Mae Clarke - Natural born actress

Most people surely remember Mae Clarke (1910 - 1992) as the girl in the infamous grapefruit scene from "The Public Enemy" (1931) or as the Dr. Frankenstein's fiancée in "Frankenstein" (1931). But I think they would do way better at remembering her for another movie she took part in that same year "Waterloo Bridge", a true pre-code gem, in which Mae gave such a terrific and quite moving performance; in fact, she had such a naturalistic style while acting that one hardly could notice she was playing a role. This is even more impressive at thinking that she was barely 21 years old at the moment of portraying that controversial character, as her acting was so modern, serene and mature. It's a true shame that -even after having gotten enthusiastic praises from the critics back then- her career didn't follow the right paths to make her a movie star, as that was what she indeed deserved, and then she was forced to play minor, or even uncredited roles and stuff after a very short time of having reached the peak of her career (early and mid '30s). She surely deserved much better opportunities, since her talent was huge and her screen presence always attractive and pleasant.

May most people have forgotten you, dear Mae, but I always love to see a movie if I know you're in it. Your performance in "Waterloo Bridge" remains one the best ever given by any actor from any time, and it's always on my top ten. You were GRAND, and this is my little tribute for you, to sincerely thank you for having shared so generously your wonderful talent with all of us.