photo credit: Museum of Modern Art Film Stills Archive Undercrank Productions, Library of Congress
Beverly of Graustark (1926) stars Marion Davies as Beverly Calhoun, cousin to Oscar (Creighton Hale), the prince heir of the fictional kingdom of Graustark. Beverly has intimate knowledge of the family and specifically Oscar with whom she was raised almost as sibling. Graustark is expecting his arrival for the coronation but shortly before setting out on the journey Oscar is severely injured in a skiing accident. General Marlanax (Roy D'Arcy) convinces Beverly that she can pretend to be Oscar and complete the journey for him. Oscar hasn't been seen publicly since he was an infant and Beverly is the one person who knows Oscar well enough to play him. Beverly dresses in royal uniform and makes the treacherous journey to Graustark. On the way, Beverly meets Dantan (Antonio Moreno) a dashing and handsome goat farmer who saves Beverly/Oscar from an ambush. Dantan takes on the task of being her bodyguard not knowing that Oscar is really Beverly. The two begin to fall for each other causing a major identity crisis for Beverly who is eager to become herself again.
photo credit: Museum of Modern Art Film Stills Archive Undercrank Productions, Library of Congress
This film is an adaptation of George Barr McCutcheon's 1904 novel Beverly of Graustark. McCutcheon wrote a series of books about the fictional kingdom of Graustark a few of each had been adapted. Beverly of Graustark had previously been adapted in 1914 with actress Linda Arvidson in the title role. This 1926 adaptation was made at MGM where Marion Davies was a contract star. A castle set was built specifically for the movie and outside the studio on location shooting was done in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
I enjoy stories about gender and identity and while the conceit of Beverly of Graustark is not terribly believable, Marion Davies does a fantastic job playing both Beverly and Beverly pretending to be Oscar. She looks quite handsome in her royal uniforms! She's matched beautifully with one of the Latin Lovers of early cinema, Antonio Moreno. They both carry the film when the plot is lacking.
Marion Davies also starred in Little Old New York (1923), another film where she plays a young woman dressed like a man. I enjoyed that one better than Beverly of Graustark but also believe both could be enjoyable in a double bill. I reviewed the DVD release of Little Old New York from Undercrank Productions last year.
Beverly of Graustark is available on Blu-ray from Undercrank Productions. The film was digitally restored from a 4k scan of a 35mm nitrate print from the Library of Congress’ National Audio Visual Conservation Center. The Blu-ray contains this restoration along with the 2-strip Technicolor sequence and an original score from silent film accompanist Ben Model. There are no extras but the restoration looks fantastic and the Technicolor sequence is a treasure (many others from this era are lost).
Thank you to Undercrank Productions for sending me a copy for review.
“Lucy is one of America’s greatest works of art.” — Amy Poehler
Lucille Ball was a force of nature. Her\ chaotic energy combined with her feminine aura created her unique brand of charisma that made her a legend. What impresses me most about Lucille Ball was her tenacity. She was a hard worker, incredibly driven in both her professional and personal life and always had the dogged determination to make her dreams come true. Lucille Ball went from being a chorus girl, to becoming the queen of Bs at RKO (and eventually owning the studio!), to then becoming the star, alongside her husband Desi Arnaz, of one of the most beloved and best-known TV shows of all time. Ball wasn't a natural born comedian. Instead, her talent for slapstick humor came from her perfectionism. She worked on her craft until it was perfect, making audiences believe it was her natural born talent and not something that required hours of work to make it look easy.
“I’m not ashamed to say that I stole liberally from her… She kind of paved the way for people like me to do [physical] comedy on sitcoms.” — Dick Van Dyke
AKA Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball by Sarah Royal is a celebration of this powerhouse entertainer, successful business woman and devoted wife, mother and friend. It's authorized by the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and the author is a pop culture historian who specializes in women in comedy.
The book doesn't read like a traditional biography which is its strong suit. It offers a way to experience a bit of Lucille Ball in book form rather than simply take in a bunch of information about her. In the introduction the author promises the reader that they'll "discover feminist achievements, a passionate love affair, dissections of humor, communist accusations, struggles in Hollywood’s golden age and a classic rags-to-riches tale.”
Each chapter has a different theme. Some are biographical essays presented in chronological order. Others are timelines of Lucille Balls' life and certain aspects of her career or breakdowns of her comedy styles and notable episodes of I Love Lucy. Career-wise the book primarily focuses on her work in television with I Love Lucy and the subsequent spin-offs.
Her film career is lightly touched upon. Some of the films discussed at length include Roman Scandals (1933), Stage Door (1937), Dance Girl Dance (1940), Du Barry Was a Lady (1943), Lured (1947), The Long, Long Trailer (1954), The Facts of Life (1960), etc. There was no real information about my favorite Lucille Ball film Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) alas. While I would have liked to have read more about her films, the intended audience here is really the I Love Lucy fan who wants to learn more about the beloved star.
interior spread courtesy of Running Press source: Edelweiss
interior spread courtesy of Running Press source: Edelweiss
The book also goes into great detail into her marriage to Desi Arnaz. It's clear that Lucille Ball went to great lengths to make that marriage work. The book goes easy on Desi Arnaz and only lightly touches upon his infidelity, jealousy issues and his drinking problem.
Some interesting facts from the book:
Upon the death of her father, she believed that birds were a bad omen and was terrified of them for the rest of her life.
