A biography of Oscar winning actress Joan Fontaine including a review of her 1978 autobiography No Bed of Roses plus a preview of Fontaine-day on TCM’s Summer Under the Stars, August 6, 2013.
Popular Posts
Movie Star Biographies
Lew Ayres – A Brief Biography of the Dr. Kildare Star
A brief look at the life and career of Lew Ayres, best remembered as the youthful star of All Quiet on the Western Front and several Dr. Kildare features.
Paul Lukas – Brief Biography of the Oscar Winning Actor
A brief biography of Oscar winning actor Paul Lukas includes a couple of early Lukas quotes and the return of Picto-Sked highlighting original newspaper ads of several of his films.
Fannie Ward – Biography of the Eternal Flapper and Star of The Cheat
A biography of The Eternal Flapper, Fannie Ward, who came to the stage in 1890. Later starred in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Cheat with Sessue Hayakawa. In between she married a South African diamond magnate.
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.
Fay Holden – Brief Entry About the Hardy Family Matriarch
Best known for playing Andy Hardy’s mother in 14 of MGM’s Hardy family movies, Fay Holden was discovered in England by Mrs. Patrick Campbell. She originally worked as Gaby Fay.
Movie Reviews & Articles
The Wet Parade (1932) Dramatizes the Evils of Liquor … and Prohibition
The Wet Parade (1932) from MGM takes a stand against the evils of both liquor and Prohibition towards the tail end of the Prohibition era. Starring Walter Huston, Lewis Stone, Robert Young, Dorothy Jordan, Neil Hamilton, Jimmy Durante and Myrna Loy.
Dracula (1931) – Bela Lugosi and the Dark, Still Chilling
Matching the Universal horror classic Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi against non-genre films of 1931 and turning perceived weaknesses into strengths.
The Solitaire Man (1933) Starring Herbert Marshall and Lionel Atwill
MGM tries to capitalize upon Herbert Marshall’s success in Trouble in Paradise with The Solitaire Main (1933). With Lionel Atwill, Elizabeth Allan, May Robson and Mary Boland.
Somerset Maugham’s The Narrow Corner (1933) Starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
A personal look at this Somerset Maugham fan’s discovery of The Narrow Corner (1933) from Warner Brothers starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Patricia Ellis, and Ralph Bellamy. A Maugham tale of the South Seas on film with all the sex and sin of the pre-code era.
Shirley Temple in 1934, Part 2: The Movies
A brief look at each of Shirley Temple’s five major feature film appearances during her breakthrough year of 1934: Stand Up and Cheer!, Little Miss Marker, Baby Take a Bow, Now and Forever and Bright Eyes.
Arsene Lupin Returns (1938) starring Melvyn Douglas, Virginia Bruce, Warren William
Brief notes are exactly that, just some stream of consciousness thoughts occurring during my most recent viewing of Arsene Lupin Returns.