We celebrated St. Patrick's Day with this delightful silent star.
Colleen Moore became known as one of the earliest screen flappers with her 1923 smash "Flaming Youth". It prompted author F. Scott Fitzgerald to write, "I was the spark that lit up flaming youth, and Colleen Moore was the torch. What little things we are to have caused all that trouble.” While she was a great dramatic actress, the flapper comedies made her one of the most popular and highly paid stars in Hollywood. Notable films included "Ella Cinders", "Lilac Time", "Her Wild Oat" and "Naughty But Nice".
Recipe
I found several recipes attributed to Colleen Moore in "Favorite Foods of Famous Stars" from 1934. The brochure also promotes the Norge Rollator Refrigerator aka "a true aristocrat of the kitchen".
Honestly, these recipes all seemed terrible. I wrote to Jenny Hammerton of Silver Screen Suppers for advice and she suggested this recipe.
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs (I was told that 3 eggs would make this more cake-like.)
3 cups sifted flour
1/2 package raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions
Cream butter and sugar with a hand or stand mixer. Beat eggs thoroughly and add one at a time. Gradually add in flour and dry ingredients until it is completely blended. I used parchment paper on a cookie sheet for baking. Since the recipe is vague, I suggest baking these at 375 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.
Special Guest
Jeff Codori is a film historian who founded the Colleen Moore Project in 2007, an online archive of Colleen Moore research that was retired in February of 2024. He is author of the books “Colleen Moore; A Biography of the Silent Film Star” in 2012, and “Film History Through Trade Journal Art, 1916–1920” in 2020. Here's the link to support Jeff's bike ride for Multiple Sclerosis.
Video
Final Result
The cookies turned out well. I should have added more walnuts though. My friend and frequent collaborator Mary Stanford said they basically taste like Madeleine Cookies. The recipe makes a TON of them, so you might want to cut it down. Overall I'm going to chalk this one up as a success.
Film Masters recently released "The Scarlet Letter" on DVD with lots of special features! The Warner Archive recently released "Why Be Good" on DVD along with Joan Crawford in "The Boob". There are also some bootleg Colleen Moore titles floating around on Youtube.
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Thank you for watching and stay tuned for more food, fun and film history.
You can still see Colleen Moore's Fairy Tale Castle, which remains on display at the Museum of Science + Industry in Chicago.