Clara Blandick
Encyclopedia
Clara Blandick was an American actress. Her many film appearances include the role of Auntie Em
in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz
.
harbor. Her parents settled in Quincy, Massachusetts
, by 1880.
actor, E. H. Sothern
, with whom she appeared onstage in a production of the play Richard Lovelace
. She moved from Boston to New York City
by 1900, and began pursuing acting as a career. Her first professional appearance came in 1901, when she was cast as Jehanneton in the play If I Were King, which ran for 56 performances at Garden Theatre (an early component of Madison Square Garden
). She achieved acclaim for her role in The Christian and was described by newspaper critics as a "dainty, petite, and graceful" heroine. In 1903 she played Gwendolyn in the Broadway premiere of E. W. Hornung's Raffles The Amateur Cracksman
opposite Kyrle Bellew. She started in pictures with the Old Kalem company in 1908 and made a number of appearances like in The Maid's Double in 1911. Blandick finally broke onto Broadway in 1912, when she was cast as Dolores Pennington in Widow By Proxy which ran for 88 performances through early 1913 at George M. Cohan's Theatre
on Broadway. During this same period she appeared on stages throughout the Northeastern United States as a member of Sylvester Poli's stock theater company, The Poli Players.
She would continue to achieve success on the stage, playing a number of starring roles, including the lead in Madame Butterfly. By 1914 she was reappearing on the silver screen, this time as Emily Mason in the film Mrs. Black is Back.
During World War I
, Blandick performed some overseas volunteer work for the American Expeditionary Force
in France
. She also continued to act on stage and occasionally in silent pictures.
In 1924, she earned rave reviews for her supporting role in the Pulitzer Prize
winning play Hell-Bent Fer Heaven
, which ran for 122 performances at the Klaw Theatre in New York (later renamed CBS Radio Playhouse No. 2).
In 1929, Blandick moved to Hollywood
. By the 1930s, she was well-known in theatrical and film circles as an established supporting actress
. Though she landed roles like Aunt Polly in the 1930 film Tom Sawyer
(a role she reprised in the 1931 film Huckleberry Finn
), she spent much of the decade as a character actor
, often going uncredited. At a time when many actors were permanently attached to a single studio, Blandick played a wide number of bit part
s for almost every major Hollywood studio (though she would later be under contract with 20th Century Fox
). In 1930, she acted in nine different films. In 1931 she was in thirteen different films. As is the case with some other busy character actors, it's impossible to make an exact tally of the films in which Clara appeared. A reasonable estimate would fall between 150 and 200.
in MGM's
classic The Wizard of Oz
. Though it was a small part (Blandick filmed all her scenes in a single week), the character was an important symbol of protagonist Dorothy's quest to return home to her beloved aunt and uncle – a snipe at people who revere glitz and tinsel over a happy homelife. (Auntie Em and Uncle Henry are the only characters from the beginning of the movie not to have alter ego characters in the Land Of Oz). Blandick beat out May Robson
, Janet Beecher, and Sarah Padden for the role, and earned $750 per week. Some believed Auntie Em's alter ego was to be the Good Witch of the North
but opted to use different actresses for each role rather than have a dual role for this. The reason was they wanted someone younger looking to contrast the good witch from the bad witches. Ironically, Billie Burke
, who played the Witch of the North, was only 4 years younger than Blandick.
Though the Auntie Em character proved memorable to audiences, few fans knew Blandick's name. She was not billed in the opening credits and is listed last in the movie's closing credits.
After The Wizard of Oz, Blandick returned to her staple of character acting in supporting and bit roles. She would continue to act in a wide variety of roles in dozens of films. She played the spiteful Mrs. Pringle in 1940s Anne of Windy Poplars
, a surprised customer in the 1941 Marx Brothers
film The Big Store
, a fashionable socialite in the 1944 musical Can't Help Singing, and a cold-blooded murderer in the 1947 mystery Philo Vance Returns
. Her final two roles both came in 1950 – playing a housekeeper and a landlady in Key to the City
and Love That Brute respectively.
She retired from acting at the age of 69 and went into seclusion at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
.
