George Archainbaud, Mary Astor, Clive Brook Enticement 1925 Original Photograph

Description

ITEM: This is a vintage and original First National Pictures production still photograph featuring leading lady Mary Astor flanked by director George Archainbaud and her leading man Clive Brook on the set of their 1925 silent drama film "Enticement." Astor holds a large prop book of the story on which the film is based. The book is padlocked and Archainbaud holds the key. This film is considered lost.
Photograph measures 10" x 8" on a glossy single weight paper stock. Handwritten notations on verso.
Guaranteed to be 100% vintage and original from Grapefruit Moon Gallery.
More about George Archainbaud:
French-born (Paris) George Archainbaud got his start in show business as an actor and stage manager in France. Emigrating to the US in 1915, he got work as an assistant director to fellow French expatriate Emile Chautard at William A. Brady's World Film Co. in Fort Lee, NJ. His directorial debut came in 1917 with As Man Made Her (1917). Archainbaud turned into a prolific director in both films and television, turning out more than 100 features over the next 35 years and numerous TV series episodes.
Although a good amount of his feature-film output was fairly routine, there was some first-rate work scattered among them, such as The Lost Squadron (1932), a gritty and dark tale of a group of former World War I aviators who find work as stunt fliers in war movies. It was a critical and financial success, earning accolades from critics for its exciting flying sequences.
The genre most associated with Archainbaud, however, is westerns. In the 1940s he turned out some fast-paced, exciting westerns, such as The Kansan (1943) and several entries in the Hopalong Cassidy series. When cowboy star Gene Autry went to television to star in his own series, he brought Archainbaud along with him and he became the principal director on the show and other Autry-produced series, such as Buffalo Bill, Jr. (1955), Annie Oakley (1954) and The Adventures of Champion (1955).
He died of a heart attack in Beverly Hills, CA, in 1959.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: frankfob2
More about Mary Astor:
Groomed from childhood to be a star, Mary Astor fulfilled that dream and proved to be an exceptional performer. Beauty contest exposure and an exceptionally camera-friendly face earned her an invitation to Hollywood and Astor gradually moved from supporting assignments to leads in such major silent films as "Beau Brummel" (1924), "Don Q Son of Zorro" (1925), and "Don Juan" (1926). She easily made the jump to sound pictures and displayed her versatility in everything from the sizzling "Red Dust" (1932) to the elegant "Dodsworth" (1936) to the screwball classic "Midnight" (1939). However, she was truly indelible as the deceitful heroine of "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) and gave an Oscar-winning barnstormer of a performance in "The Great Lie" (1941) that managed to overshadow the rarely dwarfed Bette Davis. In between the triumphs, Astor dealt with much adversity, including the money-grubbing machinations of her parents, several failed marriages, infidelity charges, a suicide attempt, and a penchant for alcohol that plagued her for two decades. She publically aired those problems in the autobiography My Story (1959), the success of which helped to launch a new career for Astor as a novelist at a time when her movie career was coming to a close. Thanks to the enduring love for "The Maltese Falcon" (1941), it would almost certainly be Astor's best remembered credit, but her considerable dramatic and comedic abilities were on full view during virtually all phases of a commendable career that spanned four decades.
Mary Astor was born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke on May 3, 1906 in Quincy, IL. Instructed in piano from a young age and possessing a lovely face, Astor's participation in beauty contests convinced her parents that she might have a chance in show business. When photographs of the striking teenager came to the attention of Paramount Pictures, Astor first stepped before the cameras in the silent "Bullets or Ballots" (1921). Although her association with that company proved short, Astor found work in both features and shorts produced by independent companies. She earned her first lead role in the drama "Second Fiddle" (1923), but her profile was raised considerably after being cast opposite John Barrymore in the Warner Bros. epic "Beau Brummel" (1924). Similarly prestigious assignments followed in "Don Q Son of Zorro" (1925) and "Don Juan" (1926), but Astor was also faced with some significant dilemmas. In the time since she proved successful at acting, Astor's parents had grown increasingly domineering, taking control of her finances and holding her a virtual prisoner in a home they had purchased using their daughter's money.
