Background In 1914 Mack Sennett made a brash decision: he would make a feature-length comedy film based on the stage hit, Tillie’s Nightmare. Up to this point in time, comedies were short and sweet, usually 1- or 2-reelers that emphasized action and slapstick over plot. At this time, Charlie Chaplin, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, and Mabel […]
My Man Godfrey, Theodora Goes Wild. Bringing up Baby, His Girl Friday. Ask someone to identify the best of screwball comedy, or even screwballs themselves, and those are the answers you’re most likely to receive. Screwball comedy was born of unlikely parents: The Great Depression, and Joseph Breen and the Code, of which enforcement began […]
Author’s Notes: Much has been written about how legendary actors Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck met. It is known that they were legally married for just shy of twelve years, considered one of Hollywood’s most stable relationships of the time. They first came together in 1936 at the Trocadero night club on Sunset Strip. Bob […]
Background During the formative years of silent films, the major filmmakers and studios had “stock companies”. It was an idea based on theatrical traditions, one that supplied a ready-made cast for almost any production. D.W. Griffith especially liked the idea of a stock company so that he could play the actors against one another. One […]
Background In 1921, screenwriter June Mathis befriended a young man and secured him a role in Rex Ingram’s The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Moviegoers and critics were pretty much unanimous in praising Rudolph Valentino for his performance as Julio. His tango scene in particular caused a sensation. After another few pictures, including Camille with […]
Maude Adams’ name became synonymous with that of Peter Pan and the author, James M. Barrie. Like a triple braided cord, the three made such a dent in theatrical history that no one who saw the original play and its later revivals ever forgot the experience. Maude had been a stellar talent in the American […]
Background Bessie Love was born in Midland, Texas in 1898 and moved to Hollywood with her family in 1911. After graduating from high school in 1915, she was introduced to D.W. Griffith, who was always on the lookout for pretty young girls for his films. He renamed her (she was born Juanita Horton) and although […]
Background One of the most iconic stars of the silent era was Louise Brooks. With her signature “black helmet” hair, piercing blue eyes, and delicate features, she was a sure candidate for Hollywood stardom, but something went wrong. It’s amazing that Brooks, one of the most recognized silent stars, never really achieved that pinnacle. In […]
Part One: The Director King Vidor was born in Galveston, Texas, February 8, 1894. The small island had been home to Akokisa and Karankawa Indians in the centuries before, but when French explorer Robert Cavelier La Salle claimed the area for King Louis, the Gulf of Mexico was charted from the Texas coast to New […]
Background Between 1927 and 1953, Johnny Mack Brown made over 150 films. While he continued to make movies through 1966, he also made appearances on television. He’s remembered now for his series of low-budget westerns and serials that made big money for several “poverty row” studios. But for a while Brown was a big star […]
