The Phantom Carriage (1921)

Born Today November 17: Mischa Auer

1905-1967

Mischa Auer was born in Saint Petersburg, during the end days of the Russian Empire as Mikhail Semyonovich Unkovsky to Jewish parents.  He got involved with Yiddish theater and was a member of Bertha Kalich's Yiddish Theater (she herself made it to Hollywood, albeit much earlier in the silent era) and in her company was credited as Mischa Ounskowsky.  He was the grandson of Hungarian Jewish violinist Leopold Auer, so when he made the journey to Hollywood, he took that name to honour his grandfather.  He immigrated to the United States in the late 1920's and managed to star in one of the very last fully silent films Something Always Happens in 1928, a year when partially sound films were common and few full mono sound films were produced.  He went on to have a very prolific acting career right on until the time of his death in 1967.  He passed away in Rome, Italy of heart complications.  He is interred in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Gloversville NY.  

 

[Source: Diane Henderson (Find A Grave)]

 

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Wikipedia 

 

Find A Grave entry 

Born Today November 16: George S. Kaufman

1880-1961

Born George Simon Kaufman in Pittsburgh he was a multi-talented Jack Of All Trades in the entertainment industry, well known early on for writing and/or directing musicals for The Marx Brothers. He started off as a writer; his first film credit came in that capacity in 1919 Someone Must Pay, which was an adaptation of a play that he wrote in 1918 as  Some One In The House.  Which was remade in 1920, directed by John Ince eldest of the Ince Brothers.  He had many rolls in the film industry including film credit, but also such a very successful career on Broadway.  He was also a member of the Algonquin Round Table crowd that also included Dorothy Parker, a character that the Jennifer Jason Leigh character in the Coen Brothers film The Hudsucker Proxy  is based on.  He passed away inn New York City on 2 June 1971 at the age of 71. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered.

Horror Movie Still Of The Day

Over at the Scare Me On Friday blog we are devoting one of the Countdown days to a Jewish/Hebraic theme.  Judaism is filled with it's own set of unique monsters and spirits, one of which is the Golem.  The above image comes from Der Golem, the 1925 remake of the film that still survives in good condition.  The original, much shorter film, from 1915 is famously lost.