Garbo talked, Gilbert self-destructed and Chaplin refused - that's about all many people know about silent film actors who faced the transition into talking pictures. Yes, Greta Garbo's talkie debut was successful, John Gilbert's was disastrous, and Charlie Chaplin did not deign to make one for over a decade. But there were many others - both stars and lesser lights - who also made the leap for at least one talking film.From Renee Adoree to Loretta Young, over 500 actors and actresses who made at least three silent films and had some starring or supporting roles in sound films are included in this reference work. For each performer, the place of birth, vital dates, nicknames if any, real name if different from stage name, and a source for filmographic data are included. This information is followed by capsule accounts of the performer's silent and sound careers, along with contemporary reviews of selected talkies in which they appeared.

Although a major star in the 1910s, Theda Bara--known as "The Vamp"--was largely neglected until the 1990s, when her fame began to resurface. Since then, there have been biographies, documentaries and other works that have brought the silent film actress back into the spotlight, including a painstaking stills reconstruction of her lost epic Cleopatra.This is a complete examination of Bara's more than 40 films, as well as her theater and radio appearances, down to the smallest detail. With the vast majority of Bara's films considered lost, it is a particularly valuable resource for fans and scholars, and includes information about each film's genesis, director, plot, censorship problems, and critical and public reactions. Also included is a biographical overview, with many illuminating anecdotes.

The Ritz Brothers were a popular comedy trio in vaudeville, nightclubs, movies and television for more than four decades. Today largely overlooked among the classic comedy pantheon, they have been acknowledged as inspirations by such comics as Mel Brooks, Milton Berle, Jerry Lewis and Sid Caesar. This first full-length study of their work examines all the Ritz Brothers' feature films and short subjects 1934-1976, and their television appearances, with background information from the Twentieth Century-Fox archives. Contemporaneous and modern-day reviews and critiques are included.

Many important Broadway stars appeared in the cinema from its very earliest days. Many were 19th century stage idols who reprised their most famous roles as early as 1894, and who might have no other depiction of their work extant. One was born as early as 1829; another was appearing in the play at which Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. One took her stage name from her native state. There are many other fascinating stories. Some contemporary stars began their careers on Broadway as well; some are still appearing in the cinema today. This book discusses the careers of 300 performers in all theater and screen genres from tragedy to farce to musical comedy-and from one-reelers to epics. A few made only a single film, others hundreds. They all came from the Great White Way and eventually brought their talents to the screen. Each entry includes highlights of the performer's career and a selected stageography and filmography.

In 1922, an early association of film publicists known as the Western Associated Motion Picture Advertisers (Wampas) hit upon a strategy to call attention to their organization and their industry. The group selected 13 young actresses with potential star power and promoted them heavily as ""Baby"" (meaning junior) Stars. To be selected a Wampas Baby Star soon became a much-sought honor - a ticket to recognition and publicity in those days before the Academy Awards.While a few Baby Stars (Ginger Rogers, Joan Crawford) went on to superstardom and others enjoyed modest success, some failed to shine. Many of the nearly 150 actresses chosen during the program's existence, 1922-1934, are forgotten names today.This book offers full biographical details on every actress selected as a Wampas Baby Star. Each actress' entry traces her career and lists films in which she appeared. A year-by-year section lists each year's stars and alternates. Appendices include lists of rivals and successors to the Wampas Baby program (such as the ""Paramount Protegees""), Wampas ""Drop-Outs,"" presidents of Wampas, and miscellaneous facts about the Wampas Babies (which actress was tallest? Shortest? Oldest at time of selection?). Photographs, a bibliography and an index are included.

Music has been an important part of the film experience since the beginning, largely produced by tinny in-theater pianos and later by synchronized turntables and more sophisticated technology. But it was the talkie revolution that brought music to the forefront of feature filmmaking, and the explosive growth of musical films in the late 1920s enticed hordes of musical ensembles from radio, Broadway, vaudeville, and even opera to appear on the silver screen. In the 1930s and 1940s, big bands were the predominant musical groups featured in popular films, and a few had long-term contracts with the major studios - including Harry James at 20th Century-Fox and Tommy Dorsey and Xavier Cugat at MGM. By the 1950s and 1960s, musical films had largely evolved into thinly veiled frameworks on which to hang the popular music of the day - dominated by 'now' groups from the Beach Boys to the Supremes.This book discusses hundreds of musical groups which appeared in at least one film between 1929 and 1970, arranged alphabetically according to the way each group was billed on screen. Commonly occurring alternate forms of band names (for example, Hal Grayson's Orchestra and Hal Grayson and his Orchestra) are grouped together for ease of use. Most entries include a brief description of the musical group, a list of the main singers or performers, and when available, a list of the songs performed in each film. An appendix lists popular British groups which have appeared in American films, while a second appendix lists groups which, while neither singers nor instrumentalists, made significant contributions to the use of music in film (primarily dance duos but also acrobats, skaters, synchronized swimmers, and other specialty acts).

Each entry includes brief biographical and career data for the performer, with birthplace and year of birth and death. An overview of commercially published books and articles about or written by the performer is given next. The entry then provides a list of archival materials, including clipping files, photographs and stills, letters, scrapbooks and other memorabilia.