A biography of Milton Sills, stage and silent film actor with a philosophy background. Poised to make a hit in talkies when he died in 1930. Article also includes a synopsis of Sills’ most famous film, The Sea Hawk.
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Movie Star Biographies
Walter Pidgeon’s Long Road from Singer to Stardom
Biography of Walter Pidgeon, best remembered as Greer Garson’s co-star in eight films including Mrs. Miniver and Madame Curie. It was a long road to stardom for Pidgeon, who began as a singer in the early 1920s before breaking out once and for all in 1941. A beloved Hollywood star since that time.
Herbert Marshall, Biography of the Trouble in Paradise Star
Biography of actor Herbert Marshall with an appreciation of his biggest films including Trouble in Paradise (1932) and The Razor’s Edge (1946). Article includes details about his having lost his right leg during World War I and of his affair with Gloria Swanson in the 1930s.
Grant Mitchell – WHAT A CHARACTER! – Broadway to Hollywood, 1902-1948
Biography of prolific Hollywood character actor Grant Mitchell. His great-uncle was a US President and his father a famed Civil War General. Mitchell tried careers in law and the military, but eventually took to the stage where he began a slow rise to stardom in 1902.
Alan Dinehart Biography, Hollywood Talkies Claim Another from Broadway
A look at the life of Hollywood character actor Alan Dinehart headlines the Immortal Archives for October 3. Also includes TCM Picks for the day and more.
Claudette Colbert, Her Start, Broadway Success and Earliest Films
A biography of Claudette Colbert covering her earliest days as she came to the stage, found Broadway success and transitioned to film. Claudette Colbert from France to New York, up until It Happened One Night (1934).
Movie Reviews & Articles
Josef von Sternberg’s Underworld (1927) Starring George Bancroft
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.
Employees’ Entrance (1933) starring Warren William and the Franklin-Monroe Department Store
A detailed look at First National’s Employees’ Entrance, an early 1933 pre-code release starring Warren William with Loretta Young and Wallace Ford. A look inside the Franklin-Monroe Department Store at a time when Hoover was a lame duck and the Great Depression was crushing the economy.
The Widow from Chicago (1930) Starring Alice White
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.
First Impressions: Mrs. Parkington (1944) with Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon
Brief first impressions of Mrs. Parkington (1944) written soon after my first viewing. Starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon.
Kind Lady (1935) Starring Aline MacMahon and Basil Rathbone
A look at Kind Lady from origins as Hugh Walpole story The Silver Mask, through Edward Chodorov’s stage adaptation and both film versions, especially the earlier 1935 film starring Aline MacMahon and Basil Rathbone.
Cass Timberlane (1947) starring Spencer Tracy and Lana Turner
MGM’s Cass Timberlane (1947) stars Spencer Tracy in the title role, features an excellent performance by Lana Turner. After a promising first hour a couple of key plot points are rushed and the quality suffers in the second half of the film.