Appendix

The Work of Claude Rains

Theatre Work

Opening and closing dates have been included whenever verifiable; otherwise, only opening nights are indicated. In early to mid-twentieth-century British theatre, the term “producer” was generally synonymous with “director”; credits here are given as they appeared in original programs and clippings.

1900

SWEET NELL OF OLD DRURY

A comedy in four acts by Paul Kester, adapted by J. Hartley Manners. HAYMARKET THEATRE, London, August 8–October 13 (51 performances).

CAST: Nell Gwyn Julia Neilsen; Lord Jeffreys Louis Calvert; Charles II Fred Terry; Percival Lionel Brough; Lacy Malcolm Cherry; Captain Graham Clavering Fred Volpe; Lady Olivia Vernon Lilian Braithwaite; Sir Roger Fairfax C. M. Hallard; Lady Castelmaine Constance Collier.

NOTE: Claude Rains made his first stage appearance as an unbilled child extra”running around a fountain.”

1900–1901

HEROD

A historical play in three acts by Stephen Phillips. HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE, London; October 31, 1900–January 22, 1901 (78 performances). PROPRIETOR AND MANAGER: Herbert Beerbohm Tree. PRODUCER: Herbert Beerbohm Tree. SCENERY: Hawes Craven. COSTUME DESIGN: Percy Anderson. MUSIC DIRECTOR: Andrew Levey.

CAST: Herod, King of the Jews Herbert Beerbohm Tree; Gadias, Chief Councillor C. W. Somerset; Pheroras F. Percival Stevens; Aristobulus Alfred Mansfield/Norman Tharp; Marianne, Queen and Wife to Herod Maud Jeffries; Salome, Sister of Herod

Eleanor Calhoun; Bathsheba Rosalie Jacobi/Nannie Bennett; Cypros, Mother of Herod Kate Bateman; Judith, a Lady of the Court Frances Dillon; Sylleas, a Blind Man J. Fisher White; Hagar Lillian Moubrey; Envoy from Rome C. F. Collings; A Physician Charles Fulton; A Priest S. A. Cookson; A Captain Edward Fielding; Cupbearer Julian L'Estrange; Servant Cavendish Morton; Dancer Ellen Goss; Extras Francis Chamier, Godwin Hunt, Cecil King, Henry Lesmere, Alfred E. Calver, Eric Leslie, Frank Gurney, Ernest Leigh, Claude Rains (unbilled child extra).

1904

LAST OF THE DANDIES

A play in four acts by Clyde Fitch. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE, London, April 30–May 6 (8 performances). PROPRIETOR AND MANAGER: Herbert Beerbohm Tree. MUSIC: Andrew Levey; STAGE MANAGER: Cecil King; ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Louis Mercanton; MUSIC DIRECTOR: Adolf Schmid; GENERAL MANAGER: Henry Dana; ASSISTANT MANAGER: Angus MacLeod.

CAST: Count D'Orsay Herbert Beerbohm Tree; Lord Ascot Eugene Mayeur; Lord Westerbury Dawson Milward; Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton S. A. Cookson; Tom Raikes Cecil Rose; Mr. Marlby L. Ericson; Mons Piquot Harvey Long; Ferdinand Compton Coutts; Winkles Master Claude Rains; Lord Raoul Ardale Basil Gill; Lord Harbury Francis Chamier; Mr. Disraeli Eric Leslie; Mr. Weatherby F. Wood; Hon. Richard Bailey A. C. Grain; Peters J. Fisher White; Mr. Snipps Frank Stanmore; Octavio William H. Day; John B. Nicholls; Lady Summershire Mrs. Sam Sothern; Lady Carrollby Lena Brasch; Deaf Old Lady Mrs. Stanislaus Calhaem; Henrietta Power Isabel Collier; Hon. Mrs. Weatherble Elaine Inescourt; Countess Guiccioli Dorothy Thomas; Jane Hilda Gray; Lady Blessington Marion Terry.

NOTE: “Winkles” was Rains's debut speaking role in the theatre.

1910–1911

HENRY VIII

A play by William Shakespeare. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE, London, September 1–April 9 (279 performances). PROPRIETOR AND MANAGER: Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. SCENERY: Joseph Harker. DESIGN: Percy MacQuoid. MUSIC: Edward German. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Adolf Schmid. PAGENTRY: Louis N. Parker. STAGE MANAGER: Cecil King. ASSOCIATE STAGE MANAGER: Stanley Bell.

NOTE: Although Claude Rains has been credited elsewhere as assistant stage manager for this production of Henry VIII, his name is not included in the original program.

1911

THE GODS OF THE MOUNTAIN

A play in one act by Lord Dunsany. HAYMARKET THEATRE, London, June 1–July 14 (37 performances). LICENSEE AND MANAGER: Frederick Harrison. PRODUCER: Norman Page. DIRECTOR: Herbert Trench. SCENERY: William Clarkson, L.&.H. Nathan, Miss Pitcher. LIGHTING: J. Digby. MUSIC: Norman O'Neill. STAGE MANAGER: Charles La Trobe.

CAST: Oogno E. A. Warburton; Thahn Reginald Owen/Claude Rains; Ulf H. R. Hignett; Agmar Charles V. France; Thief Lawrence Hanray; Mlan R. P. Lamb; Oorander G. Dickson-Kenwin; Akmos Ernest Graham; Slag Charles Maude; Illanaun Grendon Bentley; Báshara F. G. Clinton; Thulek G. Carr; Thoharmas Kenneth Dennys; Haz B. Hatton Sinclair; Theedes A. Jones; Ackarnees Norman Page; Dromedary Man W. Black; Lirra Muriel Lake/Anne Carew; Eselunza E. Risdon; Thonion Alára V. Whitaker; Ylax M. Ronsard; Nennek of the Meadows Enid Rose; Others E. Lyall Swete, A. Webster, K. Black, H. Cooper, E. Leverett, G. Wilkinson, J. O'Brien.

THE BLUE BIRD

A fantasy in six acts by Maurice Maeterlinck. Australian tour, Melbourne and Sydney. PRODUCER: Harley Granville-Barker. STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains.

followed by:

YOU NEVER CAN TELL

A play in four acts by George Bernard Shaw. Australian tour, Sydney. PRODUCER: Harley Granville-Barker. STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains (who also acted the role of Bohun).

NOTE: You Never Can Tell was substituted for Maeterlinck when The Blue Bird failed to repeat its Melbourne success with Sydney audiences.

1911–1912

THE BLUE BIRD

A fantasy in six acts by Maurice Maeterlinck and Norman O'Neill (music), translated by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. QUEEN'S THEATRE, London, December 26–February 3 (70 performances). PRODUCER: E. Lyle Swete. SCENIC DESIGN: F. Cayley Robinson, S. H. Sime, Joseph Harker. COSTUME DESIGN: F. Cayley Robinson. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Norman O'Neill. STAGE MANAGER: Charles La Trobe. ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains.

NOTE: The connection, if any, between this production and Granville-Barker's Australian tour version is unclear, except for Rains's involvement in them both. The settings are identical to the production staged at the Haymarket Theatre in 1909 and 1910.

1912

THE GOLDEN DOOM

A play in one act by Lord Dunsany. HAYMARKET THEATRE, London, November 19–December 12 (28 performances). PRODUCER: E. Lyle Swete. DESIGN: S. H. Sime. SCENERY: Joseph Harker. COSTUMES: L. & H. Nathan. STAGE MANAGER: Charles La Trobe. ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains.

CAST: First Sentry Allan Jeayes; Stranger Leonard E. Notcutt; Chamberlain E. Lyall Swete; First Prophet Ralph Hutton; Chief Prophet Ewan Brook; Second Sentry G. Dickson-Kenwin; Boy Master Eric Rae; King Henry Hargreaves; Second Prophet Frank Ridley; Spies Claude Rains (also assistant stage manager), Gerald Jerome, Cyril Hardingham; Attendants M. Brier, R. Lewis, C. Miles, G. Playford; Girl Eileen Esler/Dorothy Manville.

THE WALDIES

A play in four acts by G. J. Hamien. HAYMARKET THEATRE, London, December 8–9 (2 performances). PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Norman Page, for the Incorporated Stage Society. STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains.

1912–1913

THE YOUNGER GENERATION

A comedy in three acts by Stanley Houghton. HAYMARKET THEATRE, London, November 19–February 8; DUKE OF YORK'S THEATRE, London, February 10–March 3 (131 performances). LICENSEE AND MANAGER: Frederick Harrison. STAGE MANAGER: Charles La Trobe. ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Norman O'Neill.

1913

THE PRETENDERS

An historical drama in five acts by Henrik Ibsen (original title: Kongsemnerne), translated by William Archer. HAYMARKET THEATRE, London, February 13–March 15 (35 performances). LICENSEE AND MANAGER: Frederick Harrison. PRODUCER: E. Lyall Swete. SCENIC DESIGN: S. H. Sime and Joseph Harker; COSTUMES: S. H. Sime. STAGE MANAGER: Charles La Trobe. ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains.

COMTESSE MITZI

A comedy in one act by H. A. Hertz (translation of Arthur Schnitzler's Komtesse Mitzi). ALDWYCH THEATRE, London, March 9–10 (2 performances). PRODUCER: Clifford Brooks, for the Incorporated Stage Society. STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains.

Performed on a double bill with:

THE GREEN COCKATOO

A “grotesque” in one act by Penelope Wheeler (translation of Arthur Schnitzler's Der grüne kakadu). ALDWYCH THEATRE, London, March 9–10 (2 performances). PRODUCER: Norman Page, for the Incorporated Stage Society. STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains.

CAST: Grasset Claude Rains; Prosper Luke Forster; Grain Norman Page; Jules Herbert Alexander; François, Vicomte de Nogeant Ralph W. Hutton; Albin, Chevalier de la Trémouille P. Perceval Clark; Emile, Duc de Cadignan H. B. Waring; Marquis de Lansac G. Dickson-Kenwin; Stephen Eric Lugg; Lebrêt Leonard E. Notcutt; Inspector of Police Allan Jeayes; Scaevola Benedict Butler; Henri Leon Quartermaine; Guillaume Ewan Brooke; Rollin Terence O'Brien; Bathazar Bernard Crosby; Maurice Charles A. Straite; Léocadie Caroline Bayley; Michette Norah Beresford; Flipotte Hilda Davies; Séverine Violet Farebrother; Georgette Joan Bennett.

