ARLISS ARCHIVES

The colorization of black and white photographs has come a long way since I first tried my hand at it over a decade ago. The software has improved quite a lot and the results are impressive. But make no mistake, the quality of the finished product depends in large part on the skill and judgment of the colorist.

Recently, I received a half dozen colorized portraits of George Arliss that were created by Alexander Marani-Binks. These are stunning and I promptly asked Mr. Marani-Binks for permission to post his work here on the Arliss Archives. Permission was graciously granted. Here more or less in chronological order are these splendidly eye-catching portraits of our beloved Mr. A.

This 1919 portrait is the earliest one of the group. Mr. A had made a name for himself by starring in DISRAELI for five consecutive years from 1911 to 1915, plus a revival in 1917. By 1919 he was appearing regularly in New York and toured extensively throughout the United States. But, alas, a play as long-running as DISRAELI eluded him.

In those years, before and after the First World War, Mr. A plied the Atlantic each year from London to New York to earn his living. Unsurprisingly, there are many photos of him shipboard during his trans-Atlantic journeys. This one dates from about 1923 where he traveled to London to star in the hit play, THE GREEN GODDESS, from September 1923 to September 1924.

During this time Mr. A also made a half-dozen silent films that were all critical and financial successes. By the end of the 1920s, a major breakthrough occurred with the sudden popularity of sound films, i.e., talking pictures. Mr. A made his talkie debut with his reliable old warhorse that never failed him, DISRAELI. The Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Science expressed its appreciation of his work in the film by presenting Mr. A with the Academy Award for Best Actor.

This film’s financial and critical success led to a series of ten feature films that Mr. A made for Warner Bros. One of his humorous stories was called A SUCCESSFUL CALAMITY released in 1932. Mr. A played the father of a family much in the way that Robert Young would play a similar role later in the long running television show, FATHER KNOWS BEST.

Though he was nearing 70, Mr. A decided to tackle network radio broadcasting in addition to filmmaking. In the 1930s network shows were performed “live” and the process could be nerve-racking for movie stars who were used to working in the privacy of a closed studio set. But since Mr. A had been performing “live” before audiences since the 1880s, broadcasting held no fear for him.

In this photo from January 17, 1938, Mr. A appears with fellow actor Edward Arnold on the hour-long “Lux Radio Theater” where he reenacted his famous role as British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli. In fact. most the 1929 film’s cast were reunited for this radio presentation including Mr. A’s wife, Florence, who had played the role of Mrs. Disraeli since 1911.

Finally, our review of some highlights in Mr. A’s professional life ends with this characteristic portrait of him with his beloved monocle. He admitted that early in his career the use of a monocle was merely to attract attention and was not needed for vision. But in later life, he realized that wearing his monocle had become a necessity that had a real purpose. Somehow, when anybody mentions George Arliss, this is the image that most people think of:

Once again, I want to thank Alexander Marani-Binks for allowing me to post his work here and also to assure him that any time he wishes to creates addition Arliss color portraits, they will always be welcomed here!