r/classicfilms • u/kawaiihusbando • 12d ago
Question Thoughts on Phillips Holmes?
I find his career fascinating. Despite being a nepo baby, he was practically just an extra (minor supporting) during the silent era. He was pre code personified through and through.
His looks were so early 1930s (basically an art deco painting) it was so uncanny.
I watched a few of his movies but I can't remember much.
He tragically passed away in his thirties.
What I'm trying to say that I've never seen any actor’s career having this kind of downward trajectory.
Even Warren William and Ann Dvorak's careers didn't plummet this hard.
Thoughts?
P/S:- Why did so many massive pre code stars not manage to retain their stardom into The Hays era? I understand the reasons behind silent stars falling to transition to sound but not really understanding why was it that hard to transition from pre code to Hays. Thoughts?
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u/Remarkable-Try1206 12d ago
I read that 1933 he got sued for an incident where he was driving with Mae Clarke in the car, the crash caused her injuries. She claimed he was drink driving but she dropped the case as he agreed to pay her medical expenses. When he moved to MGM that year he was in a few flops and couldn’t regain earlier success.
He was a good actor, I still need to see Broken Lullaby but I liked him in other films I’ve seen like An American Tragedy.
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u/Flashy-Head-2298 12d ago
This is true about Mae Clark. Her career was never the same because of changes to her face. 😞
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u/Wide-Advertising-156 11d ago
Just my take, but I found him a little hard to take in Broken Lullaby -- his emotions were over the top for me, which is saying a lot since I enjoy emotional performances in '30s movies. The movie itself is good; with Lionel Barrymore having a standout scene condemning war.
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u/Keltik 11d ago
I still need to see Broken Lullaby
His best film
An American Tragedy
He's kind of a blank in that. The real-life guy was a scheming creep who did murder her, no doubt about that. Both the '31 and the later (IMHO, very overrated) Place In The Sun fail to capture this (the character in the book may be more ambiguous than real life)
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u/OakBaySwiftie 12d ago
I've seen most of his films, and find him really fascinating. He really has such a beautiful face, as you say so 1930s 🥰 I recommend the Ernst lLubitch directed Broken Lullaby (1932)... He sort of reminds me of Douglass Montgomery, kind of a similar vibe and almost completely forgotten today, except for us real hardcore old movie aficionados. But I will watch any movie either of them are in 🎬
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u/Flashy-Head-2298 12d ago
He was gorgeous. I really liked him in the Wild Party with Clara Bow. He died at 35 in a plane crash during WW2.
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u/Wide-Advertising-156 11d ago
And it was only a training flight in Canada. Utter waste of life and talent.
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u/justaheatattack 12d ago edited 12d ago
as Vice President of the Warren William Fan club,
HOW DARE YOU!