 1925, Ralston married her manager, actor George Webb Frey in Manhattan, New York. The family held services on January 17, 1994, in Ventura, California, the day of the Northridge earthquake.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Esther Ralston has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6664 Hollywood Boulevard.

Filmography

+ Television Year Title Role Notes1952 Kraft Television Theatre Episode: "September Tide" Tales of Tomorrow The Collector Episode: "All the Time in the World" 1953 Broadway Television Theatre Mrs. Bancroft Episode: "The Noose" 1962 Our Five Daughters Helen Lee