1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,279 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy Vie Wilson. Tracy, we've 4 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:20,639 Speaker 1: talked a little bit about Todd Browning on the show before. Yeah, 5 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:25,080 Speaker 1: he's come up in various episodes. Yeah. Yeah, he came 6 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: up in our two parter on Baila Lagosi because he 7 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: directed Lugosi in the hit Dracula, as well as other projects. 8 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:36,840 Speaker 1: And browning story is really interesting to me, but also 9 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:41,840 Speaker 1: very difficult. He definitely played into some very poor practices 10 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:44,280 Speaker 1: that were standard for the day, and he has this 11 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: cult following and was legitimately groundbreaking, but he's also pretty 12 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: problematic in a lot of ways that don't come up 13 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: very often. There aren't a tone of Todd Browning biographies. 14 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: There's kind of one definitive one that's really well research, 15 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: but he was kind of private, so it's not like 16 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: he was out giving interviews left and right. We mentioned Dracula. 17 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: He really directed two of the most famous films of 18 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: all time, both of which happened to fall in the 19 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 1: horror category. So he's been on my list for kind 20 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,319 Speaker 1: of a Halloween on Ramp episode For a while. He 21 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: also directed a lot of other films, but a lot 22 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,759 Speaker 1: of them do fall in that kind of mystical mystery 23 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: paranormal potentially maccab or Grizzly Space. But his life story 24 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: has almost as many twists and turns as any of 25 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: his films plots. So this turned out to be a 26 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: two parter, and today we are going to jump right 27 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,119 Speaker 1: in and talk about where it all started, at least 28 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: what we know of it. Yeah. So, Charles Albert Browning 29 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: was born on July twelfth, eighty in Louisville, Kentucky. His parents, 30 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: Charles Leslie Browning and Lydia Jane Fitzgerald Browning, already had 31 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: two children before Todd was born. They had a son 32 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: and a daughter, although their daughter, Octavia, died in infancy. 33 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 1: His brother, George Avery, was four years old when Todd arrived. 34 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 1: Lydia and Charles also took in Lydia's niece Jenny a 35 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: few years after Todd was born, and they raised her 36 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 1: as a sister to Todd and Avery. Yeah, George Avery 37 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: went by Avery and Charles Albert went by Todd. We 38 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: don't really know how that landed, but that's how he 39 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: has always mentioned, and as early as aged seven, Todd 40 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: was actually putting on his own theatrical productions in a 41 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 1: shed behind the house, and these ranged from little singing 42 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 1: numbers to underwater puppet shows, which sounds sort of amazing. 43 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: Those are all according to family accounts, and he charged 44 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 1: initially five pins for admission. He eventually did start asking 45 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: for actual pennies, but his little enterprise became well known 46 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: enough that it actually got a right up in the 47 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,959 Speaker 1: Louisville Herald Post, and that right up compared the young 48 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: Todd Browning to P. T. Barnum and declared him, quote 49 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: a go getter. It's not clear what Browning's early education 50 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: was like. He was enrolled in public school, but it 51 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: seems like he might not have attended all that much 52 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: or didn't really pay attention when he was there. There 53 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: aren't any records at all of him attending high school, 54 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: and as a teenager, Browning lived out of scenario that 55 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: now is something of a cliche or a punchline. He 56 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 1: actually did run away from home to join the circus. 57 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: We don't know what motivated this, if he felt unhappy 58 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: with his family, or if he just longed for something different. 59 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: We will talk additionally about his relationship with his family 60 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: as we go. But he later told a friend that 61 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 1: he did not make a spontaneous decision in doing this. 62 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: He had planned for a long time to leave home. 63 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: He had actually started making money without his parents knowledge 64 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: by tending horses, and he would stash that money away 65 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 1: with the intent that when he had enough to leave, 66 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: he would take off. But according to his story, he 67 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:04,119 Speaker 1: accident only dropped the box containing his small fortune down 68 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: the outhouse hole before he was able to leave, because 69 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: he had been hiding that box in the ceiling of 70 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: the outhouse. Not the smartest place to put money, no, 71 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 1: but it's so much worse than dropping your phone in 72 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: the toilet. Right. You're never getting that money back. That's 73 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 1: all there was to it. Uh. That story sounds a 74 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:29,720 Speaker 1: little fantastic and it maybe. Browning himself gave varying accounts 75 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: of how he left Louisville throughout his life. Sometimes he 76 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: said he left there when he was twelve or maybe sixteen. 