kathy

Born in 1885 in the Sydney suburb of Glebe, James Francis “Frank” Hurley was an independent, ambitious lad with the uncommon initiative to teach himself photography. When the young art form crossed over to mainstream accessibility with the postcard fad in the early years of the 20th century, Hurley … [Read more...] about South: Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Glorious Epic of the Antarctic

In the first decade of the 20th century, close to 6 million American children were not attending school (U.S. population at the time was 76 million). Many of these were juvenile delinquents who needed a place to go, a place to learn, and the newly established picture houses became home away from … [Read more...] about The Soul of Youth

In 1941 W.C. Fields made his final feature film, Never Give a Sucker an Even Break. Critic James Agee, in his review for Time magazine, called him “one of the funniest men on earth” and went on to proclaim, “the great comedian can play straight better and more firmly than anyone in the business.” … [Read more...] about So’s Your Old Man

Wang Renmei’s star was rising fast. Her first film appearance in 1931 had ended up on the cutting room floor. But within the next two years she triumphed in two films: Wild Rose (1932) and The Morning of a Metropolis (1933). Her next film turned out to be a motion picture with international … [Read more...] about Song of the Fishermen

There’s an easygoing, friendly manner to actor Harry Carey. His smile, the wrinkle around his eyes, to say nothing of that aura of quiet inner strength, reminds one of John Wayne at his best—only Harry Carey was projecting those qualities from the screen when Wayne was still in high school. Carey … [Read more...] about Soft Shoes