TYPHOON

A play in four acts by Laurence Irving, from Melchior Lengyel's Taifun. HAYMARKET THEATRE, London, April 2–May 23; QUEEN'S THEATRE, London, April 26–July 12; GLOBE THEATRE, London, July 14–Sept 6; NEW THEATRE, London, September 8–27 (202 performances). LICENSEE AND MANAGER: Frederick Harrison. PRODUCERS: Laurence Irving, A. S. Tsubouchi, Yoshio Markino. SCENERY: Joseph Harker. COSTUMES: Doeuillet Ltd., Debenham and Freebody, L. & H. Nathan. STAGE MANAGER: Charles La Trobe. ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Norman O'Neill.

CAST: Baron Yoshikawa Robin Shiells; Takeramo Laurence Irving; Kobayashi Henry Crocker; Omayi Claude Rains/Basil Sydney; Kitamaru Azooma Sheko; Yamoshi Charles Terric; Hironari Leon M. Lion/Wilfred Fletcher; Amamari Arthur Stanley/Wenlock Brown; Miyake S. Isogai /R. Matsuyama; Tanaka A. Tsuchiya; Yoshino K. Sumoge; Yotomo George Carr; Georges H. O. Nicholson/Frank Collins; Reinard-Beinsky Leon Quartermaine/Bertram Forsyth; Professor Dupont E. Lyle Swete/Herbert Heweson/H. Appleby; Benoit Arthur Whitby/Murray Carson; Marchland Allan Jeayes/Alfred Sangster; Simon Herbert Heweson/H. Appleby; Usher Stuart Musgrove; Therese Marjorie Waterlow/Ruth Bower/Winifred Turner; Hélène Mabel Hackney.

1913–1914

WITHIN THE LAW

A play in four acts by Frederick Fenn and Arthur Wimperis, adapted from Bayard Veiller. HAYMARKET THEATRE, London, May 24–May 8 (426 performances). LICENSEE AND MANAGER: Frederick Harrison. PRODUCER: Herbert Tree. SCENERY: R. C. McCleery, Joseph Harker. COSTUMES: Madame Raymond; STAGE MANAGER: Charles La Trobe. ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Norman O'Neill.

with:

A DEAR LITTLE WIFE

A comedy in one act by Gerald Dunn. HAYMARKET THEATRE, London, June 6–May 8 (412 performances). STAGE MANAGER: Charles La Trobe. ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains. LICENSEE AND MANAGER: Frederick Harrison. SCENERY: Joseph Harker. COSTUMES: L. & H. Nathan; MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Norman O'Neill.

CAST: Hagiyama Leon M. Lion; Takejiro Douglas Gordon/Claude Rains/George Owen; Sugihara Muriel Pope/Nellie Dale/Nellie Briercliffe.

NOTE: A Dear Little Wife joined Within the Law as a curtain-raiser on June 6.

1915

ANDROCLES AND THE LION

A comedy by George Bernard Shaw. WALLACK'S THEATRE, New York, January 27. PRODUCER: Harley Granville-Barker. SCENIC DESIGN: Albert Rothenstein. TOUR MANAGER: Claude Rains.

CAST: Editor Eric Blind; Lentulus Horace Braham; Ferrovious Lionel Braham; Call-Boy Cecil Cameron; Megaera Kate Carolyn; Centurion Ernest Cossart; Lion Phil Dwyer; Secutor J. H. Green; Retiarius Gerald Hamer; Androcles O. P. Heggie; Menagerie Keeper Edgar Kent; Spintho Arnold Lucy (understudy/replacement: Claude Rains); Captain Ian McLaren; Ox-Driver Hugh MacRae; Lavinia Lillah McCarthy; Ensemble Walter Creighton and Wright Kramer.

NOTE: Granville-Barker's repertory season at Wallack's also included The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife by Anatole France and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, both prominently featuring Rains's wife, Isabel Jeans.

IPHIGENIA IN TAURUS

By Euripedes, translated by Gilbert Murray. YALE BOWL, New Haven, Connecticut, May 15; HARVARD STADIUM, Cambridge, Massachusetts, May 18; PIPING ROCK COUNTRY CLUB, Long Island, circa May 25; CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, May 31 and June 5; UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Philadelphia, June 8; PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, Princeton, New Jersey, June 11. PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS: Lillah McCarthy, Harley Granville-Barker. MUSIC: David Stanley Smith. TOUR MANAGER: Claude Rains.

CAST: Iphigenia Lillah McCarthy; Orestes Ian Maclaren; Pylades Leonard Willey; Thoas Lionel Braham; Herdsman Claude Rains; Messenger Philip Merivale; Pallas Athene Mary Forbes; Leader of the chorus Alma Kruger.

REVIEW: “Of the two messenger speeches, Mr. Rains did rather better with his than Mr. Merivale. Mr. Rains bounced a good deal, but the fire was there. Mr. Merivale was apparently unstrung by the effect of his costume on the audience.” (New York Times, May 16, 1915)

Performed in repertory with:

THE TROJAN WOMEN

By Euripedes, translated by Gilbert Murray. HARVARD STADIUM, Cambridge, Massachusetts, May 19; CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, New York, 29 May and June 2, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Philadelphia, June 9; PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, Princeton, New Jersey, June 12. PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS: Lillah McCarthy, Harley Granville-Barker. MUSIC: David Stanley Smith. TOUR MANAGER: Claude Rains.

NOTE: Rains's wife, Isabel Jeans, was a chorus member in both productions.

1919–1920

REPARATION

A drama in three acts by Leo Tolstoy (translation of The Live Corpse by Mr. and Mrs. Aylmer Maude). ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, London, September 26–January 1 (114 performances). MANAGERS: Gilbert Miller and Henry Ainley. PRODUCER: Stanley Bell. SCENERY: J. A. Fraser (from the Moscow Art Theatre's original settings). COSTUMES: Henriette, B. J. Simmons & Co. MUSIC: Norman O'Neill. STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains. ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: George Ayre.

CAST: Anna Pavlovna Agnes Thomas; Alexandra Meggie Albanesi; Victor Karenin E. Ion Swinley; Lisa Protasov Athene Seyler; Ivan Petrovitch Claude Rains; Feyda Henry Ainley; Masha Alice Moffat; Gipsy Leader Anna Filipova; Ivan Makarovich Henry Morrell; Natasia Ivanovna Dora Gregory; Prince Sergius Abreskov Otho Stuart; Anna Karenin Marion Terry; Voznesensky Julian Courtville; Petushkov Sydney Bland; Artemeyev Ernest Milton; Magistrate Howard Rose; Policeman Leonard Sickert; Officer Richard Greenville; Nurse Anna Russell; Maid Dulcie Benson.

UNCLE NED

A comedy in four acts by Douglas Murray. LYCEUM THEATRE, Sheffield, March 24; ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, London, March 27–April 8 (49 performances). MANAGERS: Gilbert Miller, Henry Ainley. LICENSEE: Gilbert Miller. COSTUMES: Henriette, Hanan-Gingell Shoe Co. FURNITURE: M. Harris & Sons. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: J. H. Squire. STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains.

CAST: Edward Graham Henry Ainley; Henderson Burke G. Lawford Davidson; Dawkins G. W. Anson; Sir Robert Graham Randle Ayrton; Mears Claude Rains/ Ernest Digges; Gibson Ernest Digges/Robert Russell; Maid Phyllis McTavish; Miss Manning Irene Rooke; Gypsy Graham Edna Best/Phyllis McTavish.

NOTE: A supporting role in Uncle Ned on tour in Sheffield in the spring of 1919 marked Rains's return to the stage after being wounded in action during World War I. Uncle Ned was revived by the same company and cast in March 1920.

1920

JULIUS CAESAR

A play in three acts by William Shakespeare. ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, London, January 9–March 20 (83 performances). PRODUCER: Stanley Bell. STAGE MANAGER: Claude Rains.

CAST: Julius Caesar Clifton Boyne; Marcus Antonius Henry Ainley; Popilius Lena, Varro Sydney Bland; Cassius Milton Rosmer; Trebonius Howard Rose; Decius Brutus Ernest Milton; Cinna, Claudius Julian Courtville; Lucius George Hamilton/ Norman Walter; Servant to Caesar Stanley Vine; Citizen, Ligarius, Pindarus Henry Morrell; Octavius Caesar Henry C. Hewitt; Publius Leonard Sickert; Marcus Brutus Basil Gill; Casca Claude Rains; Metellus Cimber Henry Oscar; Artemidorus Ernest Digges; Servant to Octavius Caesar Arthur Keane; Calpurnia Esmé Beringer; Portia Lilian Brathwaite.

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR

A comedy by Nikolai Gogol, translated by T. H. Hall. DUKE OF YORK'S THEATRE, London, April 13–May 8 (30 performances). PRODUCER: Theodore Komisarjevsky.

CAST: Anton Anton'itch (the Governor) Maurice Moscovitch; Anna Andreyevna (his Wife) Mary Grey; Marya Antonovna (his Daughter) Jane Amstel; Lyapkin-Tyapkin Edwin Greenwood; Spyokin Reginald Bach; Bobtchinski (Landed Proprietor) George Desmond; Dobtchinski (Landed Proprietor) Alec Thompson; Ossip Naylor Grimson; Korobkin, Waiter at the Hotel Alfred Wilde; Police Inspector William Home; Second Policeman, Abdoolin (a Merchant) Lionel Fridjohn; First Policeman, Gendarme, Second Merchant Matthew Forsyth; Third Merchant W. Herbert; Klopoff Leyton Cancellor; Klopoff's Wife Mignon O'Doherty; Zemlyanika (Charity Commissioner) Roy Byford; Klestakoff Claude Rains; Hueber (District Doctor), Rastakoffski E. W. Wilson; Third Policeman R. Forsyth; Sergeant's Wife Chris Castor; Fitter's Wife Florence Buckton; Mishka (Governor's manservant) Reginald Denham; Avdotya (Governor's maidservant) Gwen Evans.

