John Boles appeared in Universal’s Frankenstein, three Shirley Temple films, and co-starred with many of Hollywood’s most beloved leading ladies. Do you remember him?
Popular Posts
Movie Star Biographies
Edward Everett Horton – Biography of the Beloved Character Actor
A brief biography of character actor Edward Everett Horton, star of stage, screen and television. Famed as Fred Astaire’s sidekick in several Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals and later the voice of Fractured Fairy Tales on the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show.
Glenda Farrell Biography and 1930s Hollywood Heyday
An appreciation of Glenda Farrell’s 1930s Hollywood characterizations, especially Torchy Blane, combined with a complete biography of Farrell.
Hugh Herbert – Woo Woo Man vs. F. Hugh and Other Biographical Corrections
A complete biography of Woo Woo! man Hugh Herbert that reestablishes many writing and directorial credits previously given to F. Hugh Herbert and reveals his wife, Rose Epstein, and co-star, Anita Pam, were the same person. Hugh’s early vaudeville days dating from 1911 are covered as well as his earliest work at the film studios.
Helen Hayes Achieves Much More Than a Rose Garden
Later in life Helen Hayes said all that was left for her to achieve was a good rose garden. The First Lady of American Theater managed much more than that over her 80 year career on stage and screen.
Spencer Tracy Hits the Jackpot at MGM
Spencer Tracy arrives at MGM and embarks on a run of films that grow in critical and popular success. Inspired by the biography by James Curtis with partial review.
Movie Reviews & Articles
Symphony of Six Million (1932) starring Ricardo Cortez
RKO’s Symphony of Six Million (1932) is an interesting David O. Selznick produced film with a then unusual focus on a Jewish family. Ricardo Cortez stars as a young doctor with Anna Appel and Gregory Ratoff as his parents and Irene Dunne as the handicapped girl who’s loved him since childhood.
Mary Astor Stars in Smart Woman (1931); Screen Husband Robert Ames Dies Soon After Release
RKO’s 1931 Smart Woman starring Mary Astor. A look at the film as well as leading man Robert Ames who died within two months of Smart Woman’s release.
The Witching Hour (1934), Hypnotized by John Halliday
Paramount’s 1934 version of The Witching Hour is light on stars and, despite the title, isn’t even a horror movie. An early Henry Hathaway film based on the 1907 hit play by Augustus Thomas and featuring strong performances from John Halliday and Sir Guy Standing. It’s all covered here.
Manhattan Melodrama (1934) Starring Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy
Famed for its part in leading to the end of outlaw John Dillinger’s life, and revered by movie buffs as the first of the William Powell-Myrna Loy team-ups, MGM’s Manhattan Melodrama is a solid underworld effort highlighted by a top performance from Clark Gable.
MGM’s Hardy Family Series #8 – Judge Hardy and Son (1939)
The eighth entry in the Hardy family series, Judge Hardy and Son, sees one family member struck down with illness, three Universal horror actors in supporting roles and Andy’s hunt for a girl whose middle name begins with the letter “V.”
Stage Struck (1936) Starring Dick Powell and Joan Blondell
Busby Berkeley’s Stage Struck (1936) is a Warner Brothers musical missing the typical Berkeley flare. Starring Dick Powell and Joan Blondell with Warren William it’s an at times bizarre movie that doesn’t measure up to earlier classics Berkeley worked on, but still entertaining at times providing a few laughs.