Jobyna Ralston From the Tennessee Hills

 Jobyna Ralston is a name that should be familiar to many fans of silent comedy. She was the leading lady in seven of Harold Lloyd's classic feature length movies (including The Freshman (1925), Why Worry (1923) and The Kid Brother (1927)). While her work with Harold is her greatest claim to fame, she had a much more varied career than this. She even had a decent role in the first movie to win Best Picture, Wings (1927). She worked with another legendary screen comedian with Max Linder in The Three Must-Get-Theres (1922). Jobyna was directed by Frank Capra in The Power of the Press (1928). She even worked in early talkies with such films as The College Coquette (1929) and Sheer Luck (1931). 

Like many silent film stars she had a career on stage before acting in movies. At the age of 21 she made her Broadway debut with Two Little Girls in Blue (May 03, 1921 - Aug 27, 1921). (Source for dates: https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/jobyna-ralston-424259).

Here is an article about Jobyna Ralston from an issue of Motion Picture Classic (dated May 1926). If you have trouble reading the following pages, click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here. 

Now enjoy Shoot Straight (1923), a short silent comedy featuring Jobyna.

Here is one of the silent features where Jobyna was the leading lady for Harold Lloyd, Hot Water (1924). 

Filming Beau Geste

 After a recent restoration, screenings at the TCM and Cinecon Classic Film Festivals and a Blu-ray release, the silent version of Beau Geste (1926) has been receiving much attention lately. Because of this many are discovering what a good movie it is. That makes it the perfect time to share this vintage article with you.  

This article is from a June 1926 issue of Motion Picture Classic. If you have any trouble reading the following pages, click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here.

Charlie Chaplin Minus the Makeup

 Here is a fun little page from a 1919 issue of Film Fun magazine, showing some nice pictures of Charlie Chaplin outside of his Little Tramp costume on set. Enjoy these very cool images. 

From another 1919 issue of Film Fun magazine here is an enjoyable comic featuring Chaplin's Little Tramp character. 

Now for a film Charlie Chaplin made the same year these issues were released. A Day's Pleasure (1919). This is often considered to be a lesser Chaplin film because it bears a great resemblance to Charlie's cruder early work than to the more mature work he was making at this time. However, as you will see here lesser Chaplin can still make a pretty good comedy. 

Conway Tearle - A Merry Hamlet

 Conway Tearle is one of the many actors of Hollywood's golden age who had a massive career, yet whose name is well forgotten today even by many cinephiles. Yet during the silent era and the early talkie era, he had quite a career. It is believed that he appeared in 96 films and was once considered the highest paid movie actor. His movie career began with The Nightingale (1914) starring Ethel Barrymore (also in her film debut) and ended with Romeo and Juliet (1936) starring Leslie Howard, Norma Shearer and John Barrymore. In between this he appeared in such movies as Stella Maris (1918) (starring Mary Pickford), Atonement (1919), Lilies of the Field (1924), The Great Divide (1925), Dancing Mothers (1926) (featuring Clara Bow's screen debut), Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929),  Vanity Fair (1932), Stingaree (1934), Klondike Annie (1936) (starring Mae West) and The Preview Murder Mystery (1936). 

Like many film actors of the era, Tearle also starred in many plays. Here is a list of just some Broadway productions he was in. 

Abigail (Feb 21, 1905 - Apr 1905)

A Marriage of Reason (Apr 01, 1907 - Apr 1907)

The Smoldering Flame (Sep 23, 1913 - Sep 1913)

The Fugitive (Mar 19, 1917 - May 1917)

The Mad Dog (Nov 08, 1921 - Nov 1921)

Dinner at Eight (Oct 22, 1932 - May 1933)

Living Dangerously (Jan 12, 1935 - Jan 19, 1935)

Antony and Cleopatra (Nov 10, 1937 - Nov 13, 1937)

Here is an article from a 1918 issue of Photoplay magazine about Conway Tearle. If you have any trouble reading these pages, click on them and you your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here.

Now enjoy a feature length movie featuring Conway Tearle, Sing Sing Nights (1934). 