. On April 15, 1962, she returned home from Palm Sunday
services at her church. Her residence was 1735 North Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles, California
. She began rearranging her room, placing her favorite photos and memorabilia in prominent places. She laid out her resume and a collection of press clippings from her lengthy career. She dressed immaculately, in an elegant royal blue dressing gown. Then, with her hair properly styled, she took an overdose of sleeping pills
. She lay down on a couch, covered herself with a gold blanket over her shoulders, and tied a plastic bag over her head. Blandick left the following note: “I am now about to make the great adventure. I cannot endure this agonizing pain any longer. It is all over my body. Neither can I face the impending blindness. I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.”
Her landlady, Helen Mason, found her body Sunday morning. In preparing to die, Blandick had disposed of all her medicines the previous week. She told James Busch, a friend for many years, that they might be discovered if anything happened to her. Blandick was survived by a niece, Catherine Hopkins, of Camarillo, California
. The actress was married December 7, 1905, in Manhattan
, to mining engineer Harry Staunton Elliott. They separated by 1910, and are said to have divorced in 1912. They had no children.
Blandick's ashes were interred at the Great Mausoleum
, Columbarium
of Security (Niche 17230) at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale
. Blandick's cremated remains lie just yards (Great Mausoleum
, Columbarium
of Inspiration, (Niche 14639) from those of "The Wizard of Oz" co-star, actor Charles Grapewin
, who portrayed her on-screen farmer husband, Uncle Henry.
Aunt Em
Aunt Em is a fictional character from the Oz books. She is the aunt of Dorothy Gale and wife of Uncle Henry, and lived together with them on a farm in Kansas...
in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
.
Early life
She was born Clara Dickey, the daughter of Isaac B. and Hattie (Mudgett) Dickey, aboard the Willard Mudgett—an American ship captained by her father (oddly named after another of her relatives), and docked in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
harbor. Her parents settled in Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
, by 1880.
Acting
She grew up in Boston, and there met famed ShakespeareanWilliam Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
actor, E. H. Sothern
E. H. Sothern
Edward Hugh Sothern was an American actor who specialized in dashing, romantic leading roles and particularly in Shakespeare roles.-Biography:...
, with whom she appeared onstage in a production of the play Richard Lovelace
Richard Lovelace
Richard Lovelace was an English poet in the seventeenth century. He was a cavalier poet who fought on behalf of the king during the Civil war. His best known works are To Althea, from Prison, and To Lucasta, Going to the Warres....
. She moved from Boston to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
by 1900, and began pursuing acting as a career. Her first professional appearance came in 1901, when she was cast as Jehanneton in the play If I Were King, which ran for 56 performances at Garden Theatre (an early component of Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
). She achieved acclaim for her role in The Christian and was described by newspaper critics as a "dainty, petite, and graceful" heroine. In 1903 she played Gwendolyn in the Broadway premiere of E. W. Hornung's Raffles The Amateur Cracksman
A. J. Raffles
Arthur J. Raffles is a character created in the 1890s by E. W. Hornung, a brother-in-law to Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, a deliberate inversion of Holmes — he is a "gentleman thief," living in the Albany, a prestigious address in London, playing...
opposite Kyrle Bellew. She started in pictures with the Old Kalem company in 1908 and made a number of appearances like in The Maid's Double in 1911. Blandick finally broke onto Broadway in 1912, when she was cast as Dolores Pennington in Widow By Proxy which ran for 88 performances through early 1913 at George M. Cohan's Theatre
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
on Broadway. During this same period she appeared on stages throughout the Northeastern United States as a member of Sylvester Poli's stock theater company, The Poli Players.
She would continue to achieve success on the stage, playing a number of starring roles, including the lead in Madame Butterfly. By 1914 she was reappearing on the silver screen, this time as Emily Mason in the film Mrs. Black is Back.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Blandick performed some overseas volunteer work for the American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She also continued to act on stage and occasionally in silent pictures.
In 1924, she earned rave reviews for her supporting role in the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning play Hell-Bent Fer Heaven
Hell-Bent Fer Heaven
Hell-Bent Fer Heaven is a play by Hatcher Hughes that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1924.The play ran at the Klaw Theatre from January to April 1924, featuring George Abbott, Glenn Anders and Margaret Borough...
, which ran for 122 performances at the Klaw Theatre in New York (later renamed CBS Radio Playhouse No. 2).
In 1929, Blandick moved to Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
. By the 1930s, she was well-known in theatrical and film circles as an established supporting actress
Supporting actor
A supporting actor is an actor who performs roles in a play or film other than that of the leads.These roles range from bit parts to secondary leads. They are sometimes but not necessarily character roles. A supporting actor must also use restraint not to upstage the main actor/actress in the...