77 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,840 Speaker 1: Other times he claims he was older than he actually 78 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: was and that he had been born in eighteen seventy four. Yeah, 79 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:46,800 Speaker 1: those questions about his exact age like persisted throughout his 80 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: life where reporters would report him as winning age and 81 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: he'd go, know that that wasn't actually my age then, 82 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 1: but like never really explain what this agent. But regardless 83 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: of what age he was is when he did it, 84 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: he did indeed leave home, and his parents eventually heard 85 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: from him once he was working with the Manhattan Fair 86 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,599 Speaker 1: and Carnival Company, and this started him in a career 87 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,599 Speaker 1: that initially certainly seemed destined to be in front of 88 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 1: an audience rather than behind a camera. He worked in 89 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 1: a variety of jobs with the circus, including being a 90 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: magician's assistant, a clown, a contortionist, and even a barker. 91 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: He claimed that he even worked for a bit as 92 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: a geek, meeting a person who performs bizarre acts or 93 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:35,040 Speaker 1: grotesquery under the name Bosco the Snake Eater. His most 94 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 1: impressive turn in his circus years may have been his 95 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: stint traveling through the southern United States as the hypnotic 96 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: Living Corpse. And this act, Browning would be hypnotized kind 97 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: of in air quotes and then buried alive in a 98 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 1: shallow grave and a coffin that had slits that were 99 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: left uncovered so spectators could see him in this faux 100 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: dead state. He allegedly stayed buried, sometimes for two days 101 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: at a time. This obviously would have been rough, but 102 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: he did not go totally without sustenance. During this act. 103 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 1: He would be buried with malted milk pellets in his pockets. 104 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 1: I don't know why that particular choice of sustenance delights me. Um. 105 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:26,839 Speaker 1: His fellow performers would also lower drinks down to him 106 00:06:26,839 --> 00:06:30,599 Speaker 1: when there wasn't a crowd of spectators around. Browning told 107 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:33,440 Speaker 1: a reporter years later, quote, when I heard the dirt 108 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:38,080 Speaker 1: come crashing down on that coffin, I actually shivered. This 109 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: show was shut down and find though, because it violated 110 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: the sabbath while they were in Indiana, and that just 111 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: put a total end to Brownie circus career. Yeah, to 112 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,719 Speaker 1: be clear, those slits that let the audience see also 113 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 1: made it fine for him to breathe getting air the 114 00:06:55,720 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: whole time. I too, found the malted milk pellets detail 115 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: extraordinarily charming. Um. Yeah, he would just put him in 116 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: his jacket pocket. There they'd be. I suppose they keep 117 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:15,559 Speaker 1: relatively well. But after the circus, Browning ended up working 118 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:19,240 Speaker 1: on the vaudeville circuit Unfortunately, in that phase of his 119 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 1: entertainment career, he often appeared in black face, which was, 120 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:25,840 Speaker 1: as we've discussed on the show before, customary at the time, 121 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: and of course now we recognize it as pretty horrifyingly racist. Yeah, 122 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: I would say there were definitely people who realized that 123 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 1: then too, but it was such a widespread thing, Yeah, 124 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: it was. It had a wide range of acceptance, even 125 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 1: though there were people from the get go with it, 126 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 1: We're like, this is not cool. Um. He bounced around 127 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: from partnership to partnership with various other performers or troops, 128 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: and later in life he actually claimed that he worked 129 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 1: for the zig Field Follies at one point, although that 130 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 1: has never been corroborated by any of the surviving documentation 131 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 1: of that true. He also claimed that he worked with 132 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:06,080 Speaker 1: a famed magician named Herman the Great. That was Leon Herman, 133 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 1: who was from a family of magicians, and this is 134 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:13,640 Speaker 1: also not corroborated, although it's pretty hard not to recognize 135 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: the similarities between Herman's performance garb, which was a tuxedo, 136 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: a cape and a crisp white shirt, and the main 137 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: character in Browning's famous ninety one film Dracula Browning's personal 138 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:28,440 Speaker 1: accounts of his life indicate that he was traveling all 139 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 1: over the United States and the early nineteen hundreds. But 140 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:35,200 Speaker 1: while most of his details in that regard just can't 141 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 1: be substantiated, what can be substantiated is that he was 142 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 1: involved with a young woman back in Louisville, Kentucky, starting 143 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 1: in nineteen oh five. That woman, Amy Louise Stevens, was 144 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:49,320 Speaker 1: twenty three at the time. The two of them got 145 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:52,920 Speaker 1: married in late March nineteen o six, and papers reported 146 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:56,959 Speaker 1: in social columns at the time that Todd Browning was employed, 147 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:01,560 Speaker 1: not in show business but by the Ellen Railroad. Yeah, 148 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: none of this part of his story really lines up 149 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 1: with the way he told the tale of his life 150 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 1: in later years, and part of that maybe because this 151 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:13,960 Speaker 1: marriage did not go well at all. Todd and Amy 152 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:17,560 Speaker 1: lived with Amy's parents, and the Stevenson's claimed that Browning 153 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:21,080 Speaker 1: was not employed during this period, was not supporting his 154 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 1: wife is expected, and was a financial drain on the family. 