Re: query: films about film actors lost in roles

From: Marty Norden [[email protected]]

Here's another late addition to this thread.  John Barrymore, who made
a huge name for himself in the 1920s with his stage interpretations of
Hamlet and Richard III, appeared in more than 60 films during his
career.  Alcoholism and other illnesses plagued him for much of that
time, and he hit nadir with what turned out to be his final film,
PLAYMATES (no connection to the Hefner empire).  In this 1941 film,
Barrymore played a broken-down, alcoholic, Shakespearean ham actor
named "John Barrymore."  Very sad, though his sit-down rendition of
the "To be or not to be" soliloquy is quite moving.  More info about
the film is here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034033/

--Marty Norden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Martin F. Norden
  Professor and Associate Chair, Communication Dept.
  409 Machmer Hall                           norden(at)comm.umass.edu
  University of Massachusetts Amherst        fax: 413 545-6399
  Amherst, MA  01003   USA                   vox: 413 545-0598
                Home page: http://people.umass.edu/norden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 --

 --