. Though she landed roles like Aunt Polly in the 1930 film Tom Sawyer
Tom Sawyer (1930 film)
Tom Sawyer is a 1930 American drama film directed by John Cromwell. The screenplay by Grover Jones, William Slavens McNutt, and Sam Mintz is based on the 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain....
(a role she reprised in the 1931 film Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry Finn (1931 film)
Huckleberry Finn is a 1931 American comedy film directed by Norman Taurog. This is another version of the classic novel by Mark Twain and is a follow-up to Tom Sawyer . It isn't a faithful version of the book, as it skips some vital episodes and creates a few others. According to Leonard Maltin,...
), she spent much of the decade as a character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
, often going uncredited. At a time when many actors were permanently attached to a single studio, Blandick played a wide number of bit part
Bit part
A bit part is a supporting acting role with at least one line of dialogue . In British television, bit parts are referred to as under sixes...
s for almost every major Hollywood studio (though she would later be under contract with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
). In 1930, she acted in nine different films. In 1931 she was in thirteen different films. As is the case with some other busy character actors, it's impossible to make an exact tally of the films in which Clara appeared. A reasonable estimate would fall between 150 and 200.
The Wizard of Oz and after
In 1939, Blandick landed her most memorable minor role yet — Auntie EmAunt Em
Aunt Em is a fictional character from the Oz books. She is the aunt of Dorothy Gale and wife of Uncle Henry, and lived together with them on a farm in Kansas...
in MGM's
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
classic The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. Though it was a small part (Blandick filmed all her scenes in a single week), the character was an important symbol of protagonist Dorothy's quest to return home to her beloved aunt and uncle – a snipe at people who revere glitz and tinsel over a happy homelife. (Auntie Em and Uncle Henry are the only characters from the beginning of the movie not to have alter ego characters in the Land Of Oz). Blandick beat out May Robson
May Robson
May Robson was an actress and playwright. A major stage actress of the late 19th and early 20th century, Robson is best known today for the dozens of 1930s motion pictures she appeared in when she was well into her seventies, usually playing cross old ladies with hearts of gold.- Biography :Born...
, Janet Beecher, and Sarah Padden for the role, and earned $750 per week. Some believed Auntie Em's alter ego was to be the Good Witch of the North
Good Witch of the North
The Good Witch of the North is a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is the elderly and mild-mannered Ruler of the Gillikin Country...
but opted to use different actresses for each role rather than have a dual role for this. The reason was they wanted someone younger looking to contrast the good witch from the bad witches. Ironically, Billie Burke
Billie Burke
Mary William Ethelbert Appleton "Billie" Burke was an American actress. She is primarily known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of the North in the musical film The Wizard of Oz. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance as Emily Kilbourne in Merrily We Live...
, who played the Witch of the North, was only 4 years younger than Blandick.
Though the Auntie Em character proved memorable to audiences, few fans knew Blandick's name. She was not billed in the opening credits and is listed last in the movie's closing credits.
After The Wizard of Oz, Blandick returned to her staple of character acting in supporting and bit roles. She would continue to act in a wide variety of roles in dozens of films. She played the spiteful Mrs. Pringle in 1940s Anne of Windy Poplars
Anne of Windy Poplars
Anne of Windy Poplars, also published as Anne of Windy Willows in the UK, Australia and Japan, is an epistolary novel by L. M. Montgomery. First published in 1936 by McClelland and Stewart, it details Anne Shirley's experiences over three years teaching at a high school in Summerside, Prince Edward...
, a surprised customer in the 1941 Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
film The Big Store
The Big Store
The Big Store is a Marx Brothers comedy film in which Groucho, Chico and Harpo work to save the Phelps Department Store, owned by Martha Phelps . Groucho plays her detective and bodyguard Wolf J...
, a fashionable socialite in the 1944 musical Can't Help Singing, and a cold-blooded murderer in the 1947 mystery Philo Vance Returns
Philo Vance
Philo Vance featured in 12 crime novels written by S. S. Van Dine , published in the 1920s and 1930s. During that time, Vance was immensely popular in books, movies, and on the radio. He was portrayed as a stylish, even foppish dandy, a New York bon vivant possessing a highly intellectual bent...
