Dorothy Winifred Gibson was a pioneering American silent film actress, artist's model and singer active in the early 20th century. She is best remembered as a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic and for starring in the first motion picture based on the disaster.
Biography[]
Dorothy Gibson, 22, of New York, was born as Dorothy Winifred Brown in Hoboken, New Jersey, the daughter of John A. and Pauline Boesen Brown. John Brown died when Dorothy was a child and her mother remarried to John Leonard Gibson.
Dorothy married George Battier, Jr. in 1910 but separated from him shortly thereafter. They were eventually divorced. Between 1907 and 1911 Gibson was a singer and dancer in a number of musicals on Broadway, including shows produced by Charles Frohman and the Shubert Brothers. In 1909 she became one of the favorite models for illustrator Harrison Fisher, her image appearing on magazine covers, postcards and various merchandise over a period of years.
In July 1911, after bit parts in motion pictures she was hired as leading lady for the American branch of the French company Éclair, becoming a popular star in a succession of hit comedies and dramas. Among her best-known roles was that of Revolutionary War heroine Molly Pitcher in the historical pageant, "Hands Across the Sea" (1911).
Dorothy before Titanic
On 17 March 1912, having completed a series of films, including "The Easter Bonnet," a romantic comedy, and an episode of a gangster serial called "The Revenge of the Silk Masks," Dorothy and her mother sailed for Europe for a vacation. After a few weeks, Eclair advisor and producer Jules Brulatour, who also headed the leading film distribution company in America, wired her in Italy to return to complete a new roster of films to be directed by Etienne Arnaud and Maurice Tourneur. Dorothy was having an affair with Brulatour, who later divorced his wife to marry her.
After a six-week vacation in Italy with her mother, Gibson was returning on the Titanic to make a new series of pictures for Eclair at Fort Lee. They boarded in Cherbourg on the 10th of April, in the evening.
The sinking[]
Dorothy told the New York Dramatic Mirror that she "spent a pleasant Sunday evening playing bridge with a couple of friendly New York bankers" in the First Class Lounge. These were William T. Sloper and Frederick K. Seward (the latter she knew from her church). They escaped in lifeboat 7, the first lifeboat launched after she had a fight with one of the crew members and was lifted onto the boat against her will.
According to Dorothy, lifeboat 7 was virtually empty when she and her mother arrived on the boat deck. She asked Sloper and Seward to join them.
Despite the requests of a steward to finish, the trio carried on with their game. It was not until a few minutes before 11.40 P.M. that Dorothy made her way to join Mrs. Gibson in their stateroom. She then noticed a "a long drawn, sickening crunch." She wasn't exactly alarmed, she stated to the Mirror, but decided nevertheless to investigate. "As I started to walk across the boat I noticed how lopsided the deck was." She hurried to fetch her mother.
For a moment, it looked as if lifeboat 7 would follow Titanic to the bottom. Water gushed through a hole in the bottom until, in the words of Dorothy "this was remedied by volunteer contributions from the lingerie of the women and the garments of men."'
After Titanic[]
Dorothy after being engaged to Jules Brulatour,
After arriving in New York on the rescue ship Carpathia, Dorothy was persuaded by her manager to appear in a film based on the sinking. She not only starred in the one-reel drama but also wrote the scenario. She even appeared in the same clothing she had worn aboard the Titanic that night—a white silk evening dress topped with a cardigan and polo coat. "I will never forget the terrible cry that rang out from people who were thrown into the sea and others who were afraid for their loved ones," she told the Moving Picture World.
In May 1913 the affair between Brulatour and Dorothy was exposed in the press when they were involved in a high-profile court case; Gibson having struck and killed a man while driving Brulatour's car. Brulatour divorced his first wife and married Dorothy in 1917. The couple separated in 1919.
Dorothy never remarried. In the early 1920s she was living at the Hamilton Apartments in Manhattan, next door to friend and co-star Muriel Ostriche.
By 1928, Dorothy Gibson had settled in France with her mother, following whose lead she became involved in Fascist politics and intelligence work. She switched her allegiance during World war II and was arrested by the Gestapo in Italy as a resistance agitator. She was imprisoned at San Vittore in Milan but escaped in 1944.
She died of heart failure in her suite at the Hotel Ritz in Paris on 17 February 1946.
'Saved from the Titanic'[]
Advertisement for the movie
"Saved From the Titanic" (aka "A Survivor of the Titanic") Released: 16 May 1912[]
Produced by: Eclair Moving Picture Company Distributed by Motion Picture Distributing and Sales Company Length: One reel (1000ft) Producer: Harry Raver (2) and Jules Brulatour Director: Etienne Arnaud Screenplay: Dorothy Gibson
Cast: Miss Dorothy: Dorothy Gibson Father: Alec B. Francis Mother: Julia Stuart Ensign Jack: John G. Adolfi Jack's Pal: William H. Dunn Jack's Pal: Guy Oliver Dorothy’s friend: Isabel Lamon Dorothy’s friend: Muriel Ostriche
According to Eclair, Dorothy was hesitant about reliving her ordeal so quickly after the tragedy. But "the beautiful young cinematic star valiantly conquered her own feeling and forged ahead," as the Moving Picture World wrote. Denouncing certain opportunists, the paper’s editor had previously strongly suggested that "the deplorable disaster should be given as little attention as possible as an exhibition feature." However, the World and other film trade magazines gave "Saved From the Titanic" excellent reviews.
