ChrisStockslager wrote:So.... can someone explain to me why Mr. Arliss is the cat’s pajamas? Besides being adored by Bette Davis and looking like a slightly less gay Ernest Thesiger, I know little about this fine fella.

I remember when i first started watching old films, i went to the library and read a lot of books about them. Most were written in the 60s and 70s and as has become obvious, many hadn't seen the films in years, if ever. Among the conventional wisdom that i learned from them was that Kay Francis was a brainless clotheshorse who couldn't act, John Gilbert had a squeaky voice, and George Arliss was a stuffy old fart who appeared in boring biopics.
It took me a few years to be able to clear the opinions of the "experts" from my head, but having easy access to these films has shown me how wrong they were. Arliss was a particularly delightful surprise. The biopics are fine, but particularly fun are his comedies. It's just great to see a real master at work.
greta