Pat O'Brien, Spencer Tracy, and Thelma Todd at a cookout. This must have been in the same period as the picture with Thelma Todd at Pat O'Brien's party.
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A Blog For Thelma Todd Thelma Todd was a star of silent movies and later the talkies. She is remembered as much today for her mysterious death as she is for her films. In this blog, we take a look at Thelma Todd, her movies, and various commentaries.
Showing posts with label Pat O'Brien. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pat O'Brien. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Pat O'Brien And Thelma Todd At Cookout
Pat O'Brien, Spencer Tracy, and Thelma Todd at a cookout. This must have been in the same period as the picture with Thelma Todd at Pat O'Brien's party.
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Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Pat O'Brien, Frank McHugh, Ralph Bellamy & Thelma Todd In SHADOPLAY
Margie found a picture of Thelma Todd at a Pat O'Brien's party in the January 1934 issue of SHADOPLAY.
Here's the picture:
Thelma Todd knew Pat O'Brien. This would have been around the time that they had the first screen actor's guild ball, they were both there. Frank McHugh was there, too. He also had been in CORSAIR with Thelma Todd in 1931, that was the movie where she was billed as "Alison Loyd". Ralph Bellamy was a well known actor. William Gargan I remember from the "Barry Craig" show on the radio, he used to be in the movies, too.
Pat O'Brien, Frank McHugh, and Ralph Bellamy* were part of a group known as "The Irish Mafia" in this period, Thelma Todd fits right in there with them as she was part Irish, too.
*It seems that Ralph Bellamy wasn't actually Irish, he was just part of this group.
Ralph Bellamy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Bellamy
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000897/
William Gargan:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gargan
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307326/bio
Frank McHugh:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_McHugh
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0570451/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Pat O'Brien:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_O'Brien_(actor)
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002285/
http://benny-drinnon.blogspot.com/2013/05/motion-picture-march-1936-pat-obrien.html
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Friday, May 3, 2013
MOTION PICTURE March 1936: Pat O'Brien
Here's an article about Pat O'Brien from the March 1936 issue of MOTION PICTURE which mentions Ted Healy as someone Pat O'Brien associated with. This is a little after the death of Thelma Todd, but Pat O'Brien used to know her, and it looks like he knew Ted Healy, too. Just thought I'd put that in after the other stuff I'd put on the blog about Ted Healy.
MOTION PICTURE:
http://mediahistoryproject.org/fanmagazines/
Lillian Russell:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Russell
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I haven't seen CEILING ZERO, but I like June Travis.
DIAMOND JIM was a movie where Binnie Barnes played Lillian Russell. It was a recent movie at the time this magazine was published.
It wasn't the first time that Thelma Todd had been compared to Lillian Russell in this magazine. The September 1935 issue had done that, too. We take a look at that one next.
MOTION PICTURE:
http://mediahistoryproject.org/fanmagazines/
Lillian Russell:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Russell
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Saturday, February 23, 2013
Wallace Ford And His Wife Martha Ford
Wallace Ford and his wife were friends of Thelma Todd's.
Wallace Ford (12 February, 1898 – 11 June, 1966) was an English film and television actor who, with his friendly appearance and stocky build later in life, appeared in a number of film westerns and B-films.
Born Samuel Jones Grundy in Bolton, Lancashire, England, he spent childhood in a Dr. Barnardo's home. At an early age he was adopted by a farmer from Manitoba, Canada where he was ill treated. About the age of eleven, he ran away and did oddjobs later becoming an usher in a theatre.
Following his discharge from the army after World War I, he became a vaudeville actor in astock company before performing on Broadway.[1]
He started on a filmcareer when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave him part in the film Possessed and went on to appear in over 200 films including 13 directed by John Ford. (The two were unrelated.)
He also appeared in a 1964 episode of The Andy Griffith Show as Roger Hanover, Aunt Bee's old flame, which originally aired October 19th. Twenty months later, Ford died. He is buried with an unmarked grave in Culver City's Holy Cross Cemetery.
