“I was the spark that lit up Flaming Youth, and Colleen Moore was the torch.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald Charming, vivacious and talented, Colleen Moore was one of the most popular stars of the 1920s. She was a true original, yet other stars, better known today, are credited with her innovations. … [Read more...] about Her Wild Oat
Hell’s Heroes
July 1, 2002, marks the 100th birthday of William Wyler (1902–1981), whom Bette Davis called her greatest director: “It was he who helped me realize my full potential as an actress.” Laurence Olivier claimed that Wyler taught him the art of screen acting and, more than anyone, persuaded him that … [Read more...] about Hell’s Heroes
Hell Bent
When Hell Bent, starring Harry Carey as Cheyenne Harry, was released in 1918 it was among eighty-seven western features made that year, a high point in the first decade of feature-length films. In that crowded field were William S. Hart, who made nine westerns for his own production company, and Tom … [Read more...] about Hell Bent
He Who Gets Slapped
Seeking a change of pace from his already successful career as a Swedish director and actor, Victor Sjöström arrived in New York in January 1923 at the invitation of Goldwyn Pictures. Sjöström’s intention was to study American production methods and to involve himself in a film or two. The Swede … [Read more...] about He Who Gets Slapped
Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages
The 1910s were Danish cinema’s Golden Age. In this decade Denmark produced an explosion of erotic melodramas for international export, the first films written by Carl Theodor Dreyer, and movies featuring cinema’s first superstar, Asta Nielsen. The first Danish film to make an international splash … [Read more...] about Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages
Harbor Drift
The worldwide call for the proletariat to lose its collective chains was answered not just by the Russian people. The German communists, too, shed blood on their country’s streets and scaffolds, mostly the highly politicized vanguard, fighting for ideals and bread on behalf of workers too deeply … [Read more...] about Harbor Drift
The Half-Breed
“Lo, the poor Indian,” wrote Alexander Pope in 1733, “whose untutor’d mind/sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind.” Thus begins the poet’s famous contribution to the 17th century notion of the Noble Savage, a creature of the European enlightenment who is at once inferior and superior to the … [Read more...] about The Half-Breed
Hal Roach: King of Comedy, 1924 – 1929
FAST COMPANY (1924) Directed by Robert F. McGowan, Charles Parrot (Charley Chase, uncredited) Cast Mickey Daniels, Walter Wilkinson, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Jack Davis, Jackie Condon, Joe Cobb, Ernest “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison, Mary Kornman Production Hal E. Roach Studios JUST A GOOD GUY … [Read more...] about Hal Roach: King of Comedy, 1924 – 1929