THE JEST

A melodrama in four acts by C. B. Fernald, adapted from La cena delle buffe by Sem Benelli. WIMBLEDON THEATRE, London; opened August 9. PRODUCER: Stanley Bell. DIRECTOR: Henry Ainley.

CAST: Neri Henry Ainley; Giannetto Claude Rains; Fazio Murray Kinnell; Gabriello Stanley Vine; Calandra H. C. Hewitt; Trinca Alexander Sarner; Tornaquinci Howard Rose; Cintia Florence Buckton; Fiamatta Henrietta Goodwin; Laldomine Lydia Andre; Lisabetta Mrs. Ainley; Ginerva Marie Hemingway.

REVIEWS: “The performance of Mr. Claude Rains as the Poet was exceptionally good. There was a grave danger of making the character such an utter coward that the audience would lose all interest in his troubles, but Mr. Rains avoided this very effectively. He had some difficult scenes to play, notably that in which he is telling the mistress the deception he has practiced on her. He did it with such skill that fully justified those who believed that Mr. Rains's performance as Casca [in Julius Caesar] was but the beginning of much good work. Miss Marie Hemingway looked positively charming as the lady who was loved by all the protagonists in turn, though she has had much more sympathetic parts to play.”(The Times, August 10, 1920) Another reviewer noted: “Histrionically, this farrago of fury will be memorable for the sinister figure drawn by Mr. Claude Rains as Giannetto. Mr. Rains gives a powerful portrayal of the vengeful poet. The character has qualities of introspection to which the character gives admirable expression. Mr. Rains will probably go far in his profession.” Another praised Rains's “fascinating performance…winning his ends by devilish subtlety, as if all the doubtful morals and amazing diplomacy of Machiavelli were embodied again. Mr. Rains, in fact, was the most Italian of the cast—his personal appearance helped him.” (Rains scrapbook)

1921

DANIEL

A drama by Louis Verneuil and Georges Berr; English adpatation by Sybil Harris. ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, London, January 15–February 26 (45 performances). PRODUCER: Stanley Bell.

CAST: Albert Arnault Lyn Harding; Doctor C. Aubrey Smith; Jerome George Elton; Etienne Bourdin Henry Oscar; Daniel Arnault Claude Rains; Maurice Granger Leslie Faber/Walter Pearce; Francois Garrett Hollick; Marguerite Arnault Alexandra Carlisle; Mme. Girard Edith Evans; Suzanne Girard Alice Moffat; Red-Headed Girl Gladys Gray.

REVIEW: “[Rains] is seated, immovable, his legs enveloped by a rug, amid weird Oriental ornaments and idols. Indeed, in his black kimono, he looks rather like an Oriental idol himself, his face a dead white, his eyes black-rimmed, a macabre figure—what the vulgar call a living corpse. He has a sick smile, his utterance is tremulous, his movements are a mere languid shivering. Evidently he has not long to live, and our curiosity is excited as to what he is going to do before the end comes. As we shall see, he goes a good deal.” (The Times, January 17, 1921)

POLLY WITH A PAST

A comedy by George Middleton and Guy Bolton. ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, London, March 2–June 4 (110 performances). PRODUCER: Stanley Bell.

CAST: Clay Collum Noel Coward; Harry Richardson Henry Kendall; Polly Shannon Edna Best; Rex Van Zile Donald Calthrop; Mrs. Davis Helen Haye; Myrtle Davis Alice Moffat/Nancye Kenyon; Stiles Arthur Hatherton; Mrs. Van Zile Edith Evans; Commodore “Bob” Barker Paul Arthur; Prentice Van Zile C. Aubrey Smith/ Robert Horton; Parker Nancye Kenyon; Stranger Claude Rains.

LEGION OF HONOUR

Historical drama by the Baroness Orczy, based on her novel A Sheaf of Bluebells. ALDWYCH THEATRE, London, August 24–September 10 (21 performances). PRODUCER: Edward Lytton Productions Ltd.

CAST: Ronnay de Maurel Basil Gill; Comte de Puisaye St. John Hamund; Comte de Courson William Lugg; Laurent, Marquis de Mortain Claude Rains; Baron de Ritter Ivan Berlyn; Mattieu G. Laverack Brown; Mathurin Fred Russell; Paul Leroux John F. Traynor; Pierre Desprez Charles F. Lloyd; Gervais Gerald Blake; Marcel Horn Conyers; Jacques Herbert Barrs; Mme. La Marquise de Mortain Mary Rorke; Annette Agnes Imlay; Fernande de Courson Gwendoline Hay.

1921–1922

WILL SHAKESPEARE

Historical drama/invention in four acts by Clemence Dane. SHAFTESBURY THEATRE, London, November 17–January 7 (62 performances). PRODUCER: Basil Dean.

CAST: Will Shakespeare Philip Merivale; Henslowe Arthur Whitby; Kit Marlowe Claude Rains; Child Actor, Boy Master Eric Spear; Stage Hand, Shylock Gilbert Ritchie; Landlord, Clown Ivor Barnard; Secretary, Antony Arthur Bawtree; Othello Herbert Young; Prince Arthur Master Eric Crosbie; Hamlet Neil Curtis; King Lear Fred Morgan; Anne Moyna Macgill; Mrs. Hathaway Mary Rorke; Queen Elizabeth Haidee Wright; Mary Fitton Mary Clare; Lady-in Waiting Joan Maclean/Nora Robinson; Ophelia Lennie Pride; Desdemona Gladys Jessel; Queen Margaret Flora Robson; Rosalind Phyllis Fabian; Cleopatra Mai Ashley; Three Fates Norah Robinson, Gladys Gray, Beatrice Smith; Extras Colin Ashdown, Mai Ashley, Ivor Barnard, Arthur Bawtree, James Bond, A. Coombs, Gladys Gray, C. Jackson, Gladys Jessel, Fred Morgan, E. Negus, Lennie Pride, Gilbert Ritchie, Flora Robson, Herbert Young, Masters Eric Spear, Eric Crosbie.

REVIEW: “[There is] one intensely dramatic moment, when, while Marlowe lies dead on the tavern bed, tipplers dance round his corpse thinking him asleep, and lift his body to make him share in their revels; but for all that it is merely a show exploiting great names and lending those names to a collection of puppets. The puppets, however, are equipped with sufficiently fine rhetoric and placed in sufficiently telling situations to afford scope for good acting. It is not Mr. Claude Rains's fault that not much is made out of Marlowe…” (The Illustrated London News, November 26, 1921)

1922

THE BAT

A mystery by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood. ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, London, January 23–October 4 (327 performances). PRODUCER: Collin Kemper.

CAST: Billy Claude Rains/George Carr; Anderson Arthur Wontner/Allan Jeayes; Richard Fleming C. Stafford Dickens/William Kershaw; Brooks George Relph; Dr. Wells A. Scott-Gatty; Reginald Beresford Herbert Bolingbroke; Unknown Man Allan Jeayes/Howard Sturge; Cornelia Van Gorder Eva Moore; Miss Dale Ogden Nora Swinburne; Lizzie Drusilla Wills.

REVIEW: “A queer-looking, queer-speaking fellow…Mr. Claude Rains [makes] a most uncanny Japanese.…the audience last night were agreeably excited…” (The Times, January 25, 1922)

THE RUMOUR (A STUDY IN ORGANIZATION)

A play by C. K. Munro. GLOBE THEATRE, London, December 3–4 (2 performances). PRODUCER: Alan Wade and the Incorporated Stage Society.

CAST: Ned Gilbert Ritchie; Hon. Algernon Moodie Edmond Brion; Mr. Lennard A. S. Homewood; Jones Reginald Dance; Smith Alfred A. Harris; Sir Arthur Cheston, Jackson A. Caton Woodville; Torino Edmund Willard; Deane Harcourt Williams; Prime Minister Frederic Sargent; La Rubia Claude Rains; Mons Raffanel Milton Rosmer; Sir George Darnell Douglas Jeffries; Sir Robert Mortimer Fred Lewis; Clergyman, Banker Howard Rose; Mr. Grange Alfred Clark; Luke Henry Ford; Konchak, General Moberly A. Corney Grain; Saintsbury, Burasto Charles Hordern; Walter Charles Staite; Jimmy Arthur Harding; Pooshpin, Old Sorestil, Expert Adviser J. Leslie Frith; Another Prizimian Ronald Sinclair; Laminok, Priest, Prime Minister's Secretary John H. Moore; Paro J. Drew-Carran; Kaprikan, Millard Cyril Fairlie; Checkram Matthew Forsyth; Chancellor of the Exchequer P. Percival Clark; Ruby Edith Evans; Aramya Marget Yarde; Lena Jackson Elizabeth Arkell.

REVIEW: “It is a clever piece of satire swamped by political oratory…It was efficiently acted by a large cast, among whom Mr. Claude Rains, Mr. Milton Rosmer, Mr. Edmund Breon, Mr. Harcourt Williams, and Mr. Frederic Sanger were conspicuous.” (The Times, December 6, 1922)

1923

THE LOVE HABIT (A PIECE OF IMPERTINENCE)

Romantic comedy by Louis Verneuil, adapted from the French by Seymour Hicks. ROYALTY THEATRE, London, February 7–March 24 (53 performances). PRODUCER: Seymour Hicks.

CAST: The Upsetter Seymour Hicks; Alphonse Du Bois Dennis Eadie; Max Quantro Claude Rains; Mathilde Elizabeth Watson; Julie Frances Carson; Rozanne Pom Pom Alix Dorane.

REVIEW: “Neither Miss Alix Dorane as the light o’ love, nor Mr. Claude Rains as her dancing partner, gets much opportunity of distinction. Indeed, the sole opportunity of the play is Mr. [Seymour] Hicks's. But that will entirely content the many admirers of this brilliant comedian.” (The Times, April 3, 1923)

THE DOCTOR'S DILEMMA

A play by George Bernard Shaw. EVERYMAN THEATRE, London, April 2–April 28 (28 performances). PRODUCER: Norman Macdermott.

