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Anita King
Anita King
Anita King
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Anita King (born Anna Keppen; August 14, 1884 – June 10, 1963) was an American stunt driver, actress, and thoroughbred racehorse owner. In 1915, she became the first woman to drive a car unaccompanied across the United States, with her 49-day journey from Hollywood to New York City.

Key Information

Early life

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Born Anna Keppen to German immigrants in Michigan City, Indiana, her father committed suicide in 1896 when she was twelve years old and two years later her mother died of pulmonary tuberculosis. Left an impoverished orphan with siblings, Keppen went to work as a house servant and in her late teens moved to Chicago. There, the attractive young girl found employment doing modeling and acting in minor parts in theatre.

Around 1908 she moved to the West Coast where she developed a fascination with powerful cars after working as a model at California auto shows. Keppen soon learned to drive and by the early 1910s was competing in auto races. The Lasky studio historian, Boswell McGaffey, claimed that she was the first woman automobile racing driver.[1]

Following her hospital recovery from an accident in a race in Phoenix, Arizona, she gave up racing and, with the rapid growth of the Hollywood film industry, returned to acting using the stage name Anita King. Her theatre experience opened the door to roles with the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company under director Cecil B. DeMille.[1]

Across the United States

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A film stunt in progress.

In 1915, King decided to put her automobile driving experience to the test and set out to become the first female to drive alone across the continental United States. With the backing of studio boss Jesse L. Lasky, and his newly formed Paramount Pictures, they got the Kissel Motor Car Company to provide her with a vehicle equipped with Firestone tires. Dubbed "The Paramount Girl," amidst much publicity on August 25, she set out in her Kissel Kar from Paramount's studio in Hollywood. The Los Angeles Times wrote, "Her only companions will be a rifle and a six shooter."[1] Lasky arranged for Geraldine Farrar to bid farewell to King at the start of the trip.[1] First heading north to San Francisco, King spent several days doing publicity appearances at the Panama-Pacific World's Fair. With even more fanfare, and declaring that "if men can do it, so can a woman," she headed east. After many promotional stops at Paramount theaters along the way, and coverage by major newspapers coast to coast, on 19 October, after forty-nine days on the road, King received a hero's welcome in New York City, with Motor Age remarking she had arrived with "Los Angeles air in the front tires of her car".[1]

Fame

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King's accomplishment made her a national celebrity and Paramount Studios quickly began production of a movie version of her trip titled "The Race", directed by George Melford.[1] King made numerous public appearances on behalf of the studio, the Kissel, and Firestone, doing daredevil auto stunts and being photographed with the likes of Barney Oldfield driving his famous Golden Submarine.

She used her fame to do charitable works and helped organize a recreation club for young girls trying to get a start in the film business.[1] In 1918, when the U.S. had become involved in World War I, she made a national speaking tour on behalf of the war effort, driving alone across the southern part of the United States from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C.

King appeared in fourteen films while at Paramount, including four with major star Wallace Reid, but in 1918 left to work with Triangle Film Corporation and other studios. She made her last film in 1919 and with the rapid changes in automotive technology plus new and more spectacular racing events, quickly faded from the public eye. Family members said[citation needed] she did not make it in the "talkies" because she had too low of a voice from years of cigarette smoking.

Her first marriage was to James Stuart McKnight, a National Guard officer serving during World War I in Paris, France.[2] In the early 1930s, she married Thomas Morrison McKenna, a wealthy steelmaker. Widowed in the 1940s, she became part of the Hollywood elite, joining such others as Louis B. Mayer and William Goetz as owners of thoroughbred racehorses. In 1951, jockey Johnny Longden rode her colt Moonrush to victory in the Santa Anita Handicap.[1]

Death

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King died of a heart attack in 1963 at her home in Hollywood and is buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California.

Partial filmography

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Other sources

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  • Tejera, P. (2018). Reinas de la carretera. Madrid. Ediciones Casiopea. ISBN 9788494848216 (paper) / ISBN 9788494848223 (digital). Spanish edit.

References

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Anita King

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Anita King is an American silent film actress and pioneering stunt driver known for becoming the first woman to complete a solo transcontinental automobile journey across the United States in 1915. Born in Indiana in 1884, she relocated to California around 1908, where she modeled at automobile shows, learned to drive, participated in races, and transitioned into acting after an injury ended her racing pursuits. She joined the Famous Players Film Company, which evolved into Paramount Pictures, appearing in silent films including The Virginian (1914) directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and earned the nickname "The Paramount Girl" through studio promotion. In 1915, responding to a challenge from DeMille doubting a woman's ability to drive the Lincoln Highway alone, King undertook a publicity stunt for Paramount, departing Hollywood on August 25 in a Kissel Kar, making stops including the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, and arriving in New York City on October 19 after 55 days of solo travel across challenging terrain. After her acting career ended around 1919, she advocated for women in the film industry, working to ensure female representation in studio leadership and creating safe spaces for women facing harassment while seeking employment in Hollywood.

