Moira the Morlock

[jdb1]

Moira, I just read your Henry Daniell post on TCM. Fascinating. Thanks so much.

You know, now that I think of it, Alan Rickman's reading of Prof. Snape in the Harry Potter series smacks very heavily of Daniell, no? Even the way he moves -- Daniell had a way of gliding around.

Daniell was one of those baddies who almost made us in the audience feel guilty for finding him attractive. He was such a rat, and yet . . . .

But Bankhead and Daniell? I'm having trouble picturing it. Of course where Tallulah was concerned there were no boundaries.

[moira finnie]

Thanks for the encouragement, Judith. Henry Daniell has been one of my favorite actors of the studio period forever. You're right, btw, he does glide when he moves. I've been trying to find out everything I can about the guy for a couple of years.

I also see what you mean about Alan Rickman, who often "knows" that he's the smartest person in any room he is in, and can't help showing his disdain for the mere mortals cluttering up his landscape. I just wish that Rickman had more opportunities on screen. Speaking of which, an uncharacteristic part that I loved Rickman in was Truly, Madly, Deeply(1990) with Juliet Stevenson--an appropriate and entertaining choice for Halloween, perhaps?

Part II of the Henry Daniell article, should appear next Wednesday, if the creek don't rise...

I wouldn't be too surprised by Tallulah Bankhead's appeal when young, either. She was quite lovely once, and, according to several sources, wasn't always the tough cookie she appeared to have been. I can see her causing a few elegant men's heads to turn back in the '20s. Too bad that time, self-indulgence and her discernment seemed to seriously waver later. Here's an unusual picture of her around then, vamping it up, wouldn't you say?:

[jdb1]

I can't call Tallulah's appeal into question, Moira. She was lovely and vivacious as a youngster, and was educated and articulate as well. What I'm thinking is that she would have probably tired of Daniell very quickly, or at least even more quickly than she tired of most of her men. They simply couldn't keep up with her.

Great photo.

[Jezebel38]

Moira - I had no interest in the TCM Morlock Blog's until it was announced that you would be participating, and after looking around there a bit, IMO your's are the best of the bunch. My goodness woman - such extensively researched and anectdote filled articles! The Garden of Allah - I always wanted to know the scoop on that place - and Joan Fontaine's lesser films, and now Mr. Daniell - all subjects of great interest for me.

[MikeBSG]

I also liked your article on Henry Daniell. He was good in so many things, apart from the films you mentioned, like the nosy neighbor in "The Suspect" and a solicitor in "Witness for the Prosecution."

In the Sixties, he often turned up in the first season of "Thriller," a horror show hosted by Boris Karloff. In "Well of Doom," Daniell sported make-up like Lon Chaney's in "London After Midnight." "Well of Doom" and "Prisoner in the Mirror," in which Daniell played the famous magaician Cagliostro, were the Thriller epiodes that gave him the most to do. Usually, as in "The Cheaters" or "The Grim Reaper," Daniell was only in the first scene of the episode, to start the curse that would then play out in the modern era.

[MissGoddess]

Henry Daniell has been one of my favorite actors of the studio period forever

Yet another interest we share, Moira. By the way---I often forget to check into the Morlock forum so I may have missed any other articles you've done since the one on Roger Livesey---please let me know if I have. Now I will trip off to read about my beloved "Toddy". The Body Snatcher, may I add, was the movie that like a revelation showed me what an extraordinary actor Daniell was. I actually felt sympathy for his character! I don't know who else could have done that so UNEXPECTEDLY. What I mean to say is an actor playing the role who was known for playing sympathetic parts wouldn't have surprised me, but Henry Daniell? Mr. Brockelhurst???????????????

[jdb1]

Hi, Moira

This is to let you know that I very much enjoyed your piece on Charles Boyer - it's fascinating, and I look forward to more. It seems to me that Boyer may have been popular and famous for the wrong reason, but that's probably the fault of studio PR.

A few months ago I saw an old, damaged print of a 1950s drama - maybe it was "Four Star Theater," or something like it, which was shown on one of our local cable stations as filler. In it, Boyer played a suave, cold, stingy businessman who had forgotten the True Meaning of Christmas. Of course he remembered it just in time. But Boyer was very, very good in this simplisitic half-hour show, playing a character, not playing Boyer. And who could forget his comic turn, making fun of his own image, on I Love Lucy?

I'd love to read more from you about Boyer - perhaps a select filmography, so we can watch for more excellent Boyer performances.

Thanks again for your good Morlocking. JDB

[raftfan]

Yes, Moira, many thanks for providing some entertaining insight into the enigmatic yet immensely talented Henry Daniell. He's in my top three of all-time favorite character actors. Will watch ANYTHING that he is in. Yet outside of the little that Greg Mank offered in his "Karloff and Lugosi", I know hardly anything about him - though he is one actor that I'm always trying to find info on. Was glad to read in a recent Gabe Dell, Jr. interview that Mr. Daniell was NOT into the "dark side", as had been previously reported. But he sure could play the part.

[moira finnie]

Thank you so much, Judith and Raftfan.

Your kind words came like manna from heaven on a perfectly awful workday! Not only did I have a rough day in the real world, but half my article on Mr. Boyer and many of the photos that I'd used for previous articles disappeared overnight due to a software glitch! I've just finished replacing the "lost part" of the Boyer article (always make copies of everything), and started to replace the pics, but you guys make me think it may really be worth trying to be better each time.

I really think that Boyer deserves a second look by contemporary audiences. He's a wonderful actor and much more complex an actor than "The Great Lover" figure that he's often regarded.

I delight in Henry Daniell's films too, raftfan. I've always thought that there was an element of humor as well as underlying loneliness in many of his characterizations. Though he was often relegated to two dimensional roles emphasizing menace, his acting was rich with nuance. He also had great style, a commodity that is all too rare.

Thanks again for your generosity.

[MissGoddess]

I'm going to make a point of reading your Boyer article, Moira---I've always loved this actor, and would like to think TCM will make him their Star of the Month one day. Maybe they would even air History is Made at Night, one of his neglected romantic gems.

[jdb1]

I recommend that you all take a look at Moira's piece on Dorothy McGuire.

Moira, I think you have captured very eloquently the appeal of this very fine and woefully underrepresented actress. She played many of the same types of role given to Jane Wyman, but IMO she showed far more subtlety and far more luminosity than Wyman could ever muster.

McGuire had a rather genteel surface to her, but could bring out underlying strength and intensity when needed, sometimes surprising us with the force beneath her seemingly understated personality. I've always thought of McGuire as an American-born counterpart to Ingrid Bergman. I think she could have easily handled the parts Bergman played. Unfortunately, she rarely got roles at that level.

I'm looking forward to your next installment.