Lela Rogers, Ginger Roger's mother, was instrumental to her career: “Lela Rogers helped Lucy get her teeth straightened and hair fixed and made sure she learned how to do her makeup well, dress suitably, read literature to expand her vocabulary, how to treat agents and producers properly, and rehearse…”
Seeing Dorothy Gish in person do something silly "reinforced for [Ball] that glamorous actresses could have a goofy side, too."
Lucille Ball was friends with Carole Lombard and even after Lombard died considered her a mentor in spirit.
Had it not been for Ball insisting that I Love Lucy be shot in Hollywood instead of New York City, the show would not have been recorded on 35mm (to ensure proper broadcasting quality) and then may have not been saved at all. This also helped the show become one of the original series that enjoyed reruns.
Lucille Ball was to name her daughter Susan after her good friend, actress Susan Peters, but Desi Arnaz took hold of the birth certificate before Lucille could and named their daughter after Lucille. (This angered me immensely!)
She loved playing Backgammon because the game stimulated her brain in the same way working on a television episode would.
AKA Lucy is presented in a beautifully designed unjacketed hardcover. The book has gorgeous interior spreads designed with pops of bold color that make it really pleasing to the eye. Throughout the book are quotes from various people in the business and family members about Lucille Ball which give the book a greater sense of intimacy. I also really liked the endpapers and the stunning cover which features a striking image of Lucille Ball in front of her own silhouette. Overall, it's a really nice package and would make for a great gift for the Lucille Ball/I Love Lucy fan in your life.
Thank you to Running Press for sending me a copy of AKA Lucy for review.
Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian Blu-ray from Undercrank Productions presents a double-feature of newly restored 7-reel comedies starring silent film comedian Raymond Griffith.
A little background on Raymond Griffith. He was born in 1895 in Boston, Massachusetts and was raised by a theatrical family. Bby the time he was a toddler he was already performing on stage. Griffith unfortunately lost his voice at a young age—the result of a childhood bout of respiratory diphtheria and overworking his vocal chords. From then on he spoke in a hoarse whisper (think Jack Klugman post-cancer). While this sidelined his theatrical career, silent films gave Griffith a new opportunity to showcase his acting talents when his voice wasn't needed. Griffith was a natural comedian and worked with everyone from Mack Sennett to Cecil B. DeMille to Alice Howell. He went under contract with Paramount Pictures and starred in a series of film as a bon vivant character who donned a silk hat and a tuxedo with coattails. This gave him a signature look much in the vein of other silent film comedians. Harold Lloyd had his glasses. Charlie Chaplin had his mustache and bowler hat and Buster Keaton had his stoneface expression. Raymond Griffith had his silk hat. When the industry transitioned from silent film to sound, his hoarse whisper prevented him from continuing his acting work. He did make one notable appearance in the film All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) as a dying French soldier. He shifted his focus to production and was an associate producer or producer throughout the 1930s working on films like Three on a Match (1932), Baby Face (1933) and Gold Diggers of 1933.
While popular in his day, he's since become an obscure figure of the past. Much of his film work is lost which makes the release of this double-feature all that more special.
photo credit: Museum of Modern Art Film Stills
The first film on the Blu-ray is Paths to Paradise (1925). Set in 1920s San Francisco, the story follows two con-artists—played by Raymond Griffith and Betty Compson—who join force to steal a necklace. Their target is a wealthy man who plans to gift the necklace to his daughter on her wedding day. He's a bit too vocal about his prized possession telling everyone that it contains the largest diamond in the country. The story then follows the hijinks of the two con-artists as they attempt to steal the necklace and get away with it.
It's a fun comedy made even more delightful with a cute dog who seems to be the only character who realizes what the con-artists are doing. The film does contain an unfortunate sequence set in Chinatown which features offensive language and actors in yellow face. A warning about this content is given before the start of the film. This is a seven-reel comedy missing its final reel. Information gathered from surviving stills as well as a continuity script is presented in several title cards, accompanied by the musical score, where the seventh reel be played.
photo credit: Museum of Modern Art Film Stills
You'd be Surprised (1926) is a typical murder mystery set in a mansion. Raymond Griffith plays an overly dressed coroner who is called to investigate the murder of a district attorney. Like Paths to Paradise, this story is centered around a stolen necklace. Griffith's leading lady Dorothy Sebastian plays the district attorney's ward and she's the prime suspect of the murder. Griffith's character barely examines the body of the murder victim. Instead, he takes over the investigation when the bumbling cops can't seem to do their job. All of the action takes place in the living room of the mansion.
Unlike Paths to Paradise, You'd be Surprised is intact with all seven reels presented. This is the weaker of the two. Because it's so constrained and because the coroner character is constantly trying to do several things at once, it becomes overwhelming but not in a funny way. However, with that said it is fun to see Raymond Griffith in all his silk hat and tuxedo glory. All of the dinner guests are dressed to the nines which showcase the finer apparel of the era. Anyone into fashion history, specifically the 1920s, will want to check this one out for the eye candy.
Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian Blu-ray contains the double feature as well as a twelve minute video essay about Raymond Griffith's life and career and narrated by film historian Steve Massa. They include musical scores performed by silent film accompanist Ben Model played on a pipe organ. Both films have been restored in 2k resolution from original 35mm nitrate prints from The Library of Congress' Paramount collection.
Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian is available on Blu-ray wherever Undercrank Productions releases are sold.
Thank you to Undercrank Productions for sending me a copy for review.
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