Early life

Birth and family background

Anita King was born Anna Keppen on August 14, 1884, in Michigan City, Indiana. She was the seventh of nine children born to German immigrant parents. Her father committed suicide in 1896, and her mother died of tuberculosis in 1898, leaving her orphaned at age 14. Limited additional details on her family are available from primary sources. She later adopted the professional name Anita King as she began her career.

Pre-acting years

Anita King relocated to Chicago in her late teens, where she supported herself through work as a fashion model and stage actress in local productions. She attracted the notice of prominent stage performer Lillian Russell, who encouraged her by discussing opportunities in the emerging motion picture industry in the West. In 1908, King moved to California, initially continuing modeling work at automobile shows while developing a strong interest in motor vehicles. She learned to drive, owned a Kissel Kar, and participated in local speed trials and endurance events, becoming one of the early women involved in West Coast auto racing. A serious accident during a competition in Arizona ended her competitive racing activities, after which she shifted her focus toward acting.

Transcontinental automobile journey

The 1915 cross-country drive

Anita King embarked on her pioneering transcontinental automobile journey on August 25, 1915, departing from the Famous Players-Lasky (Paramount) studio in Hollywood, California, in a six-cylinder KisselKar open-air touring car provided by the Kissel Motor Car Company and fitted with Firestone tires. She traveled entirely alone, carrying a rifle and revolver for protection while performing all necessary maintenance, repairs, and tire changes herself. After stopping in San Francisco to participate in publicity appearances at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, she resumed her eastward progress along the Lincoln Highway on September 1, 1915. The route traversed California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, amid often harsh conditions, including mud from near-constant rain on all but five days of the journey. King completed the drive in 55 days, arriving in Hoboken, New Jersey, on October 19, 1915, where a delegation escorted her to New York City Hall for a public welcome. This solo accomplishment, undertaken without any accompanying mechanics or support team, drew widespread attention and helped establish her public identity as the "Paramount Girl" before her major film roles.

Publicity and historical significance

Anita King's 1915 transcontinental automobile journey was deliberately orchestrated by Paramount Pictures producer Jesse L. Lasky as a high-profile publicity stunt to elevate her budding acting career. King was prominently billed as "The Paramount Girl" throughout the endeavor, with the trip sponsored by the Kissel Motor Car Company and Firestone, and she made promotional appearances at over a hundred Paramount theaters along the route. Contemporary press coverage was extensive and often sensationalized, featuring colorful reports of King's encounters with challenging conditions and wildlife, which fueled public fascination and generated nationwide attention. For example, the Los Angeles Times noted that she traveled alone with only "a rifle and six shooter" as companions. Local newspapers, such as the Ames Evening Times, documented her stops with enthusiasm, highlighting dramatic claims like being the first person to cross the Nevada and Utah deserts alone and survive. Upon arriving in New York City, King received a hero's welcome, including ceremonial dinners and meetings with dignitaries, solidifying her celebrity status. The New York Sun questioned her lack of visible sunburn, to which she explained using grease paint to protect her appearance. The journey holds historical significance as the first documented solo transcontinental automobile trip by a woman, distinguishing it from earlier crossings like Alice Huyler Ramsey's 1909 accompanied drive. It advanced perceptions of women's capabilities in long-distance driving, serving as a pioneering example that challenged gender norms and demonstrated the potential for women to undertake independent automotive adventures. The stunt also exemplified early Hollywood's innovative use of real-world exploits to promote film stars, linking King's acting ambitions with her widely publicized feat.

Acting career

Entry into silent films

Anita King entered silent films in 1914 when she joined the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company, transitioning from earlier work as a model and in minor theatrical roles to motion pictures under producer Jesse L. Lasky. Her earliest verified role was an uncredited appearance as Mrs. Ogden in Cecil B. DeMille's western The Virginian (1914), an adaptation of Owen Wister's novel that marked her debut with the company. Later in 1914, she took a more prominent supporting role as Helene, Countess De Champigney in DeMille's The Man from Home, a drama based on the Booth Tarkington play where she portrayed a European noblewoman entangled in a con scheme against American tourists. These initial credits established her presence in Lasky's burgeoning production slate, though many early silent films from this period are now considered lost or survive only in fragments, limiting detailed analysis of her performances. Her visibility grew significantly following the publicity surrounding her 1915 solo transcontinental automobile drive, a stunt arranged by Lasky to promote both her and the studio.

