Lina Basquette

In 1923, Baskette and her mother traveled across the country by train to New York City, so that the girl could audition for John Murray Anderson. Anderson urged her to change the spelling of her surname from "Baskette" to "Basquette". Producer Charles Dillingham changed the spelling of her first name from "Lena" to "Lina" saying, "Lena is a cook, Lina is an artiste."[6]

Before she could sign with Anderson, Florenz Ziegfeld cast the 16-year-old Basquette in his Ziegfeld Follies and cast her as a featured dancer. The Follies producers officially dubbed her "America's Prima Ballerina." The girl gained notice from Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova, who wanted to mentor her in classical ballet. Her mother Gladys Baskette decided that a career as a ballerina would not yield enough money and turned down Pavolva's offer. Basquette later said "I dreamed of being in a ballet company and it broke my heart."[6]

After appearing in The Godless Girl, Basquette found her popularity declining and she was offered fewer film roles. She was unofficially blacklisted in Hollywood due to her legal battles with the Warner family, which was trying to take custody of her daughter with Sam Warner in order to rear her as Jewish, and challenged settlement of his estate.[6] She made a successful transition to sound films and appeared in some Western films in the 1930s.[9]

In January 1937, Basquette was offered a contract with the Universum Film AG studio in Germany after the Nazi Party had taken power. After arriving in Germany, she was driven to Berchtesgaden, where she met Adolf Hitler, Rudolf Hess, and Joseph Goebbels. She later claimed that Hitler made a pass at her, and she kicked him in the groin.[6] When he persisted, Basquette told him that her maternal grandfather was Jewish. She left Germany the following day.[10]

As her career in films continued to decline, Basquette returned to dancing. She performed in nightclubs and on the vaudeville circuit.[11] In 1939, Basquette and her fifth husband, English actor Henry Mollison, appeared on stage together in Idiot's Delight, which toured in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.[12] After appearing in 1943's A Night for Crime, Basquette retired from films.[9]

Basquette was married 8 times. Basquette's first marriage was to Sam Warner, film producer and co-founder of Warner Bros. studio. The two were married on July 4, 1925 despite Warner's family's disapproval because Basquette was Catholic and not Jewish. They had a daughter, Lita (named after Charlie Chaplin's wife Lita Grey) in October 1926.[16] After suffering severe headaches and a sinus infection aggravated by several abscessed teeth, Warner was admitted to California Lutheran Hospital in September 1927. Doctors discovered that he had developed a mastoid infection that was spreading to his brain. After four surgeries to remove the infection, Warner slipped into a coma. He died of pneumonia caused by sinusitis as well as epidural and subdural abscesses on October 5, 1927.[17][18]

In January 1929, Basquette married cinematographer Peverell Marley.[19] Shortly after the marriage, Harry Warner, Sam Warner's older brother, asked Basquette give up custody of her daughter Lita. He was concerned that she would raise Lita as a Roman Catholic like her rather than in the Jewish faith. Basquette said that she and Sam Warner had agreed to raise any female children they had as Catholic and any male children as Jewish. Harry Warner and his wife offered Basquette large amounts of money to relinquish custody but she refused.[6] She finally relented after Harry Warner promised her that Lita would receive a $300,000 trust fund.[5] On March 30, 1930, Harry Warner and his wife were awarded legal custody of Lita.[20] Basquette quickly regretted her decision and tried to regain custody of her daughter.[6]

In August 1930, Basquette left Marley as she tried to regain custody of Lita. When custody was denied, she attempted suicide by drinking poison at a party. She was saved when a guest heard her screams.[21] Marley and Basquette were divorced in September 1930.[19]

Basquette was never financially stable enough to regain custody of her daughter. The Warner family filed several legal suits against her to win back Sam Warner's share of Warner Bros. studio.[5] Over the next 20 years, Basquette saw Lita on only two occasions: in 1935, when Harry Warner and his family moved to Los Angeles, and in 1947, when Lita married Dr. Nathan Hiatt.[22] Basquette and her daughter reconnected in 1977 when Basquette backed a lawsuit that Lita brought against her uncle Jack L. Warner's estate.[5]

Basquette's third marriage was to actor Ray Hallam in 1931. He died of leukemia three weeks after they were married.[22] On October 31, 1931, she married Theodore Hayes, the former trainer of world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey. After discovering that Hayes was still married to another woman, Basquette was granted a Mexican divorce on September 10, 1932.[23]

In her autobiography, Basquette said that, while she and Hayes were separated, she had an affair with Jack Dempsey. Dempsey ended the affair in July 1932 after which Basquette attempted suicide a second time. She and Hayes eventually reconciled and remarried in 1934.[24] They had a son, Edward Alvin Hayes, in April 1934. The following year, they divorced in December 1935.[25][26]

In April 1937, Basquette married British actor Henry Mollison in London.[27] They separated in 1940, and divorced in October 1944.[11]

In 1947, she married Warner Gilmore, the general manager of the St. Moritz Hotel. They divorced in 1951.[9] Basquette's final marriage was to artist Frank Mancuso. They married in 1959 and separated that same year, but they were never divorced.[9]