155 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: He may have worked on and off during this time 156 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: at the Fountain Ferry amusement Park. That again is unclear, 157 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:35,320 Speaker 1: but seems like it makes logical sense, and there is 158 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:39,920 Speaker 1: some sort of hazy corroboration there. Browning left Louisville and 159 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:43,280 Speaker 1: Amy behind in the summer of nineteen o nine, and 160 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:47,040 Speaker 1: their divorce was completed in nineteen ten. She filed for 161 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: divorce and pretty much handled that whole thing. Browning was 162 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:53,040 Speaker 1: not even present for the proceedings, and he had actually 163 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:56,400 Speaker 1: been out of contact with the Stevens family for some time. 164 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 1: When the divorce was completed. It seems like that Browning 165 00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:01,880 Speaker 1: once again went back to a life on the road 166 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,360 Speaker 1: at this point, performing in burlesque shows as a comedy 167 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 1: act and in vaudevilt theaters. His performance and a variety 168 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 1: show called The Whirl of Mirth was reviewed in the 169 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:16,440 Speaker 1: Louisville Courier Journal as being quite amusing. The show was 170 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:20,400 Speaker 1: primarily comedy sketches that took popular newspaper comics of the 171 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 1: day and then acted them out on stage. While Browning 172 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:27,360 Speaker 1: was performing in Louisville, his former mother in law tried 173 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:29,800 Speaker 1: to take him to court over the money that he 174 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: still owed her, but he skipped down before that. Hearing 175 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: Yeah once again often claimed he was never in Louisville 176 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:40,160 Speaker 1: during any of this. There is a little bit of 177 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:43,560 Speaker 1: a side story about the people that ran the world 178 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:48,000 Speaker 1: of mirth and how some comics artists were trying to 179 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:50,360 Speaker 1: soothe them because they're like, we're basically writing your show 180 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:54,559 Speaker 1: for you. Um, I mean that seems valid, completely valid 181 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:59,080 Speaker 1: of a whole other tale outside the scope of this one. 182 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: Uh So, the Biograph Company finally hired him as an 183 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:08,000 Speaker 1: actor in and Browning appeared in several comedy pictures that 184 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:11,480 Speaker 1: were directed by D. W. Griffith, who pioneered a whole 185 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:15,240 Speaker 1: lot of techniques that became standard in filmmaking. If that 186 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 1: name rings a bell, it's because he also directed the 187 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:21,440 Speaker 1: horrifyingly racist film The Birth of a Nation in nineteen fifteen, 188 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 1: but this was a couple of years earlier, and at 189 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 1: this time Griffith was just happy to have a reliable 190 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:30,959 Speaker 1: performer in Todd Browning, and Browning followed him to California 191 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:33,880 Speaker 1: to make films under the banner of Comic Company That's 192 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:37,240 Speaker 1: Comic with a K. As an actor for Comic Browning 193 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 1: appeared in comedy shorts, including one that was titled Nell's 194 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:45,320 Speaker 1: Eugenic Wedding. And this was an early gross out film 195 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:47,720 Speaker 1: in which a man eats a bar of soap and 196 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 1: then spends the rest of the short movie throwing up 197 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:53,360 Speaker 1: a lot. A review for the film in the Moving 198 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 1: picture world was pretty blunt about it. Quote, there's nothing 199 00:11:56,679 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 1: funny or elevating and having a man eat soap and 200 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:02,280 Speaker 1: vomit all over creation as the result of his diet. 201 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,360 Speaker 1: Because most people will take this view, it may be 202 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:10,400 Speaker 1: said that Nell's eugenic wedding does not belong. Incidentally, the 203 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:13,320 Speaker 1: writer of this gross out film was a woman named 204 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 1: Anita Loose, who later became famous for writing the book 205 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:19,199 Speaker 1: A Gentleman Prefer Blonds, which of course became a very 206 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 1: famous film, which involves no soap eating or vomiting. Uh. 207 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:26,240 Speaker 1: The soap eating film is actually lost, So we don't 208 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:27,960 Speaker 1: know a whole lot more about it. But I'm not 209 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: sure that we really want to. I don't know. I was. 210 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:34,600 Speaker 1: I was as we were putting this together and I 211 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:37,160 Speaker 1: was writing a pissico. Tracy doesn't want to know about this. 212 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:45,600 Speaker 1: But following that strange film, Mutual Film Corporation also started 213 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:49,520 Speaker 1: producing a comedy series in nineteen fourteen called Bill the 214 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: Office Boy, and Browning actually appeared in seventeen episodes of 215 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:56,200 Speaker 1: it as Bill's Boss. Coming up, We're going to talk 216 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:59,520 Speaker 1: about a pretty horrible incident in Browning's life and how 217 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:02,920 Speaker 1: that to him writing screenplays. But before we do that, 218 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:14,719 Speaker 1: we will take a quick sponsor break. Those years that 219 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 1: Browning was working with Comic Company also encapsulated the period 220 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 1: of his life where he met Alice Wilson. Alice, who 221 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:25,880 Speaker 1: had been born Alice Lilyan Houghton, was divorced by her husband, 222 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:29,600 Speaker 1: Douglas Wilson in nineteen fifteen, and she and Browning were 223 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,920 Speaker 1: both living at a Hollywood apartment house called the Writer Arms. 224 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:36,680 Speaker 1: It is unclear whether they were living together or in 225 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 1: separate units, because accounts from people who knew them differ 226 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: on this point, and while Alice still used Wilson as 227 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:48,040 Speaker 1: her acting name, some people actually knew her socially as 228 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:51,120 Speaker 1: Alice Browning, although they were definitely not married at this time. 229 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:56,040 Speaker 1: Browning's first directing work came in nineteen fifteen. That year, 230 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:59,400 Speaker 1: he directed a film called The Lucky Transfer. Soon he 231 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:03,079 Speaker 1: was direct sing short films regularly, But as his star 232 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:07,080 Speaker 1: began to rise, so too did a problem with alcohol, 233 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:10,839 Speaker 1: and that led to a tragic event. On June sixt 234 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 