From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Zelda Sears (née Paldi; January 21, 1873 — February 19, 1935) was an American stage actress, screenwriter, novelist and businesswoman. Zelda had various odd jobs, including a writer for a Chicago newspaper, before becoming an actress and writer. In New York she played comic roles on stage, learned shorthand, and even opened her own typewriting business. The impetus of her writing career occurred when she began to copy scientific articles for the noted surgeon Dr. William Bull. Sears observed life in his sanitarium and turned what she saw into a fictional story, which she sold to a magazine. Readers became privy to the inner workings of the institution by reading Zelda's The Name Above The Door. Her income grew after several more short stories were accepted for publication. Dissatisfaction led Sears to return to Chicago, where she joined the acting troupe of John Stapleton. Sears' stage career was boosted by her acting in a production of Lovers Lane. Other plays in which she appeared were Women and Wine, Girls, The Blue Mouse, Love Among The Lions, The Girl He Couldn't Leave Behind Him, Keeping Up Appearances, The Nest Egg, Standing Pat, The Truth, The Show Shop, The Scarlet Woman, and Undertow. Playwrights began to trust her to add dialogue to her roles in stage productions. Sears learned to write stage speeches and construct scenes. Over a period of eleven years she read more than one hundred plays. She embellished ten of these for production. As a writer she benefited greatly from her association with Clyde Fitch. Earlier he had cast her in Lovers Lane. Sears wrote dialogue for theatrical shows like Lady Billy, Cornered, The Clinging Vine, and The Magic Ring. She came to Hollywood to be a scenarist for Cecil B. DeMille and MGM in the early 1930s. Sears co-wrote The Divorcee, a 1930 American Pre-Code drama film, along with Nick Grindé and John Meehan. She died, age 62, at her Hollywood home in 1935 and was survived by her second husband, Louis Wiswell, and a sister, Marie Paldi. She had taken her professional name from her first husband, Herbert E. Sears.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 21, 1873
- February 19, 1935 (aged 62)
- Near Brockway Township, Michigan, USA
- Writer and actor
- 8 on MovieCove · 30 credits in all
What are Zelda Sears' films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
Light 4 · Serious 3 · Dark 1
Grounded 4 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 4 · Charged 4 · Intense 0
Steady 6 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1
A split, not a type: Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 1
Casual 7 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet1
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Zelda Sears' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Zelda Sears' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
30 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.
A Wicked Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Operator 13 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Sadie McKee(1934)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
This Side of Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
You Can't Buy Everything (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
The Cat and the Fiddle(1934)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Day of Reckoning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Beauty for Sale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Tugboat Annie(1933)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Dancing Lady(1933)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Prosperity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
New Morals for Old (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Emma(1932)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Politics (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Inspiration (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Reducing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)
Road to Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
The Divorcee(1930)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
The Bishop Murder Case (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
Devil-May-Care (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
The Wise Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)
No Control (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)
Rubber Tires(1927)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
The Cruise of the Jasper B (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)
Corporal Kate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)
The Clinging Vine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)
Cornered (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)
The Highest Bidder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)
The Truth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)
Career shape
A full career of 28 titles from 1920 to 1934.
Film career
- 1930Screen debut· The Divorcee
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Zelda Sears' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th5
Shape of the crowd
None of their 8 titles divides audiences: 8 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser8
Reviewers score the dialogue 56/100 and the plot and story 48/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Zelda Sears work with?
People who share at least 2 of Zelda Sears' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Robert Z. Leonard shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Robert Z. LeonardShared titles: Dancing Lady (1933), Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) (1931), The Divorcee (1930)See all 3 shared titles with Robert Z. Leonard
- Clarence BrownShared titles: Sadie McKee (1934), Emma (1932)See all 2 shared titles with Clarence Brown
Writers
- Eve GreeneShared titles: The Cat and the Fiddle (1934), Tugboat Annie (1933)See all 2 shared titles with Eve Greene
- John MeehanShared titles: Sadie McKee (1934), The Divorcee (1930)See all 2 shared titles with John Meehan
Actors
- Jean HersholtShared titles: The Cat and the Fiddle (1934), Emma (1932), Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) (1931)See all 3 shared titles with Jean Hersholt
- Franchot ToneShared titles: Sadie McKee (1934), Dancing Lady (1933)See all 2 shared titles with Franchot Tone
- Joan CrawfordShared titles: Sadie McKee (1934), Dancing Lady (1933)See all 2 shared titles with Joan Crawford
- Clark GableShared titles: Dancing Lady (1933), Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) (1931)See all 2 shared titles with Clark Gable
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Oliver T. MarshShared titles: Sadie McKee (1934), Dancing Lady (1933), Emma (1932)See all 3 shared titles with Oliver T. Marsh
- Hugh WynnShared titles: Sadie McKee (1934), The Divorcee (1930)See all 2 shared titles with Hugh Wynn
- William AxtShared titles: Sadie McKee (1934), Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) (1931)See all 2 shared titles with William Axt
- Margaret BoothShared titles: Dancing Lady (1933), Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) (1931)See all 2 shared titles with Margaret Booth
Producers
- Harry RapfShared titles: Tugboat Annie (1933), Emma (1932)See all 2 shared titles with Harry Rapf
- Irving ThalbergShared titles: Tugboat Annie (1933), The Divorcee (1930)See all 2 shared titles with Irving Thalberg
Mixed roles
- Alan HaleShared titles: Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) (1931), Rubber Tires (1927)See all 2 shared titles with Alan Hale
