A biographical look at the stage, film and television career of popular character actor Alan Mowbray written by the actor’s son, Alan Mowbray, Jr.
Popular Posts
Movie Star Biographies
Thomas Mitchell – His Varied Career
A brief biography of the popular supporting actor Thomas Mitchell including original quotes taken from a 1939 autobiographical piece in Screen & Radio Weekly.
Elizabeth Allan – Dickens Movie Star Sues MGM and Thrives Back Home
Biography of actress Elizabeth Allan from her youth to success on British stage and screen. Allan becomes a Hollywood star and then sues MGM before going back home and becoming a success all over again.
Celeste Holm, 1917-2012
Remembering Celeste Holm, Oscar winner and three time nominee who rose to prominence as the original Ado Annie in Oklahoma! on Broadway. Reviewing Holm’s career from Broadway to Hollywood and all stops in between.
Carole Lombard, Part 1: From Jane Peters to Mrs. William Powell
Part 1 of a Carole Lombard biography covers her turbulent early screen career of the 1920s through her rise to stardom and marriage to William Powell in 1931.
Adrianne Allen – Private Lives Star, Also Two Paramount Pre-Code Gems
A biography of Adrianne Allen, actress who rose to fame in Noel Coward’s Private Lives. Her sparse film career included two 1932 Paramount gems, MERRILY WE GO TO HELL and THE NIGHT OF JUNE 13TH. The former Mrs. Raymond Massey and mother of actors Daniel Massey and Anna Massey.
Movie Reviews & Articles
Freddie Bartholomew is Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936)
A look at Selznick International’s faithful 1936 screen adaptation of Little Lord Fauntleroy starring Freddie Bartholomew and C. Aubrey Smith.
Best Picture Cavalcade (1933) Sets Stage for Upstairs, Downstairs and Beyond
Looking at the 1934 Academy Award winning Best Picture, Hollywood-made Cavalcade (1933) based on Noel Coward’s hit London play. Fans of Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey will find themselves in a familiar place. Piece also includes brief biographies of Cavalcade stars Diana Wynyard, Herbert Mundin and Ursula Jeans.
Kay Francis and Ian Hunter in I Found Stella Parish (1935)
Kay Francis and Ian Hunter both do good work in Warner Brothers’ I Found Stella Parish (1935). I’m just wondering if I’m supposed to walk away liking either of their characters?
H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941) – King Vidor Brings John P. Marquand Bestseller to Life
Comparing King Vidor’s adaptation of H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941) to the novel by John P. Marquand, and why both tellings are wonderful. Excellent performances from Robert Young and Hedy Lamarr trickle down throughout the entire cast, most of who are perfect representations of the characters Marquand created on the page. It’s a quiet story that tells a lot in the end.
The Racket (1928) Starring Thomas Meighan, Louis Wolheim and Marie Prevost
Howard Hughes bought Bartlett Cormack’s play The Racket, which had made Edward G. Robinson a star on Broadway. Hughes made it into a film twice. This article focuses on the first film version, a 1928 silent movie, starring Thomas Meighan with Louis Wolheim as the gangster.
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.