Meanwhile, follow-up features like "The Rough Riders" (1927) and "Dressed to Kill" (1928) had further cemented the actress' star status and her salary eventually reached ,000 per month. Astor was able to partially extricate herself in 1928 after marrying writer-director Kenneth Hawks, but the majority of her paycheck continued to be pilfered by her parents. Sadly, Hawks perished in a plane crash in January 1930, seven weeks short of their second anniversary. Astor would eventually succeed in casting off her parental predicament via the legal system, which reduced those financial obligations to a mere 0 per month. In the interim, Astor easily navigated the switch to talkies in productions like "The Runaway Bride" (1930), "The Lash" (1930), and "Behind Office Doors" (1931). Of particular note was the sexy adventure "Red Dust" (1932), where Astor was part of a memorable romantic triangle with Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. She also enlivened the excellent Philo Vance mystery "The Kennel Murder Case" (1933) and proved a good match with opposing leading men Edward G. Robinson and Louis Calhern in "The Man with Two Faces" (1934), where she played a vulnerable actress whose comeback is endangered by her evil, Svengali-like husband. The film was based on the play "The Dark Tower," which was co-written by the celebrated George S. Kaufman, whose presence in Astor's life would inadvertently contribute to more headaches that she could possibly imagine.
Following Hawks' death, Astor wed Dr. Franklyn Thorpe, but it was an unhappy union and Astor frequently saw other men that piqued her interest. A few months after their 1935 divorce, Thorpe took Astor to court to try and gain custody of the daughter they had together. As evidence to back up his claims, Thorpe threatened to introduce Astor's "blue" diary, which contained graphic details of her infidelity, including pages devoted to dalliances with Kaufman. While the document was ultimately ruled inadmissible due to pages having been removed, its existence was widely reported in the highly excitable press who had not had such a field day watching a woman's reputation crash and burn since Clara Bow's secretary had blackmailed the star, revealing her many sexual conquests in court. In the end, Astor was awarded custody of the girl for nine months per year and the public proved indifferent to the scandal, unlike how they had with Bow. In fact, the significant success of the actress' next feature, William Wyler's superb literary adaptation "Dodsworth" (1936), found Astor more popular than ever and she moved on to such notable efforts as "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1937) and "The Hurricane" (1937).
She next wed film editor Manuel del Campo, and did some of her finest acting of the period in the frequently hilarious farce "Midnight" (1939), which reunited her with and former lover John Barrymore. In the picture, she played his patronizing aristocratic spouse, whose infidelity accidentally aids destitute showgirl Claudette Colbert with her scheme to pass as a member of the Hungarian aristocracy. A wonderful, fast-paced comedy well-acted by all, Astor's work on the picture was complicated by the actress' second pregnancy, which necessitated much planning and careful camera placement to hide the accompanying weight gain. As good as she had been in several movies up to that point, it was 1941 that proved to be a banner year for Astor. She essayed her most famous role as the lovely, but decidedly deceitful heroine of John Huston's "The Maltese Falcon" (1941), a masterful adaptation of the Dashiell Hammett novel that ranked amongst the greatest detective films ever produced.
On top of that exceptional bit of characterization, Astor won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her remarkably vivid performance as Bette Davis' romantic rival in "The Great Lie" (1941). It was a very different sort of part for Astor and the vigor with which she tore into it surprised and impressed both audiences and critics - as well as, no doubt, legendary on-set diva Davis, who had the picture stolen right out from under her by Astor. In hopes of rekindling the magic generated by "The Maltese Falcon," Astor, Bogart and mutual co-star Sidney Greenstreet were reteamed for Huston's "Across the Pacific" (1942), though lightning did not strike twice and the resulting film was competent, but disappointingly ordinary. Preston Sturges' "The Palm Beach Story" (1942) offered a much better vehicle for Astor, who provided wonderful support for stars Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea in a sparkling screwball farce. Astor soon joined the contract player ranks at MGM and graced a variety of projects, including the glossy musicals "Thousands Cheer" (1943) and "Meet Me in St. Louis" (1944), in which she memorably played Judy Garland's turn-of-the-century matriarch. She also starred opposite Lana Turner and Spencer Tracy in the Sinclair Lewis adaptation "Cass Timberlane" (1947), and appeared in the superior film noir "Act of Violence" (1948). On the personal front, her marriage to del Campo ended in a cordial divorce after he decided to join the Canadian Air Force and she wed her final spouse, Thomas Wheelock, a union that lasted until 1955.
