Howard liked Delores Del Rio, but he really, REALLY liked Lily Damita, costarring in "The Cock Eyed World" that you mentioned above:
"I saw Lily Damita for the first time yesterday in a show at Cisco — Thornton Wilder’s muck put in movies ["The Bridge of San Luis Rey"]. Dolores Del Rio and Lupe Velez can’t hold a candle to her when it comes to frenzy. Lupe is prettier and Delores is a better all around actor, but my God, this Damita girl is a white hot flame. She dances like a fanflare of sunfire blown before the wind — no, like a burning flame of moon-mist under the stars — Hell — see her for yourself. Some things can’t be described. They have to be seen."(to T.C. Smith, March 1929)
And talking about what he likes in movies, Howard gets to the women:
"Then if they have to have a heroine, throw in some hard baby with a poker face and a heavyweight punch, that can take it on the chin and hand out punishment too: Evelyn Brent; Fay Wray; Lilian Tashman; Florence Vidor; Louise Brook; Baclanova; Lila[sic] Damita — boy, go no further! When that blonde French whirlwind goes into action, all others take a back seat. It’s time to batten down the hatches, reef all sails, and stand by to cut the masts if necessary. Once I saw her — once. The Bridge of San Luis Rey — let me tell you, confidentially, that’s why the bridge fell. Get me. Yes! She walked across and scorched the damned ropes." (to Harold Preece, August 19, 1929)
We don't know if Howard got a chance to see her in "The Cock Eyed World", but I imagine if it played near him he would have gone to see the movie.
Yep! When I provided pictures of Lily Damita for The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1929) entry of "Howard at the Movies" for REHupa, much of the feedback was "Howard sure was right!"
Maybe a sneak peek so everyone knows who we're talking about:
That right there is your inspiration for Belit, look no further. Wow!
TCM has shown What Price Glory and Hot Pepper but not Cock-Eyed World to the best of my knowledge (a bit out of date on TCM premieres with the cord cutting last year).
Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 29, 2021 12:19:25 GMT -5
The Canyon of Light (1926)
“I saw a Tom Mix thriller with the war mixed in and Barry Norton got killed in it, too; that kid is a glutton for punishment.” —REH to Harold Preece, ca. June 1928
The actor Howard mentions in the quote above, Barry Norton, was actually in a number of movies that Howard watched, including What Price Glory? (1926) and a movie I will cover soon, The Wizard (1927). Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 16, 1905, Norton immigrated to America in 1923. Arriving in New York, he eventually made his way to Hollywood. In 1926, he caught a break and was cast as an extra in The Black Pirate (1926), before having a role in The Lily (1926), What Price Glory? (1926), and finally The Canyon of Light (1926). It was his role in What Price Glory?, however, (See the previous movie) that made him a popular actor. When he couldn't get leading roles in Hollywood, he began making Spanish movies, often Spanish versions of popular films of the day, including The Benson Murder Case (1930) and Dracula (1931). Interestingly, he was in the 1952 remake of What Price Glory? in an uncredited role playing one of the priests in the film. Norton died of a heart attack on August 24, 1956.
Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 30, 2021 10:58:31 GMT -5
The King of Kings (1927)
“The King of Kings gripped me. I thought it was powerful, though I think Joseph Schildrkraut ran away with the picture as Judas. And William Boyd, that fellow is the most human actor in the world. H.B. Warner lacked fire of course, but I don’t know who else could have done even as good as he did. Damn the Jews anyway.” —Robert E. Howard to Harold Preece, received October 20, 1928
Release Date: April 19, 1927
REH Rating:* * * * *
As Turner Classic Movies (TCM) states, Cecil B. DeMille’s The King of Kings (1927) is “one of the cinema’s most important religious epics.” The film depicts Christ’s final days on earth from his meeting with Mary Magdalene to his Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension. DeMille was extremely cognizant of the religious aspects of the movie, so he worked to incorporate both Protestant and Catholic views of the Bible, as well as those of the Jews, into the film. Still, out of all the religions, according to TCM, “Jewish groups criticized DeMille’s film because they said it condemned them as Christ’s crucifiers.” This is likely the reason Howard added the last line in his review of the movie, “Damn the Jews anyway.”
This film appears to be the first movie that REH commented on that has survived and can actually be viewed. The King of Kings is available on DVD and it is also part of the Criterion Collection—a noted collection of classic films that are being preserved. In the Criterion Collection, the rarely seen 155 minute cut has been restored from the typical 112 minute version that is usually available. This was because the original premier of the film was at the grand opening of Grauman’s Chinese Theater—the first of a long tradition. After receiving some feedback on the film, many scenes were cut, making the general audience release a 112 minute version. The entire film is also available on the Internet, in many locations, including YouTube.
