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Movie Profiles & Premiums Newsletter Vol.3 #10
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Cliff Aliperti
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May 01, 2005 11:02 PDT
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Movie Profiles & Premiums Volume 3, Number 10. April 30, 2005
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FIRST REEL:
Welcome back to the standard Movie Profiles & Premiums Newsletter. I
refer to it as the standard because as many of you are aware I have
begun sending out a weekly Auction Notes newsletter separate from this
publication. If you have not received this new offering just send me an
e-mail at thi-@things-and-other-stuff.com and I'll add you to that
list. That one arrives in html format and only covers the items up for
sale on eBay for the coming week. There are no articles on movie stars
or collectibles, just a sales round-up. The next issue will be sent out
separately from this sometime later today/tonight.
I've added a few Slide Shows to the site since debuting the feature last
issue. Besides those of Blanche Sweet, Boris Karloff and Baby Peggy
Montgomery, which were constructed to go along with last issues
profiles, I started at the beginning of the alphabet and added Fatty
Arbuckle (5 images), Jean Arthur (8 images), Gene Autry (6 images) and
Clara Bow (31 images). There are also two new slide shows accompanying
this issue's profiles. It will take some time but I will eventually
have a slide show up for everyone who has a profile on this site.
Slide Shows Content Page:
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/ENTERTAINMENT/Main/Slideshows.htm
In the second half of April I held a sale on all items in the
Marketworks catalog, which in the end confirmed to me that no one really
likes shopping the Marketworks catalog. Over the month of May I will be
creating additional categories in my eBay store and changing over all
catalog items from Marketworks to eBay. It's going to cost more for me
to do this, but I subscribe to the belief that you get what you pay for
and in this case eBay Stores already tested strongly for sales of movie
cards when placed there during a trial month in February/March. Besides
raising many of their prices, eBay has added several enhancements to
their store management page which will give me the flexibility to keep
the active catalog over there where pages load quite a bit faster. I
know there are a few customers who prefer not to use eBay and I
apologize in advance for this coming change, but offer you the
opportunity to continue shopping with me by just e-mailing me a list of
the items you'd like to order. It doesn't take much of an effort for me
to cancel any store listings that you desire to purchase, in fact you
save me fees, so you'll still be able to shop collectibles with
things-and-other-stuff. If you prefer to actually order through eBay
once all of the items are over there, but are confused as to
registration or other aspects just drop an e-mail and I'll do all that I
can to help you out.
I will no longer go into a detailed description of current auction items
here, as that is the purpose of the new Auction Notes newsletter, but I
do want to provide you with the following links each issue:
All eBay Auctions:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsascsZ1QQsassZthingsQ2dandQ2dotherQ2dstuff
Marketworks Catalog:
http://www.marketworks.com/awstore/things-and-other-stuff
ebay Store:
http://stores.ebay.com/things-and-other-stuff
That's the news, time for the entertainment. In summary, here are the
opening credits...
1. May Babies, A Crossword Puzzle by Carly Svamvour
2. Solution to April Showers..., A Crossword Puzzle by Carly Svamvour
3. Photo ID Guide Update: 1916 MJ Moriarty Playing Cards w/107 Image
Slide Show
4. Harry Carey by Kelly Ann Butterbaugh
5. Photo ID Guide: 1903 Eureka/Craddock's Medicated Blue Soap Playing
Cards
6. The Silent Collection featuring Estelle Taylor by Tammy Stone
We welcome a new writer in Kelly Ann Butterbaugh who covers Western
legend Harry Carey in her debut offering. I also want to draw special
attention to the 1903 Eureka/Craddock's Photo ID Guide, which covers an
item from the collection of contributor and collector Diana Savage.
Diana has generously donated images from this 100+ year old deck of
playing card, as well as a lot of careful research. Also back are Carly
Svamvour with the latest Crossword Puzzle and mainstay Tammy Stone who
enters Estelle Taylor into her Silent Collection.
