Every Mother's Son is a lost 1918 silent war propaganda film produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation and directed by Raoul Walsh. "When the United States enters World War I, a mother sends her two eldest sons off to the battlefields with a smile, although her heart is breaking. She soon learns that the eldest is missing and the second son is wounded, however, and resolves to keep her youngest at home. The boy, due to the influence of pacifist literature, willingly accompanies his mother on a secret journey to their seaside home, but the father, ashamed that his son is a "slacker," discovers their whereabouts. The three are in the midst of a heated argument when the pitiful survivors of a ship destroyed offshore by a German U-boat come to the house seeking refuge. The mother and son realize the importance of the cause and the son enlists. At Christmas, all three sons come home, the eldest accompanied by his new French bride." —AFI
Print the Legend – Raoul Walsh "Walsh made his name in the west, and he tried to claim its rugged landscapes as his birthplace – sometimes he said Montana, sometimes Texas – but his actual origins were much more effete. He was born Albert Edward Walsh on 11 March 1887, the son of a wealthy New York clothing manufacturer. (His father, Thomas, supplied the uniforms Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders wore when they charged San Juan Hill.) When Walsh was 15, however, his mother died, a tragedy that would mark him for life. “I was quite unprepared for the sudden blow that left me motherless at fifteen”, he wrote, over 70 years later. “The terrible thing was that she was gone and I was only half a person.” "That is a startling admission, especially from a man who so frequently veiled his feelings behind a mask of stoicism, though fans of White Heat shouldn’t be too surprised. His father’s reaction was to send the boy packing, which sounds abominably callous and cruel, like something straight out of Dickens. In fact, it was just what Walsh wanted most: escape. He sailed to Havana with his uncle, and thence to Vera Cruz, where he learned to ride and rope from a horse trader named Ramirez. He joined a cattle drive and made his way north to Texas, finding work as a horse breaker, a gravedigger, an anesthetist, and a cowhand." (Read More)
Another birthday party for a crew member. This time on the set of Manpower (1941) with Marlena Dietrich. There seems to be an infestation of flying a's. The two boxes on the table are Kraft cheese boxes made of wood. Looks familiar.
My neighbor only has antenna TV (no cable or satellite), so repeats of The Tonight Show air every night at 10 p.m. on one of the "classic programs" channels. It's been wonderful to watch that show as an adult, sitting on the sofa with him on my laptop and wireless keyboard, and researching some of the guests. I've learnt a lot about the lives and careers of several of the era's greats. It's something I genuinely miss. It was a different era with higher expectations and a lot more class.
This picture has been a puzzle. If the identity of the 3rd man were known, it could be linked to a movie. Victor McLaglen, Raoul Walsh, ????, Edmund Lowe There are 2 possibilities. One is What Price Glory (1926) [see small image below]. The other is The Cock-eyed World (1929). I'm going with the cock-eyed movie, because Mr. Walsh lost his eye in 1928. I can't imagine him wearing an unnecessary eyepatch, but apparently it was hard to predict what he might do. I think this pic was posted already. It could be labeled incorrectly.
This is a behind the scenes picture of the working film crew. I cannot pick out Walsh, or figure out what movie they are shooting. Looks like a picnic!