Lionel Barrymore (eBook)

Character and Endurance in Hollywood's Golden Age

Kathleen Spaltro (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024
256 Seiten
The University Press of Kentucky (Verlag)
978-1-9859-0053-0 (ISBN)

Infos

Once called "e;the most gifted character actor of our time"e; by Broadway theater producer Arthur Hopkins, Lionel Barrymore (18781954) was part of the illustrious Barrymore acting dynasty. Although he garnered success on stage and screen and was a talented actor, writer, director, visual artist, and composer, he never quite escaped the shadow of his family membersincluding his brother, John, famous for his leading roles. Barrymore won the Academy Award for Best Actor in A Free Soul (1931) and was nominated for Best Director for Madame X (1930). However, he is best known for his role as Mr. Potter in It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and as the voice of Ebenezer Scrooge in radio broadcasts of A Christmas Carol from 1934 to 1953. He spent the last two decades of his career playing versions of his signature characterthe curmudgeonly but lovable gentlemanin a variety of films from You Can't Take It With You (1938) to Key Largo (1948). Barrymore worked alongside some of Hollywood's most recognizable names, including Humphrey Bogart, James Stewart, Frank Capra, Lauren Bacall, Clark Gable, and Ava Gardner, and his legacy is enshrined at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where he has two starsone for radio and one for film. In Lionel Barrymore: Character and Endurance in Hollywood's Golden Age, Kathleen Spaltro examines Barrymore as an individual rather than just a supporting cast member of the famous dynasty. This comprehensive study divides Barrymore's life into three compelling acts. Act One follows Barrymore's early dayshis failed endeavor as a visual artist, his performances in the family vaudeville acts, his first silent motion pictures, and his greatest successes and failures on the stage. Act Two details Barrymore's establishment as a fixture at MGM, his foray into directing, his success as the first actor to thrive in the talkies, and his estimable Oscar-winning performance. Finally, Act Three expounds on Barrymore's curation of his trademark characterthe endearing grouchhis exploits in radio, and his fateful final years. Spaltro also unearths Barrymore's personal challenges, recounts his difficulties withand sometimes estrangement frommembers of his family, and delves into the devastating losses Barrymore suffered: his divorce, the deaths of his two daughters, and later, the death of his second wife and the accidents that eventually led to permanent disabilities requiring the use of a wheelchair. Lionel Barrymore is a detailed, multifaceted portrait of a brilliant character actor.

Autor

Kathleen Spaltro, author of The Great Lie: The Creation of Mary Astor and many biographical articles, is working on a biography of Ethel Barrymore.

Inhalt

Introduction
Act One, 1878–1925: Artful Dodger
1. Disorder and Early Sorrow, 1878–1893
2. Twenty Years, Two Apprenticeships, 1893–1912
3. Escape into Films, 1911–1917
4. The Valley of Indecision, 1917–1925
Act Two, 1925–1935: Chameleon
5. Silenced, Again, 1925–1928
6. Talkies Stardom and Detour into Direction, 1928 –1931
7. Scene Stealer, 1933–1935
Act Three, 1936–1954: After Life
8. Year of Disaster, 1936
9. Mike and Jake: Exit Jack, 1942: Exit Jack, 1942
10. Radio Days and the Taxman Cometh, 1934 –1954
11. Brilliant Grouch: Dr. Gillespie and Other Roles, 1937–1951
12. The Best Wine for Last, 1945–1953
13. Compensations, 1937–1954
14. Down the Valley of the Shadow, 1954
Acknowledgments
Appendix One: Notable Films and Radio Performances of Lionel Barrymore
Appendix Two: Further Reading
Bibliography

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 13.8.2024
• Reihe/Serie: Screen Classics
• Zusatzinfo: 20 b&w illustrations
• Verlagsort: Lexington
• Sprache: englisch
• Maße: 150 x 150 mm
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte
• Themenwelt: Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Film / TV
• Themenwelt: Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Theater / Ballett
• Schlagworte: Acting • barrymore family • character actor • Disability • disabled actors • ethel barrymore • Film • frank capra • Greta Garbo • It's a Wonderful Life • John Barrymore • Madame X • Mata Hari • Theater
• ISBN-10: 1-9859-0053-X / 198590053X
• ISBN-13: 978-1-9859-0053-0 / 9781985900530