Despite their respective marriages, the couple’s mutual
attraction grew. Mary liked that Doug
treated her as an equal while he was happy to find someone who understood the entertainment
world he lived in. When his mother died
in 1916, his overwhelming grief brought them closer and Mary soon left New York
for California. The situation was touchy,
however, since silent film stars were presented to the public as wholesome,
morally upstanding citizens. An
adulterous affair could destroy their careers.
Rumors ran rampant as each worked toward dissolving their respective
marriages. Finally on March 28, 1920
with both of their divorces final, Doug and Mary wed in a secret ceremony.
For the next three days, Mary went to work with tape wrapped
around her ring and the newlyweds spent their evenings in seclusion. Fearing the worst, they finally gave in and
announced to the world what they had done.
While the media tried to condemn them, their fans wouldn’t buy it. In their eyes, Mary could do no wrong and if
Doug made their sweetheart happy, than that was fine by them. Triumphant, Doug and Mary embarked on a
European honeymoon where cheering crowds greeted them wherever they went. The Hollywood couple soon became America’s answer
to royalty and Pickfair their castle.
Their grand estate evolved into a focal point for famous visitors
such as Amelia Earhart, Albert Einstein and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Even kings and queens, dukes and duchesses,
lords and ladies from Alba to Vienna deemed Pickfair a must-see when traveling
to the States. Parties at Pickfair were
legendary, but even when social events were not planned, their dining table was always set
for 15. According to Mary, Doug had a
habit of inviting ‘funny people’ to dinner.
Inseparable for the first eight years of their marriage, the
couple eventually found their relationship strained as Doug’s wanderlust conflicted
with Mary’s preference to stay home. When
Doug carried on with the much younger Lady Sylvia Ashley during a trip to
London, Mary just couldn’t forgive him.
She filed for divorce. Doug tried his best to change her mind, but as far as Mary was concerned, their life
together was over.
Devastated, Doug gave up and traveled to New York with his
only son, Doug, Jr. They talked about
making a movie together, but the elder Fairbanks impulsively sailed for Europe
without saying a word. Shortly after his
departure, a telegram from Mary arrived at his hotel. She was sorry and wanted him to come home. Doug, Jr. frantically searched his father’s
room for the name of the ship he was sailing on, but by the time he placed a
call out to sea, Doug, Sr. wouldn’t listen.
He angrily accused his son of lying and always taking Mary’s side before
he hung up.
Despite the fact that Doug and Mary each remarried, they continued
spending time together until Doug’s death in 1939. Just before her own death forty years later at the age
of 87, Pickford (who remained living at Pickfair) asked her friend and reporter
Adela Rogers St. Johns: ”Will Douglas
ever forgive me?” She must have still felt guilty about their unhappy ending.