A biography of 1930’s screen ingenue Rochelle Hudson focusing on a career which saw her work with Will Rogers, W.C. Fields, and Shirley Temple, plus star in a remake of Way Down East and eventually come back to the big screen to play a small role in East of Eden.
Popular Posts
Movie Star Biographies
Jean Muir – Why the 1930’s Warner Brothers Actress Left Film
The ups and downs of 1930’s Warner Brothers actress Jean Muir who left film on her own terms only to be branded a Communist when she attempted a return to TV.
Barbara Stanwyck, Biographical Beginnings to Baby Face and Beyond
A Barbara Stanwyck biography that leaps over Hollywood highlights in favor of her early days as Ruby Stevens, including the popular theory about her name change. Following that a jump forward to look at Stanwyck’s later career. A brief case is made for Baby Face (1933) as her defining performance.
Richard Dix – His Life and Film Legacy
Five thousand words about the life of Richard Dix including a look at his most important movies: The Vanishing American (1925), Cimarron (1931) and The Ghost Ship (1943) plus, author’s choice, Ace of Aces (1933).
William Frawley Before I Love Lucy
A look at William Frawley in the years before he achieved his greatest fame as Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy. Special attention is paid to his baseball movies and his early days on the vaudeville circuit and Broadway. The article is illustrated with seven promotional photos from the 1939 film St. Louis Blues.
Arthur Hohl – Broadway to Hollywood, Double-Dealers All the Way
A biography of character actor Arthur Hohl, whose Broadway stardom typed him as cowardly villains and humorless prosecutors throughout Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Movie Reviews & Articles
Viewing The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) for Leslie Howard’s Birthday
Happy birthday to Leslie Howard (1893-1943) today. I celebrate with a viewing The Scarlet Pimpernel and sharing my thoughts on both the film and Howard in this space today, all illustrated by movie cards and collectibles.
Snowed Under (1936) Chemistry Highlights Hilarious Warner Farce
Looking at Snowed Under, a 1936 Warner Bros. farce directed by Ray Enright and starring George Brent, Genevieve Tobin, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh, Patricia Ellis and John Eldredge. With a focus on “Lawrence Saunders,” who wrote the original story that was serialized in Liberty magazine.
Lady and Gent (1932) Starring George Bancroft and Wynne Gibson
A washed-up fighter and a Prohibition-era nightclub hostess form an unlikely foster family for a 12-year-old orphan. Strong performances by George Bancroft and Wynne Gibson in Lady and Gent. Directed by Stephen Roberts. Academy Award nominated screenplay.
Clive Brook adapts, directs, and stars in On Approval (1944)
Clive Brook does it all in 1944’s On Approval, where Googie Withers and Brook himself tag along when Beatrice Lillie attempts a trial marriage with Roland Culver.
Rebecca (1940) and My Du Maurier Kick
Returning to Academy Award winning Best Picture Rebecca (1940) about ten years after I first watched it and immediately after reading the novel by Daphne Du Maurier.
Twentieth Century (1934) starring John Barrymore and Carole Lombard
A review of the 1934 Howard Hawks screwball classic Twentieth Century starring John Barrymore and Carole Lombard. Illustrated with movie cards and collectibles.