Joyce Compton News & Notes

Joyce in Blues in the Night (1941)

2011-12-31T17:34:00.000-08:00

Blues in the Night ranks as one of the more enjoyable Warner Brothers melodramas of the 1940s. Silly and overblown at times, but engrossing nonetheless. Richard Whorf (above, left) heads a mid-level cast as jazz pianist Jigger Pine, a regular guy with a quartet that includes wormlike Elia Kazan, hulking Peter Whitney and young pup Billy Halop. The trio are at a crossroads. A scuffle with a belligerent customer at the dive where they’re playing lands them in jail, prompting them to stick with the noncommercial blues-influenced style they love. They travel to New Orleans to meet with trumpeter Jack Carson, who is married to lovely singer Priscilla Lane. The group form a swell combo, riding the rails and playing wherever they can to get a decent meal. Eventually they befriend gangster Lloyd Nolan, who leads them to a New Jersey dive where sad sack Wallace Ford and hard-bitten singer Betty Field (who is amazing in this) work. The story gets very complex from there, helped along by some eye-popping montages from the uncredited Don Siegel. I love the “traveling across America” montage and the “I hate these singing lessons” montage. The “I’m going crazy” montage is a pip, as well.

Joyce Compton appears in the film's first five minutes as a blonde patron in the seedy bar where Wharf's band is playing. Although Joyce's character is seen enjoying the jazzy tunes, her drunk dancing partner (played by Matt McHugh, brother of W.B. character actor Frank McHugh) is annoying the band with his persistent requests for "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles". His pestering causes a barroom brawl which prompts Wharf & Co. to go and ply their trade in New Orleans. Joyce is quite cute in this tiny role. It's not very indicative of the more substantial parts she was doing at this time in movies like Bedtime Story and Sky Murder, however.

In 2008, Warner Bros. released Blues in the Night in a nicely packaged DVD with several bonus cartoons and musical shorts that utilize the famous Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer title song. It is available (cheap!) at Amazon.com here.

Joyce in Lena Rivers (1932)

2011-10-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

“Pre Code Shirley Tempe” might be the best description for the heated Southern drama Lena Rivers, which recently came out on DVD under its reissue title The Sin of Lena Rivers. The film focuses on elfin actress Charlotte Henry playing a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who bears the stigma of illegitimate parentage. Henry’s Lena Rivers is raised by her grandmother (Beryl Mercer doing her usual kindhearted mama thing) after he mother dies in childbirth. After the grandfather dies in a boating accident, the duo are invited to live with a rich uncle in their relatives’ plush Kentucky mansion. The girl doesn’t fit in with the hoi polloi, preferring the company of the servants, but one neighbor (James Kirkwood) has a strange bond with the girl — even gifting her with a wild horse that only she can tame. As it turns out, the neighbor is the girl’s father and her ability to turn the horse into a racing champion is what will endear her to the others. A rather sweet film that is marred somewhat by its condescending attitude towards black people (Henry even observes that they’re “like children” when she spies a group of them relaxing and singing). Charlotte Henry was best known for playing Alice in the flop 1933 version of Alice in Wonderland; here she is merely okay.

In a good-sized role, Joyce Compton appears as the vixenish Southern belle who gets jealous when Charlotte Henry comes between her and her beau (Morgan Galloway). Her scenes are worth a peek in this otherwise routine, overly predictable outing.

The DVD for Lena Rivers is a typical Alpha Home Video outing with scratchy picture and muffled sound quality. The Spring 2011 release can be bought at Amazon.com here.

Joyce in Sing, Sinner, Sing (1933)

2011-10-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

Was it the blonde hair? Joyce got another chance to play a temptress in Sing, Sinner, Sing, a 1933 production from the budget-level studio Majestic.

Sing, Sinner, Sing is a rather ordinary pre-Code drama based a the real life fraças between singer Libby Holman and her husband, tobacco heir Zachary Smith Reynolds, who was found shot to death under mysterious circumstances in their apartment. Actress Leila Hyams plays the Holman stand-in, a torch singer who shares a stormy romance with gambling ship captain Paul Lukas. She escapes his clutches with a wealthy playboy (Don Dillaway), but after they marry she finds that her new husband is carrying on with a hotsy-totsy blonde — and that's where Joyce Compton comes in. Probably the best reason to see this hoary drama would be Leila Hyams, who is attractive and somewhat fragile in a way that reminds me of the slightly later Virginia Bruce. She also sings a few numbers in an agreeable (apparently non-dubbed) low voice. The story is pretty blah, with lousy turns from Lukas and Dillaway. The production is moderately nice for a low-budget picture, indulging in the usual settings of shipboard, nightclub, and penthouse (on sets probably borrowed from the big studios). This kind of material has been done much better in several Warner Bros. potboilers of the era — only die-hard Pre Code devotees would glean anything worthwhile from this.

