Classic Movies & Movie Collectibles
How many copies of the Kindle edition of Helen Twelvetrees, Perfect Ingenue I gave away this past weekend. December 23 birthdays: Bertram Grassby in 1880; John Cromwell in 1886; Eric Blore in 1887; Ann Pennington in 1893; Fredi Washington in 1903; Kane Richmond in 1906; James Roosevelt in 1907; and Barbara Ruick in 1930.
A small collection of Fredi Washington clippings including an excerpt from her Pittsburgh Courier article about her experiences on Imitation of Life.
Edward G. Robinson in an early gangster role that’s supposed to take a backseat to early talkie attraction Alice White. Film works for fans of both.
Announcing Helen Twelvetrees, Perfect Ingenue, a brand new paperback and eBook by Cliff Aliperti of Immortal Ephemera. A biography of Helen Twelvetrees with an examination of all 32 of her films.
A pair of Alice White newspaper clippings from 1930. One caricature from The Girl from Woolworth’s and a half-page ad for Old Gold cigarettes.
A look at TCM’s December 9 Kirk Douglas 99th birthday tribute schedule, plus the next few days of TCM programming. First look at the cover for Helen Twelvetrees, Perfect Ingenue, which is days away from publication. Pointing you towards Pre-Code Companion #3. December 9 birthdays: Berton Churchill in 1876; Clarine Seymour in 1898; Carol Dempster in 1901; Margaret Hamilton in 1902; Robert Livingston in 1904; Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in 1909; Broderick Crawford in 1911; and Kirk Douglas in 1916.
Murder-mystery GIRL MISSING (1933) ignores its murder and telegraphs its mystery, but Glenda Farrell manages to carry the day anyway. An excellent pre-Code showcase for the actress. Good support from Guy Kibbee, Helen Ware, and Ferdinand Gottschalk.
A look at lost Universal horror film The Cat Creeps (1930) starring Helen Twelvetrees. Contemporary reaction. Piecing the lost film together from Boo! and various versions of The Cat and the Canary.
Josef von Sternberg’s Underworld (1927) inspires a cycle of gangster films that stretches beyond the late silent era. A look at the performances of George Bancroft, Evelyn Brent, and Clive Brook, and the relationship between their characters.
Preview of TCM’s best old movie offerings for October 2015, plus a round-up of coming classic movie blogathons, and an update on my progress with the book. October 1 birthdays: Minta Durfee in 1889; Stanley Holloway in 1890; Alice Joyce in 1890; Ted Healy in 1896; Louise Lorraine in 1901; George Coulouris in 1903; Everett Sloane in 1909; James Whitmore in 1921; Laurence Harvey in 1928.
