Programming Note

[Leslie Howard and Bette Davis in Of Human Bondage, 1934]

Of Human Bondage (1934), directed by John Cromwell and produced by Pandro S. Berman and RKO Radio Pictures, stars Leslie Howard in the finest screen performance of his career up to that time and Bette Davis in her breakout role. Of Human Bondage is based on the 1915 novel of W. Somerset Maugham, a novel which has never been out of print since

I Know What It's Like to Be in Human Bondage

[Leslie Howard with his son and daughter, Ronald "Wink"
and Leslie Ruth "Doodie," in one of the last pictures they
took together before the start of WWII]

Following is an excerpt from an interview with Gladys Hall for Motion Picture Magazine printed in the August, 1934, issue:

I was reminded, as he talked, of a little incident Bette Davis told me about him when they were working on Of Human Bondage together. She said that Leslie was standing just off

Programming Note

[Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland in It's Love I'm After, 1937]

It's Love I'm After to air on TCM this Sunday, August 21, 7:30 AM EST, 4:30 AM PST [Please check your local listings]

If you missed the chance last month to see Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland in this 1937 "rippling farce, brightly written and deftly directed," you have another chance this Sunday. It's Bette Davis Day on TCM.

Says Frank S. Nugent in The New York Times review of 11 November 1937: "Mr. Howard's Basil Underwood is a gem of conceit, self-delusion and calculated posturing, but he shyly confesses in every bit of character shading that there is a very human chap beneath the veneer." "This [farce] spins delightfully." "Mr. Howard and Miss Davis must give us other farces and Archie Mayo must direct them again. It's good to find a comedy with people in it instead of whimsies."

In the vernacular of today—It's funny! It's a delight! Watch it!

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Progamming Note

[Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland and
Bette Davis in It's Love I'm After, 1937]

It's Love I'm After to air on TCM on Sunday, August 21, at 4:30 AM PST [Please check your local listings]

Produced by Warner Brothers and directed by Archie Mayo, It's Love I'm After is a comedy which brings together Leslie Howard and Bette Davis for the third time. They appeared together previously in Of Human Bondage (1934) and The Petrified Forest (1936).

The film is about a pair of egotistical actors (Howard and Davis) who are in love but who have delayed their marriage over and over again throughout the years, mainly due to their heated arguments off stage. But the two finally agree that tonight is the night, until a young heiress (Olivia de Havilland) shows up and becomes totally infatuated with Leslie Howard. (I know that feeling.) Her fiancé (Henry Grant) pleads with Howard to discourage de Havilland and the wedding is delayed once again as Howard barges in at de Havilland's country home to show her just how obnoxious he can be.

The movie received good reviews and classic movie reviewers have come to recognize the film as undervalued and neglected.

Don't Expect A Happy Ending

The Petrified Forest (1936), which will be shown this Friday on TCM, was a product of Warner Bros. Warner's was frequently on the cutting edge of what movie audiences wanted to see. They produced the first talkies, the first horror films in color, and Warners was the studio to later become known for film noir, a movement in film that reflected society's angst and conflicts and is shot in low light and shadows, with pessimistic stories about shady characters and not so happy endings.

The Petrified Forest is considered by movie historians to be a precursor to film noir. The film itself is named after an area in the Arizona desert known for its fossilized trees, conjuring up a picture of the death and

Leslie Howard's Rules of Etiquette

I have learned many things about Leslie Howard's personality during my research into the man. One characteristic I have uncovered was his need to be in control. Fortunately, Howard oozed charm and that, along with his wry sense of humor and incredible generosity, made those who loved and worked with him happy about giving him whatever it was he wanted. Following is a story from Movie Classic, March, 1936, which illustrates my point. 

Let me set up the scene. If you have seen The Petrified Forest (1936), you will remember the Black Mesa Filling Station and Bar-B-Que where Leslie Howard's character, Alan Squier, meets Bette Davis' character,

The Petrified Florist

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness." ~ Oscar Wilde

Today's entry pays homage to one of my favorite Leslie Howard films, The Petrified Forest (1936), which will be shown this Friday, July 15, at 5:30am PST. It is a short scene from a Merrie Melodies cartoon, She Was An Acrobat's Daughter. The cartoon movie is called "The Petrified Florist" and caricatures Leslie Howard and Bette Davis.

To see the entire cartoon, visit: She Was An Acrobat's Daughter, Merrie Melodies

"The Petrified Florist," from Merrie Melodies She Was An Acrobat's Daughter

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Howard Meets Davis - Part Three

After months away from his children and his home, both in England, and the purchase of five polo ponies to alleviate his boredom and irritation, Leslie Howard finally began filming for Of Human Bondage (1934) in February, 1934.