Sing, Sinner, Sing debuted on DVD in a 2009 Alpha Home Video release. Like most Alpha product, the picture is scratched up, the sound is muddy and there are zero extras. It's better than nothing, however! Buy at Amazon.com here.

Joyce in Kid Galahad (1937)

2011-09-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

Kid Galahad is something of a gangster/boxing/romantic melodrama mishmash that somehow works thanks to the assured direction of Michael Curtiz and a phalanx of regulars from the Warner Bros. acting stable. Edward G. Robinson stars as a tough boxing manager with Bette Davis as his longtime gal. The two take notice of a swift-handed hotel bellhop (Wayne Morris) and groom him into a boxing ring champ. Davis' character Fluff finds herself romantically drawn to Morris, but Morris winds up taking a shine to Robinson's kid sister (Jane Bryan). This angers the protective Robinson so much that he decides to engineer a fight sure to put the young pugilist in a body cast. While the script ventures into overly familiar territory, this film ends up being a winner due to great work by Robinson and Davis, along with several stirring, realistic fight scenes.

Joyce Compton appears about 20 minutes into the film as a hanger-on at the huge party thrown in Edward G. Robinson's hotel suite. She plays a daffy blonde placing a long distance telephone call to Atlanta, a one-sided conversation that gets interrupted by prankster Robinson. It's a brief, funny bit.

A solidly entertaining title but not the first thing one thinks of with Davis or Robinson, Kid Galahad has had a spotty home video history. After decades of TV purgatory under the silly title The Battling Bellhop, it was issued on VHS in the '90s (with its real title restored!). The movie then made its DVD bow on the Warner Gangsters Collection, Vol. 4 in 2008. The DVD itself is a nifty package with vintage shorts, trailers and audio commentary. The set can be purchased at Amazon.com here.

Joyce in Rhythm in the Clouds (1937)

2011-08-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

Rhythm in the Clouds was another modest-budgeted musical that Joyce Compton briefly appeared in as comedy relief from all the (rather dull) singing and dancing. The story follows pretty blonde songwriter Patricia Ellis, who makes an impulsive decision to crash a well-known songwriter's apartment — submitting her own compositions as collaborations with the better-known but oblivious man. Neighbor William Hull is annoyed with the noisy Ellis living next door, but faster than you can say "unbelievable coincidence" he is selected to be the lyricist on her next would-be hit song (which gets a gala premiere on a popular local radio show). The song is a hit, and love blooms for the once-quarreling duo.

Joyce contributes a small bright spot to this otherwise forgettable film as the secretary at the radio station where Ellis and Hull work. She played a lot of snappy steno gals around this time; Three Smart Girls (1936), Under Your Spell (1936), Rhythm in the Clouds (1937), Women Are Like That (1938) and Going Places (1938) all had Joyce handling the steno pad, usually as some wealthy exec's Gal Friday.

Rhythm in the Clouds has slipped into public domain and is easily viewable both online and on disc. It can be seen or downloaded at the Internet Archive here. In 2009, Alpha Home Video released this film on DVD paired with another b-musical, Sitting On The Moon (which coincidentally also has Joyce in the cast). It can be purchased at Amazon.com here.

Joyce in Manpower (1941)