Hopefully you remember Spencer Shannon from our Oscar edition a couple
of issues back. Spencer is a huge film buff (especially when it comes
to Oscar-related material) and has volunteered to include a list of some
of his favorites from time to time. As many of you know I like to
include these all-time favorite lists in the opening section of the
newsletter as it invites contributions from you and other readers, who
are always welcome to reply to thi-@things-and-other-stuff.com with
your own list. This issue, Spence provides a list of his top 10
all-time comedies. Without further ado...
By Spencer Shannon-(AFI member/Variety's "Oscar-0racle!")
My personal top 10 all-time comedies:
1. "Modern Times" (1936) (UA) - (P.S. I would easily cite "City Lights"
but Modern Times contains more out and out comedic elements, whereas
"City Lights" is far more of a drama)
2. "A Night at the 0pera" (1935) (M-G-M)
3. "Duck Soup" (1933) (Paramount) - (Groucho's pick)
4. "Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the
Bomb" (1964) (U.K.)
5. "Bringing Up Baby" (1938) (RKO Radio)
*6. "Annie Hall" (1977) (Woody Allen's Oscar sweeper over "Star Wars" -
which still took home 7)
7. "His Girl Friday" (1940) (Columbia-"Gower Gulch")
8. "The General" (1927) (There are 2 camps, well actually 3. Fans of
either: Chaplin/Keaton or Lloyd, I'm of the first)
9. "It's a Gift" (1934) (Paramount) (W.C. Fields in what's thought of as
his 1st career - after this cleaned house (agents,etc) after being
rushed off to the hospital & went to Universal in Burbank)
10. "Sullivan's Travels" (1941) (Paramount) (My own fav. of Preston
Sturges. Is also among the great movies about movies & Hollywood!)
Honorable mention:
--"Never Give a Sucker an Even Break" (1941) (Universal) (W.C. Fields
final starring role & as himself!)
Spence requested my own reply to his list, and so brainstorming here are
my top five classic comedies: 1. Sullivan's Travel's (1941 - even though
a lot of the laughs disappear towards the end of this movie, I agree
with Spencer, and obviously my favorite Sturges as well); 2. To Be Or
Not to Be (1942 - to be shown to all friends who say yesterday's movies
aren't as funny as today's); 3. The General (1927 - my favorite silent
comedy though Keaton's physical stunts are far more amazing than
actually hysterical); 4. His Girl Friday (1940 - some of the snappiest
dialogue in movie history, and perfectly delivered too!); 5. It
Happened One Night (1934 - It was a toss-up between this and My Man
Godfrey, 1936, two movies which spawned many imitators). And I wouldn't
include it on this list, but glancing over my movie collection I also
wanted to mention 1936's Libeled Lady which includes what I think of as
one the funniest scenes in movie history, when William Powell is fishing
with Jean Harlow and her screen-father Walter Connolly, that's funny
stuff!
Like I said, if you have your own list of comedies, or anything else,
and would like to share, please send them along. Here's where I usually
write that it's time to enter the time tunnel but in this case we'll
just journey further inside:
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May Babies, A Crossword Puzzle
By Carly Svamvour
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/ENTERTAINMENT/ASTOS/puzzles/043005%20puzzle.htm
Access this issue's new crossword puzzle at the link above. Answers to
be revealed next issue. For the solution to last issue's puzzle,
April Showers ..., click the following link:
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/ENTERTAINMENT/ASTOS/puzzles/033105%20solution.htm
Carly Svamvour is a writer who makes her home in the west end of
Toronto, Canada. She has published her poems, short prose pieces and
puzzles in many places throughout Canada and the U. S. A. She is
currently working on her photo-journals with an eye to success at being
a travel writer. See more of Carly at Wild City Times - click here
(http://wildcity.proboards14.com/index.cgi?action=logout) for the
magazine and online writing workshop.
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Photo ID Guide:
1916 MJ Moriarty Playing Cards w/107 Image Slide Show
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/astos%20issues/astosspecials/1916mjmoriarty.htm
Click the link above for images & details!
