Category: Performers

Roland Young

RADA-trained Roland Young (1897-1953) acted on the British stage before working extensively on Broadway.

Young served with the US Army during the latter part of the First World War, then made his screen debut playing Watson to John Barrymore’s Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes (1922). He signed a contract with MGM in 1929, and was again opposite Barrymore in his first sound film, The Unholy Night (1929). Young was rarely top billed, but was a very effective character actor.

Young appeared in three musicals in quick succession in the early 30s: Madam Satan (hosting the crazed zeppelin party), New Moon (as a tramp) and The Prodigal (as a Russian Count).

After 1932, Young worked freelance, returning to Metro to play Uriah Heep in David Copperfield (1935). He was nominated for an Oscar for playing Topper (1937), a role he returned to in two sequels. The size of his roles was less during the 1940s, but he was always a reliable supporting player. He also performed on television in the early 50s.

May 31, 2026
Lillian Roth

Lillian Rutstein (1910-80) was a talented and charismatic performer who is probably, and unjustly, most remembered today for the alcoholism that was at the centre of the biopic I’ll Cry Tomorrow (1955), in which she was played by Susan Hayward.

Roth made her debut on Broadway at the age of seven. After working in vaudeville in an act with her sister, she was back on Broadway. Roth lied about her age and, at 13, was cast in Artists and Models, a show famous for its nudity.

Roth’s stage career went into abeyance after Ernst Lubitsch cast her in a prominent role in The Love Parade (1930), teaming her with Lupino Lane. In the same year, she played Trixie in MGM’s Madam Satan. Roth expanded her range in 1933 in Barbara Stanwyck’s prison drama Ladies They Talk About.

Roth’s career went into decline owing to her alcoholism, but was revived by the film of her 1954 autobiography and she worked steadily, playing on Broadway and in touring shows and concerts. She made her last film in 1979.

May 31, 2026
Reginald Denny

A screen career that begins in 1915 at Famous Players-Lasky under the direction of Edwin S Porter, and ends playing Commodore Schmidlapp in the 1966 Batman picture, can be called a career. And such was the life of Reginald Leigh Dugmore (1891-1967).

Denny started out as a stage actor in the United Kingdom, travelling to America and elsewhere on theatrical tours. It has been suggested he may have appeared on screen as early as 1911, but no titles have been suggested. He played the leads in many silent films, including in Leather Pushers, a series of boxing shorts made in 1922-23. The makers of the series had a liking for punning titles like The Taming of the Shrewd (1922) and Barnaby’s Grudge (1923).

Denny transitioned to character roles in the 1930s, though he was the romantic lead in his two MGM musicals, Madam Satan and A Lady’s Morals. Later on, he played Algy in several Bulldog Drummond pictures, giving a more low-key performance than Claude Allister. He was also Maxim’s estate manager and friend in Rebecca (1940).

Reginald Denny was an aeroplane gunner during the First World War, and had a lifelong interest in aviation. This included not only flying full-size planes (he worked as a stunt pilot on at least one occasion), but also models. He designed a remote-controlled ‘drone’ which was used by the US Army in the Second World War, and also established Reginald Denny’s Hobby Shop on Hollywood Boulevard (where Marilyn Monroe worked as a teenager).

May 31, 2026
Kay Johnson

Catherine Townsend Johnson (1904-75) studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and starred in many Broadway productions, predominantly serious dramas, throughout the 1920s.

Following her marriage to director John Cromwell, Johnson moved to Los Angeles in 1928. She was brought to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by Cecil B DeMille, who had himself only just moved to the studio, to star in Dynamite (1929), his first sound picture.

Johnson went on to make regular film appearances, including as the title character in DeMille’s Madam Satan, but only made 23 in total, most of them in the pre-code era. She also continued to appear on the stage, returning to Broadway in 1947 in the original production of State of the Union.

Johnson worked less in the 40s and 50s, devoting time to raising her sons, one of whom was the actor James Cromwell.