. Her final two roles both came in 1950 – playing a housekeeper and a landlady in Key to the City
Key to the City (film)
Key to the City is a 1950 romantic comedy film starring Clark Gable and Loretta Young as mayors who meet during a convention in San Francisco and, despite their contrasting personalities and views, fall in love. This was the second time that Gable and Young appeared together in a film, the first...
and Love That Brute respectively.
She retired from acting at the age of 69 and went into seclusion at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is a historic Spanish-style hotel located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Named after Theodore Roosevelt and financed by a group including Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Louis B. Mayer, it first opened its doors on May 15, 1927...
.
Death
Throughout the 1950s, Blandick's health steadily began to fail. She started going blind and began suffering from severe arthritisArthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
. On April 15, 1962, she returned home from Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....
services at her church. Her residence was 1735 North Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. She began rearranging her room, placing her favorite photos and memorabilia in prominent places. She laid out her resume and a collection of press clippings from her lengthy career. She dressed immaculately, in an elegant royal blue dressing gown. Then, with her hair properly styled, she took an overdose of sleeping pills
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
. She lay down on a couch, covered herself with a gold blanket over her shoulders, and tied a plastic bag over her head. Blandick left the following note: “I am now about to make the great adventure. I cannot endure this agonizing pain any longer. It is all over my body. Neither can I face the impending blindness. I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.”
Her landlady, Helen Mason, found her body Sunday morning. In preparing to die, Blandick had disposed of all her medicines the previous week. She told James Busch, a friend for many years, that they might be discovered if anything happened to her. Blandick was survived by a niece, Catherine Hopkins, of Camarillo, California
Camarillo, California
Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at the 2000 census. The Ventura Freeway Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at...
. The actress was married December 7, 1905, in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, to mining engineer Harry Staunton Elliott. They separated by 1910, and are said to have divorced in 1912. They had no children.
Blandick's ashes were interred at the Great Mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
, Columbarium
Columbarium
A columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns . The term comes from the Latin columba and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons .The Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas is a particularly fine ancient Roman example, rich in...
of Security (Niche 17230) at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
. Blandick's cremated remains lie just yards (Great Mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
, Columbarium
Columbarium
A columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns . The term comes from the Latin columba and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons .The Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas is a particularly fine ancient Roman example, rich in...
of Inspiration, (Niche 14639) from those of "The Wizard of Oz" co-star, actor Charles Grapewin
Charles Grapewin
Charley Ellsworth Grapewin was an American vaudeville performer and a stage and film actor, who portrayed Uncle Henry in MGM's The Wizard of Oz and Grandpa Joad in the film The Grapes of Wrath ....
, who portrayed her on-screen farmer husband, Uncle Henry.
Partial filmography
- The Maid's Double (1911)
- Peggy, the Will O' the WispPeggy, the Will O' the WispPeggy, the Will O' the Wisp is a 1917 drama film directed by Tod Browning.-Cast:* Mabel Taliaferro - Peggy Desmond* Thomas Carrigan - Captain Neil Dacey * William J. Gross - Anthony Desmond...
(1917) - The Girl Said NoThe Girl Said No (1930 film)The Girl Said No is a 1930 romantic comedy film starring William Haines and Leila Hyams. A young college graduate goes to extreme lengths to win the girl he loves.-Cast:*William Haines as Tom Ward*Leila Hyams as Mary Howe*Polly Moran as Polly...
(1930) - The Sins of the ChildrenThe Sins of the ChildrenThe Sins of the Children a.k.a. Father's Day, a.k.a. The Richest Man in the World, is a 1930 MGM early sound drama/film, produced and directed by Sam Wood.-Synopsis:...
(1930) - RomanceRomance (1930 film)Romance is a 1930 film which tells the story of a bishop sharing a cautionary tale with a young man, who is going against the wishes of his family, of the dangers of falling in love with "fallen women", by using a story of naivete from his past...
(1930) - Tom SawyerTom Sawyer (1930 film)Tom Sawyer is a 1930 American drama film directed by John Cromwell. The screenplay by Grover Jones, William Slavens McNutt, and Sam Mintz is based on the 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain....
(1930) - The Easiest WayThe Easiest WayThe Easiest Way is a 1931 American MGM drama film directed by Jack Conway. Adapted from the 1909 play of the same name by David Belasco, the film stars Constance Bennett, Adolphe Menjou, Robert Montgomery, Clark Gable, and Anita Page.-Plot:...
