Marian Marsh will always be first recalled as John Barrymore’s Trilby in Svengali but don’t overlook her in Beauty and the Boss and Crime and Punishment. A biography of the gorgeous young actress of the 1930s.
Popular Posts
Movie Star Biographies
Mary Dees – Piecing Together Life of Jean Harlow’s Saratoga Stand-In
A complete biography of Mary Dees, the extra and stand-in who filled in for Jean Harlow after Harlow’s tragic death during the filming of Saratoga. Culled from numerous American and Australian sources with a few published inaccuracies contradicted and corrected.
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.
Joe Donahue, “World’s Greatest Dancer” and Sunny Co-Star
Digging into Joe Donahue, talented vaudevillian dancer who replaced his late brother, Jack, opposite Marilyn Miller in the film version of Sunny. He also appeared in Expensive Women and two Dorothy Mackaill titles during his stay with First National, 1930-31. Piecing together some of the mysterious Donahue’s life and discovering, once and for all, the date he died.
Hal Roach and Three Well-Known Employees, All Born January 14
Hal Roach employees Bebe Daniels, Mary Ann Jackson and William Bendix were all born on January 14 just like their boss. Each spent significant time working for Roach at different points in the career of the famed producer.
Eugene Pallette – Brief Biography with Additional Trivia
A look at Eugene Pallette, the heavyset character actor with the gravelly voice. Did he retire due to ill health or did charges of racism run him out of the movies? A brief biography includes a look at Pallette’s ranch in Oregon.
Movie Reviews & Articles
The Whole Town’s Talking (1935) starring Edward G. Robinson and Jean Arthur
There’s a lot to like here for Edward G. Robinson fans who get to see their hero play both the milquetoast “Jonesy” and gangster “Killer” Mannion—sometimes in the same scene!
Change of Heart (1934) Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell One Last Time
Change of Heart (1934) boasts the final pairing of Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. From director John G. Blystone for Fox Films with James Dunn and Ginger Rogers.
John Ford’s Stagecoach (1939) Starring John Wayne and Claire Trevor
The classic John Ford western Stagecoach (1939) is a movie for everybody. Forget genre prejudices and thrill to John Wayne, Claire Trevor and all of the rest of one of the richest supporting casts you’ll ever encounter.
In Old Chicago (1937) starring Power, Ameche, Faye, with a Biographical Aside about Oscar Winner Alice Brady
In Old Chicago (1937) shows off young 20th Century-Fox players Tyrone Power, Don Ameche and Alice Faye to great advantage, but it was Alice Brady who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. After an introduction to the film this post includes a brief biography of Brady who portrayed Molly O’Leary.
Eleven Men and a Girl (1930) starring Joan Bennett and Joe E. Brown
Joan Bennett’s early career with a focus on Eleven Men and a Girl aka Maybe It’s Love, a 1930 Warner Brothers football comedy directed by William Wellman and co-starring Joe E. Brown and the College Football All Americans.
Merrily We Go to Hell starring Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney
“Merrily We Go to Hell,” a 1932 Paramount production starring Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney, is one of 6 movies featured in the Pre-Code Hollywood Collection released earlier this month by Universal.