Yet another anniversary, Mr. B

 I've been awol for mostly health reasons, tbh. But I received an appropriate LB gift for my birthday!

This is one of two I have: the other is with brother John. I owned these years ago, but my sister was able to find them again. The pic is from AMERICA, and the glasses are "roaring twenties". Other people on them include Tom Mix and Clara Bow. 

On another note, recently I learned a university press has approved a bio of Mr B (not by me!), so I'll be intrigued what new there is to learn!

As always, many thanks for the good times, Mr. B. You are not forgotten.

Cheers! 

The 1918 catch up and images!

 It's only been forever, but life is rather hectic. I hope my 2 readers are being safe and staying covid-free. As a reminder, Mr. B lost one of his daughters during the 1918 influenza pandemic. Neither virus/viruses are a joke.

So in memory of that terrible event, here's some stuff from 1918 or so featuring Mr. B:

                        From Laugh, Clown, Laugh, 1918, Broadway, color by me

 

The Copperhead, Bway, 1918, a huge hit for him.

                                 1918 Vanity Fair portrait of the artist as a middle-aged man

 

                

                                       Portrait in character as Milt Shanks from The Copperhead, 1918

      I love this... 1918 "whirlwind finish of the Greatest Motion Picture Contest Ever Conducted". Mr. B wasn't actually making films in 1918, so kind of impressive he leapfrogs Jack by FAR.

Happy Birthday once again, Mr. B!

 So what a year, huh? Not as dramatic as quite a few of Lionel Barrymore's life (2 world wars, a pandemic, etc etc), but still special for us now. So to celebrate, I'm throwing back to some of the earliest film publicity sightings of young Lionel, from Biograph, etc. Enjoy!

1914 magazine portrait

Not as early, but an adorable article "by" LaMarr on screen lovers.

There are biograph bulletins from several other of his earliest films, including his first confirmed one, The Battle, but they aren't featuring the birthday boy.  See Films of, 1911-12, to check out the screen grabs from The Battle.

In any event, enjoy these little tidbits, then wander over to the Films of and flip through all the years done so  far. I've done research on years yet to be posted, but I'm waiting for a chance to breathe!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. BARRYMORE!

An appreciation post: Sadie Thompson, 1927. - rowr-

And all that implies! I love this film and the story behind it. Gloria Swanson is the queen of early cinema moxie. Read her bio and check out the making of this film. I was able to look at her materials at the Ransom Center in Austin over a few visits, and if anything, I'm even more impressed. The direction by Raoul Walsh (also co-starring) is flawless, the performances are uniformly excellent, and they got away with a LOT. It's still available, albeit with about 6 missing minutes at the end. Mr. B is simply at his intense, silent-film loquacious best, his eyes really working to communicate very complex emotions. There's also some humor, pathos, edginess, and a little few surprises. The story by Somerset Maugham is indeed good, though I find that the film does it justice and more.

Mr. B as Alfred Davidson, "reformer" and righteous dude, is among his best, IMO. The between-scenes pics I've found communicate just how tired he seemed to be, though now and then he does smile and goof with Swanson. The set of stills from the collection is pretty huge. There's a lot to take in about the film!

So to celebrate a film coming up on 100,here are some of my favorite images from the film and still collection. Enjoy! And go watch the film, it's on YT and elsewhere! You won't regret it, unless you're a "reformer". :)

Need I remind you it's Mr B's birthday month? April 28th approacheth! (No, it wasn't April 14, he straight out lied in his biography.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

It has been a right minute, but health and life and this pandemic thing has really cut into my blogging capabilities. Not to mention, Texas was hammered by a winter storm, during which I spent 2 nights in a hospital. So things have been fraught!

But, this is a significant day for the Irish, Irish-lovers, and Irishesque, of which I am one.  I'm kind of glad the marches are off for today, because there's only so much one can take of stereotypes... Some information out there actually calls Lionel "Irish-American", though I don't think he'd necessarily have said that given dad's very much Englishness (irishamericanjourney.com, I'm looking at you).

So here is some completely unrelated Irish pictures with a Barrymore leaning, including the following ruin of a castle:

Barrymore Castle in Castlelyons Parish (tyvm pinterest)

There are "Earls of Barrymore" from what is now Cork, though unrelated to Lionel and family. It's quite possible earlier ancestors at least were aware of the earls!

And in the same parish, a Barrymore mausoleum--happy St. Patrick's Day!