Maid of Salem: Witchcraft Era Filled Film Spotlight
Paramount jubilee film Maid of Salem presents the 1692 Salem witchcraft scare as a romantic drama. Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray star with a cast including Gale Sondergaard and Bonita Granville. Colbert plays Barbara Clarke, accused as witches as a fugitive lover hides near Salem. The climax reveals the hysteria as false testimony leads to death sentences, then the panic is exposed. Director Frank Lloyd chose Colbert after directing her in Under Two Flags.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Claudette Colbert
Fred MacMurray
Bonita Granville
Salem
Paramount
Frank Lloyd
Hollywood
Gale Sondergaard
Edward Ellis
Bennie Bartlett
Virginia Weidler
Beulah Bondi
Louise Dresser
E. E. Clive
Donald Meek
Miss Colbert
Barbara Clarke
MacMurray
Virginia
Lloyd
Harvey Stephens
Granville
Swing High Swing Low Gator Gift Dilemma
Carole Lombard contemplates how to handle two alligators sent by a Florida fan. The note frames a quirky entertainment moment amid fan generosity and celebrity life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Carole Lombard
Florida
MacMurray Keeps Mother Safe From Flu Absence
Fred MacMurray left the set of Swing High Swing Low after a doctor warned his mother had the flu. He spent an afternoon seeking a nurse to care for her.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fred MacMurray
Mitchell Leisen Appears in Swing High Swing On
Paramount director Mitchell Leisen breaks with his own policy to act in a scene of Swing High Swing On hoping the performer’s luck brings success. He joins a group of dancers in a night sequence for the film.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mitchell Leisen
Paramount
Hollywood Replaces New York as Home for Stars
Hollywood has become the permanent base for many actors, shifting from New York as a stopping-off place. Claudette Colbert, after early Paramount work in Astoria, now plans Beverly Hills residence and treats New York as an occasional visit. Mary Boland also moved from Broadway to Hollywood life, visiting New York only for rare stage appearances.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hollywood
New York
Claudette Colbert
Paramount
Astoria
Frank Liloyd
Beverly Hills
Mary Boland
Villain Actors See Fan Mail Drop in Response to Roles
Har vey Stephens, who plays the principal menace in Paramounts Murder Goes To College, notes fans send more mail for sympathetic parts and much less for villain roles. He says public perception hinges on on screen behavior, shaping fan responses.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harvey Stephens
Paramount
Mary Pickford Signs Record 1916 Contract With Zukor
Mary Pickford, then the box office star of Famous Players, agreed to a two year guaranteed deal worth 1 040 000 with a 300 000 signing bonus. The contract included exclusive publicity for Mary and a dedicated studio space, car transport, and control over story and cast selections.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mary Pickford
Adolph Zukor
Mary
Zukor
Famous Players
Charles Chaplin
Chaplin
Mutual
American Tobacco Company
William Randolph Hearst
Albert E. Smith
Vitagraph, Et al
California
Greater
New York
Hollywood
Loving Couple Contract Spurs Large Zukor Bill Rise
A historical note recalls a Loving Couple contract adding 0,000 for work from May 9 to June 24 while she was not on the Zukor payroll. The Chaplin contract with Freuler raised Mary’s weekly services to Mr. Zukor from 4,000 to over 11,000 plus transport and studio costs, about 13,000 weekly, twenty years ago.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Zukor
Chaplin
Freuler
Mary
Emanuel Cohen signs Bee Lillie for three films in Hollywood
Emanuel Cohen signs Beat rice Lillie a star of continental and American stages for three motion pictures to be completed within a year. Miss Lillie arrives in Hollywood early July to begin her first musical production tentatively titled English Derby.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Emanuel Cohen
Beatrice “Bee” Lillie
Miss Lillie
Hollywood
Claudette Colbert Buys New Town Car After Film Finish
Claudette Colbert celebrates completing her film Maid of Salem by purchasing a new town car. Her current car has served six years of steady duty.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Salem
Claudette Colbert
Adolph Zukor Honored At Paramounts Silver Jubilee Dinner
Paramount Pictures marked its twenty fifth anniversary by honoring Adolph Zukor at a studio banquet attended by national exhibitors and industry leaders. Will Hays presided with Cecil B DeMille. Jack Benny hosted, with performances by Bing Crosby Carole Lombard and others. The gathering celebrated Zukors quarter century as a producer.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Paramount Pictures
Adolph Zukor
Middle West
A. H. Blank
Tri-States Theater Corporation
Mr. Blank
Iowa
Nebraska
Ilinois
Frank Walker
Comerford
Pennsylvania
M. A. Lightman
Malco Theaters
Southern Circuit
E. V. Richards
Saenger Theaters
Zukor
Will Hays
MPPDA
Cecil B. DeMille
Hays
Mr. Zukor
Also Mentioned on This Page
Lloyd Directed
Colbert and MacMurray
Arente
Roca
Bob Burns
Martha Raye
Waikiki
Bing Crosby
Rytee Eee
Tappan
Bill Brown
Hartman's
THE
Hartman’s
Paramount Theater
WMT
Beatrice Lillie
Roosevelt
Florentine
Anatole Karen Morley
Warren William and
Lewis Stone
WM. S. Cadow
Mgr
W.M.T
Jack Benny
Eleanor Whitney
the Paramount
Cedar Rapids & Marion City Railway
New Spring
Rosenbaum’s
Harold Lloyd
Jobyna Ralston
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!