Although MGM kept her fairly busy, Astor was not especially happy with the sort of roles being offered, and in the wake of playing yet another mother to younger starlets in "Little Women" (1949), she decided to cease relations with the studio. She also finally took steps to end the excessive drinking that had long been complicating her life by checking into a sanitarium, but the road ahead proved difficult. After battling ill health, she attempted suicide with an overdose of sleeping pills in May 1951. In the wake of this trauma, Astor subsequently embraced Catholicism and when she was ready to work again, concentrated on television, appearing on various live dramatic anthology programs. She continued to undertake such parts throughout the remainder of the decade, while also resuming film work with supporting duties in such projects as the glossy CinemaScope mystery-thriller "A Kiss Before Dying" (1956) and the corporate drama "The Power and the Prize" (1956). In 1959, Astor penned her autobiography My Story and was frank about years of familial, marital, and substance abuse problems. Although she began to act again in features like "Return to Peyton Place" (1961) and again in a Bette Davis vehicle, "Hush.Hush, Sweet Charlotte" (1964), the positive response accorded to My Story launched a new career for Astor as a writer. Her first novel, The Incredible Charlie Carewe hit bookstore shelves in 1963 and was followed by four more over the next five years. In 1969, Astor penned My Life in Film, which devoted much more time and detail to that portion of her life than the autobiography had. Her days as an actress now over, Astor lived the final years of her life as a resident of the Motion Picture Country Home and succumbed to the effects of a heart attack on Sept. 25, 1987.
TCM | Turner Classic Movies Biography By John Charles
More about Clive Brook:
Clifford Hardman "Clive" Brook (1 June 1887 – 17 November 1974) was an English film actor.
After making his first screen appearance in 1920, Brook emerged as a leading British actor in the early 1920s. After moving to the United States in 1924, Brook became one of the major stars for Paramount Pictures in the late silent era. During 1928–29 he successfully made the transition to sound and continued to be featured in many of Hollywood's most prestigious films, including a number of literary adaptations. In the mid-1930s he returned to England, where he appeared regularly in leading film roles for a further decade.
Brook was born in Islington, London, the son of George Alfred Brook and Charlotte Mary Brook. He attended Dulwich College because of his father's desire for him to be a lawyer, but family financial problems caused him to leave at age 15. He then studied elocution at a polytechnic.
He served in the Artists' Rifles in the First World War, rising to the rank of Major. Brook was 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) tall and had brown hair with grey eyes.
Before Brook went into acting, he worked as a journalist and an insurance clerk. He first appeared on stage in 1918 and also in films from 1919. He worked first in British films then in Hollywood.
Brook debuted on film in Trent's Last Case (1920). One of his best remembered appearances was playing opposite Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express (1932). He played Sherlock Holmes three times: The Return of Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes (in that order), and as part of an anthology film, Paramount on Parade (1930).
In 1934 he was voted one of the most popular stars at the British box office.
Brook's final film was The List of Adrian Messenger (1963).
Brook returned to England in 1935 because of kidnapping threats toward his children. In 1943, he adapted the comedy On Approval by Frederick Lonsdale and wrote, produced, directed and starred in the film with Beatrice Lillie, Googie Withers and Roland Culver. The costumes were by Cecil Beaton.
In 1949 he presented the radio series The Secrets of Scotland Yard. In 1956 he appeared on stage in One Bright Day at the Apollo Theatre in London.
Brook starred as Josiah Bolton in the comedy Second Threshold from 2 January 1951 until 21 April 1951.
Brook died 17 November 1974 in Ealing, London.
In 1920, Brook married Charlotte Elisabeth Mildred Evelyn. Their children, Faith and Lyndon, were also actors.
Biography From Wikipedia