* * *
Today, Wallace Ford might be remembered as much for his appearences in the "Mummy" movies as for anything else he did, although he had a long and successful career in the movies and later worked on television. His wife Martha is mentioned in connection with Thelma Todd in various accounts because of her testimony that she had talked to Thelma Todd on the phone the afternoon before she was found dead: the authorities insisted that Thelma Todd must already have been dead at that time and that Mrs. Ford must have been mistaken. A sad aftermath for a festive occasion at any event.
Thelma Todd and Wallace Ford can be seen in one of the photos on this page in the January 1935 issue of PHOTOPLAY.
Leo Carillo, Joan Blondell, Pat O'Brien, and Wallace Ford at barbeque.
Wallace Ford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wallace Ford | |
|---|---|
 Wallace Ford in Central Park (1932) | |
| Born | Samuel Jones Grundy 12 February 1898 Bolton, Lancashire, England, U.K. |
| Died | 11 June 1966 (aged 68) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Wally Ford |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1930–1965 |
| Spouse(s) | Martha Haworth (m. 1922 – 1966) |
Born Samuel Jones Grundy in Bolton, Lancashire, England, he spent childhood in a Dr. Barnardo's home. At an early age he was adopted by a farmer from Manitoba, Canada where he was ill treated. About the age of eleven, he ran away and did odd
Following his discharge from the army after World War I, he became a vaudeville actor in a
He started on a film
He also appeared in a 1964 episode of The Andy Griffith Show as Roger Hanover, Aunt Bee's old flame, which originally aired October 19th. Twenty months later, Ford died. He is buried with an unmarked grave in Culver City's Holy Cross Cemetery.
Partial filmography
- X Marks the Spot (1931)
- Freaks (1932)
- Three-Cornered Moon (1933)
- The Lost Patrol (1934)
- The Mysterious Mr. Wong (1934)
- The Informer (1935)
- Mary Burns, Fugitive (1935)
- The Rogues Tavern (1936)
- O.H.M.S. (1937)
- Of Mice And Men (1937)
- The Mummy's Hand (1940)
- The Mummy's Tomb (1942)
- Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
- The Cross of Lorraine (1943)
- Spellbound (1945)*The Green Years (1946)
- T-Men (1947)
- Dead Reckoning (1947)
- Coroner Creek (1948)
- Embraceable You (1948)
- The Set-Up (1949)
- Red Stallion in the Rockies (1949)
- Harvey (1950)
- He Ran All The Way (1951)
- She Couldn't Say No (1954)
- The Boy from Oklahoma (1954)
- Destry (1954)
- Lucy Gallant (1955)
- Wichita (1955)
- The Man From Laramie (1955)
- A Lawless Street (1955)
- Twilight for the Gods (1958)
- The Matchmaker (1958)
- Warlock (1959)
- A Patch of Blue (1965)
Television
- Father Knows Best (1954)
- Justice (1954)
- Damon Runyon Theatre (1955)
- The Andy Griffith Show (1964)
References
- ^ Hal Erickson, Allmovie biography on Wallace Ford
External links
* * *
Today, Wallace Ford might be remembered as much for his appearences in the "Mummy" movies as for anything else he did, although he had a long and successful career in the movies and later worked on television. His wife Martha is mentioned in connection with Thelma Todd in various accounts because of her testimony that she had talked to Thelma Todd on the phone the afternoon before she was found dead: the authorities insisted that Thelma Todd must already have been dead at that time and that Mrs. Ford must have been mistaken. A sad aftermath for a festive occasion at any event.
Leo Carillo, Joan Blondell, Pat O'Brien, and Wallace Ford at barbeque.
Anita Page at one of Wallace Ford's parties.
Anita Page was there at the party when Mrs. Wallace Ford recieved a call from Thelma Todd the day before she was found dead. But according to the authorities, Thelma Todd would already have been dead at that time and could not have made the call.
Mrs. Wallace Ford
And the caption from the back of this photo:
Lucille Ball with Wallace Ford
Anita Page ( Official Site ):
Wallace Ford ( Silver Screen Oasis.com ):
Wallace Ford Obituary:
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Four Jills In a Jeep And Friends
Laurel and Hardy took part in the first big World War II-era tour by Hollywood personalities to entertain the troops,"The Hollywood Victory Caravan" in 1942.