Paramount years and key roles

Anita King's primary acting period occurred with the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company (which merged into Paramount Pictures in 1916), spanning roughly 1914 to 1918, when she was prominently billed as the "Paramount Girl" in the wake of her widely publicized transcontinental automobile journey undertaken to generate publicity for the studio. Upon her return in late 1915, Jesse L. Lasky announced that she would be featured alongside the company's major stars, with her first such picture already in production. During these peak years, King appeared in leading and supporting roles across multiple Lasky/Paramount productions, often in physically demanding parts that leveraged her real-life athleticism and adventurous background rather than relying on staged effects. Notable among these were The Race (1916), a drama explicitly based on her cross-country drive, and other features such as Anton the Terrible (1916) and The Heir to the Hoorah (1916), in which she demonstrated versatility in strenuous, authentic performances. She also co-starred opposite Wallace Reid in The Squaw Man's Son (1917). Most of King's silent-era films from this period are now considered lost, limiting detailed contemporary assessments of their reception or box-office performance, though her association with the studio positioned her as a capable leading lady in the formative years of the Hollywood feature film.

Retirement from acting

Anita King left Paramount around 1918 and continued acting with other studios until 1919. Her final films include appearances in productions such as Mistaken Identity (1919) and Stripped for a Million (1919). No further credits are recorded after 1919, marking her retirement from the screen. Limited documentation exists on the specific reasons for her departure, though her career coincided with her earlier publicity as a driver and the evolving silent film industry.

Personal life

Marriages and relationships

Anita King was married at least once during her lifetime. She married Thomas M. McKenna, a retired steel executive who had lived in California for many years. McKenna died on February 22, 1942, in Los Angeles following a long illness at age 63, leaving King as his widow. No further details about the timing or circumstances of her marriage are documented in available sources, and there is no record of any children from this union.

Post-career activities

After retiring from acting in 1919, Anita King resided in Hollywood, California, where she lived for the remainder of her life. In her later years, she was involved in thoroughbred horse racing as a racehorse owner. She co-owned the colt Moonrush, which was sold to her and Gus Luellwitz in 1948 for $10,500, trained by Willie Alvarado, and ridden by jockey Johnny Longden to victory in the Santa Anita Handicap in 1951. Anita King died on November 10, 1963, in Hollywood, California. Beyond this, few details are documented about her occupations or daily pursuits during this period.

Death

Final years and passing

Anita King died of a heart attack on June 10, 1963, in Hollywood, California, at the age of 78. She had lived in retirement for decades following her departure from silent films in the late 1910s. Her burial took place at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

Filmography

Silent film credits

Anita King's silent film career lasted from 1914 to 1919, during which she appeared in numerous silent films, many produced by Paramount Pictures during her early years in Hollywood. Several of these films are now considered lost, with some known to survive in varying degrees of completeness. Her earliest credits came in 1914 with supporting appearances in The Man from Home and The Virginian. In 1915, she featured in five films: Carmen (as Mercedes), Chimmie Fadden (as Fanny Van Cortlandt), The Girl of the Golden West, Temptation, and Snobs. In 1916, King had roles in Anton the Terrible, Maria Rosa (as Ana), The Race (as Grace Van Dyke), and The Heir to the Hoorah. The Race was based on King's real-life transcontinental automobile journey and included a notable stunt sequence she performed herself. Her 1917 credits included The Girl Angle, The Golden Fetter, and The Squaw Man's Son (as Wah-na-gi). After leaving Paramount, she appeared in Petticoats and Politics and Whatever the Cost in 1918, followed by Mistaken Identity, One Against Many, and Stripped for a Million in 1919.

Notes on lost films

Many of Anita King's silent films are considered lost, reflecting the widespread fate of early cinema due to nitrate film instability, decomposition, improper storage, and insufficient preservation efforts before the mid-20th century. Surviving reels from this era are often brittle and fragile, complicating restoration and study. Several of her films survive in whole or in part, including complete prints of The Man from Home (1914) and Snobs (1915) at the Library of Congress, as well as The Heir to the Hoorah (1916). Fragments or prints exist for others, such as Anton the Terrible. Other titles with documented surviving material include The Girl of the Golden West (1915). This incomplete historical record continues to pose challenges for researchers seeking to evaluate her legacy in silent film.)
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