Dorothy Dell had only appeared in three feature length films when she died, age 19, in a 1934 car accident. This biography includes her rise to fame and looks at all three movies.
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Movie Star Biographies
Sara Haden – Charlotte Walker’s Daughter and Andy Hardy’s Aunt Milly
Character actress Sara Haden was stage and screen star Charlotte Walker’s daughter. Originally famed for playing cranks became Andy Hardy’s Aunt Milly in 14 of the Hardy Family movies.
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!
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.
John Boles, Sinatra of the 30s and Elvis Presley of the Stone Age
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?
Rochelle Hudson’s Uneven Career Featuring Will Rogers and Way Down East
A biography of 1930’s screen ingenue Rochelle Hudson focusing on a career which saw her work with Will Rogers, W.C. Fields, and Shirley Temple, plus star in a remake of Way Down East and eventually come back to the big screen to play a small role in East of Eden.
Movie Reviews & Articles
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.
A House Divided (1931) – Walter Huston Stars in Early Talkie from William Wyler
This early talkie from legendary director William Wyler stars Walter Huston as the father of meek Kent Douglass, who falls in love with Dad’s mail-order bride, Helen Chandler. Excellent work from Huston as always with surprising heat and chemistry from the two young co-stars.
King Kong (1933) in New York, March 1933
A look at the very specific time and place of King Kong’s March 2, 1933 premiere at Radio City Music Hall and the Roxy in New York City.
The Vice Squad (1931) Starring Paul Lukas, Kay Francis, Judith Wood
Ripped from the headlines: New York’s Vice Squad scandal in Paramount pre-Code The Vice Squad (1931), starring Paul Lukas in a part inspired by Chile Acuna, with Kay Francis and Judith Wood. Directed by John Cromwell.
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) starring Bela Lugosi and Sidney Fox
A brief look at 1932 Universal horror film Murders in the Rue Morgue based upon the Edgar Allan Poe work and starring Bela Lugosi, Sidney Fox and Erik the Ape.
A Dispatch from Reuters (1940) – Plus the Real Reuter vs. Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson stars as the entrepreneur behind A Dispatch from Reuters (1940), a Warner Brothers’ biopic whose message is progress and knowledge through a smaller world. Plus a look at the real Reuter compared to the Edward G. Robinson character of the movie.