There are some incredibly unique film sequences for the time period, such as the scene when Jesus banishes the seven deadly sins from Mary Magdalene, but if nothing else, watch the opening segment as it is in color, also unique for 1927.
Post by linefacedscrivener on May 3, 2021 12:32:04 GMT -5
The King of Kings (1927)
“The King of Kings gripped me. I thought it was powerful . . ." —Robert E. Howard to Harold Preece, received October 20, 1928
The legendary Cecil B. DeMille (August 12, 1881–January 21, 1959) was the director of The King of Kings. DeMille had come to Hollywood at the very beginning of its development, so after making dozens upon dozens of early films, he perfected his ability until the productions of The Ten Commandments (1923) and The King of Kings (1927). The former was so well received, it led to the production of the latter, which was so popular, it is estimated over 800 million watched the film.
Crossing over to the talkies, he again made some mediocre films before making Cleopatra (1935), The Buccaneer (1935), and Union Pacific (1939). Later in life, he made a number of big production movies such as Samson and Delilah (1949), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), and remakes of two of his earlier films, The Ten Commandments (1956) and The Buccaneer (1958), the latter as producer.
Post by linefacedscrivener on May 10, 2021 15:14:06 GMT -5
The King of Kings (1927)
“The King of Kings gripped me. I thought it was powerful, though I think Joseph Schildrkraut ran away with the picture as Judas." —Robert E. Howard to Harold Preece, received October 20, 1928
The actor Howard praises was Joseph Schildkraut (March 22, 1896 - January 21, 1964), an American actor born in Vienna, in then Austria-Hungary. In 1910, he visited America with his father and became enamored with stage productions. When they returned to Europe in 1913, he started training for the stage in Berlin and appeared in many productions in both Germany and Austria. He also appeared in several movies, all made in Germany.
In 1920, he came to America and began working on the stage in New York City. He appeared in D.W. Griffith's Orphans of the Storm (1921) after which he began landing more roles. His portrayal of Judas Iscariot increased his stardom for many thought the way Howard did about about his performance in that role. After that, he became a regular in the movies, landing roles in Cecil B. DeMille's Cleopatra (1934), The Three Musketeers (1939), and The Man in the Iron Mask (1939). I also liked him in the Jimmy Stewart movie The Shop Around the Corner (1940). He won an Oscar for The Life of Emile Zola (1937).
His most memorable role, however, was his portrayal of Otto Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). The role hit close to home for him, being Jewish, and recalling his youth in both Germany and Austria.
I also remember him from the Twilight Zone episode “Deaths-Head Revisited” (1961), in which he plays Becker, one of the ghosts who puts the Nazi who ran the concentration camp on trial.
Post by linefacedscrivener on May 13, 2021 13:20:11 GMT -5
The King of Kings (1927)
“The King of Kings gripped me. I thought it was powerful . . . And William Boyd, that fellow is the most human actor in the world." —Robert E. Howard to Harold Preece, received October 20, 1928
With a nod to Johnnypt, this post is not so much about Hopalong Cassidy as it is William Boyd. Though, like Clayton Moore was the Lone Ranger, William Boyd was Hopalong Cassidy.
Prior to his role as Hopalong, though, Boyd had a number of serious parts and those that were not mounted on a horse. Still, this has to be the most surprising.
William Boyd (June 5, 1895 - September 12, 1972) was one of those rare actors who actually used his real name in the movies. Born in Ohio and raised in Oklahoma to a day laborer who, after his father's death, moved to California as an orange picker. Like his father, he scrounged for any job he could find, so he began working as an extra in the film industry in Hollywood. Once again, it was Cecile B. DeMille who cast him in The Road to Yesterday (1925), giving Boyd his first starring role. That film also starred Joseph Schildkraut (who played Judas), so it was easy to cast him in King of Kings (1927), in which he played Simon of Cyrene--the passerby who helped Jesus carry his cross. This led to more roles and by the 1930s, he was appearing in mostly lead roles.
Everything changed for Boyd when he was cast in the role of Hop-Along Cassidy in 1935, for after that, that became his main role. He did do others, but he played Hopalong in 3 movies in 1935, 5 in 1936, 6 in 1937, 7 in 1938, 5 in 1939, 5 in 1940, and 10 in 1941, all under Paramount. He then made another couple dozen for United Artists from 1942 to 1948. It was about that time he took it to the small screen taking the lead in the Hopalong Cassidy t.v. series.
Boyd saw his image plastered on everything from lunchboxes to breakfast cereals, and there was a Hopalong radio show, an amusement park, and tons of books and comics.
One interesting anecdote is fellow Howard pulp writer Louis L'Amour wrote four of the Hopalong Cassidy novels under the house name, though for ever and a day he denied that he ever did.
It is unknown if Howard ever saw a Hopalong movie or read one of the novels, but they were certainly geared more toward the kids and, by 1935, Howard was 29.
Post by linefacedscrivener on May 18, 2021 15:06:34 GMT -5
The King of Kings (1927)
“The King of Kings gripped me. I thought it was powerful, though I think Joseph Schildrkraut ran away with the picture as Judas. And William Boyd, that fellow is the most human actor in the world. H.B. Warner lacked fire of course, but I don’t know who else could have done even as good as he did.” —Robert E. Howard to Harold Preece, received October 20, 1928
Interestingly, in Howard's comments about this movie, he never mentions the lead actor in the film, the actor who played Jesus, H.B. Warner.
Henry Byron Warner was born on October 26, 1876, in St. John's Wood, London, England. His father, Charles Warner, was an English stage actor and young Warner followed in his footsteps. He began appearing on stage in 1897. He moved to New York in 1905 and began appearing on Broadway. His film debut was in The Lost Paradise (1914), but he spent most of his time still on stage. That began to change in the late 19-teens as he began appearing in more and more films, but it was this film that truly changed things.
By the time sound came around, he was in his early 50s, and though he made the transition to the talkies, most of his roles became supportive ones, rather than leads. Still, he made some good movies during this time period in his life. He was in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), several of the Bulldog Drummond films (believed a precursor to the James Bond novels/films), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Topper Returns (1939), and if you remember the drunk druggist in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)--that was Warner. Toward the end of his career, he played himself in Sunset Boulevard (1950) (he is seen playing cards with other old silent film stars, including Buster Keaton) and he had a small appearance in The Ten Commandments (1956).
Warner died two years later, on December 21, 1958.
Post by linefacedscrivener on May 20, 2021 13:20:26 GMT -5
The Wizard (1927)
“I saw The Wizard and thought it was red hot.” —REH to Harold Preece, ca. June 1928
Release Date: December 11, 1927
REH Rating: * * * * *
The Moving Picture World magazine from December 3, 1927, provides the following synopsis for this film:
"Dr. Coriolos, whose son was tried, convicted and electrocuted for murder, obtains an ape and trains it to overpower those whom its master seeks to destroy. Stanley Gordon, newspaper reporter, seeking a new angle on the murder of Palmer, stumbles onto the secret of Dr. Coriolos and saves two intended victims, Judge Webster and the latter's daughter, with whom Stanley is in love."
The Wizard (1927) is one of the extremely rare horror films among silent movies and before the line of early horror films in the 1930s. It is a highly sought after film. Unfortunately, according to the Library of Congress it is also one of the lost films. The film was lost in the July 9, 1937 Fox vault fire. 20th Century Fox had a film storage facility in Little Ferry, NJ, and for some unknown reason, though believed to be spontaneous combustion, the entire facility burned down, destroying all of the films. Films at the time were made with nitrates which are highly combustible.
This certainly would have been a film Howard would have liked: it was a horror film, it featured two actors he thoroughly enjoyed, Edmund Lowe and Barry Norton, and it had an ape-man demon in it. One probably doesn't have to look much further to see the motivation for so many ape-men in Howard's yarns, including Conan's adversary Thak.
Post by linefacedscrivener on May 21, 2021 13:48:37 GMT -5
The Wizard (1927)
“I saw The Wizard and thought it was red hot.” —REH to Harold Preece, ca. June 1928
The Wizard (1927) is based on Gaston Leroux’s novel Balaoo (1913), pictured above. It is the story of the scientist Dr. Coriolis who creates a humanoid looking monkey. Leroux is, of course, most famous for penning The Phantom of the Opera (1910) that had been serialized in the magazine Le Gaulois just three years before this book. The Phantom, which I have read, is an odd book, but it made for a great musical.
If there was a mad doctor in a picture, you knew it was either going to be Lionel Atwill or George Zucco.
I wonder if this story inspired the Atlas (aka Marvel) story where Dr. Jerry Nagan turned himself into a creature just like that. He later became the leader of the Defenders' villains the Headmen.
If there was a mad doctor in a picture, you knew it was either going to be Lionel Atwill or George Zucco.
I wonder if this story inspired the Atlas (aka Marvel) story where Dr. Jerry Nagan turned himself into a creature just like that. He later became the leader of the Defenders' villains the Headmen.
Ha! You are so right on the first comment.
The second one is an interesting idea.
I just wonder how much of the "red hot" movie led to some of his wizards and beasts in Kull, Conan, Kane, and El Borak? It is too bad the film is lost.
Yeah, can you imagine finding something like this in your attic? Things like that have happened. No one had ever heard any of the three pilots of the planned Weird Tales Radio show in the early 1930s, but someone found an old transcription disc in 2012 that had the second part of "The Curse of Nagana" based on Hugh B. Cave's story "The Ghoul Gallery" from the June 1932 issue of the magazine. Pretty cool (though not very good).
