Picture Perfect Special: Mary Astor

Mary Astor's screen acting career stretched from the silent era (landing her first film role at age 16, in 1921) through the advent of sound, the rise of television, and the coming of hippies in the 1960s (when she retired from acting in 1964, after playing a supporting role in the start-studded thriller "Hush Sweet Scarlet"). Her stoic, regal aura, coupled with a powerful screen presence and ability to convey a wide range of shifting emotions with only body language and facial expresssions, carried her through changing technologies, public tastes, and cultural fads until she had appeared 123 movies. Although she stated that her heart was never fully in acting (she was following her father's dream for his beautiful daughter), she was a stand-out part of every film she appeared, whether she was playing a bit part or the starring role.

Today, we offer a small gallery of publicity stills and portraits of Astor from the first two decades of her career. 

 

To see Mary Astor's skill in front of a camera, check out "Behind Office Doors" via the Shades of Gray Screening Room over at YouTube!

The FIRST Screen Perry Mason!

The Case of the Howling Dog (1934)

Starring: Warren Willam, Mary Astor, Helen Trenholme, Russell Hicks, Grant Mitchell, Gordon Westcottt, Dorothy Tree, and James Burtis

Director: Alan Cosland

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

High-powered attorney Perry Mason (William) is paid an outrageously high retainer to step in if a petty feud over a howling dog between two millionaire neighbors (Hicks and Mitchell) gets out of hand. After a series of bizarre lies come to light, his client vanishes, and the neighbor is murdered by a woman who may or may not be his wife (Astor), Mason finds himself earning what appeared to be easy money.

"The Case of the Howling Dog" was the first screen version of the legendary slightly-shady-but-never-crooked attorney Perry Mason. It was the first of four films starring Warren William as the Mason, and he is great in the role. William presents just the right mix of slippery conman and dogged champion of justice for his client that's needed to present a likable lawyer who is willing to do anything to protect his clients, so long as its within the letter--if not always the spirit--of the law.

Mystery-wise, this one was easy to figure out. I knew where the film was going well before it got there, who did it, and where the very literal bodies were buried. I was briefly thrown off the scent because the film literally lies to the viewers in one scene, showing us something that turns out to have never happened. I don't mind this sort of thing if it's happening during a character's fake description of events, but here it's an unforgivable sin, especially in a mystery movie. It cost the film a Full Star, knocking it down to a low Six. (It took "not playing fair with the audience" to a level that I don't recall ever seeing a film stoop to before, and until this point, I would have been forgiving of the film and just assumed that the twists and turns and "who, what, where" were so easy for me to predict due to the many mystery movies I've watched and stories I've read... but then came the "cheat" and I knew I . The sad thing is that it's not at all a bad sequence, and it would have been perfect if it had been used as I suggested--as the visuals for a character narrating the events.)

On the plus-side, though, every actor in the film is perfectly cast, with Warren William and Helen Trenholme (as Della Street) being particularly strong. ("The Case of the Howling Dog" is one of only two movies that Trenholme was in; she was a respected stage actress before her flirtation with the movie business, and she was one for a decade afterwards. It's a shame she didn't find a place in films, because she's a lot of fun to watch in this one.)

Another strong point of "The Case of the Howling Dog" is how the film establishes Perry Mason's law practice, as well as providing insight into his character. The first few minutes of this picture make it clear that Mason is a big shot at the head of a firm employing several associates, inhouse investigators, and even an inhouse psychologist. The also deftly establish the breadth and depth of Mason's experience as a lawyer and with life, showing that while he may be representing the rich and famous now, he started out defending more common people (and criminals) with legal troubles--and that his firm still represents them to this day.

Finally, and perhaps the biggest factor in its favor, this film is never boring and not a moment is wasted. Every second on screen drives the story or offers important character development and insight.

"The Case of the Howling Dog" is available as part of a collection containing all the 1930s movies featuring Perry Mason (most of them starring Warren William). The set is reasonably priced, and if the rest of the films are as good as this one, it's well worth the money. I shall find out, as I work my way through it!

Classic Cinema: The Royal Bed

Classic Cinema (also known as Movie Monday at various times) returns with "The Royal Bed," an obscure classic political comedy starring greats such as Lowell Sherman and Mary Astor. You can read my review by clicking here... and then watch this undeservedly obscure film.

