Silent era star Dove dies at 96
Dove believed herself to be one of the last surviving Ziegfeld girls, if not the last, said her daughter, Gail Adelson. Dove also recalled fondly a four-year relationship with Howard Hughes, her daughter said.
"She could remember the stagehands' names at the Follies," Adelson said. "Her memory was staggering."
At the height of her fame, Dove's good looks were such that she was heavily promoted as "The American Beauty," and starred in a film by that name in 1927. A year earlier, she had co-starred with swashbuckler Douglas Fairbanks in "The Black Pirate," a pioneering Technicolor production in which she played Princess Isobel.
Like many stars of her day, Dove was prolific, appearing in 43 silent and early sound films from the early 1920s until she retired in 1932 to marry wealthy rancher Robert Kenaston. They had a son, Robert, who died two years ago, and adopted a daugh-ter, Gail. In 1963, Dove returned to the movies, playing a small part in "Diamond Head," a Charlton Heston drama.
Born Lillian Bohny in New York City on May 14, 1900, she became an artist's model at 14 before joining Ziegfeld's lineup a year later. With her wages she supported her immediate family.
"Ziegfeld wanted to make her a special girl, and had her walk down the steps on her own, without the other girls, and with special dresses on," Adelson said. "She went to him and said, 'If I'm so special why aren't I getting more money?' She had a lot of moxie at 16. So he raised her $50 a week -- a lot of money in those days."
Dove began working in movies in 1921, in "Get-Rick-Quick Wallingford," followed the next year by three more films. In 1923, she married her first husband, Irvin Willat, a union that ended in divorce in 1929. Willat, who had appeared in several Mary Pickford films before turning to directing, was paid $350,000 by Hughes to divorce Dove, according to Adelson.
Dove's pictures included "Blondie of the Follies" (1932), "The Age for Love" (1931), "A Notorious Affair" (1930), "The Painted Angel" (1929), "The Heart of a Follies Girl" (1928), "Madness of Youth" (1924) and "Adoration" (1928). All but a couple of the original films were destroyed in a studio fire, Adelson said.
Dove is survived by her daughter and a grandson, Gordon Kenaston.
The funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to AIDS-related charities.