The Hollywood Victory Caravan toured the Carribean on a converted Army bomber termed "The Flying Showboat."
Shown in this astounding photo is the full cast of entertainers deployed to
cheer up our boys overseas during WWII. The prominent group included Eddie
Dowling President of Camp Shows, Ray Bolger, Mitzi Mayfair, Louis Polanski, Stan
Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Jane Pickens, Benay Venuta, and Show M.C. John Garfield.
They are all shown just before taking off from Mitchel Field, NY, in a U.S. army
bomber, converted into a "flying showboat", for a two week tour of Caribbean
bases w they will present "Live Shows" for army and navy men. This would be the
first stop on the first USO Tour.
They traveled around the U.S. by train.
Bert Lahr, the Cowardly Lion without the costume. He made some short subjects in the 1930's, as did Bing Crosby. Jimmy Cagney had a brother William, who was in the movie PALOOKA with Thelma Todd and Lupe Velez.
Allthough Mitzi Mayfair had been in "The Hollywood Victory Caravan" earlier in the war with Laurel and Hardy, she is remembered more today for her later tour with Kay Francis, Carole Landis, and Martha Raye, which was dramatized in the movie FOUR JILLS IN A JEEP. The film version was actually based on an account given by Mitzi Mayfair, rather than on the book by Carole Landis that had the same name and covered the same events.
The "Four Jills": Carole Landis, Mitzi Mayfair, Kay Francis, and Martha Raye
Lobby card for the movie.
Four Jills in a Jeep.
The "Four Jills" wouldn't go on tour together to entertain the troops again, but Carole Landis and Martha Raye would go out again separately to entertain the troops overseas. Martha Raye continued to go on tours to entertain the troops as late as the Vietnam War.
Carole Landis and Jack Benny's USO Troupe. Top row - Jack Benny, Larry Adler. Bottom row - June
Bruner, Martha Tilton, Carole Landis)
Martha Raye entertaining the troops during World War II.
Although Hollywood made a movie based on their exploits, the "Four Jills" were not really appreciated by Hollywood. They didn't seem to do well in the movies after the war, despite the sacrifices they had made and the hardships they had endured to help our fighting men. Carole Landis contacted Malaria and amoebic dysentery and was never really the same again.
The sad fate of Carole Landis has been covered in a number of books on "Hollywood's Unsolved Mysteries", including the ones by former Hollywood reporter John Austin. I was able to communicate with John Austin myself a few years ago. Here is an e mail message that he sent me on August 5, 2002 concerning Carole Landis:
"I knew Carole very well toward the end of WWII and her camp shows
and, in fact,as a Special Service Officer for the U.S, Army, travelled
with
her and her troupe through the North African Campaign and, later in
Great Britain.
I also saw a lot of her when we both returned to California following
WWII and the filming of Four Jills In A Jeep. Unfortunately, Carole had
"bad
press," aka word of mouth, from a coterie of gossiping Bel Air matrons
and was also
unfortunate in her choice of men such as the slimy, pompous Englishman
Rex
Harrison. He led her down the
garden path and. eventually, to her death even though she was pregnant
with his child.
It was too bad. She was a wonderful person, beautiful, and a good,
journeyman actress. I have thought about her a lot her since her
death because we had a good time together in London at the end of the
war.
Best regards,
John Austin"
The poorly explained death of Carole Landis continues to raise questions to this day. Rumor had it that she had killed herself because she'd gotten pregnant and didn't know what to do, which was the same story that was told about Lupe Velez. But according to the records, Carole Landis was not pregnant and suffered from a medical condition that prevented her from having children.
There was also some doubt as to if she had actually comitted suicide. Some members of her family thought that she was murdered.
Rex Harrison's own testimony made it sound as if she was still alive when he found her and then he did nothing to help her, although the usual version had it that she was already dead when he got there. No one seemed to worry at the time that he had at very least failed to report a death of someone he had professed to love.
She deserved better.
Carole Landis - Official Site
Eric Gans site for Carole Landis
http://www.anthropoetics.ucla.edu/cl/
Hollywood Victory Caravan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Hollywood Victory Caravan was a three-week railroad journey of 1942 that brought a number of famous performers across the United States to raise money for war bonds. Along the way there were numerous stops, which coincided with parades, performances, and other events. Some performers were present for the entire journey, others joined or left as their schedules permitted. Members of the Caravan were received by Eleanor Roosevelt at the White House.
