Esther Ralston: Why Do All My Husbands Want to Kill Me? Part II

Esther Ralston at the height of her fame, mid-twenties.

To read Part I of this series, please click here.

Blessed with a lovely, melodic voice, it’s something of a puzzle why Paramount dropped Esther Ralston’s option in 1929. Esther was a rising star who, between 1924 and 1929, starred or co-starred in twenty-five films. She would seem a natural for talkies.

But the mystery is soon cleared up as Esther explains:

Since I had only a year to go on my Paramount contract, the studio sent me a new contract with a talkie clause to sign. Knowing I had been brought up in the theater before going into pictures, George decided I should ask for a hundred thousand dollars to sign this talkie clause. He sent me alone to talk to Mr. Lasky and Mr. Zukor. They were courteous as always, but explained that the new talkie panic had them worried and they didn’t feel they should have to increase my salary until they were sure I would be adequate in talkies.

Once again, the destructive Svengali-Trilby relationship asserts itself as the guiding principle of Esther and George. (more…)

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Tags: American Venus, British anti-Semitism, Christian Science, Clarence Brown, Dorothy Arzner
Posted Sep 29th 2009 at 6:35 am in Celebrity News, Classic Hollywood | 23154617 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/09/29/esther-ralston-why-do-all-my-husbands-want-to-kill-me-part-ii/Esther+Ralston%3A+Why+Do+All+My+Husbands+Want+to+Kill+Me%3F+Part+II2009-09-29+13%3A35%3A03Robert+J.+Avrech

Lillian Gish: Dying for Her Audience

Lillian Gish

The great twin tragedies of the fate of silent films in the modern era is indifference and ignorance. And for those who have seen clips from silent films, they invariably view muddy, degraded prints projected at the wrong speed, hence the jerky motions that give the impression that all silent films are bad slapstick.

Of course, we all owe a great debt to Robert Osborne and TCM for programming so many fine silent films. At last, film lovers have the opportunity to screen a varied selection of silent films and appreciate the great craft that was abruptly short-circuited with the advent of talkies. The best silent films were a universal language in which image, motion and emotion were paramount. (more…)

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Tags: Duel in the Sun, Jennifer Jones, John Gilbert, King Vidor, La Boheme
Posted Apr 21st 2009 at 8:13 am in Celebrity News, Entertainment | 110614No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/04/21/lillian-gish-dying-for-her-audience/Lillian+Gish%3A+Dying+for+Her+Audience2009-04-21+15%3A13%3A27Robert+J.+Avrech