Back to Golden Days

Jean Harlow is one of most the defining figures of the early decades of American cinema. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 3, 1911, she made her feature film debut as an uncredited extra in the silent drama Honor Bound (1928). After a small speaking part in The Saturday Night Kid (1929), starring Clara Bow and Jean Arthur, she was hired by Howard Hughes to star in his World War I epic Hell's Angels (1930), which turned her into a overnight sensation. Signing with MGM in 1932, she became one of the studio's most profitable leading ladies, appearing in such hits as Dinner at Eight (1933), China Seas (1935), Wife vs. Secretary (1936) and Libeled Lady (1936), the last three co-starring Clark Gable . Her final picture, Saratoga (1937), which also paired her with Gable, was released after her death and became not only the highest-grossing film of her career, but also the biggest moneymaker of that year. Although she was in the motion picture industry for only nine year...

Do you ever wonder when a certain event happened for the first time in recorded history? Well, if you do, you are in for a treat (hopefully), because today I am sharing with you 10 firsts in film history. From the first motion picture to premiere in Hollywood, to the first «talkie» and the first Technicolor film, these events not only represented advances in cinema technology, but also paved the way for future filmmakers. 1. The first ever motion picture to be made in Hollywood was In Old California (1910). Directed by D. W. Griffith for Biograph Company, then based in New York City, the film was a 17-minute melodrama set in the early 19th century, when California was under Spanish and Mexican rule. It starred Frank Powell, Arthur V. Johnson, Marion Leonard and Henry B. Walthall. The short was considered lost for many decades, until a copy was found in 2004 and screened at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. LEFT: Marion Leonard, Henry B. Walthall and Arthur Johnson in In Old Californ...

Wings  (1927) was the first ever film to receive the coveted Academy Award for Best Picture. Since then, it has become one of the most acclaimed and influential war dramas, noted for its technical realism and spectacular air-combat sequences. This is the fascinating story of how it came to be made.   Theatrical release posters for Wings , the first ever film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Part I: A man and his story The concept for Wings originated from a struggling writer trying to sell one of his stories. In September 1924, Byron Morgan approached Jesse L. Lasky, the founder and vice-president of Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, the predecessor of Paramount Pictures, and proposed that the studio make an aviation film. Morgan suggested an «incident and plot» story focused on the failure of the American aerial effort during World War I, and the effect that the country's «aviation unpreparedness» would have in upcoming conflicts. Lasky liked Morgan's idea, and so...

The Academy Awards, widely known as the «Oscars,» are the most famous and prestigious competitive awards in the entertainment industry. Given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, they are an international recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements. In anticipation of the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, which will be held three weeks from today, on April 25, here is the story of how it all began.   Part I: Louis B. Mayer and the creation of the Academy In early January 1927, MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer held a dinner party at his home. Later in the evening, while he was playing solitaire, he overheard actor Conrad Nagel and other guests discussing the advisability of creating an organization that would benefit the entire Hollywood movie industry. Mayer, the «filmmaking force of his time,» was interested in the idea and soon arranged a meeting with Nagel, director Fred Niblo, and producer Fred Beetson, the head of the Association of Motion Picture ...

This week on «Film Friday,» I bring you one of the first silent movies I saw. It is also the only film that paired real-life husband and wife Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Joan Crawford. Directed by Jack Conway, Our Modern Maidens (1929) tells the story of Billie Brown (Joan Crawford), the fun-loving daughter of motorcar tycoon B. Bickering Brown (Albert Gran), who plans to marry her childhood sweetheart, Gil Jordan (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.), as soon as his diplomatic promotion comes through. Hoping to expedite matters, Billie begins a fake romance with a well-connected diplomat, Glenn Jordan (Rod La Rocque). While Billie is spending all of her time with Glenn, Gil drunkenly seduces her friend, Kentucky Strafford (Anita Page), who becomes pregnant. Billie's manipulations work and Gil is soon assigned to a diplomatic post in Paris. When their engagement is officially announced, Glenn is devastated, as he had thought that Billie was really in love with him. Heartbroken, Glenn accepts a di...

To celebrate Gary Cooper's 115th birthday, which is tomorrow, this week on «Film Friday» I have decided to write about the movie that gave him his first important screen role. This is also one of the few silent films I have seen so far.   Directed by Henry King, The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926) begins with a woman (Vilma Bánky) burying her husband in the desert. She and her young daughter, Barbara (Carmencita Johnson), then get back in their covered wagon and continue to head West. At the same time, Jefferson Worth (Charles Lane) and his party — which includes Tex (Clyde Cook) and Pat Mooney (Erwin Connelly) — are also travelling West. They all run into a violent sandstorm and try to take cover. Once the storm clears, Mr. Worth and his companions find Barbara clinging to her dead mother in the sand. Mr. Worth adopts the girl and raises her as his own daughter. Fifteen years pass, and Barbara Worth (Vilma Bánky) is now a grown woman beloved by her childhood friend, Abe Lee (G...