1878-1954...to 2018. Remembering the fabulous Lionel Barrymore

Here it is, National Sam Day and the yearly celebration of Mr. B's passing. It has been an insane year so far, full of sound and fury and occasionally signifying something. At times, though, I've been unsure WHAT was signified.

But time proceeds along, and I can't let the day go without celebrating a man I admire for a few things--overall, his fabulousness. So here are some fabulous Lionel Barrymore images for your delectation. Would that we all could leave such memorable traces!

An approximately  3 year old baby Lionel

From 1926 MGM shoot, after signing with them 

America, 1924

The Jest, 1919, as Neri; co-starred John. Color by me

Enemies of Women, as Lubimoff (right) 

The Show

The Barrier, his first MGM California film 

Unseeing Eyes

Decameron Nights, apparently an oddity, as Saladin

America

Early 1920s postcard 

With Mary Pickford in The New York Hat

Paris at Midnight, as Vautrin

Lionel Barrymore, 1878-1954. Thanks for the years!

"Let every day be Armistice Day"

While never called to active duty during WWI (and being too old and ill for WWII),  Lionel Barrymore like many stars of his time supported the national effort but was also appalled by the global conflicts. He recorded a brief note at the end of one of his radio shows that fell around November 11 that his prayer was that "every day be Armistice Day." At 11am local time in Europe on November 11, 1918, the guns of the Great War finally fell silent.

Mr. B had lost at least one relative to the conflict and who knows how many acquaintances. Brother John tried to enlist and was rejected on physical grounds. As far as I can tell, Lionel registered for the draft but did not volunteer--in 1917, when the US entered the war, he and first wife Doris Rankin were either about to lose or had just lost an infant daughter in the flu epidemic.

Lionel Barrymore's World War I draft card

Somewhere on this page is the link to the radio show I'm speaking of, but I'll edit it down for just that section.** In the meantime, especially as a military brat with several active duty family members, I echo the call for each day to be Armistice Day.

"And I hope that some of you have said Amen."

**Here's the radio show--at 17:15 minutes in, you can hear his prayer: November 10, 1938: The Copperhead

The brothers in 1917

A Fall to November...

...yeah, sorry about that pun.

The truth is, fond Lionel-fans, that I had to have carpal tunnel surgery and I'm barely allowed to type, basically. I had no idea I had carpal tunnel--surely, I thought, the problem would be more complicated!

Nope.

So, prior to leaping into my plan for the anniversary of Mr. B's death, I thought I'd share a few images I culled when trying to determine when the inflammatory arthritis and bursitis started to manifest visibly on Lionel Barrymore. Yes, I'm obsessive, but I needed to establish a timeline for my research! So here are a few pics, some of which made me wince because I couldn't believe he  was acting while in such pain.

The Face in the Fog, 1922

Sadie Thompson, 1928

The Mysterious Island, 1929 shoot

The Girl From Missouri, 1934

Public Hero #1, 1935

You may notice these are only 1922-1935, but in that brief period you can get a sense of Mr. B's hugely variable physical signs of inflammatory illness. It's usually most noticeable in his right hand; it's also a bit noticeable in his left, in terms of discolorations that are a hallmark of one arthritic illness. You can see that in the 1929 filming of TMI, his hand looks quite smooth though as couple of spots are evident.

Most painfully, it's clear that in Mark of the Vampire (1935), he was in the throes of a severe attack of inflammatory disease:

As linked in another part of this blog, the film clearly shows huge struggles with walking on Mr. B's part:
Clip from Mark of the Vampire (TCM)

But, there will be yet more for another day! Of course, 3 years after this Mr. B was in both You Can't Take it With You on crutches and in his first go at Dr. Leonard Gillespie in his wheelchair, Young Dr. Kildare. 

I will try to be much more active on the way to another anniversary of Mr. B's death. In the meantime, Feliz Dia de los Muertos!