Epic Adversity

Above: Fredric March and Olivia de Havilland in "Anthony Adverse". (tcm.com)

Epic costume dramas were all the rage in the 1930s, doubtless due to their escapist qualities (escape from the Depression and fears of war, among other things) and the cool comforts of a movie palace during a decade of exceptionally hot summers (yes, once again I’m leading with a movie. Nevertheless, some tasty bits ahead!).

August 29, 1936 cover by **William Steig.**

Unlike MGM’s Romeo and Juliet, which lost money, Anthony Adverse was Warner Brothers’ most popular release in 1936, a nearly two-and-a-half-hour film featuring the seemingly ever-present Frederic March and rising star Olivia de Havilland. Based on Hervey Allen’s 1933 historical novel by the same name, New Yorker critic John Mosher gave Anthony Adverse passing marks.

COSTUMES IN MOTION…Critic John Mosher appreciated a costume drama that was also lively. Clockwise, from left: Warner Brothers promotional poster; **Olivia de Havilland** as Angela, the daughter of a cook who becomes Mademoiselle Georges, a famous opera star and mistress of Napoleon Bonaparte; **Anita Louise** portrayed sweet young Maria, betrothed to grumpy old Don Luis (**Claude Rains**). *(frockflicks.com)*

WICKEDLY GOOD…**Gale Sondergaard** with Claude Rains in *Anthony Adverse.* Sondergaard would win the inaugural Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as the villainous Faith Paleologus. In total, the film would earn four Oscars. (IMDb.com)

Mosher found other cinema diversions, including a film featuring a cameo by Robert Benchley.

WORLD OF WODEHOUSE…**Madge Evans** and **Robert Montgomery** in *Piccadilly Jim*; **Dolores Costello** and George Raft in *Yours for the Asking*; **Ida Lupino** portrayed con artist Gertie Malloy in Yours for the Asking; pioneer American film animator **Mary Ellen Bute** created some of the first electronically generated film images, her specialty being visual music. *(imdb.com/csfd.sk/facebook.com/Wikipedia)*

And lest we forget, here is The New Yorker’s Robert Benchley portraying a “barroom character” in Piccadilly Jim:

THE TWO BOBS…**Robert Montgomery** and **Robert Benchely** in *Piccadilly Jim.* *(immortalephemera.com)*

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Pentameter Pickle

E.B. White expressed his annoyance with MGM’s claim regarding Norma Shearer as “the first screen Juliet” (see last week’s post on Romeo and Juliet). He also noted that after seeing Romeo and Juliet, he had the urge to speak in Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter.

White noted that either Beverly Bayne or Theda Bara were the first screen Juliets…actually both appeared in dueling films in 1916, opening just three days apart.

FILM DUEL…Top, **Francis X. Bushman** and **Beverly Bayne** (married in real life) in Metro’s 1916 adaptation of *Romeo and Juliet.* Below, **Theda Bara** and Harry Hilliard in Fox’s 1916 *Romeo and Juliet.* In direct competition, the Fox film was released on Oct.22, the same week as Metro’s (Oct. 19). Both silent films are considered lost. *(theeverydaycinephile.com)*

If White had had access to the internet, he would have learned that the very first screen Juliet was actually Florence Lawrence , who appeared in a fifteen-minute silent film short made in 1908 by Vitagraph Studios (amazingly, the film survives and can be viewed on YouTube).

THE ORIGINAL…The first screen Juliet was **Florence Lawrence**, who appeared in a 1908 silent film short by Vitagraph Studios. Lawrence (1886–1938) is widely referred to as the “first movie star”, appearing in almost three hundred films. She also invented a surprising list of patents, including the first “auto signaling arm.” *(messynessychic.com).*

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He Used His Bean

“The Talk of the Town” featured a rare mention of baseball in the form of a brief profile of Jo-Jo Moore (1908–2001), a New York Giants left fielder known for his intimidating, left-handed-hitting as leadoff man; Moore batted over .300 five times in his career. Apparently he was also known for getting beaned at the plate, as this excerpt explains:

LEANING IN…**Jo-Jo Moore**, who batted left-handed and threw right-handed, hit over .300 five times in his career with the Giants from 1930 to 1941. When he died in 2001 at age 92, he was the last surviving member of the 1933 World Champion New York Giants. (centerfieldmaz.com)

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The Bobby We Didn’t Know

Mention the name Bobby Riggs to those of a certain age and they’ll likely conjure up the cheeky grin of a 55-year-old man who in 1973 challenged 29-year-old Billie Jean King to a much-ballyhooed “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match at the Houston Astrodome—which King won in straight sets (6–4, 6–3, 6–3). What seems forgotten is the fact that Riggs was once considered the best tennis player in the world. As a 21-year-old amateur in 1939, he won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Even in 1936 the teenaged Riggs was already sensation, as this excerpt explains: