Not many people think about the fashion involved in horror films. I personally think the fashion is an integral part of these gems. They set the mood for the wonderful scenes in the film. Who doesn't look at the suave Bela Lugosi and think Dracula? There is conflicting information about who created the iconic look, but Bela Lugosi is largely credited with popularizing the tuxedo and cape look. While actor Raymond Huntley apparently was the first to use this look in the 1924 London stage adaptation, not many people know it [1].
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| Over the Hill; 1931 |
Comebacks in the movies are attaining amazing proportions. The studios are apparently deciding that old screen names are the best, what with the failure of so many stage players. Faces you will soon be seeing again are those of Dolores Del Rio, Billie Dove, Agnes Ayres, Olga Baclanova, Anna May Wong, and, most notably, Mae Marsh. Mae, of course, plays the mother in Over the Hill, replacing Cecilia Loftus.
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| Mae Marsh |
Miss Marsh has never done a talkie. She was chosen because she was young and a mother. It was felt Miss Loftus, a veteran stage actress, would perhaps not be suited to the more youthful sequences in the picture.
[Source: Picture Play; July 1931]
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| Cecilia Loftus |
From what I can tell, these starlets tried, but Dolores Del Rio, Anna May Wong, and Mae Marsh had the most success, even though they often appeared in films un-credited. Cecilia Loftus was a well-known Scottish actress. She acted in 12 films, 3 in 1931. Unbeknownst to me, I have seen her in two films: The Old Maid with Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins and The Black Cat with Basil Rathbone and Bela Lugosi.