This page has developed into perhaps my proudest achievement on the
entire things-and-other-stuff web site. Besides the grid noting every
possible variation I've thus far encountered with this set I have added
a slide show depicting a matching image for every one of those cards.
In the process I've also discovered more variations, another May Allison
and 3 more Ruth Roland cards!
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Harry Carey: "The Bright Star in the Early Western Sky"
By Kelly Ann Butterbaugh
“The Bright Star in the Early Western Sky”
John Wayne may be the first name that comes to most minds when talking
about western movie stars, but even Wayne himself realized Harry Carey,
Sr. to be the true western icon. Mimicking many of Carey’s trademark
moves such as the slouching posture he had while riding, Wayne has been
quoted as saying that Carey “was the greatest Western actor of all
time.” The Duke’s admiration of Carey can be seen as he ends a film in
Carey style, walking away with his left arm held in his right.
Seemingly born of the west and raised in the gritty style of his
characters, in actuality Carey couldn’t have been born further away. He
was born on January 16, 1878 in the Bronx, NY to a New York City judge
who also served as the president of a sewing machine company. Working
his way through Hamilton Military Academy, Henry DeWitt Carey II
declined an appointment to West Point to study law at New York
University. His pursuit was cut short after a bout of pneumonia, which
he contracted after a boating accident in 1899, pointed him towards his
destination as an actor.
During his recovery Carey penned a play entitled "Montana," which played
crowds for nearly three years with great success. The money he received
from his hit was quickly lost on his next play "Heart of Alaska," which
was a box office disappointment. As his attention was pulled in the
direction of acting, he decided to enter into the fast growing movie
industry, and in 1909 he took on his first important movie role in Bill
Sharkey’s "Last Game."
In 1915 Carey finally became a successful actor by acquiring a contract
with Universal Pictures which paid $150 a week. While under contract,
he completed a series of westerns playing Cheyenne Harry and costarring
with his future wife, Olive Golden, and his friend, Hoot Gibson. During
this stint he also created the partnership with director John Ford which
would lead him into western stardom. Together, Ford and Carey would
pair up to create twenty-six films with Universal Pictures, the first
one being "Straight Shooting" in 1917.
By 1919 Carey’s salary had increased to $1,250 a week making him one of
the highest paid western stars of the time. However, his icon status
was soon to be threatened by up and coming trends and stars. The movies
began to lean towards “flash and dash” cowboys, and Carey was known for
his “emphasis on realism and grittiness.” He also was no longer a young
star. Frustration with Universal Pictures climaxed when Hoot Gibson,
Carey’s longtime friend, was cast as the studio’s next leading star in
1922. Carey then left Universal and John Ford.
Carey was still a recognized and respectable cowboy actor, and he worked
to create other films with other studios such as "The Night Hawk"
(1924), "The Prairie Pirate" (1924), "The Man From Red Gulch" (1924),
and "Satan Town" (1926). Carey also toured the vaudeville circuit with
his second wife, Olive, but found the touring to be tiresome and left.
Reviving his film career to that which it was before leaving Universal
Pictures was the 1929 lead role in the film "Trader Horn." After
filming for months in Africa and Mexico, the film proved to be valuable
in Carey’s career as well as in his bank account. Riding the wave of
the film’s success, Carey went on to star in "The Vanishing Legion"
(1931), "Cavalier of the West" (1931), "Law and Order" (1932), "Last of
the Mohicans" (1932), "The Thundering Herd" (1933), "Wagon Trail"
(1935), "Powdersmoke Range" (1935), "Ghost Town" (1936), and "The Last
Outlaw" (1936). In the end Carey received top billing when paired with
Hoot Gibson once again, indicating his star status.
Known not only for his western roles, Carey was nominated for a Best
Supporting Actor Oscar in 1939 for his role as President of the Senate
in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." Although Thomas Mitchell won the
award for his work in Stagecoach, Carey showed that he had the ability
to leave his horse behind and still capture the audience’s attention.
Working in films until his death on September 21, 1947 from a battle
with emphysema and cancer, Carey’s name could be seen in movie credits
spanning three decades. Released in 1948 after his death, the movie
"Red River" attempted to mimic the success of "Gone with the Wind."