Resources Used

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/conway-tearle-61984

https://www.nytimes.com/1938/10/02/archives/conway-tearle-60-dies-on-the-coast-stage-and-screen-actor-is-the.html

Douglas Fairbanks Tells You How to be Athletic

 Have you ever watched any of Douglas Fairbanks' amazing on-screen stunts and wished you could do the same thing. Well, your wish is about to come true. Here is a 1916 article from Photoplay Magazine where Doug tells us just how we can be athletic like him. 

If you have any trouble reading the following pages, just click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here. 

Now see Doug in action with a feature length movie. 

Mr. Laughton of London

 Charles Laughton is an actor who I am sure many people reading this blog are well acquainted with. He was a fine actor who was trained at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He began appearing on stage in 1926 and naturally it would not be too long until the movies came knocking. Though he is known for his larger than life and theatrical roles, he was also quite capable of more subtle performances including the terrifyingly cold and mostly emotionless mad scientist in the horror classic, Island of Lost Souls (1932). His filmography includes such classics as The Old Dark House (1932), The Sign of the Cross (1932), The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), The Paradine Case (1947), Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and Spartacus (1960).

He only directed one movie. However, that film is a masterpiece, The Night of the Hunter (1955). He would however direct multiple Broadway plays including The Fatal Alibi (Feb 08, 1932 - Mar 01, 1932), Don Juan in Hell (Nov 29, 1951 - Dec 31, 1951) (Apr 06, 1952 - May 24, 1952), John Brown's Body (Feb 14, 1953 - Apr 11, 1953), The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Jan 20, 1954 - Jan 22, 1955) and Major Barbara (Oct 30, 1956 - May 18, 1957). 

Here is an article from The New Movie Magazine (dated December 1934). If you have any trouble reading it click on the pages below and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here.

Though being best known as a dramatic actor Laughton had a gift for comedy. This can be seen in the film, Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kid (1952).

Watch a full movie with Charles Laughton below. The film is Jamica Inn (1939) and was directed by none other than Alfred Hitchcock. 

Resources Used

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/charles-laughton-9812

What a College Student thinks about The Big Parade

 King Vidor's The Big Parade (1925) is one of the great achievements of the silent screen and one of the greatest war movies ever made. It was a massive hit in its time, both critically and financially and it holds up incredibly well today. Why read about what I have to say about the film though? Why not instead read about what a college student of the 1920's has to say about it? It was the kind of production that appealed to the undergrad after all. 

The following is from an issue of Screenland Magazine (dated May 1926). If you have trouble reading the following pages, click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here.

King Vidor is one of my favorite directors of all time. His films span many different genres, but he masters each one perfectly. Here is a page from a December 1925 issue of The Motion Picture Director that shows how appreciated him and The Big Parade were.

  

Walter Woolf King on Stage, Screen and Radio

 

Motion Picture Daily, 1938

Walter Woolf King is best remembered today for his work with two of the movies' greatest comedy teams. He appeared with The Marx Brothers in A Night at the Opera (1935) and Go West (1940), as well as Laurel and Hardy in Swiss Miss (1938). He is perfect as the villain in the two Marx Brothers movies, truly making us want to hiss at him whenever he comes on screen. Unfortunately, he is much weaker in Swiss Miss. This is not because of his acting but rather the role he is given. He is supposed to be the romantic lead in this film but the way his character is written makes him seem much more like a villain. Swiss Miss has some great comedic bits for Laurel and Hardy but whenever the attention drifts away from them, it becomes much less interesting.  

Motion Picture, 1935

However, Walter Woolf King's career was so much more than these three films. He also appeared in such movies as Golden Dawn (1930), One More Spring (1935), Call It a Day (1937), Melody for Three (1941), Smart Alecks (1942), The Helen Morgan Story (1957) and Rosie! (1967). He also appeared in two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Our Cook's a Treasure (1955), The Percentage (1958)) and three episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (The Dark Pool (1963), A Nice Touch (1963), Isabel (1964)). 

King was also a quite successful stage actor, who was especially known for his baritone singing voice. Here is a list of some of the plays he was in and when they ran.