1: Browning and a number of his colleagues went out for 235 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:17,360 Speaker 1: drinks after they finished filming for the day. That was 236 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: something they did pretty regularly. Late into the night, Browning 237 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 1: got behind the wheel with actor Elmer Booth in the 238 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:29,960 Speaker 1: passenger seat. The night was foggy, Browning was intoxicated. When 239 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:34,080 Speaker 1: they approached a railway intersection at top speed, Browning did 240 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:36,160 Speaker 1: not see that there was a train on the tracks, 241 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:39,640 Speaker 1: and he slammed into a flatbed car that was carrying 242 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 1: iron beams. Elmer was killed instantly. There were two other 243 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 1: people involved in this accident, Edward Booth, who was a 244 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:52,560 Speaker 1: relative of Elmer's, and actor George A. Siegman. They were 245 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:56,600 Speaker 1: described as being behind Browning and Elmer Booth, but it's 246 00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:58,800 Speaker 1: not totally clear if that meant they were in the 247 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 1: backseat of the car or if they were in another 248 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 1: car that was following closely behind. Siegmund wrote four of 249 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:08,800 Speaker 1: his ribs. Browning broke his right leg in three places 250 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:13,840 Speaker 1: and also had internal injuries. Papers speculated about whether Browning 251 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 1: would recover and whether there were any women in the car. 252 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:22,840 Speaker 1: Other speculations besides that friends who left the gathering shortly 253 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:27,360 Speaker 1: after Browning did happened upon this crash, and their descriptions 254 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:32,400 Speaker 1: of it were gruesome. In the papers, particularly outside of Hollywood. 255 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:35,400 Speaker 1: The crash was reported in pretty broad strokes, and it 256 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:38,600 Speaker 1: was never ever suggested in print that Browning was responsible. 257 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 1: For example, the Morning Union of Grass Valley, California covered 258 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:45,240 Speaker 1: the incident and they're right up. Is pretty similar to 259 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:48,000 Speaker 1: most that you would find that ran across the country. 260 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:52,120 Speaker 1: It merely said this quote. Elmer Booth, a motion picture actor, 261 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 1: was killed and to motion picture directors seriously injured today 262 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:59,880 Speaker 1: when their automobile returning from Vernon crashed at high speed 263 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:02,920 Speaker 1: into the rear of a freight car. A fog was 264 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,960 Speaker 1: to blame Todd Browning and George Seligman. They spelled his 265 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:11,240 Speaker 1: name wrong. The men with Booth sustained serious injuries. There 266 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:13,880 Speaker 1: are other versions of the story that are similarly brief 267 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:18,240 Speaker 1: that call Browning and Sigma actors or at director Slash actors, 268 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:20,400 Speaker 1: and some of them left out the details of the 269 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:23,560 Speaker 1: collision entirely and just said there had been an automobile accident. 270 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:28,000 Speaker 1: Browning really never shared his thoughts or feelings with anybody 271 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 1: on the record about what happened that night or about 272 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:35,960 Speaker 1: Booth's death. The death was ruled accidental due to quote 273 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:39,960 Speaker 1: lack of precaution, and that was attributed to both Browning 274 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:44,400 Speaker 1: and the railroad engineer involved, although the engineer remained adamant 275 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:47,680 Speaker 1: that he had been waving a signal light. Browning started 276 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:50,920 Speaker 1: screenwriting in nineteen fifteen, and it was because of that 277 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:54,600 Speaker 1: tragic event, for the simple reason that writing was really 278 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:56,400 Speaker 1: the only thing he could do while he was sitting 279 00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 1: in the hospital recovering. He also spent some of his 280 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:03,080 Speaker 1: every time back in Louisville, although it is unclear how 281 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:06,800 Speaker 1: long he was there, and it wasn't until nineteen sixteen. 282 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:10,040 Speaker 1: The following year that Browning returned to more active jobs, 283 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:12,840 Speaker 1: back on movie sets, and that year he was the 284 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:17,719 Speaker 1: assistant director and actor in a film called Intolerance. Browning's 285 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:21,400 Speaker 1: first feature film as a director was Jim Bloodsoe. That 286 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:26,320 Speaker 1: was in nineteen seventeen. He shared directing credit with Wilfred Lucas, 287 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:29,639 Speaker 1: who also started the picture. The exact nature of that 288 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,080 Speaker 1: shared credit isn't really known, although one of the other 289 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:36,920 Speaker 1: actors in the picture, Winifred Hart, later said that it 290 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:41,119 Speaker 1: was nothing more than the star insisting on getting that credit. 291 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:45,600 Speaker 1: Later in nineteen seventeen, Browning signed a five picture contract 292 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:49,480 Speaker 1: with Metro Pictures. He moved temporarily to New York to 293 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:53,600 Speaker 1: make those pictures. He and Alice Wilson were married in 294 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:57,680 Speaker 1: New Rochelle in June of that year. In nineteen eighteen, 295 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:00,359 Speaker 1: Browning entered into a contract which us it in a 296 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:03,879 Speaker 1: very productive time and really cemented his career as a 297 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:08,800 Speaker 1: feature film director. He signed with Universal Film Manufacturing Company, 298 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:12,880 Speaker 1: which eventually, of course, became Universal Studios. Over the next 299 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:16,879 Speaker 1: several years, he made nine films for Universal. For The 300 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:20,720 Speaker 1: Wicked Darling, which was made in nineteen Browning worked for 301 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:23,520 Speaker 1: the first time with Lawn Cheney, and that was the 302 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:27,160 Speaker 1: start of a long term and very fruitful collaborative relationship. 303 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 1: Browning film The Virgin of Stambul was a box office 304 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 1: hit by modern standards. It is loaded with so many problems. 