Failing at this attempt, it did put both Harry Carey, Sr. and his son
Harry Carey, Jr. on the same screen. Carey Jr. would achieve legendary
status on his own as a western actor in later years, but this film
allowed him to display his talents as Dan Latimer alongside his father
who played Mr. Melville.
After Carey’s death John Ford decided to remake his film "Three Bad Men"
in which Harry Carey starred in 1926. The remake was entitled "Three
Godfathers," and it starred Harry Carey Jr. this time around. Opening
the film is a shot of a cowboy’s silhouette in the sun and a dedication
to Harry Carey, Sr. The dedication is to, in Ford’s words, “the bright
star of the early western sky.” Harry Carey, Sr. certainly was a star
in the constellation of early western movies, proving to the be the one
which helped later stars find their way.
For more information on Harry Carey and other classic western stars,
see:
The Old Corral: http://www.surfnetinc.com/chuck/trio.htm
#
Residing in Pennsylvania, Kelly is a teacher, a freelance writer, a
wife, and a mother. She writes and publishes fiction, editorial essays,
and occasional non-fiction articles. Contact her at Englis-@rcn.com
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Click Below for Harry Carey Collectible Slide Show:
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/photogallery/careyharry.htm
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Photo ID Guide Update:
1903 Eureka/Craddock's Medicated Blue Soap Playing Cards
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/ENTERTAINMENT/prices%20realized%20ID%20folder/1903%20craddocks.htm
Click the link above for images & details!
I didn't do much of the work with these, most of the text and all of the
images on this page were donated to the site by collector Diana Savage.
You may recognize Diana's name from the film reviews she has provided
this newsletter the previous two issues. These are cards from her
collection, which are more theatre related than film, but there is some
crossover. Enjoy, and thanks Diana!
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The Silent Collection by Tammy Stone
Estelle Taylor
She was ravishing, racy, ahead of her time, a true 20th century woman.
She graced the silver screen longer than many of her contemporaries, and
happened to be cast in some of the most epic and even controversial
films of her time. Let the tribute to Estelle Taylor begin.
Estelle was born on May 20, 1894 in Wilmington, Delaware. Unlike many of
her peers in the silent star pantheon, she was not born to performer
parents, nor did she grow up on the vaudeville or theatre stage. After a
relatively conventional childhood, she, like many of her non-famous
contemporaries, moved to New York and went to work in an office, filling
her days as a typist. Not the most glamorous of beginnings, but
certainly noble. And it must be kept in mind – she was very young when
she starting both working and living!
It was possibly in this office setting that she developed a sharp sense
of how to be savvy in the business world, and with her keen mind,
Estelle knew she could make a go of it in her newly chosen field:
acting. It didn’t hurt that she was gorgeous beyond belief, and also
very ambitious. This uncanny human being married – into money, mind you
– at the tender (and today illegal) age of 14! The resources were
probably helpful to her, and by 18, when she started to become a
successful model, she and her husband divorced.
From modeling, it was a quick and relatively easy jump into acting,
thought she started off as a chorus dancer on Broadway. It seems Estelle
was quite a precocious young and budding star, and she was known to meet
the affections of quite a few men in those days with open arms. And not
just the lackeys hanging out by the stage doors; more than a few
producers were captivated by her beauty, and she took full advantage of
this when she decided it was time to move from stage to screen by 1919.
Before her first bona fide success, she graced the silver screen in no
less than 17 films – most of them short – beginning with The Golden
Shower in 1919. She began to gain ground and prestige in the industry,
when she made several films including The Revenge of Tarzan, While New
York Sleeps (her credited role here is The Wife/The Vamp/The Girl!), and
Blind Jewels. She only made one film in 1921, Footfalls, but it was a
distinguished film, if one can equate distinguished with star power:
Estelle co-starred on this film with Tyrone Power Sr.
1922 was a more prolific year for Estelle; she made several films
including Monte Cristo, The Lights of New York, Only a Shop Girl and A
California Romance. In 1923, she continued working, making four films
before landing the plum role of Miriam (Moses’ sister) in Cecil B.