(1931) - I Take This WomanI Take This Woman (1931 film)I Take This Woman is a romance film starring Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard and released by Paramount Pictures.-Cast:*Gary Cooper as Tom McNair*Carole Lombard as Kay Dowling*Helen Ware as Aunt Bessie*Lester Vail as Herbert Forrest...
(1931) - New Adventures of Get Rich Quick WallingfordNew Adventures of Get Rich Quick WallingfordNew Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford is a 1931 crime / romantic comedy film starring William Haines as a con artist and Jimmy Durante as his pickpocket buddy...
(1931) - PossessedPossessed (1931 film)Possessed is a Pre-Code 1931 drama film directed by Clarence Brown, starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film is the story of Marian Martin, a factory worker who rises to the top as the mistress of a wealthy attorney. The screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee...
(1931) - The Wet ParadeThe Wet ParadeThe Wet Parade is a 1932 film directed by Victor Fleming based on a 1931 novel by Upton Sinclair, starring Robert Young, Myrna Loy, Walter Huston, and Jimmy Durante....
(1932) - ShopwornShopwornShopworn is a 1932 Pre-Code romantic drama film starring Barbara Stanwyck and Regis Toomey.-Plot:Waitress Kitty Lane and wealthy David Livingston fall in love. However his overly protective mother Helen does not approve and does everything she can to break them up...
(1932) - Life BeginsLife Begins (film)Life Begins is a drama film set in a 1930s maternity ward and deals with unwed mothers. It was adapted from the play of the same name by Mary M. Axelson.-Cast:*Loretta Young as Grace Sutton*Eric Linden as Jed Sutton...
(1932) - Child of ManhattanChild of Manhattan (film)Child of Manhattan is a 1933 Pre-code Columbia Pictures melodrama film based on the play of the same name by Preston Sturges, which was presented on Broadway in 1932...
(1933) - Turn Back the ClockTurn Back the Clock (film)Turn Back the Clock is an MGM comedy drama film directed by Edgar Selwyn, written by Edgar Selwyn and Ben Hecht, and starring by Lee Tracy and Mae Clarke...
(1933) - Charlie Chan's Greatest CaseCharlie Chan's Greatest CaseCharlie Chan's Greatest Case is a murder mystery film starring Warner Oland as the Oriental detective Charlie Chan. It was based on the Earl Derr Biggers novel The House Without a Key....
(1933) - Ever in My HeartEver in My HeartEver in My Heart is a 1933 drama film starring Barbara Stanwyck and Otto Kruger. An American girl marries a foreigner, but anti-German sentiment during World War I drives them apart.-Cast:*Barbara Stanwyck as Mary Archer Wilbrandt...
(1933) - The Bitter Tea of General YenThe Bitter Tea of General YenThe Bitter Tea of General Yen is a pre-Code 1933 film, directed by Frank Capra based on the novel by Grace Zaring Stone and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther....
(1933) - The Girl from MissouriThe Girl from MissouriThe Girl from Missouri is a 1934 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Jean Harlow and Franchot Tone. The movie was written by Anita Loos and directed by Jack Conway.-Plot:...
(1934) - Broadway BillBroadway BillBroadway Bill is an American horse-racing - comedy film from 1934, directed by Frank Capra and starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy. In the UK the film was released as Strictly Confidential...
(1934) - Party WireParty WireParty Wire is a 1935 drama film starring Jean Arthur and Victor Jory. It was based on the novel of the same name by Bruce Manning. In a small town, an overhead conversation on a telephone party line results in gossip that causes a great deal of trouble for a young woman and a wealthy...
(1935) - Hearts DividedHearts DividedHearts Divided is a 1936 musical film about the real-life marriage between American Elizabeth 'Betsy' Patterson and Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon. It starred Marion Davies and Dick Powell as the couple...
(1936) - Anthony AdverseAnthony AdverseAnthony Adverse is a 1936 American drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay by Sheridan Gibney is based on the sprawling 1,224-page novel of the same title by Hervey Allen.-Plot:...
(1936) - The Case of the Velvet ClawsThe Case of the Velvet ClawsThe Cases of the Velvet Claws is a 1936 mystery film, the fourth and final appearance of Warren William as defense attorney Perry Mason. Mason finally marries his longtime secretary Della Street, but has to cut their honeymoon short in order to defend a woman accused of murder.-Cast:*Warren William...
(1936) - The Gorgeous HussyThe Gorgeous HussyThe Gorgeous Hussy is a 1936 film directed by Clarence Brown, and starring Joan Crawford and Robert Taylor. The film's plot tells a fictionalized account of President of the United States Andrew Jackson and an innkeeper's daughter...