305 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:40,959 Speaker 1: It's filled with white actors who were playing Turkish people. 306 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:46,199 Speaker 1: There's a completely stereotyped characterizations of the non white characters. 307 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:50,800 Speaker 1: The premise is that a Turkish princess who's played by 308 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:55,240 Speaker 1: very American Priscilladine falls in love with the mercenary from 309 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:59,359 Speaker 1: the US. The plot involves the murder and kidnapping and 310 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:03,479 Speaker 1: disguise yeses and the anticipation of the film was stoked 311 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:06,480 Speaker 1: by the studio. In weeks leading up to it, they 312 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:09,640 Speaker 1: had an actor pose as a shake to stay at 313 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:12,959 Speaker 1: the Hotel Majestic in New York. I claimed that he 314 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:14,960 Speaker 1: was looking for a woman who had eloped with an 315 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:17,800 Speaker 1: American and would give a reward to the person who 316 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:21,879 Speaker 1: returned hers. There's just a lot, a lot to unpack 317 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 1: with all this. The story continued with daily feeds to 318 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:29,800 Speaker 1: the papers of information, so people realized this whole thing 319 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:33,280 Speaker 1: was a hoax. The film mostly got good reviews, though 320 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:36,119 Speaker 1: some noted that it was entertaining but should not be 321 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:40,320 Speaker 1: taken as a real representation of Middle Eastern culture. This 322 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:43,919 Speaker 1: publicity stunt seems to have worked. The film made a 323 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:47,200 Speaker 1: pretty nice profit. Yeah. It's funny to me that even 324 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:53,560 Speaker 1: even then the papers were like, oh you guys, nope, nope. Um. 325 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:57,200 Speaker 1: Soon though, because it was profitable, Browning had a six 326 00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:00,760 Speaker 1: room suite at Universal to work and edit in, and 327 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,400 Speaker 1: he started working the hours that he felt most productive 328 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,040 Speaker 1: when he was writing, those hours being six pm to 329 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:10,800 Speaker 1: six am. Kind of identify with this. Another nineteen twenty film, 330 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:13,760 Speaker 1: Outside the Law, which was a gangster picture that he made, 331 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:17,040 Speaker 1: also made money for the studio, and that further built 332 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:23,320 Speaker 1: up Browning's reputation as a reliable and profitable director. Browning's father, Charles, 333 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:26,439 Speaker 1: was ill around this time. He had a stroke, He 334 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 1: never really recovered from it, and he died on March 335 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:34,160 Speaker 1: thirty one of ninety two. Todd did not return home 336 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:38,240 Speaker 1: to Louisville for these services, uh, something that was really 337 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:41,920 Speaker 1: a source of dismay for some of his family after 338 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: his father's death, Browning, who had seemed to reduce his 339 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:49,439 Speaker 1: drinking somewhat after that nineteen fifteen crash that killed Elmore Booth, 340 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 1: once again started drinking excessively. He directed the movie Under 341 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:57,720 Speaker 1: Two Flags, adapted from the novel by Weeta about the 342 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:01,880 Speaker 1: occupation of Algeria, later that same year, and that production 343 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:04,880 Speaker 1: was kind of plagued with strange problems. There was a 344 00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:09,040 Speaker 1: sandstorm that buried equipment on location, but the worst problem 345 00:21:09,119 --> 00:21:12,359 Speaker 1: came when a fire on the Universal lot threatened the 346 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: entire picture. According to the news periodical that Universal put 347 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:19,360 Speaker 1: out weekly to tout and share updates on their various 348 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:24,440 Speaker 1: project that fire played out as follows quote fire last 349 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:28,120 Speaker 1: week destroyed film valued at thousands of dollars and threatened 350 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,520 Speaker 1: to wipe out Universal City faster than a telephone call 351 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:36,400 Speaker 1: could reach outside fire departments. Crackling sparks, A short circuited 352 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:39,960 Speaker 1: electric wire whipped through an open doorway of a film 353 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:43,919 Speaker 1: cutting room with an explosion that rocked the film city. 354 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:47,639 Speaker 1: Almost two hundred thousand feet of film was ignited. It 355 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:52,560 Speaker 1: burned furiously for five minutes, endangering nearby buildings with blowing 356 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:56,720 Speaker 1: sheets of flame and intense heat. The fire, by prompt 357 00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:59,720 Speaker 1: action of the Universal City Fire Department and through the 358 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:03,399 Speaker 1: fire airproof construction of all buildings of permanency, did no 359 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:08,960 Speaker 1: other damage. There was actually more damaged though. Under two 360 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:13,320 Speaker 1: Flags had just finished filming that day, and Priscilla Deane, 361 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:16,240 Speaker 1: who was still in costume, ran up a flight of 362 00:22:16,359 --> 00:22:20,320 Speaker 1: stairs to the burning room to try to save the film. 363 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:23,000 Speaker 1: She tripped on the hem of her costume and twisted 364 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:26,160 Speaker 1: her ankle. Her hair was scorched, and she was very 365 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:30,359 Speaker 1: badly burned. The fire was reported as having quickly burned 366 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:33,240 Speaker 1: itself out, and while there was a delay while the 367 00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:37,159 Speaker 1: negative was inspected, this whole ordeal really only delayed the 368 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:40,800 Speaker 1: films released by a couple of weeks, and at this point, 369 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:45,600 Speaker 1: despite that kind of craziness, uh Browning was considered something 370 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:48,479 Speaker 1: of a Golden Boy for Hollywood, but things quickly started 371 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:51,600 Speaker 1: to turn sour, and we're going to explain how after 372 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:53,680 Speaker 1: we hear from the sponsors that keep stuff you missed 373 00:22:53,680 --> 00:23:06,879 Speaker 1: in history class. Going under two Flags was another financial 374 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:09,960 Speaker 1: success for the studio, and because Browning had at that 375 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:14,360 Speaker 1: point really established himself as their can't missdirector, they then 376 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:16,919 Speaker 1: announced that he would be directing Lawn Cheney in a 377 00:23:17,119 --> 00:23:21,159 Speaker 1: huge and expensive adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. 