George Arliss never was misguided in all the
pictures he made. At least I never observed him so. Audiences wouldn't have
stood him making a wrong move. I enjoy Arliss because he always takes the smart turn, has always the ideal retort, with never less than a grand scheme to put situations right. And he's divinely funny in the doing. Not ha-ha or falling down,
but understated in ways that flatter our intelligence. I think the secret of
Arliss popularity was that he made viewers feel good about themselves. He
elevated the mob rather than letting them pull him down. Control of
vehicles increased as each came back with profit, Arliss as sure a grossing
thing as Warners had during the early 30's, and not just among hoi-polloi and
carriage trade --- you'd not imagine sowatching today, but his stuff clicked
in the sticks. Arliss was down-to-earth enough to remind everyone of Granddad
or whatever font of local wisdom they knew. He was not for a moment a remote
figure, despite time-to-time frock coats and monocle.
If Arliss had a comedy counterpart, it might
have been W. C. Fields, only GA was more benign, his a tolerant approach to
knaves and stuff-shirts that Fields would rail mightily,futilely, against.
Arliss had sly way of insulting a man without his knowing he'd been insulted.
In fact, no one got the wink save us in the dark, George knowing these fools
won't get the gag, but we will. What actor took viewership so much
into his confidence? It wasn't just stagecraft learned and then
transferred to screens. This was Arliss knowing exactly where advantage lay in
movies as opposed to theatre, and using them like none so far had. What he
didn't realize (or maybe he did) was that no one afterward would duplicate the
trick, no matter that all his devices were plain as dayto look at and
learn from. I regret that young thesps aren't taught him today. If they were,
maybe we'd get more distinctive performing. Trouble is, Arliss is such an odd
duck to look at, plus all his movies are old, as in real old, and try getting
actor school types to look at these when they could study trendier stuff in
color. I'm not proposing that Arliss be duplicated --- that's not doable anyway
--- but there are sure methods, useful ones, that could be learned.
TheMillionaire is modern-set comedy, GA's first
such with sound, him a tycoon car-maker put but briefly to pasture before
earning a new fortune on wit and daring (another basis of popularity: Arliss
was virtually a how-to for upward-mobility). The Millionaire is Dodsworth arrived
early, but airy and less the heavy lift of Goldwyn/Wyler's 1936 go. Arliss is
told by doctors to slow down, which he doesn't, is pushed by his
board-of-directors to build low-grade engines, which he won't. We know all
along that Arliss is right, and enjoy immensely his proving it. His was career-long dispersal of common sense. That said, I'd compare Arliss also to Will
Rogers, an aristocrat v. rustic, but otherwise suppingfrom a same well. Arliss
played a lot of rich men, but never one we'd dislike. He's still the best
argument for capitalism we have, but who's watching? TCM plays his stuff, but
sporadic. There needs to be more of him, maybe a George Arliss Wine Of The
Month selection, or a GA-branded monocle among TCM knick-knacks available from
their website. A few Arliss films are on DVD from Warner Archive, but not so far The
Millionaire. TCM had a recent run --- this one could use a fresh transfer ---
not that seeing/hearing Arliss isn't gracious plenty, but let's have more of
his upgraded to HD (so far there are two I've noticed --- The Working Man and
The Man Who Played God).
Agree Arlis should be wider shown, but please, no TCM "wine pairing" -- the "trio of grapes" making up the Marx Brothers blend is sufficiently absurd. The cruises are bad enough, but the "wine club" has to be the dumbest, most cynical money-grab in TCM history. (And I say this as a TCM addict since the first broadcast...)
In "The King's Vacation" he's sort of wrong. Removed from the throne, he happily returns to a long-ago love and finds she's a snobbish social butterfly and not really his type any more. He gratefully returns to his former queen.
But he does sort out his daughter's romance, helps her boyfriend with an invention, and enlightens the revolutionary who'll eventually displace him.
He's definitely an odd looking bird however everything I have seen him in has not only been but also, and more importantly, left a good impression. Triumph of substance over looks, style, call it what you will. Remember those were the days when movie theaters sat thousands not hundreds. In A MILLION AND ONE NIGHTS AT THE MOVIES Terry Ramsaye described the audience for motion pictures as between 11 and 30, primarily between 14 and 24. Same age group today. We have more people today. Less of us are going to the movies. Don't blame that lack of interest on TV, home video, or what have you. The people in those age brackets live to go out. They are going out. As well, to them, money is no object. In fact, the more something costs the more they want it. The movies have lost their audience BIG TIME.
I think it was Scott Eyman who said Arliss resembled one of the higher amphibians - no surprise WB cartoons caricatured him as a turtle. The matchmaking on the side seemed to be a common thread in his films. I'd love to see more of him. I've only watched DR. SYN, and he was great in that. He does come across as a delightful old gent.
Interesting, but it leaves out the occasional Arliss villain (most notably, the Green Goddess), who is definitely not benign. In fact, I think Arliss, in his villain mode, lives on in all those terribly polite villains who cloak their evil in very good manners. See, in particular, Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lector.
8 Comments:
Agree Arlis should be wider shown, but please, no TCM "wine pairing" -- the "trio of grapes" making up the Marx Brothers blend is sufficiently absurd. The cruises are bad enough, but the "wine club" has to be the dumbest, most cynical money-grab in TCM history. (And I say this as a TCM addict since the first broadcast...)
Arliss does resemble millionaire John D. Rockefeller. I wonder if that fact had any influence in the casting.
In "The King's Vacation" he's sort of wrong. Removed from the throne, he happily returns to a long-ago love and finds she's a snobbish social butterfly and not really his type any more. He gratefully returns to his former queen.
But he does sort out his daughter's romance, helps her boyfriend with an invention, and enlightens the revolutionary who'll eventually displace him.
Very insightful piece, John. I should watch more Arliss than I do.
He's definitely an odd looking bird however everything I have seen him in has not only been but also, and more importantly, left a good impression. Triumph of substance over looks, style, call it what you will. Remember those were the days when movie theaters sat thousands not hundreds. In A MILLION AND ONE NIGHTS AT THE MOVIES Terry Ramsaye described the audience for motion pictures as between 11 and 30, primarily between 14 and 24. Same age group today. We have more people today. Less of us are going to the movies. Don't blame that lack of interest on TV, home video, or what have you. The people in those age brackets live to go out. They are going out. As well, to them, money is no object. In fact, the more something costs the more they want it. The movies have lost their audience BIG TIME.
I think it was Scott Eyman who said Arliss resembled one of the higher amphibians - no surprise WB cartoons caricatured him as a turtle. The matchmaking on the side seemed to be a common thread in his films. I'd love to see more of him. I've only watched DR. SYN, and he was great in that. He does come across as a delightful old gent.
Interesting, but it leaves out the occasional Arliss villain (most notably, the Green Goddess), who is definitely not benign. In fact, I think Arliss, in his villain mode, lives on in all those terribly polite villains who cloak their evil in very good manners. See, in particular, Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lector.
One of the most mindboggling things about Arliss movies is that you're watching a 19th-century stage actor in the 21st-century. And he still holds up!
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