DeMille’s The Ten Commandments. Now, this is not the version that plays
on television several times a year, but it was the version that provided
all the groundwork, and there was no more legendary figure to work with
at the time than DeMille, arguably one of the most influential figures
of the silent period, of not all of cinema. I should also mention that
Nita Naldi, also featured in The Silent Collection, had a bit part in
this film, which gives a sense of the chronology of our leading ladies’
climb to fame.
Another film of note came a year later: Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall,
starring Mary Pickford, in which Estelle played Mary, Queen of Scots.
But perhaps her most notorious role, and the one for which she is best
remembered, is that of Lucrezia Borgia in 1926’s Don Juan, which also
features Myrna Loy and Mary Astor and co-stars John Barrymore. Director
Alan Crosland, who would later direct the film that launched the sound
era, 1927’s The Jazz Singer, took huge risks with this swashbuckling,
lavish melodrama. Not only was it the first film in history to feature
Vitaphone music and feature sound effects, but it actually has the most
screen kisses ever in one film, at 127.
Don Juan was made four years before the inception of the Production
Code, or Hays Code, which severely limited the amount of sexual and/or
morally questionable content that could be shown on film (The Code
actually began to be enforced in 1934). Still, silent films were for the
most part quite restrained on this front – though some did freely dabble
with drug use, prostitution and nudity, among other “offenses” – with
few exceptions: Don Juan was one of these exceptions. Just some
interesting background and context on this most intriguing of films! It
should also be noted that the Hays Code was abandoned by the 1960s,
which would explain all that deliciously wicked stuff we see on screen
these days.
Hot off the heels of this lewd success, and married for one year to
world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey (marriage number two), Estelle
continued to make films as the silent era began to wind down. In an
unusual turn of events, it seems our ambitious actress also had exactly
the right kind of talent to help her coast into the dawn of screen
sound. Until 1932, she was working consistently, making such films as
Cimarron (1931) and Call Her Savage (1932; the not so old Estelle played
Clara Bow’s mother).
Though she made a couple more films – her last was Jean Renoir’s The
Southerner in 1945 (the masterful French director knew how to pick his
talent) – it’s a safe bet to say that Estelle officially retired in the
early 1930s. She became a staunch supporter of animal rights, founding
and acting as president of California’s Pet Owner’s Protective League,
and also serving on the City Animal Regulation Commission in 1953.
Another interesting tidbit: she had dinner one evening with Lupe Velez,
and actress, and wound up being the last person to see her alive before
Velez committed suicide.
After years of living life exactly as she wanted to – as a star of the
business world and then of the stage and screen, Estelle died on April
15, 1958, in Los Angeles. We’re fortunate that some of her most
memorable films are still around so that we can see just what about
Estelle Taylor that captured the hearts of audiences for over a decade
of cinema and beyond.
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Tammy Stone is a freelance writer and journalist based in Toronto. Watch
for her regular column on the greats of the Silent Screen in each issue
of ASTOS. Tammy invites you to write her at tammyst-@yahoo.ca with
any questions or comments on her column.
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Click Below for Estelle Taylor Collectibles Slide Show:
http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/photogallery/taylorestelle.htm
#
End Credits:
In closing I want to mention that someone had written me asking if we
were going to a monthly format and I said no. I still like to say no,
but honestly with the Auction Notes newsletter being a weekly, I will
now say it's possible. That being said, the next issue will more than
likely be May 15, which would be the first of two May issues, but I do
want to leave the door open to the possibility of cutting this
newsletter down to monthly. We'll see how it goes though, I do like
putting it together every issue and love adding the profiles to the web
site, so my heart tells me to keep it scheduled as is (about 17 times
per year), though my head says we could lose five of those issues.
Either way, I'll see you next time or for those of you who receive it,
later on today with this week's Auction Notes.
As always feel free to e-mail any thoughts or ideas to us at
thi-@things-and-other-stuff.com, we're always willing to listen.
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