2011-07-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

The Edward G. Robinson actioner Manpower has a strangely magnetic pull on me; I first saw it in the early ’90s on one of my local UHF outlets’ pre-TCM version of the “Late Late Show,” then jumped when the film finally became available on DVD via the Warner Archive. Part of its appeal it that, although it’s not an especially standout film in any particular area, it has a bit of something for everything mashed together in a way that somehow comes together beautifully. Robinson plays a power line worker who shares his dangerous vocation with a bunch of rowdy buddies which include Alan Hale, Frank McHugh (who does his signature nasal laugh a few times), Ward Bond, and best friend George Raft. Robinson is something of a big brother to the crew and takes it upon himself to aid the daughter of an elderly co-worker who dies in an accident. The daughter is an exotic beauty and ex-con played by Marlene Dietrich, whom the earnest Robinson falls for despite cynical pal Raft’s knowledge that she belongs in the sleazy clip joint where she sings and dances for tips. Seeing it for the fourth or so time, I can see that the ending is rather ludicrous, but otherwise it’s a pip that just oozes with 1940s verve. Part of that verve lies in the camaraderie that director Raoul Walsh sets up with Robinson and his onscreen buddies; all that onscreen clowning looks kind of obnoxious, but it’s also spontaneous and real (and strangely not common in studio-bound pictures from this era). Walsh also has a good eye for interesting setups and places, with scenes in a nightclub, hospital, dressing room, hash joint and even a department store ladies’ fashion section brimming with flavor. It’s a swell picture, all right!

Although Joyce Compton was slumming in bit parts around this period (her funny, brief scene in Ziegfeld Girl is a good example), with Manpower she has a great turn here as Scarlett, a bubbly nightclub hostess who shares a workplace with Dietrich's character. She and Eve Arden (as Dolly, another clip joint lady) are oddly cast as hotsy-totsy gals, but they both have a genial appeal as the supportive friends that Dietrich turns to for advice and comfort. For such a testosterone-heavy flick, the three women hold their own. They even get a rather subdued scene to themselves, a nice break from all that macho rowdiness.

As I mentioned above, Manpower made a belated home video debut with the Warner Archive made-to-order DVD edition in 2010. Buy at Amazon.com here.

Joyce in Rose of Washington Square (1939)

2011-06-25T15:29:00.001-07:00

Joyce Compton's exposure in the screwball classic The Awful Truth led to a series of supporting roles in big-budget films for the actress, often playing the leading lady's best friend. The splashy, nostalgic Fox musical Rose of Washington Square was one example: Joyce appears here as Peggy, the perky pal of Alice Faye's sorta-based-on-Fanny-Brice Broadway musical comedy star, Rose Sargent.

Rose of Washington Square is a typically handsome Fox production, a frothy and historically suspect period vehicle for the warmly appealing Faye. As a singer rising to fame in 1910s New York, she gets wooed by Tyrone Power as a smooth cad with a passing resemblance to Fanny Brice's second husband, Nicky Arnstein. This was a lighthearted and fun movie first and foremost, one made momentarily uncomfortable by Al Jolson playing himself in blackface makeup. Fifth-billed Joyce appears sporadically throughout the picture whenever Faye needs a shoulder to cry on; she even gets to share a dramatic scene with Jolson. Most of the film’s musical sequences are straightforward stage performances, nicely gimmick free. Faye and a chorus of dancers doing amazing things with cigarettes in the title number is one of those wonderful, non-p.c. moments that one can only find in the world of black and white movies. Turn off your brain and enjoy.

Rose received an overdue DVD release in 2008, in an edition that included rare outtake footage as a special bonus. Buy at Amazon.com here.

Joyce in Sitting on the Moon (1936)

2011-06-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

1936's Sitting on the Moon is one of several "poverty row" genre films Joyce Compton made a small contribution to. A brief and airy musical, Sitting chronicles the star-crossed romance of songwriter Roger Pryor and appealing singer Grace Bradley. Bradley's career is on the outs when Pryor pens a jaunty melody for her (the title tune, repeated ad nauseam) which lands the woman a featured vocalist gig on a top radio hour. She becomes a star while he lands in obscurity, until another song and complications involving a gold-digging hussy (Joyce Compton!) change things around for the hapless guy. On the whole, slight and forgettable stuff which benefits from nice Art Deco production design and a pleasing title tune.

It's interesting to note that this is one of the earliest productions for Republic Pictures. Along with sister companies Monogram and PRC, Republic would become the source for several eclectic parts Joyce would do throughout the '40s. Sitting on the Moon is typical: Joyce appears for only a few minutes as the seductive blonde who is eventually revealed as the secret wife of Roger Pryor (pictured above). How will he get out of this one?

Sitting on the Moon is one of those easily available movies that seem to appear on every vintage musical DVD set in existence. It's also viewable online at Archive.org. In 2009, Alpha Home Video issued the film as the bottom half of a musical double feature DVD, paired with Rhythm in the Clouds (another poverty row film with an appearance by Joyce!). Buy at Amazon here.

