Tyrone Power in his official Marine photo.
Women adored him. Men respected him. And kids wanted to be like him. He was a matinee idol like no other…
WHAT: The Tyrone Power Centennial Event
WHEN: May 1, 2014 7:00 PM (Doors open at 6:30 PM)
WHERE: Pickwick Theatre, Park Ridge, IL
WHO: Honored guests Taryn Power-Greendeer and Michael Butler. With a special appearance by Jay Warren of the Silent Film Society of Chicago!
Admission: $7; $5 for seniors (60+)
A hundred years ago, Wrigley Field had its first home opener. Charlie Chaplin debuted his Little Tramp, and the world witnessed the start of a Great War. In the spring of 1914, on the fifth day of May, a baby was born in Cincinnati named Tyrone Edmund Power III. He was the son of a great stage star, Tyrone Power II, and his wife Patia. In time, young Tyrone would carry on his father’s acting tradition. He would become one of the biggest stars in the world before his untimely death in 1958 at the age of 44.
Nearly fifty-six years have passed since his death during the making of Solomon and Sheba, but Tyrone Power is still remembered by legions of film buffs. Our May 1 Centennial at the Pickwick Theatre is for the fans who have kept Tyrone Power’s memory alive throughout the decades. But as each generation passes, the name Tyrone Power becomes a little dimmer in our collective memory. We hope events such as these will spark renewed interest in the younger generations, that they may be inspired by the life and work of one of cinema’s screen legends. Tyrone Power is a reminder of what makes a great star.
Every year gives birth to its fair share of noteworthy people. Also born in 1914 were such screen greats as Alec Guinness, Richard Widmark, and Ida Lupino. And next year will be the 100th anniversary of the birth of Orson Welles, and so on. All these actors and actresses certainly deserve their own centennials; we’re not interested in saying such and such person should be remembered more than someone else. But to those of us whose lives have been touched by Tyrone Power– especially the family who has kept his memory alive– it is Tyrone Power’s time to again be in the spotlight. It’s time to look back and celebrate his life and legacy– not just as an actor, but also as a father and a man who served his country with distinction in time of war.
Tyrone Power in his best-known role of Zorro!
With this double feature, our intent is to make Power’s films accessible and to keep the name alive in a society that too often fixates on the ephemera of pop culture. There is permanence in what Tyrone Power left behind. His was a legacy that transcends time. Tyrone Power’s name still matters. But too many stars whose names are familiar to us only elicit a “Who?” from kids who don’t look further back than to last weekend’s blockbuster. Many stars– once famous to millions– have been relegated to “ancient history” by younger generations unwilling and unmotivated to rediscover our great heritage.
Many senior citizens have told me their kids and grandkids have never heard of Tyrone Power. Or a young mother might say to me, “Oh, he was my mother’s favorite.” It’s as though people feel you have to be 60 years old to appreciate him. This perception is something we’d like to change. He was one of the biggest stars in the world and a king of the box office at his own studio, 20th Century-Fox. Those types of honors speak of his great popularity, but what does that mean for us today? Popularity in itself is not enough. There has to be something more, something that turns a famous actor of his era into a movie legend.
Like the famous John Barrymore, Tyrone Power represents a great heritage of acting in America. It’s a tradition that goes back hundreds of years to the 18th century. The acting dynasty continues to this day and we hope, into tomorrow. Though his father, Tyrone Power Sr., died while performing on the stage in 1931, the elder Power lived to see his son follow in his footsteps. Young Ty was blessed with exceptional good looks which got him typecast early in his career. He was often cast as a “pretty boy” playboy in roles that offered little characterization. But it wasn’t long before Power broke away from this cardboard mold and showed that he was an actor of great force. Films like The Razor’s Edge, Nightmare Alley, The Long Gray Line, and Witness For the Prosecution show an actor of tremendous range and humanity. His best films are as relevant today as when they were released.
With Alice Faye
In Old Chicago, which is the first film we’ll be screening, was actually recommended by our guest, Taryn Power-Greendeer. In my first conversation with Taryn over the phone in 2013, she recalled a trip she had made to Chicago. While on a boat tour of the Chicago River, she thought how references to In Old Chicago could’ve enlivened her tour guide’s spiel. Though the film was made entirely at the Fox studio, the assistance of the Chicago Historical Society added to the detail and atmosphere of the production. Whether it’s references to streets like Madison or places like the Palmer House, the stockyards or the river itself, the film recreates a place Chicagoans would appreciate.
Capitalizing on MGM’s disaster movie San Francisco (1936), 20th Century-Fox decided to unite Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, and Don Ameche in a period drama about the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Alice Brady, in an Oscar-winning performance, is Mrs. O’Leary, a widow raising her family in the vice-filled neighborhood known as “the Patch.” One of her sons, Dion (Power), gives her almost as much trouble as the cow out back in the barn. Dion builds a saloon with singer Belle Fawcette (Faye) as his star attraction. Growing in influence, Dion uses underhanded schemes to get his brother Jack (Ameche) elected mayor. But Jack is reform-minded and won’t allow anything to get in the way of his mission to clean up the Patch. Though the human drama is largely fictitious, this is Hollywood history done on a grand and entertaining scale. Henry King, a specialist in directing American history, would collaborate with Power for a total of eleven films–including the second half of our double bill.
Tyrone Power as Jesse James…
With Nancy Kelly in Jesse James
Jesse James, made the following year in 1939, is a fictionalized account of the Old West’s most famous bandit. The film presents Jesse as a folk hero– the “Ozarkian Robin Hood” of the 1800s. Tyrone Power, in his first Western, plays the younger James and Henry Fonda is his brother, Frank. Despite this second billing, Fonda has some of the best lines in the movie. Together, they’re striking back against the corrupt railroad men who have swindled the farmers out of land. The James boys become masked outlaws, holding up trains, robbing banks, and outracing the town lawmen on horseback.
Shot in gorgeous Technicolor and beautifully filmed on location in Missouri, this was Power’s first truly great film– with an ending that still has the power to shock. John Carradine (as the coward Bob Ford), Nancy Kelly, Randolph Scott, and Henry Hull also star in one of the most memorable films of 1939– and 20th Century-Fox’s biggest money-maker of the year. A sequel, The Return of Frank James was directed by Fritz Lang the following year.
No one-day centennial could possibly cover the spectrum of an actor’s career, so we decided to play two films from a time when Power was emerging into a superstar at his home studio. If we had wanted to get more kids interested in Tyrone Power, we could’ve easily shown The Mark of Zorro. Film noir enthusiasts would’ve appreciated a screening of Nightmare Alley. Power appeared in many genres, from screwball comedies to musicals to war films. For our centennial kickoff, we selected two historical dramas about America’s past that remain incredibly popular with audiences to this day. We hope this will encourage others to seek out the films of Tyrone Power.
It’s not often that this kind of film history passes through Park Ridge (or anywhere, for that matter). We hope our residents, especially, realize the value of this event and come out– not only to honor someone they should know, but to support our new classic film program.
— M.H.
***A Pickwick Theatre Exclusive*** We will be selling limited edition copies of Romina Power’s memoir, Searching For My Father, Tyrone Power. This book was previously published only in Italian and will now be available exclusively at centennial events. The Pickwick Theatre is honored to have the American debut of a book fans will love.
Tyrone Power (1914-1958)
