The Phantom Stage

Part of the Paris Opera House set from the 1925 version of "The Phantom of the Opera," starring Lon Chaney. The set is preserved inside its original stage, a historical landmark, on the Universal Studios backlot.

Do I hear the wind
or the whisper of genius?
Echo the spirit.



The same piece of scenery (at right) as it appeared in the film.

Buster Keaton

Buster Keaton as Johnny Gray, taking on the Union Army from the front end of a moving train, in "The General" (1926).

War, twisters, the sea...
There exists no foe too grand
for The Great Stoneface.



FILMED BEFORE THE DAYS OF SPECIAL AND DIGITAL EFFECTS: Yes, he really did this.




Anything for a laugh!

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CAMERAS WERE HAND CRANKED: The performance sequences were achieved through real-time multiple exposures by masking off areas of the lens, backing up the undeveloped film and shooting each position individually, over and over. There was no video playback, no means of checking what was being done. It was all accomplished with an impeccable sense of timing on the part of both subject and cameraman.

Cate Blanchett

A publicity photo of Cate Blanchett.

A masterpiece act,
she paints rich characters of
cinematic art.

The Thin Man

Actor William Powell played retired (supposedly) detective Nick Charles in six "Thin Man" movies, dating from 1934 to 1947.

Cocktails and intrigue...
It seems this former sleuth can't
sit on his "Asta."



THE PRINCIPAL CAST OF "THE THIN MAN" SERIES: Myrna Loy as Nora Charles, William Powell as Nick Charles and, of course, their dog Asta.


One would never guess that prohibition had been repealed not long before, making the availability of liquor a novelty.

Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle

Comedian-Writer-Director Roscoe Arbuckle was one of the most beloved performers of the 1910s. He served as a mentor to Charles Chaplin and was instrumental in bringing to film the talents of Buster Keaton and Bob Hope.

The gossip columns
demonized a gentle soul,
and killed a career.



In 1921, Arbuckle was accused falsely of committing homicidal rape against model-actress Virginia Rappe and became the subject of a gossip-fueled, highly sensationalized scandal that played out on the pages of the tabloid press. Although acquitted of all charges, his career, public image and personal life never recovered. He died of a heart attack in 1933 at age 46.

Sign Of Disillusion

On September 16, 1932, Broadway Actress Peg Entwistle (also known by the stage name Mary Cecilia Brown) leaped to her death from The Hollywood Sign's letter H, after her first (and only) film with RKO Pictures, "Thirteen Women," received bad reviews in test screenings.

Somehow, Mary Brown
failed to see the wisdom in,
"Look before you leap."



The Hollywood Sign as it appeared in 1923. The last four letters were removed in 1949.


BROWN/ENTWISTLE'S DEATH CERTIFICATE: Sadly, she never got to read the letter offering her a starring role in a Beverly Hills Playhouse production that arrived only days following her suicide.


A rare clip of Peg Entwistle performing as Hazel Cousins in "Thirteen Women" (1932).

An Early Start

Every actor reporting to set knows this sight: the back door and liftgate of the wardrobe trailer. For secondary performers, it is often the next stop after check-in.

Four a.m. call time.
Gotta be ready to roll
just before first light.

Christina Ricci

A publicity photo of Christina Ricci.

The doe-eyed wonder —
brilliant each day of the week
and not just Wednesday.

Pink

A publicity photo of Pink.

Tattooed butterfly —
The poise of a graceful bird,
with a wildcat's verve.



(Clip Copyright © 2010 NARAS)

Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire as he appeared in "You'll Never Get Rich" (1941), a film in which he co-starred opposite Rita Hayworth.

He floats 'cross the floor
like poetry in motion.
Gravity defied.