CAST: Redpenny Michael Sherbrooke; Emmy Esmé Hubbard; Schutgmacher Michael Sherbrooke; Sir Patrick Cullen Ivor Barnard; Cutler Walpole Reginald Dance; Sir R. B. Bonnington Brember Wills/Edward Rigby; Blenkinson/Newspaper Man Harold Scott; Mrs. Dubidat Cathleen Nesbitt; Louis Dubidat Claude Rains; Minnie Tinwell Madge Compton; Mr. Danby Thurlow Finn.

REVIEW: “Mr. Claude Rains makes Dubidat more robust a man than our own imagining of him, but his curious mingling of ingenuousness and guile, of satirical humour and childlike protest, gives light to the third act.” (The Times, April 3, 1923)

THE INSECT PLAY (AND SO AD INFINITUM)

A play by Karel and Josef C. Capek in three acts and an epilogue, translated from the Czech by Paul Selver and freely adapted by Nigel Playfair and Clifford Bax. REGENT THEATRE, London, May 5–June 9 (42 performances). PRODUCER: Nigel Playfair.

CAST: The Tramp Edmund Willard; Lepidoterist, Parasite, Chief Engineer Claude Rains; Otto F. Kinsley Peile; Felix John Gielgud; Victor, Robber Beetle Algernon West; Mr. Beetle, Woodcutter A. Bromley-Davenport; Ichneumon Fly, Inventor Ivan Berlyn; Mr. Cricket, Second Snail Andred Leigh; Blind Timekeeper, First Snail Geoffrey Wilkinson; Second Engineer Harvey Adams; First Messenger W. M. Norgate; Second Messenger Brandon Philp; Signal Officer R. Atholl Douglas; Yellow Commander Harvey Adams; Boy George Aylward; Butterflies Maurice Braddell, Brandon Philp, W. M. Norgate, Geoffrey Wincott,; Clyytie, Country Woman Ann Hyton; Iris Noelle Sonning; Chrysalis Joan Maude; Mrs. Beetle, Flag Seller Maire O'Neill; Larva Elsa Lanchester; Mrs. Cricket Angela Baddeley; Girl Alice Mason; Butterflies Elsa Lanchester, Margot Sieveking, Muriel Winstead Mayflies Margot Sieveking, Muriel Winstead, Noelle Sonning, Elsa Lanchester, Gwen Elphin, Angela Baddeley, Margot St. Leger.

REVIEW: “‘Are we alive after all this satire?’ cried Ben Johnson on a notable occasion, but at the Regent a more natural cry would be ‘Are we awake?’” (The Times, May 7, 1923)

ROBERT E. LEE

Historical drama by John Drinkwater. REGENT THEATRE, London, June 20–September 22 (109 performances). PRODUCER: Nigel Playfair.

CAST: Major Perrin Harvey Adams/Atholl Douglas/Eric Lugg; Orderly, Jefferson Davis’ Secretary Geoffrey Wilkinson; General Scott F. Kinsley Peile/Leo G. Carroll; Robert E. Lee Felix Aylmer; Tom Buchanan Tristan Rawson; Ray Warrenton Harold Anstruther; David Peel Claude Rains; Duff Penner Henry Caine; John Stean Atholl Douglas/Frank Martin; Captain Mason Atholl Douglas/Gerald Jerome; General J. E. B. Stuart Leo G. Carroll; His Aide Geoffrey Wincott; Aide to General Lee John Gielgud; Sentry Frank Martin; Captain Udall Maurice Braddell/Basil Cunard; General “Stonewall” Jackson Edmund Willard/Stephen T. Ewart; Colonel Hewitt Harvey Adams/Atholl Douglas/J. Adrian Byrne; Jefferson Davis Gordon Harker; Girl Alice Mason/Gwen Elphin; Elizabeth Anne Hyton; Mrs. Stean Margot Sieveking/Molly Fairfax; Mrs. Meadows Natalie Lynn; Ladies Molly Fairfax, Gwen Elphin, Muriel Swinstead, Oriel Ross.

REVIEW: “Mr. Claude Rains is good as the philosopher…” (The Times, June 21, 1923)

1923–1924

GOOD LUCK

A sporting drama by Seymour Hicks and Ian Hay. DRURY LANE THEATRE, London, September 27–May 10 (260 performances). PRODUCER: Arthur Collins.

CAST: Captain Travers Jevan Brandon-Thomas/Randolph McLeod/Henry Thompson; Honorable Hughie Weldon Alan Lister/E. Watts Phillips; Strusson Sydney Benson; Grieg Augustus Bowerman; D'Arcy Bristowe Julian Royce; Derek Vale, Earl of Trenton Claude Rains; Reverend Godfrey Blount Henry Hallatt/Leonard Ashdowne; Mr. Maloney Arthur Mack; Sir Anthony Wayne Langhorne Burton; Leo Swinburne Edmund Gwenn; Lewis Harris C. W. Somerset; John Collett Gordon Harker; Sir Percy Ford Arthur Treacher; Belsey Rothbury Evans; First Warder Leslie Nelson Clare; Second Warder Stanley Pearce; Third Warder G. Aubyn Bourne; Governor of Prison John Keating; Old Convict Evan Berry; First Fisherman Charles Cecil/Fred May; Second Fisherman Norman Ash/Harry Paxton; Armstrong Bob Cornell; Tom Treece Henry Bonner; Lord Anglin William Forrest/Leonard Ashdowne/Walter Durden; Convict 39 Leonard Ashdowne; Holden Wilson Gunning; Convict 56 George Butler; Bates Jack Stephens; Silas Eldred Claude Allister; Quartermaster George Aubyn; Dick Frampton George Wilson; Sir James Gregory Andrew Calvert/James Rothbury; Honorable Jane Ambledon Kathlyn Clifford; Vivi Carmichael Edna Bellonini; Honorable Mary Carstairs Joan Maude/Phyllis Bellonini; Honorable Anne Belben Carlito Ackroyd/Nora Edwards; Lady Larkhall Vivienne Whitaker; Lady Patricia Wolseley Ellis Jeffreys; Rose Collett Dorothy Overend; Lady Angela Vale Joyce Carey/Violet Graham/Olwen Roose; Wife of Convict 39 Gladys Erskine; Mrs. Eldred Dora Slade.

REVIEW: “Mr. Rains contrives to extract a good deal of pathos from a thankless part.” (The Times, September 28, 1923)

1924

THE MAN OF DESTINY

A play in one act by George Bernard Shaw. EVERYMAN THEATRE, London, June 11–June 23 and August 27–September 10 (28 performances). PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Norman MacDermott.

CAST: Napoleon Claude Rains; Giuseppe Aubrey Mather; Lieutenant Wilfrid Seagram; Strange Lady Jeanne de Casalis.

REVIEW: “Mr. Claude Rains's Napoleon is a man to laugh at but not a fool to despise.” (The Times, June 12, 1924)

GETTING MARRIED

A play by George Bernard Shaw. EVERYMAN THEATRE, London, July 9–August 9 (33 performances). PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Norman MacDermott.

CAST: General Bridgenorth Frederick Moyes; Reginald Bridgenorth Claude Allister; Bishop of Chelsea Campbell Gullan; St. John Hotchkiss Claude Rains; Cecil Sykes Harold Scott; Soames (Father Anthony) W. Earle Grey; The Beadle Thurlow Finn; Mrs. Bridgenorth Irene Rooke; Lesbia Grantham Auriol Lee/Nell Carter; Leo Beatrix Thomson; Edith Bridgenorth Margot Sieveking/Grizelda Hervey; Mrs. George Collins Edith Evans.

REVIEW: “So very little was done for the actors by the author that a tremendous strain was put on them, if they were to fill out their parts, and this they were not always able to do. When Mr. Hotchkiss (Mr. Claude Rains) and Mrs. George Collins (Miss [Edith] Evans) were acting, the scene became much more lively and the stage properly occupied. At other times, we merely seemed to be assisting at a rather tedious tea-party.” (The Nation & Atheneum, July 19, 1924)

LOW TIDE

A play by Ernest George. EVERYMAN THEATRE, London, August 12, 1924. PRODUCER: Norman MacDermott.

CAST: Pat Donovan Claude Rains; Nora Bailey Ethel Coleridge; Mary Donovan Olive Sloane; Dan Donovan Ivor Barnard; Joe Briggs Gordon Harker; A Policeman Aubrey Mather; Father Doyle Granville Darling; Detective Thurlow Finn.

REVIEW: “Mr. Claude Rains mixes suavity and suspicion with excellent judgement.” (The Times, August 13, 1924)

THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLE

A melodrama in three acts by George Bernard Shaw. EVERYMAN THEATRE, London, September 24–October 18 (26 performances). PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Norman MacDermott.

CAST: Mrs. Dudgeon Cicely Oates; Essie Elizabeth Arkell; Christopher Dudgeon Harold Scott; The Reverend Anthony Anderson Campbell Gullan/Michael Hogan; Judith Anderson Hazel Jones; Lawyer Hawkins Ivor Barnard; Uncle William, A Sergeant Aubrey Mather; Uncle Titus C. J. Barber; Richard Dudgeon Claude Rains; Major Swindon Frederick Moyes; General Burgoyne W. Earle Grey; Chaplain Brudenell Michael Hogan/Russell Sedgwick; Extras E. Doddington, E. Dowson, L. Harding, A. McCulloch, Jabez Messenger, W. McOwan, S. M. Dauncey, B. Cochran-Carr, D. B. Baxter, R. Fair, E. Rose, R. Sedgwick, A. H. Doddington, J. E. Doddington, Ursula Spicer.

REVIEW: “Mr. Claude Rains rightly made no attempt to suggest any reason for Dick's sacrificing of himself than that Dick had an overwhelming sense of the theatre—which is in fact a human as well as a theatrical reason.” (The Times, September 25, 1924)

MISALLIANCE

A “debate in one sitting” by George Bernard Shaw. EVERYMAN THEATRE, London, October 27–November 8 (14 performances). PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Norman MacDermott.