378 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:23,879 Speaker 1: If you are a fan of old film, you know 379 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,679 Speaker 1: that that picture did get made and that Lawn Cheney 380 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,119 Speaker 1: did star in it, but Browning did not direct it. 381 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:35,360 Speaker 1: While he had three huge successes, his alcoholism had made 382 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 1: him erratic. He had turned in another film titled White Tiger, 383 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:42,720 Speaker 1: as plans were being laid for the Hunchback adaptation, and 384 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 1: it was apparently such a mess that the studio didn't 385 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:48,160 Speaker 1: release it for a year so it could be reworked 386 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 1: by other people. That was a delay that was kind 387 00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:52,639 Speaker 1: of unheard of at the time. Now we're used to 388 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:55,600 Speaker 1: like films coming out years from now when they get announced, 389 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:58,480 Speaker 1: but at that point it was like much faster turnaround. 390 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:02,200 Speaker 1: As a concert quints of the problems with White Tiger Todd. 391 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 1: Browning was pulled from the Hunchback project. While he did 392 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:10,719 Speaker 1: keep working for Universal on smaller projects, his drinking was 393 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:14,560 Speaker 1: leading into very bad decisions in his personal life. He 394 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: had an affair with Anime Wong, who is famous for 395 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:22,080 Speaker 1: being the first Chinese American movie star in Hollywood. This 396 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,240 Speaker 1: was an issue for reasons aside from the fact that 397 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:28,480 Speaker 1: he was married, Wong was under age at the time. 398 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:33,160 Speaker 1: The interracial relationship was troubling to a lot of people 399 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:36,160 Speaker 1: in the nineteen twenties. He also got into a lot 400 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:40,200 Speaker 1: of situations when he was drinking that we're really embarrassing 401 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:43,480 Speaker 1: to the people who were associated with him. Because of 402 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:47,520 Speaker 1: all this, Universal laid him off. Alice left him, but 403 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:51,080 Speaker 1: Browning moved to a new contract with Metro goldwyn Mayer 404 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:55,800 Speaker 1: in Nive, and his creative relationship with Lawn Cheney moved 405 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:59,280 Speaker 1: right along with him. The films that Browning and Cheney 406 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:02,320 Speaker 1: made together during this time we're strange and often a 407 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:05,680 Speaker 1: little bit shocking for audiences of the day. And here 408 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:08,359 Speaker 1: is really the point in his career where Browning started 409 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:12,119 Speaker 1: to draw pretty deeply from his experiences as a teenager 410 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:16,080 Speaker 1: working in circuses. This is also about when one of 411 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:21,239 Speaker 1: only a very few interviews with Browning was published in 412 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:24,639 Speaker 1: the feature in Picture Play magazine. He acknowledges that his 413 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 1: behavior had led to various fallings out, saying, quote, two 414 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:35,680 Speaker 1: years ago, I went smash, temperament, impulse, wanting my own way, stubbornness. 415 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:39,240 Speaker 1: There were a number of contributing factors. He sort of 416 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:41,879 Speaker 1: recognized that he was at a very low point, but 417 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:46,720 Speaker 1: he could not quite see or admit that his alcohol 418 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:50,800 Speaker 1: use was the problem initially. Even after he did, he 419 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:53,520 Speaker 1: kind of chalked it up to the fault of various 420 00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:57,520 Speaker 1: difficult things and experiences that he had in his life. 421 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,240 Speaker 1: Just keep in mind with all this, the formation of 422 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:03,760 Speaker 1: Alcoholics Anonymous was a decade away at this point. The 423 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:11,000 Speaker 1: idea that alcohol abuse was something treatable wasn't quite the same, right. 424 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:15,800 Speaker 1: There were also no UM programs that really focused on 425 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:20,640 Speaker 1: people taking responsibility for, you know, their problems that they created. 426 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 1: So he was very much like, oh, but it's because 427 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:25,639 Speaker 1: of this, Like he never once was like, wow, I 428 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:29,600 Speaker 1: just really screwed up UM. Still, he said that he 429 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:32,520 Speaker 1: did have a revelation while he was drinking whiskey one 430 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 1: night that he kind of suddenly understood through his stupor 431 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: why Alice had left, and he credited that moment with 432 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 1: what he called his regeneration, where he decided he would 433 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:48,280 Speaker 1: reject his whiskey drinking, although he did continue to drink 434 00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:51,320 Speaker 1: things like beer or wine on occasion after this, particularly beer. 435 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:55,440 Speaker 1: He spoke to Alice the next day after this revelation 436 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,920 Speaker 1: and he told her about his epiphany, and she basically 437 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:01,560 Speaker 1: told him, if you want me back, you have to 438 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:04,080 Speaker 1: win me back, and she was not interested in going 439 00:27:04,119 --> 00:27:07,239 Speaker 1: down with what she called a quote sinking ship. So 440 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:09,399 Speaker 1: even though they had been married for more than seven 441 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:13,119 Speaker 1: years at that point, they basically started dating again and 442 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:16,200 Speaker 1: this went well. They rekindled their relationship and he would 443 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:19,240 Speaker 1: later credit her with getting his career back on track. 444 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:23,440 Speaker 1: This was a valid credit. Alice really supported him emotionally, 445 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:27,560 Speaker 1: but also was not afraid to flex her own connections 446 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:30,120 Speaker 1: in the film industry to try to move him into 447 00:27:30,119 --> 00:27:35,280 Speaker 1: a better position. Not long after executive Irving Thalberg left 448 00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:38,280 Speaker 1: Universal and went to MGM, which is that's its own 449 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:42,240 Speaker 1: wild story, Alice approached him to try to help Todd 450 00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 1: regain his footing in Hollywood. Thalberg was a fan of Browning, 451 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:49,919 Speaker 1: and knew what he could do when he was healthy. 