Florodora (Apr 05, 1920 - Aug 14, 1920)

The Midnight Rounders of 1920 (Jul 12, 1920 - Nov 27, 1920)

The Last Waltz (May 10, 1921 - Oct 29, 1921)

The Lady in Ermine (Oct 02, 1922 - Apr 21, 1923)

The Passing Show of 1923 (Jun 14, 1923 - Sep 15, 1923)

The Dream Girl (Aug 20, 1924 - Nov 29, 1924)

Artists and Models (Jun 24, 1925 - May 07, 1926)

Princess Flavia (Nov 02, 1925 - Mar 13, 1926)

Countess Maritza (Sep 18, 1926 - Jun 25, 1927)

The Red Robe (Dec 25, 1928 - May 20, 1929)
/

Ladies All (Jul 28, 1930 - Dec 13, 1930)

The Great Man (Apr 07, 1931 - Apr 1931)

Experience Unnecessary (Dec 30, 1931 - Feb 1932)

Red Planet (Dec 17, 1932 - Dec 1932)

Melody (Feb 14, 1933 - Apr 22, 1933)

May Wine (Dec 05, 1935 - Jun 06, 1936)

As well as appearing in movies, TV and stage, King also hosted the CBS radio show Flying Red Horse Tavern. Here is a 1936 article about that from Radio Mirror. If you have trouble reading the following pages click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here. 

Resources Used

https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/walter-woolf-king-48149

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

Spencer Tracy Speaks About Will Rogers

Though not as well remembered today as he should be, Will Rogers was a major celebrity in the 1920's and 30's. He wrote humorous newspaper columns, appeared on stage as part of the Ziegfield Follies, spoke on radio and appeared in movies. However, it was his homespun personality and his down-to-earth commentary that made him so beloved. I am personally quite a fan of his movies from the 1930's (he appeared in some good silent films, but he was better suited for talkies), which are always quite a bit of unpretentious fun. During the 1930's he even appeared in some films by one of the greatest directors the movies ever had, John Ford. Not shockingly those movies (Doctor Bull (1933), Judge Priest (1934), Steamboat Round the Bend (1935)) remain the highlight of his screen career. 

Here is an article from an issue of The New Movie Magazine (dated December 1933) where another movie great, Spencer Tracy, talks about his good friend Will Rogers. If you have trouble reading it click on the following pages and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here. 

Here is one of Will's best feature length movies. 

How Mack Sennett Picks His Bathing Beauties

Other than the Keystone Cops, Mack Sennett's Bathing Beauties are the most famous staple of the silent comedies produced by Mack Sennett. Sex sells is not a recent idea and more than 100 years ago, filmmakers knew that nothing would get audiences' (especially male audiences') attention as much as beautiful women. Mack Sennett took this idea even farther. When it came to his filmmaking style Mack Sennett certainly believed that more was more. This was not only true when it came to his unsubtle brand of slapstick humor but also to how many beautiful women, he would have onscreen. If one beautiful woman in a bathing suit would capture someone's attention, then multiple women in bathing suits would do so even further. Thus, was born Mack Sennett's bathing beauties. 

If you are wondering how Mack Sennett picked his bathing beauties than look no further. Such is explained in the following article from a 1923 issue of Screenland magazine. If you have any trouble reading the pages below click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. 

Here is a MAck Sennett produced short featuring the Bathing Beauties, Heroic Ambrose (1919).

Garbo the Athlete

 There are many words that come to mind when you think about Great Garbo, but none of those words are athletic. Yet this following article from a 1930 issue of Modern Screen Magazine insists that athletic was just what Greta Garbo. If you have any trouble reading the following article, click on the pages below and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have touch screen click here. 

Masters of Horror - Karloff and Lugosi

 If you are like me then October means time to rewatch old black and white Univeral horror movies. Of course (besides Lon Chaney Jr.), the main actors who come to your mind with these movies are Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. 

Here is a 1932 article from Modern Screen magazine talking about these two horror icons. If you can't read the following pages, click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here.

Joe E. Brown's Real-Life Story

 Best known today for his role as Osgood Fielding III in Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot (1959), where he delivered the famous ending line "Well, nobody's perfect, Joe E. Brown had actually been one of the most popular movie comedians of the 1930's. He was especially popular in small towns, where his self-assured and boastful but good-hearted character resonated with audiences. Between 1933 and 1936, Brown was named one of the top 10 money makers in the movies. Though Brown occasionally appeared in great movies, most of his films were programmers. This is to say films that were meant to be a pleasant part of the movie program with no pretentions about being anything more. These movies were quite successful at being just this and most of them are still entertaining today. 

