August 2: Myrna Loy

A few days (and seven years) after the birth of William Powell, Myrna Loy realized if she wanted to star with him in fourteen films, she'd have to be born too.  So she was, on Aug. 2, 1905.

Loy spent her childhood switching from Montana and Southern California, permanently settling into Culver City in 1918, after the death of her father.  She began playing vampy, exotic roles in less-than-stellar silent films like A Girl in Every Port.

Her big break was her first role with Powell, in The Thin Man.  She'd soon become a sought-after actress, starring alongside Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, Clifton Webb, and--why not?--Shirley Temple.

She hit the airwaves for a few adaptations of movies she'd starred in, produced by Lux Radio Theatre.  On Suspense she starred in "The Library Book," which probably sounded a lot more intriguing in 1945 than it would today, and she was part of an intrepid group of artists appearing on the 1947 special Hollywood Fights Back.  This program voiced protest against the Un-American Activities Committee.

Thanks for the memories, Myrna!

May 15: Happy Birthday, James Mason

Not always mentioned among big stars like Clark Gable and Cary Grant; not always among celebrated artists such as Laurence Olivier, Marlon Brando, or Al Pacino, James Mason certainly earned the right to be called one of the great film actors of all time.

Mason was nominated for three Oscars and and three Golden Globes, and his resume reads like a who's who of classic movies: Lolita, North By Northwest, and Julius Caesar.  Also not too shabby were A Star is Born and Bigger Than Life.

While radio was passing the baton of dominant media on to movies (with television a newbie), the British Mason appeared on a few of the big American shows: Suspense, Maxwell House Coffee Time, Studio One, and The Fred Allen Show.

We say a happy birthday to actor James Mason!

August 12: Happy Birthday, Cecil B. DeMille

People can debate whether it was "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup," or "I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille," but there can be no dispute over the fact that the film director was also a huge figure in oldtime radio.

Cecil DeMille was a regular actor and frequent host of The Lux Radio Theatre, working alongside such greats as Loretta Young, Lionel Barrymore, Clark Gable, and Geraldine Peck. His run on the show stretched from 1936-1945.

DeMille was amazing in his ability to adapt to media after media. Born--today--in 881, he began as a stage actor and writer. He met the new medium of film and began directing silent films in 1914. When radio began crackling over the airwaves, he became a virtuoso in that form, also becoming a legend in talkies--motion pictures with sound.

We salute a paragon of versatility, a man known as a filmmaker whose legacy also includes great work in front of the microphone.

June 1, 1936: First Film Adaptation on Lux Radio Theatre on the Radio

 

June 1, 1936: On this day, The NBC Blue network's program host, Cecil B. DeMille, introduced Clark Gable and Marlene Dietrich in "The Legionnaire and The Lady" and The Lux Radio Theater radio show moved from New York City to Hollywood.

The Lux Radio Theater  was one of the longest-running classic radio dramas. During its first season, they were performing Broadway stage plays. The program, which lasted for hours, was performed before a live audience. When their sponsor moved the show from New York to Hollywood,  The Lux Radio Theater   also shifted from using Broadway plays into adopting movies.

Enjoy The Lux Radio Theater's first ever movie adaptation, "The Legionnaire and the Lady", which aired on this date, 1936