The entire cast was English except for Bette Davis and Howard thought an English actress should have been cast as Mildred Rogers. Even though Davis had hired a British maid in an effort to learn the accent, Howard was not impressed. Davis was aware of Howard's feelings that she was ridiculous for the part. To observers Howard was polite but to Davis Howard was unsupportive, reading a book off stage while throwing her

Howard Meets Davis - Part Two

Upon arriving in Hollywood in the fall of 1933 to begin filming Of Human Bondage (1934) Leslie Howard found that nothing was ready. Even though RKO had urged him to hurry up and return from England, Howard found himself sitting around waiting, as usual. The cast had not been selected and it appeared the studio was in no hurry. Howard sat through Christmas in California without his children who were old enough to decide where they wanted to be and they had opted to stay at home in Stowe Maries. He fumed. And bought horses.

The director of the film, John Cromwell, had noticed Bette Davis in The Cabin in the Cotton (1932) and thought she would be perfect for the role of Mildred Rogers. Pandro S. Berman, who was producing the film, agreed. Meantime, after Bette Davis was shown the screenplay by Wilson Mizner and Davis learned that RKO owned the rights to the film she petitioned Jack Warner to let her try for the part of Mildred Rogers. Other actresses had turned down the part, unwilling to be shown in such an unflattering light. But Davis was not afraid. After much back and forth and trade agreements Davis got the part.

Howard was shocked and dismayed.

To be continued...

[Leslie Howard and Bette Davis
in Of Human Bondage, 1934]

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Howard Meets Davis - Part One

[Leslie Howard on the set for Of Human Bondage, 1934]

Leslie Howard's initial experience with Bette Davis was one of disinterest and disapproval.

Howard was in England during the summer of 1933. Having completed Columbia's first film there, The Lady Is Willing (1934), Howard moved on to the Talbot Jennings play This Side Idolatry set in 1592 London with Howard acting as Shakespeare. According to Howard's daughter,

It's Love I'm After

It's Love I'm After is a 1937 film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland. It will be shown this weekend on TCM. [See your local listings]

Howard chose this film at the time because he thought it would be a break from stress. He had just finished his tour of Hamlet which he produced, directed and starred in. Although Howard decided to close the show on Broadway after only 39 performances, the tour was very successful. But Howard was tired. He thought a comedy would be just the thing to bring in some cash and relax with his family. Howard had already worked with Bette Davis in Of Human Bondage (1934) and The Petrified Forest (1936) and he was comfortable with her. He already has his mind on his next film, Pygmalion (1938), and was excited that he would be able to direct.

Here is the trailer for It's Love I'm After.

It's Love I'm After Trailer

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Programming Note

[Leslie Howard and Bette Davis
in The Petrified Forest, 1936]

The Petrified Forest to air on TCM on Friday, July 15, at 8:30 AM PST [Please check your local listings]

Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart reprise their roles from the stage play in which they appeared from January 7, 1935, through June 6, 1935, at the Broadhurst Theatre in NYC. Leslie Howard and Gilbert Miller produced the play in association with Arthur Hopkins. It ran for 197 performances. This two-act play was written by Robert E. Sherwood and adapted for the screen by Delmer Daves and Charles Kenyon.

The film marks a turning point in the career of Humphrey Bogart who had become very discouraged and told friends that if he didn't make it in Hollywood this time he was through. Thanks to the insistence of Leslie Howard, Bogart was offered the role of Duke Mantee, Bogart being so grateful he named his daughter after Mr. Howard. Howard had already had this honor bestowed on him once before when his friend William Gargan named his son after Howard in gratitude for jump starting his career.

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Programming Note

[Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland and
Bette Davis in It's Love I'm After, 1937]

It's Love I'm After to air on TCM on Saturday, July 9, at 3:15 AM PST [Please check your local listings]

Produced by Warner Brothers and directed by Archie Mayo, It's Love I'm After is a comedy which brings together Leslie Howard and Bette Davis for the third time. They appeared together previously in Of Human Bondage (1934) and The Petrified Forest (1936).

The film is about a pair of egotistical actors (Howard and Davis) who are in love but who have delayed their marriage over and over again throughout the years, mainly due to their heated arguments off stage. But the two finally agree that tonight is the night, until a young heiress (Olivia de Havilland) shows up and becomes totally infatuated with Leslie Howard. (I know that feeling.) Her fiancé (Henry Grant) pleads with Howard to discourage de Havilland and the wedding is delayed once again as Howard barges in at de Havilland's country home to show her just how obnoxious he can be.

The movie received good reviews and classic movie reviewers have come to recognize the film as undervalued and neglected.