Joyce in They Drive By Night (1940)

2011-05-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

Melodramatic intrigue meets down 'n dirty truck driving in director Raoul Walsh's They Drive By Night, a typically energetic Warner Bros. production from 1940. The film follows truckers George Raft and Humphrey Bogart as they deal with punishing hours and low pay hauling produce on all-night drives. Ann Sheridan adds a salty cynicism as the waitress whom Raft takes a shine to. Although enjoyable, this is truly a movie with a split personality. It begins as a gritty working-class melodrama of the type Warners did so well, but then the latter half veers into overheated murder mystery with the arrival of Ida Lupino as the scheming wife of the trucking company boss (Alan Hale). Lupino's big courtroom scene is campy beyond belief, but it only detracts slightly from what is an exciting corker of a movie.

Joyce Compton appears in They Drive By Night's second half as the ditsy girlfriend of Raft and Bogart's fellow driver, played by Roscoe Ates (when Ates declares that she's worth a million bucks, she replies "and just as hard to get."). She's appealing as ever and holds her own against her more famous co-stars in a role that is strangely unbilled, despite its decent size. The following year, Raoul Walsh, George Raft and Alan Hale would re-team on another gritty Warners melodrama, Manpower — with a certain cute "dumb blonde" actress also participating.

They Drive By Night was given a nice DVD treatment by Warner Home Video in 2003 with a new "making of" featurette and a vintage Warner Bros. short called Swingtime in the Movies added as extras. Buy at Amazon.com here.

Joyce in Behind the Mask (1947)

2011-05-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

Behind the Mask counts among the handful of films Joyce Compton did for the budget Monogram studio in the 1940s — whether she was a signed contract player there remains to be seen. Monogram's offerings spanned several genres including Westerns, Romances, Musicals and Film Noir Melodrama. Solid, modest entertainment was the hallmark of their best product, but even the lousiest of Monogram pictures (and trust me, there's plenty) had a scrappy charm.

Behind the Mask was the second of three Monogram productions starring popular radio character The Shadow. What sounds like a promising, gritty drama going in, however, ends up a strange, grimy little film that awkwardly injects comedy into an otherwise unremarkable whodunit. The story concerns the murder of a blackmailing newspaper reporter. Witnesses believe it was the Shadow who committed the deed; the Shadow's alter ego Lamont Cranston (Kane Richmond, sort of a poor guy's Phillip Terry) must prove otherwise with the help of his daffy girlfriend Margo Lane (Barbara Read). Having never heard a radio ep of The Shadow, I can't tell how much fidelity this film has to the source material. The film is an OK time waster whose one (tiny) distinction is Read's chucking of all demure femininity in a proto-Lucille Ball turn.

Joyce appears briefly as a flirty nightclub employee attempting to rope Cranston into a sting operation. She does her best, but the role is typical of the diminishing parts she was taking as her career was fading. Behind the Mask spent years not being available on any home video format, but it has recently turned up as a Netflix Watch Instantly offering.

Joyce in Small Town Boy (1937)

2011-04-29T18:02:00.001-07:00

In the same year that Joyce Compton made a splash supporting Cary Grant and Irene Dunne in The Awful Truth, she marked time in the shoestring-budgeted Small Town Boy. Here Joyce plays a girl named Molly Summers, sweetie-pie girlfriend of Stuart Erwin's title character. Erwin's Henry Armstrong is a bumbling sap who works in an insurance office run by Joyce's domineering uncle (Clarence Wilson). He's also suffering through a turbulent home life with a nagging mother (Clara Blandick), indifferent dad (Jed Prouty) and ne'er-do-well brother (James Blakeley) - so it comes as a pleasant surprise when he finds a crisp thousand dollar bill under a stubborn horse's hoof. Erwin does the honest thing by advertising his find in the local paper, offering the bill to anyone who can supply the serial number. This causes even more trouble in the Erwin household, and when the bill is misplaced it leads to a comic chase all across town.

Scripted and directed by Glenn Tryon (father of actor-turned-novelist Tom Tryon), this is an unexceptional comedy with a few bright, appealing scenes that are reminiscent of the Hal Roach shorts of the same vintage. Erwin is once again typecast as a well-meaning doofus, one whose charm eventually wins us over. The scene with him dealing simultaneously with a screaming baby and an uncooperative horse is a gem. Compton's role is that of the usual "girlfriend" type, but she seems to relish playing a relatively smart woman for once. It's a cute, sweet little flick.