CAST: Johnny Tarleton Frank Vosper; Bentley Summerhays Ivor Bernard; Hypatia Tarleton Leah Bateman; Mrs. Tarleton Margaret Yarde; Lord Summerhays Felix Aylmer; Mr. Tarleton Alfred Clark; Joey Percival Claude Rains; Lina Szczepanowska Dorothy Green; The Man Harold Scott.

1924–1925

THE PHILANDERER

A comedy in four acts by George Bernard Shaw. EVERYMAN THEATRE, London, December 26–January 10 (18 performances). PRODUCERS: Norman MacDermott and Milton Rosmer. DIRECTOR: Norman MacDermott.

CAST: Leonard Charteris Claude Rains; Joseph Cuthbertson Fred O'Donovan; Colonel Daniel Craven Stanley Drewitt; Dr. Paramore Felix Aylmer; Page George Walker; Sylvia Craven Nadine March; Julia Craven Dorothy Massingham; Grace Tanfield Cecily Byrne.

1925

GUILTY SOULS

A four-act drama by Robert Nichols. RADA THEATRE, London, dates undetermined. PRODUCER: The Three Hundred Club.

CAST: Oswald Bentley Claude Rains; other players included Ivor Barnard, Ernest Milton, Muriel Pratt, Stanley Lathbury, and Dorothy Holmes-Gore.

HOME AFFAIRS

A comedy in four acts by Ladislas Fodor; English version by Norman MacDermott. EVERYMAN THEATRE, London, January 20–February 7 (20 performances). PRODUCER: Norman MacDermott.

CAST: Justin Frederick Moyes; Adolphe, Baron Martin Harold B. Meade; Brigitte Claire Keep; Lionel d’Avencourt Claude Rains; Susanne Hilda Bayler Jacques Morrell Felix Aylmer; Duvert Mervyn Johns; Poulin Andrew Wight; Margot Latreux Nadine March; Lucien Tirlemont Lauderdale Maitland; Dechamps George Merritt; Robert Charles Thomas; Adrienne Elizabeth Arkell/Chris Castor; Vaubert William Bradford.

REVIEWS: “Mr. Claude Rains acted the husband with great buoyancy and a fine light-hearted sense of humor that fitted the part,” wrote one critic. “Hilda Bayley looked so delicious as the wife that I envied Claud[e] Rains the frequent and passionate kisses he bestowed on her,” wrote another reviewer. “It is not, however, jealousy which makes me say Rains was not altogether suited for the part. However, a fine actor is always worth watching, and Rains in undoubtedly a brilliant actor.” (Unsourced clippings, Rains scrapbook)

THE RIVALS

A comedy in three acts by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. LYRIC, HAMMERSMITH THEATRE, London, March 5–May 23 (93 performances). PRODUCER: Nigel Playfair.

CAST: Sir Anthony Absolute Norman V. Norman; Captain Absolute Douglas Burbidge; Faulkland Claude Rains; Acres Nigel Playfair/Miles Malleson; Sir Lucius O'Trigger Guy Lefeuvre; Fag Geoffrey Wincott; David Miles Malleson/Alfred Harris; Thomas Scott Russell; Mrs. Malaprop Dorothy Green; Julia Isabel Jeans/ Griselda Hervey; Lydia Languish Beatrix Thomson.

NOTE: According to John Gielgud, Rains's second wife, Marie Hemingway, joined the cast for at least part of the run, farcically bringing Rains's first three wives together in a single dressing room.

REVIEWS: J. B. Priestley would later recall Rains's interpretation of Faulkland in his memoir, Particular Pleasures (1975): “As a rule this neurotically jealous character is played as if he were rather a bore, clearly part of a sub-plot, but in this particular production, with Rains playing him, he dominated the piece” (p. 137). As one 1925 critic observed, “The most that any actor has aspired to in this part has been a decent failure; Mr. Rains has made it a blazing success.” Another reviewer noted that Rains “almost burlesques the part; but he does it with such sincerity and depth of feeling as almost to turn the comedy to tragedy. Here is a man who is at once ridiculous and suffering agonies. You laugh immoderately, and end by laughing on the wrong side of the mouth. After all, you say to yourself, there are moments on the stage when acting is revealed as an Art really Fine. This is one of them.” (Unsigned, unsourced reviews, Rains scrapbook)

SALOMY JANE

A play by Paul Armstrong, after a story by Bret Harte. QUEEN'S THEATRE, London, June 24–July 4 (11 performances). PRODUCER: Godfrey Tearle.

CAST: Colonel Starbottle Allan Jeayes; Low Eugene Leahy; Yuba Bill Tom Reynolds; Willie Smith Lewis Shaw; Mary Ann Heath Peggy Livesey; Anna May Heath Becky Woolf; Salomy Jane Clay Dorothy Seacombe; Rufe Waters Franklyn Bellamy; Jack Marbury Claude Rains; Larrabee Gordon Harker; Madison Clay H. St. Barbe West; A Man Godfrey Tearle; Lize Heath Miriam Lewes Red Pete Heath Edward O'Neill.

REVIEW: “A romantic play, as you see, with a company of English actors, all taking shots, with varying success, at the full and fruity American accent of 1860, and yep-yepping with, for all we know, authentic Californian gusto.…Miss Miriam Lewes, an accomplished actress too rarely seen of late on the London stage, made the best of a small part. So did Mr. Claude Rains.” (The Times, June 25, 1925)

THE MAN FROM HONG KONG

A play in three acts by Mrs. Clifford Mills. QUEEN'S THEATRE, London, August 3–August 22 (24 performances). PRODUCER: Franklin Dyall.

CAST: Li-Tong Claude Rains; Lo-San Kenneth Kent; Yen-Sen H. R. Hignett; The Man Behind the Screen Arthur Goullet; Chang Fu J. J. Bartlett; Lieutenant Anthony Travers, R.N. Percy Hutchison; Lieutenant Blake, R.N. Patric Curwen; Max Eric Lugg; Jocelyn Carsdale Lawrence Ireland; Owen Morrison Ronald Sinclair; Police Officer Gerald Saffery; Storker Tom Redmond; Bartly Eleanor Street; Mrs. Carsdale Margaret Scudamore; Vivien Carsdale Mary Merrall; Pearl Morrison Madeline Seymour.

REVIEWS: “Mr. Claude Rains is a gifted actor, but Li-Tong is too much for him. He is neither satisfactorily English nor convincingly Chinese.” (Westminster Gazette, undated clipping, Rains scrapbook) “It ought to be thrillingly romantic. In fact, it is at times an embarrassing joke.” (The Times, August 4, 1925)

AND THAT'S THE TRUTH (IF YOU THINK IT IS)

A play by Luigi Pirandello, translated by Arthur Livingston. LYRIC, HAMMERSMITH THEATRE, London, September 17–October 10 (28 performances). PRODUCER: Nigel Playfair.

CAST: Lamberto Laudisi Nigel Playfair/Frederick Lloyd; Signora Frola: Nancy Price; Signor Ponza Claude Rains; Signora Ponza Dorothy Green; Commendatore Agazzi Guy Lefeuvre; Amalia Margaret Scudamore; Dina Paula Cinquevalli Signor Sirelli J. Leslie Frith; Signora Sirelli Dorothy Cheston The Prefect Frank Allanby; An Inspector Scott Russell; Signora Cini Minnie Blagden; Signora Nenni Mary Fenner; A Manservant Alfred Harris; First Gentleman Arnold Pilbeam; Second Gentleman Julian Browne.

REVIEWS: “The acting of this play is good all round, and in the chief two parts something more than good. It has gained from the fact that Pirandello's own company recently performed the play here in the original tongue, but neither Miss Nancy Price as Signora Frola nor Mr. Claude Rains as Ponza has been content merely to imitate an Italian prototype. Each has borrowed an outline, and filled in that outline in a manner entirely personal and original. Each scores a well-deserved and very great success.” (London Telegraph, undated review, Rains scrapbook) “The acting as a whole struck me as better than Pirandello's own company gave of this play. Claude Rains as Signor Ponza, who pretends to be mad because his mother-in-law imagines he is, played with any amount of fire and energy.” (Unsourced, undated review, Rains scrapbook) “Miss Nancy Price's Signora is tenderly pathetic and suggests the mental infirmity of the poor harassed woman much more successfully than her Italian predecessor's. Mr. Claude Rains, too, made a striking thing out of the lady's fellow martyr, Ponza.” (The Times, September 26, 1925) Another reviewer wondered “Whether in the two leading roles Mr. Claude Rains’ intensity is not a little too intense. And Miss Nancy Price's pathos a little too affecting for the balance of the play, Pirandellists must be left to decide.” (Illustrated London News, September 26, 1925)

1925–1926

THE MADRAS HOUSE

A comedy in four acts by Harley Granville-Barker. AMBASSADORS THEATRE, London, November 30–February 27 (97 performances). PRODUCER: Harley Granville-Barker.

CAST: Henry Huxtable Aubrey Mather; Katherine Huxtable Frances Ivor; Laura Huxtable Christine Jensen; Minnie Huxtable Winifred Oughton; Clara Huxtable Susan Claughton/Valerie Wyngate; Julia Huxtable Ann Codrington; Emma Huxtable Marie Ney; Jane Huxtable Lois Heatherly; Major Hippisly Thomas David Hawthorne; Philip Madras Nicholas Hannen; Jessica Madras Cathleen Nesbitt; Constantine Madras Allan Jeayes; Amelia Madras Irene Rooke; Eustace Perrin State Claude Rains; Marion Yates Doris Lytton; Mr. Brigstock Stafford Hilliard; Mrs. Brigstock Mary Barton; Miss Chancellor Agnes Thomas; Mr. Windlesham Ernest Milton; Mr. Belhaven Robert Burnard; Three Mannequins Winifred Ashford, Helene Barr, Elyse King; Maid at Denmark-Hill Ruth Povah; Maid at Dorset Square Gladys Gaynor.

