Barrie Chase, one of theIn my previous piece on "Mardi Gras," I neglected to mention that the Pat Boone ensemble musical, airing on the Fox Movie Channel at 2 p.m. (est.) on 13 January, was the final film of its director, Edmund Goulding.
stars of Goulding's "Mardi Gras," in her strip routine
The film was released in November, 1958 and the London-born Goulding died a year later in December, 1959 of suicide.
He was was 68.
An actor/playwright/director on the London stage, Goulding came to Hollywood as a writer and eventually segued into direction. His novel, "Fury," was made into a film by Henry King, with Goulding writing the adaptation himself. It was his 22nd writing assignment in Hollywood.
Goulding's first film as a director was 1925's "Sun-Up." His second film, made the same year, was the incredibly popular "Sally, Irene and Mary." Something of an adjustible wrench as a filmmaker, Goulding directed 41 films, including Garbo's "Anna Karenina," Marion Davies' "Blondie of the Follies," the back-to back Davis films "The Old Maid" and "Dark Victory," MGM's all-star "Grand Hotel," the Eleanor Parker remake of "Of Human Bondage," Dorothy McGuire's "Claudia," Tyrone Power's terrific "Nighmare Alley," "The Razor's Edge" with Power and Gene Tierney, and finally...
"Mardi Gras."
I liked Goulding’s gritty "Nightmare Alley." I also like "Blondies of the Follies" quite a bit. Davies is a revelation in it. Yes, he wa a good director of actors.
ReplyDeleteSaw “Nighmarre Alley” by Edmund Gopulding at the cinematheque in Stockholm, my first time, and enjoyed it a great deal. Tried to think of other Goulding movies, but couldn´t come up wirh anything else than “Grand Hotel.” This guy really seems to be forgotten, and if his other movies are as good as those two, he deserves some credit for it.
ReplyDeleteLouise Brooks always cited Edmund Goulding as an example of a great director and a really great friend. He is credited with discovering Lucille LeSeur when she was in the chorus on Broadway, and getting the new studio he was working for, MGM, to sign her to a contract; they did and then they had a contest to get her a new name, and Joan Crawford was born. Bette Davis cited him as her favorite director after WIlliam Wyler, and they made DARK VICTORY, THE OLD MAID and THE GREAT LIE together. The great cinematographer Lee Garmes cited Goulding as one of the few directors who really had a visual style, after working on a number of his films.
ReplyDeleteOne amazing touch: he made GRAND HOTEL in 1932; later that year, he made BLONDIE OF THE FOLLIES, where there is the party scene, in which Marion Davies and Jimmy Durante parody the Garbo-Barrymore scene in GRAND HOTEL.
Daryl- Thanks as always for your insight and trivia. Your "Grand Hotel"/"Blondie of the Follies" reference is priceless.
ReplyDeleteThe Goulding film that I really care about is Blondie of the Follies. It fascinates me and really holds me and I’ve been drawn back to see it again several times. Goulding certainly wasn't limited artistically and, in this case, seemed to hit the zeitgeist in a striking, distinctive way.
ReplyDeleteLucas: "Blondie of the Follies" is a most companionable film. Davies, for me, reigns as the screen’s most incisive and tragic study of a good actress reduced by a cad, namely Orson Welles. Look, I like Welles as a filmmaker, love most of his films and credit him for a lot of innovations, but what he did to Davies in "Kane" was unconscionable. It detracts from his overall greatness.
ReplyDeleteI love the Ginger Rogers-Fred Allen episode of Goulding's "We're Not Married.'' Mr. Goulding himself can be seen rehearsing Charles Boyer and Joan Fontaine in the long-unavailable "The Constant Nymph'' if you stream the blooper reel compilation "Warner. Bros. Breakdowns and Blow-Ups'' at the Internet Archives
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip/trivia re "The Constant Nymph," Lou. BTW, I'm loving the Turner series on Russia-oriented movies. Good work!
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