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Leslie Howard As Seen By The Artist

"Life doesn't imitate art, it imitates bad television." ~ Woody Allen

[Caricature of Leslie Howard and Bette Davis in
The Petrified Forest, 1936, from Merrie Melodies'
She Was An Acrobat's Daughter, "The Petrified Florist,"
Supervision I. Freleng, Animation Bob McKimson
and A.C. Gamer]

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Acting vs. Horses

This week I have talked about Leslie Howard's dislike of acting vs. his love for horses. I am not one of those fortunate people who have spent my life around horses, but I know some who have. And those who have will tell you that people can learn a lot from horses. Horses challenge those who care for them to be better people. And horses are unpredictable. And, of course, horses are beautiful. All these qualities are opposite to Howard's feelings on acting.

Leslie Howard may not have liked acting, but just as he loved the beauty, challenge and unpredictability of horses, I love the beauty of his performances. I wish that Mr. Howard could have appreciated that his acting, for a great many people, was the same as his quiet talk to the horse that needed soothing.

Watching Leslie Howard on the screen is a beautiful thing. Just look at his eyes and you will see his despair after he kills Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable) to protect the woman he loves (Norma Shearer) in A Free Soul (1931). Or feel his resignation with every movement of his hands when he realizes his wife, Cee (Myrna Loy), is manipulating him with sex, not love, to get his money in The Animal Kingdom (1932). See the shock and hurt on his face when Mildred Rogers (Bette Davis) screams the words he feared but always expected to hear, "a cripple, A Cripple, A CRIPPLE," in Of Human Bondage (1934). And then, in just the turning of his head, see his surprise and then disappointment when he realizes that Scarlet (Vivien Leigh) would strip him of all his dignity without a second thought in Gone With The Wind (1939).

I wish that Leslie Howard could have enjoyed acting the way he enjoyed horses. I wish that he had found acting a challenge. I wish that acting for him had not been so predictable and boring. And I wish that Mr. Howard had realized the beauty in his performances and how much they meant to his fans then and how much they would still be enjoyed nearly 100 years later by people like me. I wish that Leslie Howard had realized that in his acting there was artistry.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

[Leslie Howard by Reginald G. Eves]

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One Woman

"I love all women; I love womankind. In the love of a good woman you have everything, all the wonders of the ages, the brown skinned girls who inflame your senses with the play; the cool, yellow-haired women who entice and escape you; the gentle ones who serve you; the slender ones who torment you; the mothers who bore and suckled you--all women whom God created out of the teeming fullness of the earth are yours in the love of one woman."

   ~ Leslie Howard

Leslie Howard and Bette Davis

in The Petrified Forest, 1936

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It's The Weekend!

Happy Friday, everyone!

[Leslie Howard and Bette Davis in
The Petrified Forest, 1936]

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The Petrified Forest - Focus: Humphrey Bogart

Leslie Howard, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Dick Foran and Genevieve Tobin in The Petrified Forest. Produced by Hal B. Wallis and Warner Brothers. Directed by Archie Mayo. Released February 6, 1936.

Howard had starred as Alan Squier, a doomed intellectual, in the 1935 Broadway production of The Petrified Forest and Warner Brothers wanted him to reprise that role in the film.

[Leslie Howard as Alan Squier in the stage play]

Jack Warner had intended to cast Edward G. Robinson in the role of Duke Mantee even though the part had been played by Humphrey Bogart on Broadway, thanks to Robert E. Sherwood who wrote the stage play and Arthur Hopkins, producer. When Howard learned of this he informed Warner Brothers that he would not play the part of Alan Squier unless Bogart played Mantee. According to author Eric Lax, Howard also held the trump card -- he controlled the film rights to The Petrified Forest.

Edward G. Robinson was ambivalent about the part anyway as he had already played gangsters in several films and didn't want to be typecast. Bogart was 37 at the time. He felt that he was finished with Broadway and his film career was at an end. He wanted to play the leading man but was only being cast in character parts and supporting roles. Leslie Howard persisted and Bogart was given the role. He was guaranteed three weeks' work and a ticket for the train to Hollywood. But he told friends that if he didn't make it this time he was through.

[Humphrey Bogart as Duke Mantee]

After watching a few of the dailies, Hal Wallis realized that Bogart was terrific in the part.

But Wallis noticed that Archie Mayo had been filming Bogart positioned in front of moose antlers which were hung on the wall behind him making it appear as though Bogie had sprouted horns. Mayo found it amusing; Wallis did not. When Hal Wallis saw this he fired off a memo to Henry Blanke, assistant director, ordering Archie Mayo to knock it off and reshoot those scenes. As evidenced by the below screen still, Mayo ignored the order. The Petrified Forest turned out to be Bogart's breakout film role.

[Leslie Howard, Humphrey Bogart and

Dick Foran in The Petrified Forest]

Humphrey Bogart never forgot Leslie Howard's loyalty, even naming his second child after Howard.

Official Trailer

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