Violet Kemble Cooper in Horror Film Stars Forum

0 Points

Forum Jump

Violet Kemble Cooper

Author	Comment
Helrunar	Violet Kemble Cooper	Lead	[-]
May 4 12 11:52 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Am I the only classic horror fan who finds the performances of Violet Kemble Cooper especially memorable? We all know her as Mother Rukh in the Invisible Ray (Karloff/Lugosi, '36), but she's also a standout as Jane Murdstone in David Copperfield. I know I've seen her in a few other films as well... just jotting a note here in case somebody else out there has noticed her and wishes to comment. H.
	Remove this ad
Wich2		#1	[-]
May 5 12 9:34 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	With you there, H. She's genuinely touching in RAY. And as you say, fine in COPPERFIELD. I got to meet author Micheal Patrick Hearn recently, and we both bemoaned the fact that Lionel Barrymore never filmed his "Scrooge" - as well as the fact that the MGM CAROL had not been a Selznick picture. Violet was fine in his ROMEO, too; but left films soon after, though she lived on for decades. -Craig
Elisabeth		#2	[-]
May 5 12 1:19 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Violet Kemble Cooper was absolutely wonderful. My favourite, was of course, 'Mother Rukh'. She was totally believable as Karloff's mother with her deep, musical voice. "E" Your Signature ... "....I do hope he won't upset Henry..."
TomWeaver999		#3	[-]
May 5 12 6:27 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	She IS believable as Karloff's mother -- even though she looks like George Washington in a dress, and even though she was almost exactly Karloff's age. She was married to a screenwriter and even worked with him (without credit) on a script, the great 1936 Howard Hawks WWI movie THE ROAD TO GLORY. And I Googled a bit and found a few photos where she looks kinda attractive circa INVISIBLE RAY time. I'm reminded that earlier this week, I showed a few minutes of SCOTLAND YARD INVESTIGATOR (1944) to the Bruni and asked them to identify an attractive, charming older lady in a wheelchair in one scene. They couldn't. I couldn't have either, if someone had sprung the scene on me the way I sprung it on the Bruni. It was THE OLD DARK HOUSE's Eva Moore. Last Edited By: TomWeaver999 May 5 12 6:29 PM. Edited 1 times.
PhantomXCI		#4	[-]
May 5 12 7:01 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	TomWeaver999 wrote: I showed a few minutes of SCOTLAND YARD INVESTIGATOR (1944) to the Bruni and asked them to identify an attractive, charming older lady in a wheelchair in one scene. I think this is the first time in history that the words "Attractive" and "Eva Moore" have ever been used in the same sentence.
Rick		#5	[-]
May 5 12 8:12 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Just did a little checking in on Violet Kemble Cooper’s Broadway career. All this info is from the Internet Broadway Database. Violet’s Broadway career stretched from 1912 to 1934, 23 years in which she appeared in 23 productions. One a year. Nowadays one would think she was in nothing but flops, but shows didn’t run nearly as long back then. Some of ‘em were bombs, no doubt, with runs of 7, 8,12,16, and 23 performances. She was in PEG O’ MY HEART which was a major hit (over 600 performances), but she was a replacement, so wasn’t in the show for the whole run. THE COMMAND TO LOVE ran about 250 performances and she was there the whole time, so that’s probably her most successful. Also in that cast -- Basil Rathbone. During those years she managed to work with some folks not so famous on screen, but who are remembered as real legends of the stage -- Jeanne Eagels, Laurette Taylor, Lynn Fontanne, William Gillette (Sherlock Holmes himself), and John Drew (Jr.), the much-beloved uncle of John, Ethel, and Lionel Barrymore. Other castmates from the various shows included such familiar names as Ethel Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Claude Rains (in 2 shows), and George Arliss. And a whole Who’s Who of folks who would become really familiar faces as Hollywood supporting actors-- Henry O’Neill, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Reginald Denny, O.P. Heggie, J.M. Kerrigan, Ian Keith, Etienne Girardot, Walter Hampden, Grant Mitchell, Dennis Hoey, Edgar Stehli, Henry Stephenson, Pedro de Cordoba, Morris Carnovsky, Hope Emerson, Ernest Truex, Nydia Westman, Ian Wolfe, William Gargan, Harry Ellerbe, Pierre Watkin, Charles Trowbridge, and Jane Wyatt. She also worked with a couple of future Universal leading ladies -- Josephine Hutchinson and Helen Chandler. Margaret Wycherly, who played the medium in THE 13TH CHAIR (’29), actually directed one of Ms. Cooper’s Broadway shows. Particularly interesting (to most of us around here) was her appearance in CLAIRE DE LUNE which was based on The Man Who Laughs. The cast included John Barrymore (as Gwynplaine) and Ethel Barrymore. This production has been discussed around here before http://monsterkidclassich...age=1#.T6XNd-2-HHg and here is a photo of Barrymore and Kemble Cooper which was originally posted by George Chastain in that other thread.
	Remove this ad
PhantomXCI		#6	[-]
May 5 12 11:15 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Violet was from an acting dynasty. Her father was a stage actor, as were her two siblings, Lillian and Anthony (both of whom retained the hyphenated name Kemble-Cooper) Although Violet probably had the most success in films, she only made 8 movies. Her husband was Walter Ferris, who wrote the English translation of Casella's DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY.
Helrunar		#7	[-]
May 8 12 12:08 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Wow, thanks for these fabulous posts! Special thanks to Rick for that beautiful shot of Violet with Barrymore. Sublime! That is fascinating about Eva Moore, too. What a deliciously Grand Guignol performance Whale coaxed out of her in the Old Dark House. H.
georgechastain		#8	[-]
May 28 12 11:14 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	PhantomXCI wrote: TomWeaver999 wrote: I showed a few minutes of SCOTLAND YARD INVESTIGATOR (1944) to the Bruni and asked them to identify an attractive, charming older lady in a wheelchair in one scene. I think this is the first time in history that the words "Attractive" and "Eva Moore" have ever been used in the same sentence. Don't forget that the finest stuff will rot. I recently won a signed theatrical postcard of Eva (c. 189_?) on eBay, and posted this comparative composite on Facebook.
rvoyttbots		#9	[-]
May 28 12 10:36 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Violet Kemble Cooper and "attractive". Nope, they don`t go together at all.
	Remove this ad

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

Add Reply

Yuku free message boards

Violet Kemble Cooper

Violet Kemble Cooper