Virginia Nicolson -- Halloween, 2022 -- October 31, 2022

listal.com

Happy Halloween, everyone. Actress Virginia Nicolson was the first wife of Orson Welles. She appeared in his amateur film "The Hearts of Age" and his semi-pro film "Too Much Johnson."

Arbuckle to Ask Lifting of Ban -- October 30, 2022

Film Daily, 11-October-1922

Roscoe Atbuckle, banned from films even though he was never found to be guilty of the death of actress Virginia Rappe, asked Will Hays, chairman of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, to allow him to return to performing in front of the camera. Hays said no.

Photoplay, October, 1922

Rumors said that Roscoe was going to appear on stage or make movies in Japan or China. 

Stereoscopic Pictures Said to Have Been Attained -- October 29, 2022

Motion Picture News, 28-October-1922

Harry K Fairall developed the first successful system to show 3-D or stereoscopic movies. His only film, "The Power of Love," is probably lost. Next month we will see a photo of his viewing mechanism.

American inventor Charles Francis Jenkins demonstrated and patented a successful electro-mechanical television system in October 1922. He did much of his work in parallel with Scottish inventor John Logie Baird. 

Baby Peggy -- The Kutest Little Kiddie on the Screen -- October 28, 2022

Film Daily, 08-October-1922

Baby Peggy Montgomery grew to become Century's biggest comedy star, even surpassing her old comrade Brownie the Century Wonder Dog. Universal released Century Comedies. "Little Red Riding Hood" was a short film, but it was treated as "A Century Special Production."

Motion Picture News, 28-October-1922

"Consistently Good!" does not seem to be an inspiring tag line. 

Moving Picture World, 21-October-1922

I would like to see Queenie the Trick Horse do her act. I'm a little sad that Johnny Fox was not a fox. 

Motion Picture News, 21-October-1922

"Just Dogs" starred the approximately 50 Century Dogs, who did not always get along with each other. 

Motion Picture News, 14-October-1922

Century made a deal with a large department store in Toronto to promote books related to the "Century Special Fairy Tale" series. I wonder if they meant to say "Cooperation" in the title. Baby Peggy visited San Diego. 

Motion Picture News, 21-October-1922

Educational released Cameo Clean-Cut Comedies, starring Jimmie Adams, who appeared in many silent comedies and, for a time, was one of the Hallroom Boys.

Motion Picture News, 21-October-1922

Do "Clean-Cut Comedies" and "Single Reel Rough and Tumbles" sound contradictory?

Motion Picture News, 28-October-1922

The Christie Film Company was a major producer of short comedies from 1911 to 1933. Educational distributed their films. Al Christie was the director and Charles Christie ran the business. "The Whole Darn Family Aboard the Christie Laugh Boat." 

Motion Picture News, 14-October-1922

"Book Christie Comedies and Advertise Them!"

Motion Picture News, 14-October-1922

"Choose Your Weapons" starring Bobby Vernon, a Graustarkian/Ruritanian costume picture, was going to have a significant budget. 

Motion Picture News, 14-October-1922

Dorothy Devore played a jockey in "Let 'Er Run."

Photoplay, October, 1922

Al Christie carefully measures the length of Vera Steadman's dress. Rising hems were a hot subject.

Moving Picture World, 14-October-1922

Educational released Mermaid Comedies. Lige Conley starred in "The Steeplechaser," supported by Spencer Bell, who made many movies with Larry Semon. 

Motion Picture News, 21-October-1922

Al St John made a starring series for Fox. Fox Sunshine Comedies advertised "Pep and Pulchritude." Thanks to reading about silent movies, I may have been the only fourth grader in San Francisco who knew what "pulchritude" meant. 

Moving Picture World, 14-October-1922

Stan Laurel played a clumsy carpenter in "The Egg," released by Metro.

Moving Picture World, 14-October-1922

"Mud and Sand" was fun. 

Ruby Dee 100 -- October 27, 2022

listal.com

Actress and civil rights activist Ruby Dee was born 100 years ago today, on 27-October-1922. I remember watching and reading about her and her husband Ossie Davis for most of my life. She played Rachel Robinson in The Jackie Robinson Story.  She finally got an Oscar nomination in 2007.  She belonged to CORE in the 1960s. 

listal.com

Red Eyes -- October 26, 2022

 

coverbrowser.com

Halloween is coming.

A Tuskegee Pilgrimage -- October 25, 2022

Dallas Express, 21-October-1922

I have mentioned before that I greatly admire John Harris, owner and manager of the Grand Central Theater in Dallas, who had a policy of showing race films. On 15-April-1922, the Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University, dedicated a monument, “Lifting the Veil of Ignorance,” to its first principal, educator Booker T Washington. Reol Productions made a short documentary about the ceremonies.

