Olive Thomas: Everybody's Sweetheart

This long overdue documentary restores luster to the reputation of 1920s movie star Olive Thomas. At the height of her career, the 25-year-old Olive Thomas died from ingesting mercury chloride tablets while vacationing in Paris. Questions remain as to whether her death was a careless accident or an impulsive suicide. Born into poverty in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, in 1904, Thomas escaped her surroundings via underage marriage to a factory time-keeper. When the appeal of domesticity curdled, the restless Thomas obtained a divorce and re-invented herself in Manhattan. Considered one of her era's great beauties, the shop girl attracted the eye of influential illustra...