452 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:53,080 Speaker 1: So when Browning pitched a film called The Unholy Three, 453 00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:55,560 Speaker 1: he went for it, and that was how Browning wound 454 00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:59,280 Speaker 1: up at MGM. The Unholy Three is a story about 455 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:02,639 Speaker 1: three sides o performers, a strong man, a little person, 456 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:06,199 Speaker 1: and a ventriloquist, and they leave their sideshow lives and 457 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:09,359 Speaker 1: start a life of crime together. It was based on 458 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:11,480 Speaker 1: a book by Todd Robbins and it had been a 459 00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:15,040 Speaker 1: best seller, but Hollywood had been reluctant to adapt it 460 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:19,680 Speaker 1: despite multiple attempts. But Solberg let Browning do it, although 461 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:22,119 Speaker 1: he paid him a far lower rate than Browning had 462 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:26,360 Speaker 1: been commanding before that totally six hundred dollars paid out 463 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:30,480 Speaker 1: in weekly installments during this shooting, Browning was also offered 464 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:33,080 Speaker 1: a bonus of thirty five hundred dollars if he came 465 00:28:33,119 --> 00:28:36,280 Speaker 1: in on time and under budget. This movie was a 466 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:40,200 Speaker 1: spectacular return to success for Browning. The movie made a 467 00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:43,280 Speaker 1: lot of money, he got his bonus, and mg N 468 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:47,280 Speaker 1: optioned him for several more pictures. As for the reviews, 469 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:51,120 Speaker 1: they were also glowing almost across the board, and it's 470 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:54,360 Speaker 1: review The New Yorker said, quote to Mr Todd Browning 471 00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:58,400 Speaker 1: all honor. His next two pictures, The Mystic and The 472 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:02,040 Speaker 1: Black Bird, did well, but nothing near the level of 473 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:06,480 Speaker 1: The Unholy Three. Still, MGM was overall pleased and increase 474 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:10,760 Speaker 1: his rate. The Unknown, which lawn Cheney and Browning worked 475 00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 1: on together in nine seven, really started to evidence the 476 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:19,160 Speaker 1: early seeds that would eventually manifest into the movie Freaks. 477 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: The film, which starred lawn Cheney in eighteen year old 478 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 1: Joan Crawford, is about a circus performer who has no 479 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:30,800 Speaker 1: arms whose act involves throwing knives and shooting a gun 480 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:34,560 Speaker 1: at his fellow performer. That's a beautiful young woman named Nannon, 481 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:38,760 Speaker 1: who is played by Crawford. The film's initials set up 482 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:43,560 Speaker 1: unravels as it's revealed that Cheney's character, Alonso the Armless, 483 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:47,360 Speaker 1: is a faker. He has all of his limbs. From there, 484 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:53,000 Speaker 1: things get darker and darker as the film explores identity, deception, obsession, 485 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:57,760 Speaker 1: and self mutilation. While modern critics have lauded it as 486 00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:01,720 Speaker 1: a groundbreaking piece of cinema, critics at the time were 487 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:07,160 Speaker 1: far less kind. Browning was described as pathological for having 488 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:10,719 Speaker 1: made the film. The New York Daily Mirror suggested that 489 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:13,160 Speaker 1: you might like it quote if you like to tear 490 00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:18,880 Speaker 1: butterflies apart and see sausage made. In contrast his characterization 491 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:22,160 Speaker 1: as warped and possibly some sort of monster for having 492 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:25,480 Speaker 1: made the film, Joan Crawford later spoke of Browning on 493 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:30,040 Speaker 1: set as being incredibly soft spoken and sensitive. Yeah. Reading 494 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:34,120 Speaker 1: um actor and crew accounts of what Todd Browning is 495 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:38,960 Speaker 1: like is the most head spinning because half of them 496 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:42,720 Speaker 1: are like, he was the kindest, gentlest person. He knew 497 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:44,880 Speaker 1: exactly how to work with people, and other people were 498 00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:47,840 Speaker 1: like he was abusive and horrible, and there's no middle ground. 499 00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:51,360 Speaker 1: It's always one of the other. Um. So it's a 500 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:55,880 Speaker 1: little bit interesting in that regard uh Lawn, Cheney and 501 00:30:55,920 --> 00:31:00,200 Speaker 1: Browning collaborated on London After Midnight, and this is one 502 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:03,520 Speaker 1: of those movies that film buffs wish they could see. 503 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:06,040 Speaker 1: The last print of it was lost in a fire 504 00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:09,520 Speaker 1: in the nineteen sixties. You will occasionally see a thing 505 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:12,000 Speaker 1: pop up. It's almost like the anti kithera mechanism of 506 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,960 Speaker 1: we have found London after Midnight and then it turns out, no, no, 507 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:19,800 Speaker 1: we didn't. We found a couple of skills that were together. Um. 508 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:23,400 Speaker 1: This film is a murder mystery with possible vampires and 509 00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: a little hypnosis in the mix. There are a lot 510 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:29,240 Speaker 1: of really moody stills that survive, and in two thousand 511 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:32,880 Speaker 1: two those still images plus a shooting script were used 512 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 1: to make a reconstruction of the film. If you have 513 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:39,240 Speaker 1: ever heard the stories of Lawn Cheney, who was very 514 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:42,959 Speaker 1: famous for his makeup work, using fishing wire to create 515 00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:46,360 Speaker 1: a unique and disturbing popped open look to his eyes, 516 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:50,360 Speaker 1: that was for this movie. Chenese makeup work was such 517 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:54,520 Speaker 1: a quote horrifying and terrible spectacle that a man named 518 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:57,360 Speaker 1: Robert Williams claimed that he was haunted by visions of 519 00:31:57,480 --> 00:32:01,400 Speaker 1: Chinese character when he murdered his girl end Uh. That 520 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:04,960 Speaker 1: defense in that murder trial did not hold. Williams, who 521 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:07,440 