May 31, 2026

Madam Satan

The Cast

Kay Johnson	Angela Brooks
Reginald Denny	Bob Brooks
Lillian Roth	Trixie
Roland Young	Jimmy Wade
Elsa Petersen	Martha
Jack King	Herman
Eddie Prinz	Biff (as Edward Prinz)
Boyd Irwin	Zeppelin Captain
Wallace MacDonald	First Mate
Tyler Brooke	Romeo
Ynez Seabury	Babo
Theodore Kosloff	Electricity
Julanne Johnston	Miss Conning Tower
Martha Sleeper	Fish Girl
Doris McMahon	Water
Vera Marshe	Call of the Wild (as Vera Marsh)
Albert Conti	Empire Officer
Earl Askam	Pirate
Rina De Liguoro	Spain (as Countess De Liguoro)
Katharine Irving	Spider Girl
Lotus Thompson	Eve
Aileen Ransom	Victory
Abe Lyman	Abe Lyman
Wilson Benge	Zeppelin Butler (uncredited)
Mary Carlisle	Little Bo Peep (uncredited)
Phyllis Crane	Girl in parked car (uncredited)
Edwards Davis	Henry VIII (uncredited)
Marie Deauville	Mrs. High Hat (uncredited)
Betty Francisco	Little Rolls Riding Hood (uncredited)
Lorimer Johnston	The Butler (uncredited)
Wilfred Lucas	Roman Senator (uncredited)
Louis Natheaux	Arabian Prince (uncredited)
June Knight	Confusion (uncredited)
Dorothy Vernon	Maggie – the Cook (uncredited)
Rita	Dancer in Ballet Mechanique (uncredited)
Rubin	Dancer in Ballet Mechanique (uncredited)
Sethma Williams	Dancer (uncredited)
Allan Lane	Zeppelin Majordomo (uncredited)
Bud Geary	Zeppelin Crewman (uncredited)
Katherine DeMille	Zeppelin Reveler (uncredited)
Ann Dvorak	Zeppelin Reveler (uncredited)
Earl McCarthy	Zeppelin Reveler (uncredited)
Dave O’Brien	Zeppelin Reveler (uncredited)
Philip Sleeman	Zeppelin Reveler (uncredited)
Ann Sothern	Zeppelin Reveler (uncredited)
Ann Roth	Zeppelin Reveler (uncredited)
Nora Lane	Zeppelin Reveler (uncredited)
Margaret Swope	Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Youcca Troubetzkov	Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Jack Byron	Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Judith Arlen	Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Dorothy Dehn	Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Kenneth Gibson	Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Vera Gordon	One of Henry VIII’s wives (uncredited)
Ella Hall	The Mantilla (uncredited)
Henry Stockbridge	Butterfly Man (uncredited)
Natalie Storm	One of Henry VIII’s wives (uncredited)
June Nash	Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Mary McAllister	Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Elvira Lucianti	Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Kasha Haroldi	One of Henry VIII’s wives (uncredited)
Natalie Visart	Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Cecil B DeMille	Radio Newscaster (voice) (uncredited)

May 30, 2026

Earl ‘Snakehips’ Tucker

Earl Tucker (1906-37) was a popular dancer who took his name from the eccentric style of dancing he performed at, among other top venues, the Cotton Club.

Tucker did not invent the dance style, as is often claimed, but he was certainly its leading practitioner in the early 20th century. It involved the ability to sway from the hips rhythmically, creating the impression of a snake’s movements. A Black folk dance style, it was one of many aspects of Black culture purloined by Elvis Presley.

Tucker died very young and only appeared in a couple of musical shorts and, most significantly, performing the first solo dance in an MGM musical, uncredited as a bellboy in Love in the Rough. He is also believed to have filmed a routine for the uncompleted The March of Time.

May 29, 2026
Jack Raymond

Early in his career, George Feder (1901-51) had some good supporting roles in silent pictures, most notably Josef Von Sternberg’s The Last Command (1928).

From 1930 onwards, however, virtually all of Raymond’s 130+ appearances were without credit.

Four of these were in MGM musicals. He started in Love in the Rough, as Benny Rubin’s friend from the old country. Following that, he was in Babes in Toyland (as a bogeyman), Here Comes the Band and Broadway Serenade.

Jack Raymond should not be confused with the British actor and director of the same name, who was his contemporary.

May 27, 2026
Broderick O’Farrell

George William Broderick O’Farrell (1882-1955) had the rare privilege of making his first film in his hometown (Angelenos excluded, of course). Portland in Oregon was home to the American Lifeograph Company, the brainchild of some local filmmakers. It only produced about five pictures in as many years (1915-20), but still gave O’Farrell his break in The Golden Trail (1920), which was co-directed by Jean Hersholt. The company’s facilities were also used by other filmmakers.

O’Farrell eventually relocated to Los Angeles, and by 1949 had appeared in more than 200 films. He was in some very good features, but always uncredited.

He turned up in seven MGM musicals. Love in the Rough was followed by Flying High, Nobody’s Baby, Born to Sing, Ship Ahoy, Music for Millions and Two Sisters from Boston.

May 27, 2026
Donald Novis

The family of Donald George Novis (1906-66) emigrated from the UK to the USA when he was a very small child. Aged 22, Novis won a national singing competition, after which he pursued a career in singing and acting.

After securing a small role in Bulldog Drummond (1929), Novis appeared in around 30 pictures, frequently as a singer. Two such appearances were in Love in the Rough and Flying High. He later sang ‘Love is a Song’ in Bambi. (1941).

Novis also worked on Broadway, but was probably most active as a singer with big bands, both in live performances and on radio. From 1932-34 he led his own orchestra.

May 27, 2026
Wilbur Mack

George Frear Runyon (1873-1964) made his stage debut aged 16 and achieved success in vaudeville doing comedy double acts with both his first and second wives. The act can be seen in a Vitaphone short called An Everyday Occurrence (1929).

Mack made his first film in 1925 and racked up well over 400 appearances. He started out in featured supporting roles, but the quality of his parts declined in the talking era.

Nonetheless, Mack made uncredited appearances in no fewer than twenty-two MGM musicals between 1930 and 1956: Love in the Rough, Going Hollywood, A Night at the Opera, San Francisco, A Day at the Races, Broadway Melody of 1938, Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry, Rio Rita, Thousands Cheer, Broadway Rhythm, Two Girls and a Sailor, Thrill of a Romance, Ziegfeld Follies, The Barkeleys of Broadway, Nancy Goes to Rio, The Great Caruso, The Band Wagon, Kiss Me Kate, Easy to Love, Athena, The Glass Slipper and The Opposite Sex.

May 27, 2026