(1936) - A Star is BornA Star Is Born (1937 film)A Star Is Born is a 1937 Technicolor romantic drama film produced by David O. Selznick and directed by William A. Wellman, with a script by Wellman, Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell. It stars Janet Gaynor as an aspiring Hollywood actress, and Fredric March as an aging movie star who...
(1937) (uncredited) - The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939 film)The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a 1939 film adaptation of Mark Twain's classic novel of the same name, starring Mickey Rooney in the title role.-Cast:*Mickey Rooney as Huckleberry Finn*Walter Connolly as the 'King'*William Frawley as the 'Duke'...
(1939) - The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (1939 film)The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
(1939) - Drums Along the MohawkDrums Along the MohawkDrums Along the Mohawk is a 1939 historical Technicolor film based upon a 1936 novel of the same name by American author, Walter D. Edmonds. The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by John Ford. Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert portray settlers on the New York frontier during the...
(1939) - Swanee RiverSwanee River (film)Swanee River is a biopic about Stephen Foster, a songwriter from Pittsburgh who falls in love with the South, marries a Southern girl, then is accused of sympathizing when the Civil War breaks out...
(1939) - Dreaming Out Loud (1940)
- North West Mounted PoliceNorth West Mounted Police (film)North West Mounted Police is a 1940 American action adventure film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Gary Cooper, Paulette Goddard, and Madeleine Carroll. This was DeMille's...
(1940) - The Wagons Roll at NightThe Wagons Roll at NightThe Wagons Roll at Night is a 1941 circus film, starring Humphrey Bogart as travelling carnival owner Nick Coster, Sylvia Sidney as his girlfriend and Eddie Albert as a newcomer who falls in love with Nick's sister.-Plot:...
(1941) - It Started with EveIt Started with EveIt Started with Eve is a 1941 musical romantic comedy film. A man's dying father wants to meet his new fiancée, but she is unavailable, so he substitutes a hat-check girl. Then the father unexpectedly recovers.Charles Previn and Hans J...
(1941) - Rings on Her FingersRings on Her FingersRings on Her Fingers is a 1942 screwball comedy film starring Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney. A poor man gets mistaken for a millionaire and is swindled out of his life savings.-Cast:* Henry Fonda as John Wheeler...
(1942) - DixieDixie (film)Dixie is a 1943 Technicolor biographical film of American songwriter Daniel Decatur Emmett, starring Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. The movie is a musical directed by A. Edward Sutherland.The movie was only a moderate success and received mixed reviews...
(1943) - Can't Help SingingCan't Help SingingCan't Help Singing is a 1944 musical Western filmed in Technicolor starring Deanna Durbin. The film was produced by Felix Jackson and directed by Frank Ryan. The score was by Jerome Kern with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg.-Plot:...
(1944) - Pillow of DeathPillow of DeathPillow of Death was the last of the Inner Sanctum mystery films. The movie stars Lon Chaney, Jr. and Brenda Joyce, was directed by Wallace Fox, and based on a story by Dwight V. Babcock...
(1945) - A Stolen Life (1946)
- Life with FatherLife with Father (film)Life with Father is a 1947 American comedy film. It tells the true story of Clarence Day, a stockbroker who wants to be master of his house, but finds his wife and his children ignoring him, until they start making demands for him to change his own life. In keeping with the autobiography, all the...
(1947) - Mr. Soft TouchMr. Soft TouchMr. Soft Touch is a 1949 film about a man on the run from the Mob. It stars Glenn Ford and Evelyn Keyes.-Plot:Polish American Joe Miracle returns from fighting in World War II, only to find his San Francisco nightclub under the control of the Mob, and his friend and partner Leo missing and...
(1949) - Key to the CityKey to the City (film)Key to the City is a 1950 romantic comedy film starring Clark Gable and Loretta Young as mayors who meet during a convention in San Francisco and, despite their contrasting personalities and views, fall in love. This was the second time that Gable and Young appeared together in a film, the first...
(1950)
External links
- Clara Blandick as a young actress in The Actors Birthday Book by Johnson Briscoe (both 1908 & 1909 editions)
- Clara Blandick as a young attractive actress, New York Public Library Billy Rose Collection
- Clara Blandick portraits Univ of Washington Sayre Collection(enter her name)