REVIEWS: “Mr. Claude Rains and Mr. Ernest Milton were other notables in the cast, though it seemed to me that the two last, as the American millionaire and as Mr. Windlesham, largely overdid it.” (Unsourced, undated clipping, Rains scrapbook) “Mr. Claude Rains, made up rather like Augustine Birrell, was a little hampered by the American accent he had to affect.” (Unsourced, undated clipping, Rains scrapbook) “Had it not been my particular fortune to have met a ‘boss’ American business man in the flesh, I should probably have accused Claude Rains of exaggeration. As it is, I can only affirm that in the limning of this type of individual no exaggeration is possible.” (Reginald Hargreaves, undated clipping, Rains scrapbook)

1926

FROM MORN TO MIDNIGHT

A play in seven scenes by Georg Kaiser, translated from the German by Ashley Dukes. REGENT THEATRE, London, March 9–March 20 (15 performances). PRODUCER: Peter Godfrey.

CAST: Bank Cashier Claude Rains; Clerk A. C. Bute; Boy Stanley Greville; Stout Gentleman, Third Jewish Gentleman Nat Lewis; Lady Colette O'Niel; Bank Manager Arthur Layland; Porter C. E. Hart; Son, Fourth Jewish Gentleman, First Salvation Army Soldier Norman Shelley; First Jewish Gentleman, Third Penitent John Melville; Second Jewish Gentleman, First Penitent Neil Curtis; Waiter, Third Salvation Army Officer Henry Ford; Policeman H. E. Hutteroth; Serving Maid, Wife, Second Penitent Caroline Keith; First Daughter, First Mask Irene Barnett; Second Daughter, Fourth Mask Gillian Lind; Salvation Lass Ellen Pollock; Second Mask, Second Salvation Army Soldier Nancy Pawley; Third Mask Mildred Howard; Mother, Salvation Army Officer Betty Potter.

REVIEW: “The plain truth is, we found the play noisy, garish, and tiresome. Mr. Claude Rains shouted himself hoarse (and thereby gained the applause of the usual crowd which mistakes ‘slogging’ for cricket) with a zeal worthy of a better cause. He is a true artist, as playgoers well know, and it was disconcerting to find him on this occasion at a disadvantage compared to the unnamed actor who performed on the megaphone.” (The Times, March 10, 1926)

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR

A comedy in five acts by Nikolai Gogol, translated by Arthur A. Sykes. GAIETY THEATRE, London, May 22–June 19 (33 performances). PRODUCER: Theodore Komisarjevsky; PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR: Philip Ridgeway.

CAST: Swistunov Elliot Seabrooke; Luka Lukich Dan F. Roe; Herr Hubner, Abdullin Sidney Benson; Bobchinski Frederick Lord; Ivan Kusmich Neil Curtis; Osip Charles Laughton; Waiter, Second Merchant John C. Laurence; Derzhimorda James Lomas; Ammos Fyodorovich Stanley Drewitt; Artemi Philipovich Kimber Phillips; Anton Antonovich Alfred Clark; Dobchinski Jack Knight; Ivan Alexandrovich Khlestakov Claude Rains; Third Merchant, Gendarme Brian Watson; Anna Andreyevna Hilda Sims; Avdotya Jane Ellis; Sergeant's Wife Patricia O'Carroll; Marya Antonovna Stella Freeman; Locksmith's Wife May Agate.

BEFORE MEN'S EYES

A play by Ben Fleet and Clifford Pember. “Q” THEATRE, London, August.

CAST: Hester Maynard Irene Rooke; Worcester Herbert Leonard; Monica Maynard Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies; Sir Henry Allison Felix Aylmer; Dr. Maynard Claude Rains; Maid Molly Tyson.

REVIEWS: “Mr. Rains gives a very polished performance, and in spite of great temptation was just sufficiently restrained to make his part real.” (Unsourced clipping, Rains scrapbook)

MADE IN HEAVEN

A play in three acts by Phyllis Morris. EVERYMAN THEATRE, London, October 5–16 (13 performances). PRODUCER: Raymond Massey.

CAST: Martin Walmer Claude Rains; Olga Lessiter Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies; Jane Chute Marda Vanne; Martha Helmsgrove Adrianne Allen; Lawrence Saunders Miles Mander; Daniel Rourke H. O. Nicholson.

NOTE: Made in Heaven marked Rains's last appearance on the London stage.

1926–1927

THE CONSTANT NYMPH

A play in three acts by Margaret Kennedy and Basil Dean, adapted from Kennedy's novel. SELWYN THEATRE, New York, December 9 (148 performances). PRODUCERS: George C. Tyler and Basil Dean. DIRECTOR: Basil Dean. SCENIC DESIGN: George W. Harris. INCIDENTAL MUSIC: Eugene Goosens.

CAST: Lewis Dodd Glenn Anders; Linda Cowlard Marion Warring-Manley; Kate Sanger Olive Reeves-Smith; Katerina Loretta Higgins; Karl Trigoran Paul Ker; Paulina Sanger Helen Chandler; Teresa Sanger Beatrix Thomson; Jacob Birnbaum Louis Sorin; Antonia Sanger Clara Sheffield; Roberto Claude Rains; Susan Gloria Kelly; Florence Churchill Lotus Robb; Charles Churchill Edward Emery; Millicent Gregory Jane Saville; Sir Bartlemy Pugh Sidney Paxton; Peveril Leyburn Leo Carrol; Erda Leyburn Olive Reeves-Smith; Dr. Dawson J. H. Brewer; Lydia Mainwaring Loretta Higgins; Robert Mainwaring Barry Jones; An Usher William Evans; A Clerk Harry Sothern; A Fireman Thomas Coffin Cooke; Madame Maes Katherine Stewart.

NOTE: Following his appearances in Lally and Out of the Sea (see below), Rains assumed the lead role of Lewis Dodd opposite his wife for an east coast and midwestern tour.

1927

LALLY

A comedy in three acts by Henry Stillman. GREENWICH VILLAGE THEATRE, New York, February 8 (63 performances). PRODUCERS: Carl Reed, in association with Norman C. Stoneham. DIRECTOR: John D. Williams.

CAST: Lally Claude Rains; Judith Anne Morrison; Isolde Patricia Barclay; Archibald Higgins Gerald Hamer; Izzyitch Benedict McQuarrie; Malvinski Joseph Granby; Felicia Zolya Taima; Cranston Thompson Wallace Erskine; Ronald Byrde Reginald Malcolm; Elsa Eve Casanova; Matilda Kate McComb; Aunt Elizabeth Augusta Durgeon; Giovanni Owen Meech; Angelique Genevieve Dolaro; Brunhilde Helen Kingstead; Stravinski Robert Collier.

REVIEW: “The title role is portrayed by Claude Rains, a well-known British actor and the husband of Beatrice [sic] Thomson, the Tessa of ‘The Constant Nymph.’ As a matter of fact, he quit acting Roberto in that play for the present part. His reasons for doing so are probably to be found in the part itself, for it is a florid, showy impersonation, giving any actor abundant opportunity to create a character that at best is none too credible.…It is pretty difficult to indicate genius by flying into temperamental rages, by continually ordering other people to get out of the room, by registering perpetual abstraction, by playing plaintive tunes on a mechanical piano and by making frequent references to Debussy, Stravinsky, Strauss and the whole catalog of modern composers.” (J. Brooks Atkinson, New York Times, February 9, 1927)

OUT OF THE SEA

A play in four acts by Don Marquis. ELTINGE FORTY-SECOND STREET THEATRE, New York, December 5 (16 performances). PRODUCER: George C. Tyler. DIRECTOR: Walter Hampden.

CAST: Mark Tregesal Lyn Harding; John Marstin Rollo Peters; Isobel Tregesal Beatrix Thomson; Timbury O. P. Heggie; Arthur Logris Claude Rains; Hockin Reginald Barlow; Mrs. Hockin Octavia Kenmore; Coastguard Dunstan Thomas Coffin Cooke; Physician Guy Cunningham; First Fisherman Richard Simson; Second Fisherman William Burnett.

REVIEW: “In addition to Mr. Harding and Mr. Peters, the rest of the cast included Beatrix Thompson [sic] as Isobel, O. P. Heggie as an old salt, Claude Rains as a Cornish gentleman, and the necessary footmen and servants. They all smooth the plush-velvet of the drama as lovingly as they can.” (J. Brooks Atkinson, New York Times, December 6, 1927)

1927–1928

AND SO TO BED

A play in three acts by James Bernard Fagan. SHUBERT THEATRE, New York, November 9 (189 performances). PRODUCERS: James B. Fagan and Lee Shubert. DIRECTOR: James B. Fagan.

CAST: Sue Moon Carroll; Boy to Pepys Emlyn Williams; Samuel Pepys Wallace Eddinger (replaced by Claude Rains); Doll Roberta Brown.

1928

NAPOLEON'S BARBER

A comedy in one act by Arthur Caesar. GREENWICH VILLAGE THEATRE, New York; opened February 26. DIRECTOR: Douglas Wood.

CAST: Napoleon's Barber Douglas Wood; Napoleon Claude Rains; The Barber's Wife Rolinda Bainbridge; The Barber's Son George Offerman, Jr.

NOTE: Napoleon's Barber shared a bill with an overture by the Greenwich Village Orchestra, dramatic dances by “The Misses Marmein,” and opera singer Myra Sokolskaya, the live program being a curtain raiser for the feature film Variety starring Emil Jannings.

MACBANE PLAYERS

PARSON'S THEATRE, Hartford, Connecticut, June–July. Claude Rains and Beatrix Thomson (along with Leo G. Carroll) were featured in a four-play season including The Swan by Ferenc Molnar, Children of the Moon by Martin Flavin, Grumpy by Horace Hodges and T. Wigney Percyval, and the first American production of The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol.

NOTE: Rains returned to Hartford the following summer and presented an informal evening of Shakespearean readings for Macbane company members and invited guests.

VOLPONE

A comedy in three acts by Ben Johnson; adapted by Stefan Zweig, translated by Ruth Langner. GUILD THEATRE, New York, April 9 (160 performances).

PRODUCER: The Theatre Guild. DIRECTOR: Phillip Moeller. SETTINGS AND COSTUMES: Lee Simonson.