Dallas Express, 28-October-1922

Reol Productions also made The Burden of Race, a feature-length feature film.

Birmingham Reporter, 07-October-1922

This issue of the Birmingham Reporter contained several small ads for the soon-to-open Famous Theater. 

Birmingham Reporter, 07-October-1922

The Champion and Frolic Theaters in Birmingham advertised themselves as the "Best in the South for Colored People." 

Annapolis Evening Capital, 27-October-1922

The Star Theater, "The only up-to-date colored theater in Annapolis, was showing The Crimson Skull, directed by Richard E Norman. The all African-American cast starred Lawrence Chenault and "Anna Bush, the Colored Cowboy Girl." Kid Canfield was a reformed gambler who appeared in two movies and in vaudeville. 

Topeka State Journal, 21-October-1922

On the stage, Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones was successfully touring the country. Star Charles S Gilpin became popular. "Please Don't Mistake This For a Movie." 

Topeka State Journal, 21-October-1922

Gilpin died in 1930 and Paul Robeson played the lead in a 1933 talkie.

Jackie Robinson 50 Years -- October 24, 2022

www.listal.com

I find it hard to believe that Jackie Robinson died 50 years ago today, on 24-October-1972.  He starred 

in many sports at UCLA.  He received a commission in the Army during World War Two.  Refusing to move to the back of the bus, he faced a court-martial for insubordination.  He was acquitted and spent the rest of his service coaching Army athletics.

After the war, Robinson joined the Kansas City Monarchs, a team in the Negro American League.  Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey signed him to play for the Montreal Royals in 1946.  Rickey had been looking for a player to break the baseball color line, which had been in effect since the late Nineteenth Century.  Robinson agreed to turn the other cheek when racists on and off the field taunted him. In 1947, Robinson came out of spring training with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

www.listal.com

In 1950, Robinson played himself in The Jackie Robinson Story.  Ruby Dee played his wife Rachel.
I remember a 1990 television movie called The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson.  I couldn't find any photos.  Andre Braugher played Robinson.

www.listal.com

In 2013, Chadwick Boseman played Robinson in 42.  Ruby Dee played his mother.

Kevin Kline 75 -- October 24, 2022

listal.com

Actor Kevin Kline was born 75 years ago today, on 24-October-2022. He appeared in one of my favorite movies, A Fish Called Wanda. "Wanda: Aristotle was not Belgian, the principle of Buddhism is not 'every man for himself', and the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked them up."

listal.com

Colleen Gray 100 -- October 23, 2022

listal.com

Actress Colleen Gray was born 100 years ago today, on 23-October-1922. She appeared in many films noir, including Kiss of Death., Nightmare Alley and Stanley Kubrick's The Killing.

listal.com

listal.com

listal.com

Sherlock Holmes -- America's Foremost Actor Now Appears in the Most Famous Fiction Role of all Time -- October 22, 2022

Moving Picture World, 07-October-1922

I like the lettering and colors on this magazine cover ad for the Goldwyn Company's Sherlock Holmes, starring John Barrymore.

Motion Picture News, 28-October-1922

I like this profile view of Barrymore as Holmes. It reminds me of Sidney Paget's drawing for Holmes stories in The Strand Magazine. 

Motion Picture News, 21-October-1922

"Every Exhibitor Who Has Seen This Picture is Strong for It!"

Motion Picture News, 14-October-1922

The Goldwyn company was determined to block other movies that might be advertised as Sherlock Holmes or Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. "A motion for temporary injunction has been filed in the Supreme Court by William Gillette, Charles Frohman, Inc. (Frohman himself had died on the Titanic in 1912.), and Aleet Enterprises, Inc., restraining the Stoll Film Co., Ltd., and the Education (Educational? JT) Film Exchanges, Inc., from using the title "Sherlock Holmes" or "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" in connection with any motion picture."

Motion Picture News, 14-October-1922

Motion Picture News, 14-October-1922

"The Priory School" and "The Solitary Cyclist" were two episodes in the series of short Holmes films produced by Stoll and starring Eille Norwood. Educational released this series as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Motion Picture News, 07-October-1922

After the first season of popular shorts, Stoll produced The Hound of the Baskervilles as a feature. I like the picture of the Hound.

Motion Picture News, 21-October-1922

"Because all the world read the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories...?

Albuquerque Evening Herald, 07-October-1922

I haven't mentioned the many funny movies inspired by Sherlock Holmes and his name. Bert Lytell played other detectives including Michael Lanyard in The Lone Wolf and Boston Blackie.