Cincinnati Celebrates Silent Star With Sold-Out Screenings

A Cincinnati crowd gathered at Mariemont Theatre for a tribute to Theda Bara, one of the city’s earliest movie stars. The event sold out, drawing fans who may not have known much about the silent-film actress before the evening began.

Bara rose to fame in the early 20th century, becoming known as the original screen ‘vamp,’ a seductive woman portrayed as dangerous to men. Studio publicists built a fictional backstory for her, billing her as an Arab princess raised in the shadow of the Sphinx and noting that her name was an anagram for ‘Arab Death.’

The reality was far more local. In her own words, she was ‘a nice Jewish girl from Cincinnati.’ She was born Theodosia Goodman in 1885 at 823 Hutchins Ave., the daughter of a Jewish tailor and a Swiss mother.

Saturday’s program included Theda Bara’s Memoirs, an eight-minute film about the actress, along with A Fool There Was. A panel discussion followed, featuring Dr. Jennifer Glaser, a University of Cincinnati associate professor and Bara historian; Brian Powers, a historian with the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library; and Nadya Ellerhorst, producer of The Art Show series on public television stations WCET-TV and WPTD-TV.

With Halloween one week away, the evening also included a Theda Bara costume contest. Those without tickets can still watch Theda Bara’s Memoirs online, where it has drawn 50,000 views on YouTube since May 2025.