Bedtime Story Candid Shot
Fun shot of Joyce and Robert Benchley on the set for 1941's Bedtime Story . Is it candid or posed?
Posts
Salute Photo
Fox publicity photo of Joyce Compton (in Clara Bow-ish mode) and William Janney in 1929's Salute .
1932 Casting Book
Joyce Compton's page from a 1932 industry casting book containing various actors' headshots and profiles. "A young actress who will prove her worth when given roles suited to her personality."
Balalaika Portrait
On our recent trip to L.A., one of our stops was the venerable Larry Edmunds book and Hollywood memorabilia store. Although the shop has shelves upon shelves of vintage photos, the only things they had on our Joycie were two publicity pics of her posing with Charlie Ruggles. The photos didn't have any identification, but I could tell that they promoted 1939 MGM musical Balalaika . I snatched up this one. Nice quality!
Hollywood Walk of Fame Star
Joyce Compton's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located directly outside the entrance to the legendary Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. I got to snap a few pictures of it last Monday, while explaining who she was to the actor who was hawking tours right in front of the star. It was fun, finally seeing it in person!
King Kelly of the U.S.A.
Screen grab of Franklin Pangborn and Joyce Compton in King Kelly of the U.S.A. Franklin and Joyce have supporting roles in this chintzy, at times incomprehensible musical made by the z-budget Monogram studio. Forgotten tenor Guy Robertson stars as a cocky showman who meets the woman of his dreams on a transatlantic cruise. As it turns out, the woman is the princess of a country known for its fine mops (??) and Robertson must find a way too win both her heart and her kingdom. Joyce plays a bubbly chorine, improbably paired with Franklin Pangborn as a romantic duo. Both actors display their usual reliable comic timing in their few scenes together, inadvertently highlighting the lead actors’ blandness (Robertson seems like Jimmy Cagney’s less charismatic older brother). Strangely, they both vanish halfway through the movie without explanation. In this film’s bizarre universe, that move actually makes sense. King Kelly of the U.S.A. is available here from Amazon.com.