Glorious Betsy
Encyclopedia
Glorious Betsy is a 1928
mostly-silent film
with talking sequences, based on a play of the same name by Rida Johnson Young
and starring Dolores Costello
. It was produced by Warner Brothers and was nominated for (but did not win) an Academy Award
for Best Writing, Adaptation in 1929. The film was directed by Alan Crosland
with cinematography
by Hal Mohr
. A mute print of this film, minus its Vitaphone
tracks, survives in the Library of Congress
, and while their copy of this film is missing some of the sound reels, it is unknown whether other copies of the sound have been preserved elsewhere.
Although the film was written by both Anthony Coldeway
and Jack Jarmuth (the latter credited only for title cards), only Coldeway was nominated for the Academy Award. Pasquale Amato
, a former star baritone
at the New York Metropolitan Opera
House, is one of the first actors of American cinema to depict Napoleon.
, brother of Napoleon, and his wife from the American south, Elizabeth Patterson
. Napoleon did not approve of the union (despite the fact that her family was one of the wealthiest in America) and the marriage was annulled. Jerome was subsequently forced to marry Catharina of Württemberg
. They had one child, depicted in the film, Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte
. In order to provide a "happy ending", Jerome in the film leaves France to be with his wife. However, in historical fact he remained in Europe.
1928 in film
-Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first "100% Talkie" feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film...
mostly-silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
with talking sequences, based on a play of the same name by Rida Johnson Young
Rida Johnson Young
Rida Johnson Young was an American playwright, songwriter and librettist. In her career, Young wrote over thirty plays and musicals, and over 500 songs. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970...
and starring Dolores Costello
Dolores Costello
Dolores Costello was an American film actress who achieved her greatest success during the era of silent movies. She was nicknamed "The Goddess of the Silent Screen"...
. It was produced by Warner Brothers and was nominated for (but did not win) an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Writing, Adaptation in 1929. The film was directed by Alan Crosland
Alan Crosland
Alan Crosland was an American stage actor and film director.-Early life and career:Born in New York City, New York to a well-to-do family, Alan Crosland attended Dartmouth College. After graduation he took a job as a writer with the New York Globe magazine...
with cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
by Hal Mohr
Hal Mohr
Hal Mohr, A.S.C. was a famed movie cinematographer.-Career:In 1915, in an early example of an exploitation film peddled directly to theater owners, Mohr and Sol Lesser produced and directed a film The Last Night of the Barbary Coast...
. A mute print of this film, minus its Vitaphone
Vitaphone
Vitaphone was a sound film process used on feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects produced by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1930. Vitaphone was the last, but most successful, of the sound-on-disc processes...
tracks, survives in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, and while their copy of this film is missing some of the sound reels, it is unknown whether other copies of the sound have been preserved elsewhere.
Although the film was written by both Anthony Coldeway
Anthony Coldeway
Anthony W. Coldeway was a screenwriter who had an extensive career from 1910 through 1954. Although most of his work was on films, he did some writing for television and also was the director of a silent film, entitled Her Great Dilemma, in 1917...
and Jack Jarmuth (the latter credited only for title cards), only Coldeway was nominated for the Academy Award. Pasquale Amato
Pasquale Amato
Pasquale Amato was an outstanding Italian operatic baritone. Amato enjoyed an international reputation but attained the peak of his fame in New York City, where he sang with the Metropolitan Opera from 1908 until 1921....
, a former star baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
at the New York Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
House, is one of the first actors of American cinema to depict Napoleon.
Cast
- Dolores CostelloDolores CostelloDolores Costello was an American film actress who achieved her greatest success during the era of silent movies. She was nicknamed "The Goddess of the Silent Screen"...
as Betsy Patterson - Conrad NagelConrad NagelConrad Nagel was an American screen actor and matinee idol of the silent film era and beyond. He was also a well-known television actor and radio performer.-Biography:...
as Jerome BonaparteJérôme BonaparteJérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte, French Prince, King of Westphalia, 1st Prince of Montfort was the youngest brother of Napoleon, who made him king of Westphalia... - John MiljanJohn MiljanJohn Miljan was an American actor of Serbian origin. He appeared in 201 films between 1924 and 1958.He died from cancer.-Selected filmography:* The Lone Chance * Silent Sanderson...
as Preston - Marc McDermottMarc McDermottMarcus McDermott was an Australian-born American actor who starred on Broadway and in over 180 American films from 1909 until his death.-Early life and career:...
as Colonel Patterson - Pasquale AmatoPasquale AmatoPasquale Amato was an outstanding Italian operatic baritone. Amato enjoyed an international reputation but attained the peak of his fame in New York City, where he sang with the Metropolitan Opera from 1908 until 1921....
as Napoleon Bonaparte - Michael Vavitch as Capt. St. Pierre
- Andres de SegurolaAndrés de SegurolaAndrés Perelló de Segurola was a Spanish operatic bass who performed as Andrés de Segurola.-Biography:...
as Capt. Du Fresne - Paul PanzerPaul PanzerPaul Panzer was a German-American silent film actor. He appeared in 333 films between 1905 and 1952. Panzer was best known for playing Koerner/Raymond Owen in The Perils of Pauline....
as The Ship's Captain - Clarissa Selwynne as Aunt Mary
- Betty BlytheBetty BlytheBetty Blythe was an American actress best known for her dramatic roles in exotic silent films such as The Queen of Sheba .-Career:...
as Princess Fredericka
Synopsis
The film is a semi-historical narrative and depicts the real-life courtship, marriage, and forced breakup of Jérôme BonaparteJérôme Bonaparte
Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte, French Prince, King of Westphalia, 1st Prince of Montfort was the youngest brother of Napoleon, who made him king of Westphalia...
, brother of Napoleon, and his wife from the American south, Elizabeth Patterson
Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte
Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte , known as "Betsy", was the daughter of a Baltimore, Maryland merchant, and was the first wife of Jérôme Bonaparte, and sister-in-law of Emperor Napoleon I of France.-Ancestry:Elizabeth's father, William Patterson, had been born in Ireland and came to North America...
. Napoleon did not approve of the union (despite the fact that her family was one of the wealthiest in America) and the marriage was annulled. Jerome was subsequently forced to marry Catharina of Württemberg
Catharina of Württemberg
Princess Catharina Frederica of Württemberg was the second wife of Jérôme Bonaparte.-Family:Catharina was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia to the later King Frederick I of Württemberg and Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel...
. They had one child, depicted in the film, Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte
Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte
Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte was a son of Jérôme Bonaparte and Elizabeth Patterson, an American....
. In order to provide a "happy ending", Jerome in the film leaves France to be with his wife. However, in historical fact he remained in Europe.
