The Death Of Birth* (D)

Based on the life of Mary McDougal Axelson, this is the true story of a woman truly ahead of her time. Born and raised in Oklahoma in the 1920’s, young Mary ventures to New York to make a name for herself in the burgeoning artist community that is Greenwich Village. She becomes a feminist active in politics, real estate, and eventually becomes a writer. As she awaits the delivery of her only child, daughter Mary Ivonne, she keeps a journal while residing in a maternity ward for seven weeks. The notes from her journal become the basis for a groundbreaking play she eventually writes called, “Birth,” which eventually makes it to Broadway as “Life Begins.”  This in turn is made into a movie which becomes a huge Hollywood hit in 1932. It is the crown jewel of Mary’s inspired life and comes to dominate her years to come to the extent that she becomes estranged from the daughter whose birth inspired her greatest achievement; an estrangement that ultimately ends with Mary’s tragic death at the hands of Mary Ivonne in 1973. Writer: Eric Nemoto. Consultant: Larry Bartley. Pages: 107.