 

'The Maltese Falcon' is a mystery classic

The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Gladys George, and Elisha Cook Jr.
Director: John Huston
Rating: Ten of Ten Starts

When private detective Sam Spade (Bogart) tries to solve the mystery surrounding the murder of his partner, he finds himself drawn into a struggle between eccentric treasure hunters (Greenstreet and Lorre) and a beautiful con artist who may or may not also be a coldhearted killer (Astor). At stake is the Maltese Falcon, a treasure of almost unimaginable value.

"The Maltese Falcon" is one of the few movies that truly deserves the label "classic." It's a perfectly paced detective story, with just the right mix of suspense and humor to bring out the maximum effectiveness of both elements as they play off each other.

The characters are quirky and unpredictable to the point where the final outcome of the story remains in question until the final few minutes of the film, and each actor is perfectly cast in their role. Even better, every line of dialogue is perfectly crafted and delivered with spot-on timing.

In fact, everything in this film is about as perfect as a film could possibly be. If you're a fan of the hardboiled detective genre or mysteries in general and you haven't yet seen this masterpiece, you owe it to yourself to change that.

Humphrey Bogart as the deeply flawed hero Sam Spade is particularly excellent in the part, as a man with questionable moral values yet a firm personal code of honor who finds a woman (Mary Astor's Brigid O'Shaughnessy) who at first seems capable of bringing out the best in him, but who ultimately may end up bringing out the absolute worst in him. While Spade is constantly fighting verbally and physically with the Lorre, Cook and Greenstreet's villains, it is Brigid who is Spade's main foil and she turns out to be one of the screen's greatest femme fatales, because Astor brings a vulnerability to a character who may be the hardest of any of the hard cases that populate this story that goes a long way to keeping the mysteries swirling through the plot open questions until the very end. As amusing and dramatic as Lorre and Greenstreet's performances are, it is Astor who is the true driver of the story, providing a great portrayal of a character that is almost as important as Bogart's Sam Spade when it comes to the success of this film.

There are only a handful of movies that I've watched more than once. "The Maltese Falcon" is one of those. Check it out, and I'm sure you'll see why.






Trivia: "The Maltese Falcon" was the third adaptation of the Hammett novel by the same title. This goes to show that not all remakes are bad. Some are even improvements on the original film. (Although, by all accounts, the 1931 and 1936 versions are pretty good, too, with the 19365 version being a spoof. I haven't seen either of those older movies yet, but both other versions are included in the DVD edition I've linked to above while the Blue-Ray edition only includes the 1936 comedy version, "Satan Met a Lady".)

'Trapped by Television' is an outdated techno-thriller

Trapped By Television (1936)
Starring: Mary Astor, Nat Pendleton, and Lyle Talbot
Director: Del Lord
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Want to see what contemporary techno-thrillers will look like to your grandchildren? Take a look at "Trapped By Television" and you'll get an insight into the future, as this action-comedy revolves around the latest, greatest, cutting-edge technology of 1936... TELEVISION!

In "Trapped by Television", a techno-geek bill collector (Pendleton) is sent to repo some equipment from a deadbeat (Talbot). The deadbeat turns out to be an inventor who has created the perfect television recording/broadcasting device, so instead of doing the repo job, the bill collector becomes the inventor's assistant, hooks him up with a couple of spunky (if crooked) promoters (led by Astor), and sets him on the path to selling his invention with a major broadcast company that has been attempting to develope their own television device.


Unfortunately, standing between the scientist and his roguish companions are a group of violent techno-thieves who have stolen some designs the broadcast company was developing and intend to sell them back to the company at a huge profit. Will our intrepid heroes gain fame and fortune and advance the technology of entertainment, or will television be their death trap?

"Trapped By Television" features a sharp script, likable characters, and some nice acting. It's fun watch, and it is a great illustration of how much things have changed in our world in 75 years.

It's a fun viewing experience on several different levels, and I recommend it very highly... assuming you can get yourself in a mindset that has television broadcasts as something new and exciting.

(A review of this movie also appears in the "Creaky Classics" chapter of 150 Movies You Should Die Before You See. It contains additional details and trivia about the film and actors appearing in it. It's one of the films included that I enjoy, but that I know many others will not.)

A monarch rests uneasily in 'The Royal Bed'

The Royal Bed (1931)
Starring: Lowell Sherman, Mary Astor, Anthony Bushell, Nance O'Neil, Robert Warick, Gilbert Emery, and Alan Roscoe
Director: Lowell Sherman
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

The kindhearted and reluctant king of a small nation (Sherman) is forced to start weilding his power when power-hungry and corrupt ministers in his government (Roscoe and Warick) bring the country to the brink of revolution and concoct a scheme to marry off the king's daughter (Astor) to the prince of a neighboring kingdom.


