How to be a Latin Lover: Ricardo Cortez, formerly known as Jacob Krantz from a working-class family of Austrian/Hungarian immigrants that had settled in New York City, succeeded in restyling…
Ben-Hur movie: Ramon Novarro starred in the silent version, at the time the most expensive film production and the biggest worldwide blockbuster in history. ‘Ben-Hur’ movie: Semi-biblical epic starring Ramon…
African-American film ‘Bert Williams: Lime Kiln Club Field Day’ with Williams (in blackface) and Odessa Warren Grey: Early 20th century rarity.* Rare, early 20th-century African-American film among San Francisco Silent…
Ben-Hur 1925 with Ramon Novarro: The chariot race. ‘Ben-Hur’ 1925: Fast & furious epic Los Angeles screening Directed by Fred Niblo and starring Ramon Novarro, the 1925 Ben-Hur, a.k.a. Ben-Hur:…
Lady Windermere’s Fan with Irene Rich. Bert Lytell is the nice husband, May McAvoy the jealous wife, Ronald Colman the other man, and Irene Rich the scene stealer in Ernst…
MGM star Ramon Novarro delivers a charismatic performance in Fred Niblo’s still impressive silent era mega-blockbuster Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
The Jazz Singer with Al Jolson and May McAvoy. Zero chemistry, but film history all the same. Though hardly a cinematic masterpiece – or even a good film, for that matter…
Jessie Matthews in the musical First a Girl: Victor Victoria precursor. The bfi is currently presenting a Jessie Matthews retrospective, which ends on March 11. From Richard Stirling’s bfi article: “Few stories…
Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino in Beyond the Rocks: “Lost movie” will be screened in Los Angeles area. Gloria Swanson & Rudolph Valentino: Found ‘Lost’ film ‘Beyond the Rocks’ screening…
Ben-Hur 1959 Charlton Heston. ‘Ben-Hur’ 1959 & 1925 on DVD: Charlton Heston & Ramon Novarro movies Ben-Hur, both the 1959 and 1925 versions starring, respectively, Charlton Heston and Ramon Novarro,…
Jeanette MacDonald, Ramon Novarro, The Cat and the Fiddle Beyond Paradise: The Life of Ramon Novarro is a film star biography I wrote several years ago. The book tells the…
Baseball films on DVD: From Babe Ruth to Colleen Moore Kino’s “Reel Baseball - 1899–1926” two-disc set has become one of that DVD distributor’s biggest sellers in their silent film…