Make Me Over, Marie Dressler

Marie Dressler was known for her comedy and her unconventional, rule breaking looks. She wasn’t the conventional Hollywood pretty actress but her comedy skits helped her get famous. She also was known for portraying the traditional American hardworking woman. It was interesting to learn about her because she was so different compared to the generic Hollywood manufactured actress. Marie was not bothered about her aging unlike Norma Desmond. She used it as an advantage and continued to make films well beyond what was considered an actress’s prime. Though she was the source of jokes because of her weight and her age, she adamantly defied the expectations of Hollywood and gossip media. Her success story was rare for that time. Usually the fame of an actress would fade away as they no longer could portray a beautiful woman. Both Marie and Norma were from the silent film era but went drastically different routes. Norma tried to revive her career by creating a film starring her. She thought Cecil was still interested in her work and subjected herself to insane treatments that most likely wouldn’t have done anything for her. Hollywood is to blame for what happened to Norma and many forgotten actors and actresses that fell into obscurity.  That’s why Hollywood was bothered by Sunset Boulevard.