Small Town Boy received a DVD release from Alpha Home Video (a.k.a. Oldies.com) in early 2011. As with other Alpha releases, the disc showcases a scratchy but watchable print with zero supplemental material - but at least the package has a nice cover design that uses elements from the original film poster (below). Buy at Amazon.com here.

Joyce in Under 18 (1931)

2011-04-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

Under 18 is a great, lesser-known example of the prototypical Warner Bros. Pre-Code drama. In the film, pretty Marian Marsh stars as a young woman from the slums of New York trying to make ends meet with her recently widowed mother (Emma Dunn). Although she is dating a sweet delivery truck driver (Regis Toomey), witnessing the stormy relationship of her sister (Anita Page) and her lazy gambler of a husband (Norman Foster) has made her cynical about love and marriage. Working as a seamstress at a local fashion house, Marsh is drafted into a modeling job and meets a slimy millionaire (Warren William in the first of many "heel" roles) who invites the comely girl up to his penthouse. Although she is turned off by the way the models in her workplace have become rich mens' mistresses, a desperate turn for her sister prompts Marsh to re-think the man's offer.

Despite the film's salacious title, Under 18 is actually quite a gritty and compelling drama which is given spiffy direction by Warners stalwart Archie Mayo. Marian Marsh, coming off a well-received debut opposite John Barrymore in 1930's Svengali, does an excellent job as the cynical heroine. She might be a bit soft, however, which might explain why she didn't get more starring parts at Warner's (she's a bit like MGM ingenue Madge Evans, with more bite). The film makes great use of the Warner backlot, and sports an excellent Art Deco set design in the form of William's luxe rooftop pool. It moves along efficiently, with only debit being an abrupt, impossibly happy ending.

Joyce Compton appears briefly in a couple of scenes as one of the chatty models at the fashion house where Marsh works. It's interesting to see her in this period, fresh off the Fox studio's ill-advised attempt to mold her into a glamour puss. She's part glamour puss here, also, but one can see the beginnings of the appealing character actress she would evolve into as the 1930s went along. Oddly enough, she gets sixth billing here, well ahead several other actors with more sizeable roles (like Paul Porcasi as Marsh's boss).

Under 18 used to be somewhat hard to find, viewable only when Turner Classic Movies happened to schedule a Marian Marsh or Warren William film fest. In 2010, it received a welcome DVD release via the Warner Archive made to order program. Once a gem, always a gem!

The Mystery of Go Into Your Dance (1935)

2011-03-05T15:38:00.000-08:00

Go Into Your Dance was Al Jolson’s final star vehicle at Warner Brothers, and the only film in which he co-starred with his then-wife Ruby Keeler. As far as Al goes, he delivers a surprisingly subdued performance here (who knew?), and the relative lack of black-faced hamminess makes it a better bet to modern viewers. Here he plays an eccentric former Broadway star who lives exiled in Mexico. Al’s snappy sister (Glenda Farrell, always terrific) persuades him to go back to work, a situation where he is so emboldened he opens a nightclub funded with shady gangster money. At some point, he also deals with a sweet dancer (Keeler) who is stuck on him but doesn’t know quite how to express it. This is a typically predictable yet super-slick outing with a lively cast and a few polished, Busby Berkely-ish numbers (particularly “A Quarter To Nine”). Ruby Keeler is cute as always and rises to the occasion despite her shortcomings in the acting department; singer Helen Morgan actually outshines the leading lady as a salty gangster’s gal. There’s also the delightful Patsy Kelly as an eager vaudevillian who keeps crossing paths with Jolson.

Joyce Compton receives billing in the opening credits. While Joyce did several musicals in her prime and certainly would be at home in this one, what's unusual here is that she's nowhere to be seen in the actual film (and I kept my eyes peeled for her!). The Internet Movie Database lists her role as "showgirl in cafe." The only part fitting that description is a hot-tempered dancer who speaks with Jolson in an early bit set in a Mexican nightclub (see screen shot below). Although the actress bears a passing resemblance to our Joyce, it's not her. Perhaps Joyce was (improbably) cast as a Mexican, then the role was recast before they could alter the credits? If anybody could help me with this mystery, I'd love to hear an explanation. Al Jolson and Joyce would eventually work together in 1939's Rose of Washington Square.