Here is a 1930 article from Screenland magazine that provides us with "Joe E. Brown's Real-Life Story." If you have trouble reading it click on any of the pages below and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here. 

Here is Joe E. Brown on a 1954 episode of TV's This is Your Life. 

Joe Bolton and The Clubhouse Gang Comedies

 On the subject of kiddies shows and classic comedy shorts, starting in 1955, kiddie show host Joe Bolton hosted a show called The Clubhouse Gang. The series aired on the local New York City station, WPIX Channel 11.  As well as the host segments, this show also consisted of classic Our Gang (also known as The Little Rascals comedies). 

The following is a short 1955 article about this series from Radio TV Mirror. If you have trouble reading it click on the following page and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen click here. 

Included in the following page (from a New York issue of TV guide dated September 10, 1955) is a little bit about Officer Joe Bolton. The same guidelines apply if you have trouble reading this page. 

My fellow Three Stooges fans might also know that Joe Bolton would go on to host another kiddie show called The Three Stooges Funhouse, which would include many of the Stooges' best short comedies. He would also appear in two of The Stooges' feature length movies; Stop! Look! and Laugh! (1960) and The Outlaws is Coming (1965). 

Here is a tribute to Officer Joe Bolton. 

And here is a classic Our Gang short, Bored of Education (1936). 

Howdy Doody and a Smith Named Bob

 Though I am too young to have grown up with the old kiddie TV shows, the fact that they introduced a whole generation of movie lovers to silent comedies and classic cartoons endears them to me in a way. Along with all the fun with popular puppet characters, a mute clown and more, Howdy Doody (one of the most popular of these shows often showed clips of various silent comedies. These comedies included those from silent comedy producers Mack Sennett, Joe Rock and Al and Charles Christie as well as some from Educational Pictures and elsewhere. Harry Langdon, Mickey McGuire (a series of comedy shorts starring Mickey Rooney). The Smith Family (a silent series from the Sennett studio) are among some of the silent comedy shorts that appeared on the show. 

The following is a short 1948 article from Radio and Television Mirror about Howdy Doody. If you have trouble reading it click on the pages below and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have touch screen, click here.

Here is an episode of the show dated March 8, 1949 and featuring a silent Mickey McGuire. 

Filming Disney's True-Life Adventures

Even those who criticize Walt Disney's True-Life Adventure films have to admit that the actual nature photography is simply incredible. As a nature lover, I greatly enjoy these films because of how great they capture the beauty of nature. 

Here is an article from a 1954 issue of American Cinematographer about the people who shot these films. If you have trouble reading any of the following pages, click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here. Note that sometimes the article will resume in the middle of these pages. 

Now enjoy the first of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventure films, a short film called Seal Island (1948). This short would win the Oscar for Live Action Short Film. 

The following is a review of Seal Island from the Motion Picture Daily. 

"'Seal Island' introduces a new Walt Disney series, 'True-Life Adventures,' the subjects of will 'delve deep into the most vital concerns of man and the universe which affects his fate and fortunes.' Although this three-reel production does not do precisely that, it most certainly depicts in thrilling details the fascinating life of Alaskan fur seals herded on the Pribilof Reefs of Seal Island in the Bering Sea. 

"There are few who will not be moved by the sweep of color, beauty and abundance of the rare plants and birds on the island, the impressive musical background and interesting cavortings of 100,000 seals which annually emerge from the sea each May, like clockwork and depart in mid-fall. A Disney production crew stayed on the island through a whole season, so we are told, to photograph the cycle of the seals, and the results of their patience and skill have produced an astonishing record of wildlife, most deserving of the Academy documentary award accorded it last month. Plaudits aplenty to cinematographer Alfred G. Milote, to Winston Hibler's interesting and entertaining narration, to James Algar's direction and to the musical arrangements by Oliver Wallace. Running time, 28 minutes." 

Here is Film Historian and Critic Leonard Maltin talking about the True-Life Adventures films.