Speaker 1: had also tried to take his own life during that episode, 522 00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:10,560 Speaker 1: was found guilty. He was first sentenced to death, then 523 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:14,240 Speaker 1: received a medical reprieve. But despite all of that, in 524 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:18,520 Speaker 1: any controversy, London After Midnight was another huge money maker, 525 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:21,960 Speaker 1: and it enabled Browning to continue to make pictures that 526 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:25,880 Speaker 1: he wanted to make with an ever increasing salary. So 527 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:28,320 Speaker 1: we're at a pretty good place right now for Browning's 528 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:30,920 Speaker 1: life and career. But it's not going to stay that way. 529 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:33,600 Speaker 1: So this is where we are going to pause. In 530 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:37,400 Speaker 1: part two, we will talk about Browning's most famous films 531 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:40,880 Speaker 1: and the latter part of his life. One day we'll 532 00:32:40,920 --> 00:32:46,560 Speaker 1: see London after midnight. I hope um. I have listener mail, 533 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:51,960 Speaker 1: which is uh from our listener Amelia, who writes tear 534 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:54,480 Speaker 1: Holly and Tracy. I can't believe it took this long 535 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:56,520 Speaker 1: to write the show, but of course it would be 536 00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:59,800 Speaker 1: kidties that prompted it. I couldn't help but chuckle listening 537 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:01,880 Speaker 1: to the stories about Mike the cat. Since I have 538 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:04,640 Speaker 1: worked in the museum field for the last decade and 539 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:07,400 Speaker 1: have a weak spot for grumpy cats. I have a 540 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:10,480 Speaker 1: very handsome cat named Dadalus who was eight years old, 541 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:12,600 Speaker 1: and while he loves to be around people, he's not 542 00:33:12,720 --> 00:33:15,200 Speaker 1: a fan of being pet or snuggled unless it's by me. 543 00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:18,200 Speaker 1: Two years ago, he ended up at the vent and 544 00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:20,760 Speaker 1: had to have emergency surgery to remove six feet of 545 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:23,840 Speaker 1: quilting thread he had swallowed. I was an emotional wreck, 546 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:26,920 Speaker 1: and Dadalus was so angry he sent to Vet text 547 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:30,520 Speaker 1: to the hospital for stitches. I had a cat send 548 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:32,840 Speaker 1: people to the hospital for stitches, so I understand the 549 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:36,160 Speaker 1: embarrassment and shame and fear that happens in your heart 550 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:40,920 Speaker 1: when that takes place, she continues. While I was waiting 551 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:42,840 Speaker 1: for him to go into surgery, I took my phone 552 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:44,440 Speaker 1: out and did the only thing I could think of 553 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:47,040 Speaker 1: to distract myself. I turned on stuff you missed in 554 00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:51,000 Speaker 1: history class. Datalus immediately settled right down, though he did 555 00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:53,880 Speaker 1: growl if anyone came too close. It seemed that listening 556 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:56,120 Speaker 1: to the podcast brought him the same calm and comfort 557 00:33:56,160 --> 00:33:59,320 Speaker 1: as it has brought me over the years. I meant 558 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:01,640 Speaker 1: to write the show back then, but after the surgery 559 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:04,320 Speaker 1: and cat proofing, all of my sewing supplies had slipped 560 00:34:04,360 --> 00:34:07,280 Speaker 1: my mind. I am happy to report that Dadalus has 561 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:10,520 Speaker 1: since made a full recovery and is back to terrorizing 562 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:13,080 Speaker 1: anyone who tries to love on him. I'm sorry it 563 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:15,200 Speaker 1: took so long, but I wanted to send my belated 564 00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:17,239 Speaker 1: thank you for getting Dadalus and I through one of 565 00:34:17,239 --> 00:34:21,000 Speaker 1: our toughest times. I've attached pictures of your biggest fuzzy friend. 566 00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:24,080 Speaker 1: Thank you for everything you do, Amelia and Dadalus. Um, 567 00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:27,239 Speaker 1: I'm so glad he's okay. Anyone who sows knows that 568 00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:31,279 Speaker 1: fear um that like of thread in the house. And 569 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:33,719 Speaker 1: I love this story and it ended happily. We've had 570 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:36,560 Speaker 1: so many people write us about their cats, many of 571 00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:39,080 Speaker 1: whom have talked about how they have lost beloved cats, 572 00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:40,759 Speaker 1: and I want to read all of those, but I 573 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:43,719 Speaker 1: will cry every time. So if I'm not reading it, 574 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:46,120 Speaker 1: please don't think it's because I don't love your story 575 00:34:46,239 --> 00:34:49,960 Speaker 1: and your devotion to your baby's. I can't get through this. 576 00:34:50,719 --> 00:34:53,399 Speaker 1: I can't even read them on my screen without kind 577 00:34:53,400 --> 00:34:55,480 Speaker 1: of becoming a mess. But keep sending them because I 578 00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:58,120 Speaker 1: love them. Uh. And it is my greatest honor to 579 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:01,360 Speaker 1: have comforted a cat when he wasn't feeling well. I 580 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:04,560 Speaker 1: am so glad he is okay. We have If anybody 581 00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:07,640 Speaker 1: has been through that emergency VET terror, it is one 582 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:10,000 Speaker 1: of the least fun things I can imagine. Yeah, for real, 583 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:13,000 Speaker 1: But again, so glad he is okay. So thank you 584 00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:19,160 Speaker 1: for sharing that story. Um, also precious. I would give 585 00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:21,560 Speaker 1: that cat the keys to my car while he shredded 586 00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:24,719 Speaker 1: my face. It would be fine. You would like to 587 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:27,760 Speaker 1: write to us, you can do that at History Podcast 588 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:30,239 Speaker 1: at iHeart radio dot com. You can also find us 589 00:35:30,239 --> 00:35:33,239 Speaker 1: on social media as Missed in History, and you can 590 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:35,520 Speaker 1: subscribe to the show. If you haven't done so already, 591 00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:37,640 Speaker 1: you can do that on the I heart Radio app, 592 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:40,120 Speaker 1: or wherever it is you listen to your favorite shows. 593 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 1: Stuff you Missed in History Class is a production of 594 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,840 Speaker 1: I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, 595 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:54,160 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 596 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:55,600 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.