Although it was issued on laserdisc in the early 1990s, Go Into Your Dance has been somewhat hard to find over the years. Warner Archive finally released the film on DVD in 2009.

Google Image Search Results

2010-12-15T14:04:00.000-08:00

I need to do Google image searches on Joyce Compton more often. Although many of the results are commonly circulated publicity shots, occasionally some rarely seen photos come up. For example ...

From a Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy fan site - a racy shot with Jeanette and Joyce (and Sally Blane at center) in the partially lost 1931 Fox production Annabelle's Affairs:

From Film Noir Photos, a casual shot of Joyce standing in front of a rather dangerous looking succulent in 1925:

From the site of author Michael Ankerich (The Real Joyce Compton), another 1920s publicity portrait with Joyce taking on a classic pose in a bolero hat:

From eclectic weblog Curiosity Killed The Cat, a shot of Joyce stiking a most flapper-esque pose:

From Golden Age Autographs, a signed photo from 1938's Artists and Models Abroad. This photo session produced a lot of great ones, but this is a new one for me:

Finally, from Flickr user le beau monde, a candid photo of silent queen Clara Bow and Joyce from 1929's Dangerous Curves:

Joyce in Suicide Squad (1935)

2010-11-26T14:10:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching our Joyce Compton in her 1935 actioner Suicide Squad. Joyce appears lovely and confident in the leading lady role here, but that's about the best thing I can say for this routine bottom of the bill filler. Norman Foster, who usually played cocky young men, stars as a cocky young fire recruit whose initiation into the department is all the more daunting since he's dating the fire chief's daughter. This short b-movie is shoddily directed and weirdly paced - with interminable dialogue scenes sandwiched between documentary footage of real building fires. It has the feel of being shot in a series of single takes, with the actors often reciting their lines out of the range of a camera that rarely if ever budges. Norman Foster is an affable enough lead, but the character he plays is so misguided and downright stupid that it's hard to care about the guy - even after he redeems himself in the end!

Joyce completed this independent production in the period just before finding her niche as a comedic "dumb blonde." She is subdued and effective in her relatively few scenes opposite Foster, Robert Homans, and Aggie Herring (the latter two playing her parents). For such a threadbare production, she looks striking in several chic outfits. No doubt this must have been one of the films in which the actress supplied her own wardrobe.

Suicide Squad received a no-frills DVD release from Alpha Home Video in 2008; buy at Amazon.com here.

Joyce in City For Conquest (1940)

2010-10-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a screen shot of Joyce Compton dancing with a young Anthony Quinn in the gritty Warner Brothers melodrama City for Conquest. Slickly directed by Anatole Litvak, the film is a fun if somewhat hokey and overly ambitious outing. James Cagney stars as Danny Kenny, a pugnacious New Yorker who becomes a championship boxer to help fund the career of his composer brother (Arthur Kennedy). He's also stuck on childhood friend Ann Sheridan, but the teary-eyed Ann doesn't realize the depth of his feelings until after she's taken off to form a ballroom dancing act with the manipulative Quinn. The excellent supporting cast includes sturdy WB faves such as Frank McHugh, Donald Crisp and George Tobias, as well as Elia Kazan as a stereotypically Jewish gangster named Googi.

City for Conquest is one of those films I saw a long time ago and totally enjoyed, despite its shortcomings. The film has its feet planted in several different genres - gangster pic, musical, boxing thriller, small-man-in-the-big-city melodrama - never quite settling on one. Cagney and Sheridan are both fine, the photography is nice and lush, and the score is full of beautifully arranged renditions of pop standards like "The Lullaby of Broadway." The sheer earnestness of the plot gets laid on a bit thick - especially with the DVD edition containing previously unseen footage of a narrator named 'Old Timer' played by Frank Craven. The bearded stranger comments on the proceedings in such an annoyingly folksy manner, one wishes Cagney would deliver him a swift right hook.

Joyce plays Lilly in the film, a "good time gal" and amateur dancer who is first seen twirling around with lothario Quinn. When Quinn spots Sheridan across the floor, however, the poor girl is left in the dust. Not a huge role by any means, but Joyce is engaging as usual (notice how she attempts to ingratiate herself with Cagney's clique). This is a good example of how a skilled character actor can enliven a film with just a short scene or two.