CAST: Maid to Colomba Mary Bell; Judge Morris Carnovsky; Corvino Ernest Cossart; Corbaccio's Servant, Court Attendant John C. Davis; Volpone Dudley Digges (understudied and replaced by Claude Rains); Colomba Margalo Gilmore; Slave to Volpone John Henry; Voltore Philip Leigh; Mosca Alfred Lunt; Clerk of the Court Sanford Meisner; Leone McKay Morris; Second Groom Mark Schweid; Court Attendant Vincent Sherman; Corbaccio Henry Travers; Captain of the Sbirri Albert van Dekker; First Groom Louis Veda; Canina Helen Westley.

NOTE: The Theatre Guild revived Volpone in 1930, with Sydney Greenstreet (later Rains's co-player in Casablanca) in the title role.

MARCO MILLIONS

A play in a prologue, three acts and two scenes by Eugene O'Neill. GUILD THEATRE, various locations. PRODUCER: The Theatre Guild. DIRECTOR: Rouben Mamoulian. SETTINGS: Lee Simonson. MUSICAL SUPERVISOR: Emerson Whithorne.

CAST: Marco Polo Alfred Lunt; Kukachin Margalo Gillmore; Kublai, the Great Kaan Baliol Holloway; Chu-Yin Dudley Digges (tour replacement: Claude Rains); Maffeo Ernest Cossart; Nicolo Henry Travers; Teldado/Ghazan, Kaan of Persia Morris Carnovsky; Christian Traveler/Buddhist Priest/Paulo Loredano/Tartar Chronicler Philip Leigh; Magian Traveler/One Ali Brother/Confucian Priest Mark Schweid; Buddhist Traveler/Messenger from Persia/Buddhist Priest Charles Romano; Mahometan/General Bavan Robert Barrat; Corporal/Domincan Monk/Emmisary from Kublai Albert Van Dekker; Donata Natalie Browning; Knight Crusader George Cotton; A Papal Courier Sanford Meisner; Older Ali Brother/Boatswain/Moslem Priest H. H. McCollum; The Prostitute Mary Blair; A Dervish/An Indian Snake Charmer John Henry; Tartar Minstrel William Edmonson.

NOTE: The Guild toured its 1928–1929 season to Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Chicago. On tour with Marco Millions, Rains met his fourth wife, Frances Propper, who played a small role in the production.

1929

THE CAMEL THROUGH THE NEEDLE'S EYE

A play in three acts by Frantisek Langer; book adapted by Philip Moeller. MARTIN BECK THEATRE, New York, April 15 (196 performances). PRODUCER: The Theatre Guild. DIRECTOR: Philip Moeller.

CAST: Mrs. Pesta Helen Westley; Pesta Henry Travers; Street Urchin Norman Williams; Susi Miriam Hopkins; Counselor Andrejs Joseph Kilgour; Director Bezchyba Morris Carnovsky; Marta Bojok Catherine Calhoun-Doucet; Alik Villim Elliot Cabot; Servant Percy Warham; Lilli Bojok Mary Kennedy; Joseph Villim Claude Rains; A Medical Student Walter Scott; Servant Girl Rose Burdick.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains makes a capital figure of an irate continental father by the device of playing as if some one had shoved a ramrod down his back.” (New York Times, April 16, 1929)

KARL AND ANNA

A play in four acts by Leonhard Frank; translated by Ruth Langner. GUILD THEATRE, New York, October 7 (49 performances). PRODUCER: The Theatre Guild. DIRECTOR: Philip Moeller. SETTINGS: Jo Mielziner.

CAST: Guard Charles C. Leatherbee; Karl Otto Kruger; Richard Frank Conroy; First Prisoner Claude Rains; Second Prisoner Philip Leigh; Sister's Husband Herbert J. Biberman; Another Guard Robert Norton; Marie Ruth Hammond; Anne Alice Brady; Marie's Sister Gale Sondergaard; Sister's Husband Larry Fletcher; People in the surrounding action Lionel Stander, Helen Gunther, Laura Straub.

1929–1930

THE GAME OF LOVE AND DEATH

A play in three acts by Romain Rolland, translated by Eleanor Stimson Brooks. GUILD THEATRE, New York, November 25, 1929 (48 performances). PRODUCER: The Theatre Guild. DIRECTOR: Rouben Mamoulian. SETTINGS AND COSTUMES: Aline Bernstein.

CAST: Sophie de Courvoisier Alice Brady; Claude Vallée Otto Kruger; Jérôme de Courvoisier Frank Conroy; Lazare Carnot Claude Rains; Denis Bayot Edward Rigley; Lodoiska Carizier Laura Straub; Chloris Soucy Anita Fugazy; Crapart Charles Henderson; Horace Bouchet Allan Willey; Soldiers and Citizens Robert Norton, William Earle, Lizbeth Kennedy, Katherine Randolph, Kitty Wilson, Clinton Corwin, Frank DeSilva, Paul Farber, Henry Fonda, Leopold Gutierrez, Daniel Joseph, Charles C. Leatherbee, P. Lapouchin, Hughie Mack, Lionel Stander, Mike Wagman, J. E. Whiffen.

REVIEW: “The play is almost saved by a single performance—the precise dominating acting of Claude Rains, who, as Carnot, contributes magnificently to one scene.” (J. Brooks Atkinson, New York Times, November 26, 1929)

1930

THE APPLE CART

“A Political Extravaganza in Two Acts and an Interlude” by George Bernard Shaw. FORD'S THEATRE, Baltimore, February 17; MARTIN BECK THEATRE, New York, February 24 (88 performances). PRODUCER: The Theatre Guild. DIRECTOR: Philip Moeller. SETTINGS: Lee Simonson.

CAST: Pamphilius and Sempronius, Private Secretaries to King Thomas A. Braidon, Rex O'Malley; Boanerges, President of Board of Trade Ernest Cossart; Magnus, the King Tom Powers; Alice, the Princess Royal Audrey Ridgewell; Proteus, Prime Minister Claude Rains; Nicobar, Foreign Secretary Morris Carnovsky/Edgar Kent; Crassus, Colonial Secretary George Graham; Pliney, Chancellor of the Exchequer John Dunn; Balbus, Home Secretary William H. Sams; Lysistrata, Postmistress-General Helen Westley; Amanda, Postmistress-General Eva Leonard-Boyne; Orinthia Violet Kemble-Cooper; The Queen Marjorie Marquis; Mr. Vanhattan, the American Ambassador Frederick Truesdell.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains finds just the right mixture of master and charlatan as the prime minister.” (J. Brooks Atkinson, New York Times, February 5, 1930)

1931

MIRACLE AT VERDUN

A play in seven scenes by Hans Chlumberg, translated from the German by Julian Leigh. MARTIN BECK THEATRE, New York, March 16 (49 performances). PRODUCER: The Theatre Guild. DIRECTOR: Herbert J. Biberman.

CAST: Scene One (Petit Cimetière at Verdun): Smith Caryl Gillin; Jackson Robert Middlemass; Sharpe J. W. Austin; Marshall Thomas A. Braidon; Miss Greeley Shirley Gale; Dorothy Valerie Cossart; Violet Hilda Chase; Verron Owen Meech; Mme. Verron Marion Stephenson; Remusat Jules Epailly; Lerat Carlos Zizold; Mme. Lerat Miriam Elias; Mme. Duvernois Germaine Giroux; Dr. Pates Edward Arnold; Frau Paetz Helene Salinger; Von Henkel Con Macsunday; Frau Von Henkel Joan Grahn; Fritzchen David Gorcey; Brohl Max Willenz; Spaerlich Sydney Stavro; Heydner Claude Rains. Scene One, Part Two (A Company of the Resurrected): Wittekind Hans Hansen; Hessel Alexander Ivo; Weber Jacob Bleifer; Sonneborn Walter Dressel; Schroeder George Brant; Lehmann Michael Rosenberg; Schmidt Anthony Baker; Vaudemont, the Captain John Gerard; Andre Verron Peter Wayne; Morel Clement Wilenchick; Dubois Ali Youssoff; Roubeau Akim Tamiroff; Baillard Percy Woodley; General Lamarque, French War Minister Carlos Zizold; General Von Gadenau, German War Minister Max Willenz; French Officers Alexander Danarov, John Hoysradt; German Officers Joseph Lazarovici, Francis Schaeger; Vernier, cemetery attendant Edouard La Roche; Messenger Claude Rains. Scene Two (Celebrations in Paris and Berlin—1934): Premier Delcampe Jules Epailly; Interrupter Georges Magis; Radio Announcer John Hoysradt; Reich Chancellor Overtuesch Edward Arnold; Interrupter Jacob Bleifer. Scene Three (Bedrooms in Paris—Berlin—London): Premier Delcampe Jules Epailly; Odette Lefevre Germaine Giroux; Reich Chancellor Overtuesch Edward Arnold; Frau Overtuesch Helene Salinger; Lord Grathford, English Prime Minister J. W. Austin; Leeds, his valet Thomas A. Braidon. Scene Four (A Field in the Suippe; screen only). Scene Five (Shop of the Cobbler, Paul Vadinet—A Village on the Marne): Paul Vadinet Carlos Zizold; Mme. Vadinet Miriam Elias; Jacques, an apprentice John Hoysradt; Jeannette Germaine Giroux; Policeman Georges Magis; Pastor Juan de la Cruz; First Villager Edouard La Roche; Second Villager Hilda Chase; Third Villager Martin Cravath; Morel Clement Wilenchick. Scene Six (Quai d’Orsay): Lord Grathford, Prime Minister of England J.W. Austin; Michel Delcampe, Premier of France Jules Epailly; Dr. Overtuesch, Chancellor of the German Reich Edward Arnold; Lamparenne, Prime Minister of Belgium Claude Rains; General Lamarque, French War Minister Carlos Zizold; General Von Gadenau, German War Minister Max Willenz; Clarkson, American Ambassador Robert Middlemass; Bertolotti, Italian Ambassador Salvatore Zito; Yoshitomo, Japanese Ambassador Kuni Hara; Cardinal Dupin, Archbishop of Paris Juan de la Cruz; Superintendent General Palm Douglas Garden; Chief Rabbi Dr. Sorgenreich Sydney Stavro; Professor Dr. Steppach, scientific authority Con Macsunday; Secretary Thomas A. Braidon; Young Prelate Ari Kutai; Tsatanaku, Japanese Premier Hanaki Yoshiwara; Yoshitomo J. C. Kunihara; Representative of Roumania Robert Deviera; Representative of Yugo-Slavia Joseph Green; Representative of Poland Lucien Giardin; Representative of Czecho-Slovakia Mario Lajeroni; Trolliet Edward de la Roche; Charrier Georges Magis. Scene Seven (Petit Cimetière at Verdun, ten minutes after Scene One; screen only.)

