A history of Madame X concentrates on the 1937 film version starring Gladys George. Includes a biography of Gladys George with comparison to Ruth Chatterton’s 1929 performance.
Popular Posts
Movie Star Biographies
Herbert Marshall, Biography of the Trouble in Paradise Star
Biography of actor Herbert Marshall with an appreciation of his biggest films including Trouble in Paradise (1932) and The Razor’s Edge (1946). Article includes details about his having lost his right leg during World War I and of his affair with Gloria Swanson in the 1930s.
Elissa Landi Star of Stage and Screen, Author, Royalty?
I worked from over two dozen sources in this biographical post about the interesting life and career of Classic Film Star Elissa Landi, star of The Sign of the Cross (1932). Also includes a look at her fascinating parents–her father tried to raise the Lusitania, her mother claimed to be the unrecognized daughter of Emperor Franz-Joseph of Austria!
Stuart Erwin, Biography of ’30s “Comic Valentine” Turned Early TV Star
A biography of Stuart Erwin, best known for portraying comic bumblers on screen and later starring on TV with his wife, June Collyer, in The Stu Erwin Show.
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.
Mary Carlisle, Former Wampas Baby Star, Bing Crosby Co-Star Turns 100 Today
A brief biography of 1930s Hollywood beauty Mary Carlisle with several rare images including early Promotional Photos and trading cards. Wampas Baby Star of 1932 who appeared in three films with Bing Crosby, the long-lived Miss Carlisle-Blakely turns 100 in 2014.
Movie Reviews & Articles
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), Universal Horror With Bela Lugosi
Universal’s 1932 horror adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue made quite a few changes, the best of which was inclusion of Dr. Mirakle, the villain played by Bela Lugosi. Lugosi covered extensively, plus comparisons of the story to the film, and an overall positive appraisal of the movie as it was made. Except for the ape.
First Impressions: King Vidor’s The Big Parade (1925)
Thoughts upon watching King Vidor’s 1925 epic of love and war, The Big Parade, for the first time. The MGM classic stars John Gilbert and Renee Adoree with Karl Dane and Tom O’Brien.
Tyrone Power in Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942)
Twentieth Century-Fox’s “Son of Fury” plays as a 98 minute epic tale of redemption which opens with a fight, leads to an escape, turns into a brief tale at sea, then an island romance and adventure, a return for vengeance, even a spectacle of a courtroom trial, before, of course, culminating in yet another big fight with the intervening years leading to a different outcome.
Edward G. Robinson in The Sea Wolf (1941) with Alexander Knox
Is there a more brutal film from this period than Warner Brothers’ The Sea Wolf? Adapted by Robert Rossen from Jack London’s original story, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Edward G. Robinson, John Garfield, Ida Lupino and Alexander Knox.
Behind the Green Lights (1935), Cops Vs. Mouthpiece in Mascot Indie
Based on a book by Captain Cornelius Willemse, the NYPD’s original “gang buster,” Behind the Green Lights pits the police vs. a crooked mouthpiece and features a romance between cop and lawyer. Easily found independent release is fast-paced and entertaining.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) starring Errol Flynn
Far from being simply the greatest swashbuckler since Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., and with all apologies to Tyrone Power fans, none to top him since, Flynn played in variety of roles, and played them well.