City for Conquest received a handsome DVD release by Warner Home Video in 2006; recently the film was repackaged in an affordable TCM Greatest Gangster Films set along with Cagney vehicles G-Men, Each Dawn I Die and White Heat.

Joyce in Unholy Love (1932)

2010-09-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Whether in a starring role or a non-speaking bit part, there was always something in Joyce Compton's movies that's worth looking into. I'm going to use this opportunity to go into each of her films which are currently available commercially - starting with the earliest, 1932's spicy Pre-Code Unholy Love. This film is a rather leaden, silly melodrama of infidelity within the country club set, based on Flaubert's Madame Bovary. Its main appeal is Joyce herself, sexy and appealing (and young!) in a rare dramatic role - and a sizable one to boot. Although she is third billed behind silent-era actors H. B. Warner and Lila Lee, Compton has the most screen time of the cast as a flirty gardener’s daughter who slinks her way into high society. It’s a fun role and she has a field day with it, even if at this early point in her career she doesn’t quite have the acting chops to effectively pull it off. Soon after this independent production wrapped, Joyce signed on with Mack Sennett's studio for a series of slapstick short subjects, essentially becoming the comedic dumb blonde we all know and love. She's surprisingly quite credible in Unholy Love, making one wonder what could have been had she stuck with more dramatic parts.

Unholy Love got a no frills DVD release in 2008 from budget retailer Alpha Home Video; it is currently available via Oldies.com and Amazon.com.

Lacy Gown Portrait

2010-07-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

Publicity portrait of Joyce in a full length lacy gown, circa 1933.

Fox Beret Portrait

2010-07-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

An interestingly composed publicity photo of Joyce during her days as a Fox studio contractee, circa 1929. Love the beret!

Three Girls Lost Stills

2010-05-07T08:30:00.001-07:00

I have a couple of stills to share from Miss Compton's pre-Code melodrama Three Girls Lost (1931). Here's Joyce with co-stars Loretta Young and Joan Marsh (below) and by herself looking cute as a button (bottom).

"The Adventures of Jim Bowie" (1958)

2010-03-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

Here are two screen grabs of Joyce with actors Scott Forbes and Lawrence Dobkin in the Western TV series The Adventures of Jim Bowie. Joyce appeared as Madeline Renaud, a New Orleans countess with a missing husband and diamond necklace, in the season two episode "Pirate On Horseback," which aired on January 17th, 1958. This small bit was one of a handful of parts that an older and more matronly looking Joyce took on when she returned to acting in 1957-61. It's fascinating to see her in this period, as charming as ever. The complete run of The Adventures of Jim Bowie is available on DVD from Infinity Entertainment.

"The Abbott & Costello Show" (1953)

2010-03-11T16:14:00.000-08:00

Here are two screen grabs from Joyce Compton's brief appearance in an episode of TV's The Abbott and Costello Show. In it, Joyce plays a flirty Southern gal applying for a drivers license, having only about 10-15 seconds of screen time. It is definitely a bit part, and given the episode's date (1953), the role was likely the last acting job she took before taking time off to devote to her nursing career. Later on in the decade, she returned to acting before retiring for good in the early '60s.

Spring Madness Lobby Card

2010-02-26T10:59:00.000-08:00

Joycie and her costars (well, maybe not Maureen O'Sullivan) are all smiles in this tinted lobby card from the 1938 MGM production Spring Madness. Left to right: Jacqueline Wells, Joyce Compton, Lew Ayres, Ann Morriss, Ruth Hussey, and Maureen O'Sullivan.

The Joyce Compton Look

2010-02-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

This is too funny: blogger and retro style enthusiast Lisa Freemont demonstrates how to restyle your hair exactly like Joyce Compton's in The Awful Truth. Lisa is correct that the combination of bangs and curls was unusual in classic moviedom, and Joyce owned that look. Speaking of bangs, Joyce herself shares an amusing anecdote in her book about clashing with fellow bebanged star Marlene Dietrich when the two were cast in 1941's Manpower. Apparently Miss Dietrich didn't take too well to having another actress with bangs in the picture, but luckily Joyce unruffled Marlene's feathers with her honeyed Southern charm. Enjoy the video, y'all.

