Film historian Scott Allen Nollen answers questions about his latest book “The Making and Influence of I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang.” Interview covers the film, real-life influence Robert E. Burns, and Nollen’s new book.
Black Fury (1935) – Paul Muni Stars in Another Ripped from the Headlines Story
Paul Muni stars as a mine worker who is duped into breaking the union in 1935’s Black Fury from Warner Bros. Post includes background about real-life John Barcoski murder from 1929 and other notes about the origins of the film.
The World Changes (1933) Starring the Many Faces of Paul Muni
Paul Muni stars in First National’s 1933 multigenerational film The World Changes. Also starring Mary Astor. Muni earns a fortune in the meat-packing industry but is led too far from his roots and watches his children stray even further from what he considers a good life.
Billboard, 1941 – John Barrymore Tops List of Greatest Performers in Living Memory
A 1941 Billboard Magazine poll of his peers names John Barrymore the greatest performer in living memory. Charlie Chaplin finishes second. This illustrated post reveals the top 20 along with other details of the poll.
Paul Muni’s 1932 – Multiple Projects Converge to Make Paul Muni a Huge Star
In 1932 I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang followed Scarface at the Strand Theater in New York while Paul Muni was then starring live on Broadway in Counsellor-at-Law. A major star is realized out of a huge year of work.
Stupidity, Scarface and The Unpopular Censors
A 1932 letter to the editors of Motion Picture Magazine takes issue with the censors and Howard Hughes’ Scarface. The writer calls the film “dainty” and says the censors are “making suckers out of all of us.”
The Story of Louis Pasteur (1935) starring Paul Muni with Josephine Hutchinson
No, it’s not about Pasteurization! Paul Muni turns in another grand performance as Louis Pasteur in the 1935 Warner Bros biopic. William Dieterle directs.