Performers included Laurel and Hardy, James Cagney, Bing Crosby, Bert Lahr, Pat O'Brien, Groucho Marx, Claudette Colbert, Cary Grant, Bob Hope, and Desi Arnaz.
A comedic 19-minutes short was made in 1945 to celebrate the event which starred many of the celebrities.
See also
- The short film Hollywood Victory Caravan is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
- Hollywood Victory Caravan at the Internet Movie Database
- Complete short online at google. Starts at 15:01
- "Benefit Show Sets Boxoffice Record" Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, May 10, 1942
cheer up our boys overseas during WWII. The prominent group included Eddie
Dowling President of Camp Shows, Ray Bolger, Mitzi Mayfair, Louis Polanski, Stan
Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Jane Pickens, Benay Venuta, and Show M.C. John Garfield.
They are all shown just before taking off from Mitchel Field, NY, in a U.S. army
bomber, converted into a "flying showboat", for a two week tour of Caribbean
bases w they will present "Live Shows" for army and navy men. This would be the
first stop on the first USO Tour.
They traveled around the U.S. by train.
Hollywood Victory Caravan, 1942
Mitzi Mayfair as she looked in the 1930's. In addition to dancing on Broadway, she made some short subjects in Hollywood at that time.
Book cover
The "Four Jills": Carole Landis, Mitzi Mayfair, Kay Francis, and Martha Raye
The "Four Jills" wouldn't go on tour together to entertain the troops again, but Carole Landis and Martha Raye would go out again separately to entertain the troops overseas. Martha Raye continued to go on tours to entertain the troops as late as the Vietnam War.
Martha Raye entertaining the troops during World War II.
Although Hollywood made a movie based on their exploits, the "Four Jills" were not really appreciated by Hollywood. They didn't seem to do well in the movies after the war, despite the sacrifices they had made and the hardships they had endured to help our fighting men. Carole Landis contacted Malaria and amoebic dysentery and was never really the same again.
The sad fate of Carole Landis has been covered in a number of books on "Hollywood's Unsolved Mysteries", including the ones by former Hollywood reporter John Austin. I was able to communicate with John Austin myself a few years ago. Here is an e mail message that he sent me on August 5, 2002 concerning Carole Landis:
"I knew Carole very well toward the end of WWII and her camp shows
and, in fact,as a Special Service Officer for the U.S, Army, travelled
with
her and her troupe through the North African Campaign and, later in
Great Britain.
I also saw a lot of her when we both returned to California following
WWII and the filming of Four Jills In A Jeep. Unfortunately, Carole had
"bad
press," aka word of mouth, from a coterie of gossiping Bel Air matrons
and was also
unfortunate in her choice of men such as the slimy, pompous Englishman
Rex
Harrison. He led her down the
garden path and. eventually, to her death even though she was pregnant
with his child.
It was too bad. She was a wonderful person, beautiful, and a good,
journeyman actress. I have thought about her a lot her since her
death because we had a good time together in London at the end of the
war.
Best regards,
John Austin"
The poorly explained death of Carole Landis continues to raise questions to this day. Rumor had it that she had killed herself because she'd gotten pregnant and didn't know what to do, which was the same story that was told about Lupe Velez. But according to the records, Carole Landis was not pregnant and suffered from a medical condition that prevented her from having children.
There was also some doubt as to if she had actually comitted suicide. Some members of her family thought that she was murdered.
Rex Harrison's own testimony made it sound as if she was still alive when he found her and then he did nothing to help her, although the usual version had it that she was already dead when he got there. No one seemed to worry at the time that he had at very least failed to report a death of someone he had professed to love.
She deserved better.
Special thanks to my brother Dale for digitally restoring the picture of Mitzi Mayfair in the 1930's. And special thanks to the many men and women who made many sacrifices during World War II in order that the country might be saved.
The fan club I have for Carole Landis
Eric Gans site for Carole Landis
"Hollywood Victory Caravan" at Laurel and Hardy Central
USO Shows in WW II
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