Silent film actress Martha Mansfield died in a San Antonio hospital less than 24 hours after her costume caught fire on a film set, and the circumstances of the tragedy have never been established.
The 24-year-old was filming the Civil War drama The Warrens of Virginia for Fox in Brackenridge Park, San Antonio, Texas, when the incident occurred on Thanksgiving Day 1923. She played Agatha Warren, the Confederate love interest of a man who joins the Union Army.
A Rising Star's Final Day
Mansfield was on a steady ascent in Hollywood. She made her Broadway debut at age 13 in Little Women and gained attention as Millicent Carew in the film adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, opposite John Barrymore.
On the day of the accident, she was dressed in her character's outfit: a flared white hoop skirt with ruffles, buttoned high at the collar. After breakfast with cast members at the St. Anthony Hotel, she went to Brackenridge Park, where the Appomattox battlefield scenes were being filmed.
The Fire and Rescue Attempt
After her part of the scene wrapped, Mansfield went to rest in her nearby limousine. Minutes later, filming was interrupted by screams as she ran from the car engulfed in flames.
Actor Wilfred Lytell was the first to reach her, throwing his heavy overcoat over her to shield her face and neck. Her chauffeur attempted to strip away the burning clothing, suffering severe burns to his hands, but the highly flammable ruffles and hoops of the costume made the effort futile.
By the time the fire was extinguished, Mansfield was burned across her body, arms and legs. She remained conscious while being transported to the San Antonio Physicians and Surgeons Hospital.
Unanswered Questions
According to a radio account of the incident, her first concern was her appearance, and she asked doctors: "Are you sure my face is not harmed?"
After initial treatment, doctors believed she could recover, but her condition deteriorated overnight. She died in hospital from "burns of all extremities, general toxemia and suppression of urine," without ever telling anyone what had caused the fire.
The most widely reported theory is that someone threw a lit match through the open window of her car, since several witnesses reported seeing a match fly into the vehicle. A second theory suggested she dropped a cigarette, but her mother, Harriett Ehrlich, insisted her daughter did not smoke because it made her "uncomfortable."
Authorities at the time determined the death an accident, though the circumstances were never established. Mansfield's body was returned to New York City, escorted by actor Phillip Shorey, and laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.
When The Warrens of Virginia was released in late 1924, her role had been cut down, and the studio promoted Rosemary Hill as the leading lady. More than a century later, the film is considered lost media, with no known copy surviving.