"The Royal Bed" is an interesting look at the ideal of what members of a noble or royal class should be like. Lowell Sherman's down-to-earth King Eric VIII may want to do nothing more with his time than play checkers with his butler, but when push-comes-to-shove, he steps up to his responsibilities and takes charge. He is also willing to sacrifice his personal happiness for the inherited responsibilities that come with his title and he is willing to put the safety and security of the people ahead of his own.

The same can be said Eric's shrewish wife (effectively played by Nance O'Neil), although her acceptance of the burden of royalty at the expense of personal happiness has caused her to become bitter and she takes her frustrations out on her family and servants... although, ultimately, like her husband, she puts the needs of the country ahead of her own. (Her bitterness causes her to constantly demand respect and obedience from those around her, and this causes her to ally herself with elements in her kingdom that do not have the best interest of the people at heart.)

Finally, the film contrasts King Eric against the worst kind of nobles, the ones who feel entitled to whatever they want, whenever they want, and who are more interested in expanding their own power than what is good for the people they lead and government. In the end, the king is able to outmaneuver them because he is in touch with the people and because he understands not only how government is supposed to function, but because he understands his place in it.

All in all, it's a nice little fantasy, and I'm sure there would be fewer revolutions in the world if royals were like King Eric and his family.

On the acting front, the two leads--Lowell Sherman and Mary Astor--to their usual fine jobs. Sherman's style isn't quite as modern as I've observed it to be in other films, but he shows a good sense of comic timing. No one in the cast embarrasses themselves, but they underscore the stage-play feel of this movie far more obviously than Astor and Sherman. (In fact, I doubt much was changed in order to adapt this film from the play it was based on; you can even tell where the acts break.)

Speaking of the script, it's a fun and breezy little effort that actually put me in mind of Marx Brothers movies like "A Day at the Races". If you were to remove the Marx Brothers' slapstick set-pieces and musical numbers from those films, you'd be left with farces featuring the same tone and pacing as "The Royal Bed".

If you enjoy classic farces, I think this film is worth seeking out. The copy I viewed had some audio problems beyond the usual--such as sudden and inexplicable changes in volume--but with a film this old and neglected, there aren't going to be many options around. (I screened the one issued by good old Alpha Video.)

Powell's last outing as Philo Vance

The Kennel Murder Case (1933)
Starring: William Powell, Eugene Pallette, Robert Barrat, Robert McWade, James Lee, Mary Astor, Frank Conroy, Ralph Morgan, Paul Cavanagh, Helen Vison and Jack La Rue
Director: Michael Curtiz
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

When Archer Coe (Barrat) is found dead in a room locked from the inside, the police assume he killed himself. Celebrated private detective Philo Vance (Powell) believes he was murdered and he proves his suspicions true in fairly short order, even figuring out the solution to the "locked room mystery." But when his prime suspect (Morgan) is also found murdered and everyone else who is even remotely connected to the case had very good reasons to want Coe dead, Vance may for the first time be faced with a mystery he is unable to solve.


"The Kennel Murder Case" is a tale of high society murder that features a mystery so tangled that is bound to keep you guessing up to the very point where Vance tricks the murderer into revealing himself. (In fact, the case is so complicated that if Vance hadn't found another angle of attack by sheer luck after the loss of his first suspect, it might have gone unsolved, or perhaps even more victims would have been claimed by the killer.) It's a film that anyone who enjoys classic mysteries will love very much.

Aside from being an excellent mystery film, it should be of interest to anyone who has enjoyed William Powell as Nick Charles in the Thin Man series. Powell shows that he is just as capable and engaging in the role of a more traditional "consulting detective", including to the point that he is part of the upper-crust society he rubs shoulders with (as opposed to Nick who married his way into it). Vance also solves his crimes sober, and it's interesting to watch Powell play a sober detective who gets by equally on his sharp wit, powers of observation and deduction, and a charming manner that makes him liked even by most criminal types.

"The Kennel Murder Case" is the only William Powell Philo Vance outing that is currently on the market in any format, a reflection of the changing tides of popular culture. In 1933, the Philo Vance character was perhaps more famous than even Sherlock Holmes, but 75 years later, he is all but totally forgotten.