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Bert Blair, Sign of the Zodiac

posted 8 years ago by ksutherland4
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Her screen name was Bert Blair, and the movie she mentions is the original “Sign of the Zodiac.” She worked for the Minerva Film Company which suffered a major fire and disappeared in 1929, as far as I know. She also billed herself as Bert Blair, America’s Famous Motor Girl. She planned an Around the World tour by automobile in 1925. Whether or not she completed that trip is unknown. She received a Smith & Wesson .38 Military and Police revolver for protection (and promotion of Smith & Wesson) on her trip. She is not currently listed in the IMDb or found with online searches. Does anyone recall Bert Blair from the 1920s silent film era? She's my silent film avatar. I have the photo of her and correspondence she wrote in 1924 if interested. Thank you!

[–] ksutherland4 8 years ago

Then again, what is the likelihood of a young lady falling on hard times during the Silent Film era? With a film that was never released Bert Blair may have lacked the wardrobe she had planned for her Around the World trip. We don't know who selected her as America’s Famous Motor Girl, maybe the Luxor Taxicab Company as seen in the photo, or the Tin Can Tourists of America, or Bert Blair herself, i.e., a publicity stunt. Right, she went to a trophy shop and ordered an enormous trophy for herself, almost as big as the Stanley Cup! Well, anything's possible. All that for a Smith & Wesson .38 Military and Police pistol from Mr. W. F. Roper at Smith & Wesson. Other than the few bits of correspondence and the photo of Bert Blair she's virtually an unknown. For a person with ambition for celebrity and promotion Bert Blair has disappeared from the record. She may have a given name or something on record at Smith & Wesson, i.e., her publicity photo; that would reopen the search. "The Case of the Missing Starlet" is now on hold.