More Bedtime Story Publicity

2010-02-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I've been coming across a lot of new-to-me photos from JC's 1941 comedy Bedtime Story. Above is another candid shot with Joyce and costar Robert Benchley. Below, we have a publicity photo of Joyce looking great in a tropical print swimsuit (this is a larger version of a pic in the Joyce Compton Shrine Gallery). I don't believe she wears this getup at any time in the film, but I suppose the newspapers and magazines of '41 needed all the cheesecake they could get!

Another Lacy Top

2010-01-29T09:42:00.001-08:00

Another portrait of Joyce in a lacy blouse; this one is from the mid-'30s.

Lacy Fox Portrait

2010-01-01T12:20:00.000-08:00

Autographed Fox publicity portrait of Joyce, circa 1929.

Artists and Models Abroad Still

2009-12-18T11:22:00.000-08:00

Paramount publicity still for Joyce's 1938 comedy Artists and Models Abroad. Pictured left to right are Joyce Compton, Joan Bennett and Jack Benny (other actors unidentified).

Girl in the Woods Photo

2009-11-17T11:22:00.001-08:00

Very rare publicity photo from low budget film Girl in the Woods, one of the handful of projects Joyce worked on when she returned to acting in the late '50s. Pictured, left to right: Kim Charney, Bartlett Robinson, Maggie Hayes, Joyce Compton and Barton MacLane.

Bedtime Story Candid Shot

2009-10-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

Fun shot of Joyce and Robert Benchley on the set for 1941's Bedtime Story. Is it candid or posed?

Salute Photo

2009-10-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

Fox publicity photo of Joyce Compton (in Clara Bow-ish mode) and William Janney in 1929's Salute.

1932 Casting Book

2009-10-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-01T15:47:00.000-07:00

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.

March 1990

2009-09-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

Photo and decorated fan letter, March 1990.

July 1987

2009-09-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

A photo of Joyce with her beloved cat Taj, July 1987.

Inspirational Bookmarks

2009-09-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

Set of bookmarks with inspirational quotes painted by Joyce, August 1985.

Flower Paintings

2009-09-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

Tiny paintings of flowers on construction paper — art by Joyce Compton, June 1984.

March 1984

2009-09-11T17:55:00.001-07:00

Starting today, I thought I'd share photos and artwork from Joyce made in the '80s and '90s — after she retired from acting and nursing. These images come courtesy of Joe, who was a friend of Joyce's during this period. Here are a snapshot and two drawings from March 1984. Miss Compton often made tiny paintings (usually of flowers) for fans who corresponded with her.

Hotel For Women Portrait

2009-09-03T14:20:00.002-07:00

20th Century Fox publicity portrait of Joyce for Elsa Maxwell's Hotel for Women, 1939.

Beauty Parlor Stills

2009-08-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

Stills of Joyce and fellow cast members in 1932's Beauty Parlor.

Swing Out The Blues Portrait

2009-08-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous publicity portrait of Joyce from the 1943 Columbia production Swing Out the Blues.

Bathing Beauty Portrait

2009-07-30T16:14:00.001-07:00

Autographed "Bathing Beauty" portrait of Joyce Compton from the early to mid '40s. Lookin' good, toots!

Estate Sale Flyer

2009-07-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

Flyer from Joyce's estate sale from circa early '90s. The sale happened just before she spent her final years at the Motion Picture & Television Hospital and Home in Woodland Hills, California.

Manpower Portrait

2009-07-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

Warner Bros. publicity portrait of Joyce as a prostitute (could she be anything else in that getup?) in 1941's Manpower.

Scattergood Meets Broadway

2009-07-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

RKO publicity photo of Joyce Compton and actor William Henry in Scattergood Meets Broadway (1941).

Feather Hat Portrait

2009-07-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

Publicity portrait of Joyce Compton in a whimsical feathered hat, circa 1939.

Hunter Foster Studio Portrait

2009-07-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

Lovely portrait of Joyce taken by Los Angeles-based Hunter Foster Studios in the mid-'20s — definitely from the period where she styled herself after silent movie queen Mae Murray. A grateful thank you to Tisha for this and the next few photographs.

The Real Joyce Compton

2009-07-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

BearManor Media and author Michael Ankerich proudly announce the autobiography of Joyce Compton, the first book exclusively devoted to our favorite blonde. The Real Joyce Compton: Behind the Dumb Blonde Movie Image will be published this Fall. Look out for it!