Dorothy Gibson gave up acting shortly after the release of "Saved From the Titanic" to pursue a career in opera, which was as brief as her film work. With contemporary Mary Pickford, Gibson was the highest paid movie actress in the world at the time of her premature retirement in May 1912. Dorothy made about 20 movies, 14 of them for Éclair, the rest for Lubin and Imp Studios. Only one of her films survives – "The Lucky Holdup," now preserved by the American Film Institute and deposited in the motion picture collection at the Library of Congress. In this one-reel comedy, Dorothy and her leading man, Lamar Johnstone, play eloping lovers kidnapped by a bandit who holds them for ransom in his mountain cabin. "The Lucky Holdup" premiered in New York just as Dorothy set sail on the Titanic.
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | A Show Girl's Stratagem | ||
| The Angel of the Slums | |||
| Good For Evil | |||
| Hands Across the Sea in '76 | Molly Pitcher
Grace Deane French Court Beauty Soldier's widow |
||
| Miss Masquerader | Heiress | ||
| The Musician's Daughter | Prima Donna | ||
| The Wrong Bottle | The Bride | ||
| 1912 | Divorcons | The Wife | |
| Mamie Bolton | |||
| Love Finds a Way | Helen | ||
| The Awakening | The Sweetheart | ||
| The Guardian Angel | The Wife | ||
| Getting Dad Married | Ellen | ||
| Bridge | |||
| The Kodak Contest | The Wife | ||
| It Pays to Be Kind | The Sister | ||
| A Living Memory | Her Memory | ||
| Brooms and Dustpans | Kissing Cousin | ||
| The White Aprons | |||
| A Lucky Holdup [it] | Miss Barton | ||
| The Legend of Sleepy Hollow | |||
| The Easter Bonnet | Dora | ||
| Revenge of the Silk Masks | Society Girl | ||
| Saved from the Titanic | Miss Dorothy | Alternative title: A Survivor of the Titanic
Screenwriter | |
| Roses and Thorns |
Portrayals[]
Saved from the Titanic (1912)[]
Dorothy Gibson was portrayed in Saved from the Titanic by herself.
2012 Miniseries Titanic[]
Sophie Winkleman as Dorothy Gibson in the 2012 Miniseries Titanic
| “ |
Oh, I doubt it, why should folks like you cares about my crazy job. |
” |
—Dorothy Gibson to Captain Smith, Lord & Lady Manton, and Georgiana Grex | ||
Dorothy Gibson was portrayed by Sophie Winkleman in the 2012 Miniseries Titanic.
She first appeared before dinner, was greeted by Captain Smith and introduced herself and her mother, Pauline Caroline Gibson to Lord and Lady Manton, and Georgiana Grex. After dinner, she danced with young Jack Thayer, before Jack was picked up by her mother, Marian Thayer, to go to sleep, leaving Dorothy alone. 2nd Officer Charles Lightoller asked to dance with her. Dorothy was impressed and chatted a little with Lightoller.
On the night of April 14, Dorothy and Pauline were among those invited to a party organized by Eleanor Widener in honor of Captain Smith in the Gatti's Restaurant, Dorothy was seen talking with Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon and Madeleine Astor. After the party, Dorothy played bridge game with Thomas Andrews and John Jacob Astor, the three of them felt the tremble caused by the impact of the iceberg. Thomas Andrews just told her that nothing happened.
Dorothy Gibson with Pauline Gibson in the 2012 Miniseries Titanic
When the evacuation process had begun, Dorothy's mother, Pauline, became hysterical and refused to wear a life jacket and even insisted on staying on the ship.
| “ |
Dorothy : Mother, please! Pauline : I can't! I just can't! That's all to risk to, i'm staying right here! Lightoller : Can i help? Can i help? Dorothy : Yes! My mother won't wear a life vest! Pauline : And i won't get on a boat! Lightoller : Mrs. Gibson, you want to helps Dorothy, don't you? She won't leave without you so, if you want her to be safe, you must be safe. Pauline : Yes. Dorothy : Thank you, Mr. Lightoller. |
” |
Until finally 2nd Officer Lightoller came to calm Pauline down and put the life jacket on her, Lightoller also gave Dorothy a bottle of brandy for people who needed her later. Dorothy agreed and hurried to the boat deck with her mother. They saw Lifeboat 6 being loaded, they immediately rushed into it, accidentally nudging Lady Manton. Lady Manton looked at Dorothy in disgust because she carrying a brandy, mocked her by saying: "I will not sit in boat with a drunken prostitute!". Dorothy and her mother just stared at him in confusion. After the Titanic sank, Dorothy and her mother along with many other occupants of Lifeboat 6 were transferred to Emergency Lifeboat 2 by 5th Officer Lowe because Lowe was going to use his boat to return to pick up the survivors in the water.
| “ |
Lady Manton : Is there any thing we can do to warm him? Dorothy : W-wwait, i have brandy! Look, hang on!... here, come on, just what i brought it for. Lady Manton : Thank God... I'm so, sorry, my dear. |
” |
And when Lowe came back, he brought three men, including Lord Manton. Lady Manton wondered if there was any way to warm her husband, Dorothy remembered that he had brandy and immediately led him to Lord Manton. Lady Manton apologized to him for making fun of him earlier. Dorothy forgave Lady Manton and together they waited for RMS Carpathia to arrive.
Gallery[]
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