REVIEW: “Neither the play nor the production requires much from individual actors, although Claude Rains, as the Prime Minister of Belgium, makes himself heard above the general din and gives a splendid, potent performance.” (J. Brooks Atkinson, New York Times, March 15, 1931)

HE

A comedy in three acts by Alfred Savoir, adapted by Chester Erskin. GUILD THEATRE, New York, September 24 (40 performances). PRODUCER: The Theatre Guild. DIRECTOR: Chester Erskin. SETTING: Aline Bernstein.

CAST: Bartender Leslie Hunt; Elevator Man Claude Rains; Monsieur Matard, Hotel Proprietor Cecil Yapp; Professor Coq Eugene Powers; The Invalid, His Daughter Viola Frayne; Miss Scoville Edith Meiser; Commander Trafalgar Edward Rigby; He Tom Powers; Princess Violet Kemble Cooper; Bell Boy Lester Salkow; Monsieur Ping William Gargan; Hotel Doctor Le Roy Brown; First Porter Lawrence Hurdle, Jr.; Second Porter Charles W. Adams.

REVIEWS: “Claude Rains is vastly enjoyable as the servant who fancies himself Napoleon.” (J. Brooks Atkinson, New York Times, September 22, 1931) “Among the actors nobody except Claude Rains seemed aware of the philosophical hits of the speeches. Mr. Rains as the Napoleonic egoist knew what he meant. The rest of the company played away blindly with their several methods.” (Stark Young, The New Republic, October 7, 1931)

1932

THE MOON IN THE YELLOW RIVER

A play in three acts by Denis Johnston. GUILD THEATRE, New York, February 29 (40 performances). PRODUCER: The Theatre Guild (Production Committee: Helen Westley and Lawrence Langner). DIRECTOR: Philip Moeller. SETTINGS: Cleon Throckmorton.

CAST: Agnes Josephine Williams; Blanaid Gertrude Flynn; Tausch Egon Brecher; Aunt Columba Alma Kruger; George Edward Nannary; Captain Potts John Daly Murphy; Dobelle Claude Rains; Willie Barry Macollum; Darrell Blake Henry Hull; Larry, one of Blake's men Wylie Adams; Another of Blake's men John O'Connor; Commandant William Harrigan; A Soldier Paul Stephenson; Another Soldier Desmond O'Donnovan.

REVIEW: “The acting and direction do what they can for a work that purposefully eludes clarification. Claude Rains and Henry Hull, although inclined to overelaborate a bit, give excellent performances as the railway engineer and the leader of the revolutionists.” (J. Brooks Atkinson, New York Times, March 1, 1932)

TOO TRUE TO BE GOOD

A play in three acts by George Bernard Shaw. GUILD THEATRE, New York, April 4 (57 performances). PRODUCER: The Theatre Guild (Production Committee: Theresa Helburn and Philip Moeller). DIRECTOR: Leslie Banks. SETTINGS AND COSTUMES: Jonel Jorgulesco.

CAST: The Monster Julius Evans; The Elderly Lady Minna Phillips; The Doctor Alex Clark, Jr. The Patient Hope Williams; The Nurse Beatrice Lillie; The Burglar Hugh Sinclair; Colonel Tallboys, V.C., D.S.O. Ernest Cossart; Private Meek Leo G. Carroll; Sergeant Fielding Frank Shannon; The Elder Claude Rains.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains, who has recently taken the unactable part of the lugubrious atheist, roars his lines with a cutting crispness.” (J. Brooks Atkinson, New York Times, April 5, 1932)

THE MAN WHO RECLAIMED HIS HEAD

A melodrama in three acts and sixteen scenes by Jean Bart. BROADHURST THEATRE, New York, September 8 (28 performances). DIRECTOR: Herbert J. Biberman.

CAST: Jean Richard Barrows; Fernand Demoncey Romaine Callender; Paul Verin Claude Rains; Linette Verin Evelyn Eaton; Curly Carleton Young; Mimi Janet Rathbun; Margot Emily Lowry; Pierre Paul Wilson; Jack Allen Nourse; Adele Verin Jean Arthur; Henri Berthaud Stuart Casey; Gendarme C. Elsworth Smith; Waiter Allen Nourse; Antoine Paul Wilson; Baron de Montford Lionel Braham.

REVIEW: “Mr. Rains, by exceptional performances of comparatively unimportant parts with the Theatre Guild, has won a deserved reputation as one of America's ablest actors. His appearance in a significant role that would give his talents full play has been eagerly awaited. But the effort to provide him with an inspired vehicle was forced. Apparently producer and playwright believed that through him those rare old days when ‘acting was acting’ could be revived. For, from the moment that the misshapen figure and hideous face of the little French political genius are revealed by the dim light of the doctor's apartment at midnight, the feeling created is that of a tour de force, an attempt to proclaim such a virtuosity as Irving must have displayed in enacting Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. Mr. Rains, in so extravagant a makeup as irresistibly to recall some of the cinema impersonations of Lon Chaney, plays so skillfully, with so cunning a use of understatement, that he almost brings his character to life.” (Carl Carmer, Theatre Arts, November 1932)

THE GOOD EARTH

A play in three acts and ten scenes, by Owen and Donald Davis, based on the novel by Pearl S. Buck. THE GUILD THEATRE, New York, October 17 (56 performances) PRODUCER: The Theatre Guild. DIRECTOR: Philip Moeller, under the supervision of Lawrence Langner and Lee Simonson. SCENIC DESIGN: Lee Simonson.

CAST: Wang Lung Claude Rains; Wang Lung's Father Henry Travers; The Gatekeeper Homer Barton; A Peach Vendor Conrad Cantzen; A Beggar William Franklin; The Old Lord Harold Thomas; His Son A. Francis Karll; The Fifth Lady Marel Foster; A Slave Joan Hathaway; Cuckoo Marjorie Wood; The Ancient Mistress Kate Morgan; O-Lan Alla Nazimova; Wang Lung's Uncle Sydney Greenstreet; Wang Lung's Aunt Jessie Ralph; Ching Clyde Franklin; Wang Lung's Son Freddy Goodrow; Two Strangers Jack Daniels, Vincent Sherman; A Tall Beggar Harry M. Cooke; A Poor Man Albert Hayes; Another Poor Man Conrad Cantzen; A Young Speaker Vincent Sherman; The Rich Man Homer Barton; The Fool Child Helen Hoy; Lotus Gertrude Flynn; A Slave Nola Napoli; A Doctor Mark Schweld; Yi Ling Donald MacMillan; Wang Lung's Eldest Son Harry Wood; The Bride Geraldine Kay; A Taoist Priest Philip Wood; Priests Harry Barfoot, M. W. Raie.

REVIEWS: “Those who have been wondering how ‘The Good Earth’ could be translated into a play have their answer now at the Guild…[it] is a complete failure on the stage.” (Brooks Atkinson, New York Times, October 18, 1932) “The acting displayed some of the inconsistencies so often obvious when Western players hide in the guise of almond-eyed and pigtailed Orientals.…Between the low, studied gutturals of Madame Nazimova as O-Lan, the slave wife, and the clipped syllables of Claude Rains as Wang Lung, there must be a more happy medium.” (Herschel Williams, Theatre Arts, January 1933)

1933

AMERICAN DREAM

A trilogy of one act plays by George O'Neil, set in the years 1650, 1849, and 1933. GUILD THEATRE, New York, February 21 (39 performances). PRODUCER: The Theatre Guild. DIRECTOR: Philip Moeller, under the supervision of Lee Simonson and Helen Westley.

CAST: The First Play (1650): Roger Pingree Lee Baker; Martha Josephine Hull; Daniel Pingree Douglass Montgomery; Luke Pingree Wilton Graff; An Indian Frank Verigun; Lydia Kimball Gale Sondergaard; Celia Gertrude Flynn. The Second Play (1849): Daniel Pingree Stanley Ridges; Susannah Leona Hogarth; Abbie Pingree Helen Westley; Ezekial Bell Claude Rains. The Third Play (1933): Daniel Pingree Douglass Montgomery; Gail Pingree Gale Sondergaard; Henri Sanford Meisner; Vladimir Manart Kippen; Beth Harkness Edith Van Cleve; Richard Biddle Philip Barber; Eddie Thayer Stanley Ridges; Sarah Culver Helen Westley; Mrs. Schuyler Hamilton Josephine Hull; Lindley P. Carver Spencer Barnes; Julius Stern Lester Alden; Murdock Erskine Sanford; Amarylis Gertrude Flynn; Tessa Steele Mary Blair; Lincoln Park Wilton Graff; Mrs. Harry Tsezhin Mary Jeffery; Harry Frank Verigun; Jake Schwarz Samuel Goldenberg.

PEACE PALACE

A play in eight scenes by Emil Ludwig (original title: Versailles), adapted by John W. Gasssner. WESTCHESTER COUNTY CENTER, White Plains, New York, June 5. DIRECTOR: Herbert J. Biberman.

CAST: Georges Clemenceau Claude Rains; Mandel Otis Sheridan; David Lloyd George A.P. Kaye; Marshall Ferdinand Foch Juan de la Cruz; Woodrow Wilson Richard Hale; Vittorio Orlando Frank Tweddell; Makino H.L. Donau; General Jan Smuts Edward Fielding; W. F. Massey Charles E. Douglas; William Morris Hughes Victor Beecroft; Ignace Jan Paderewski Henry Warwick; Arthur Balfour J. W. Austin; Colonel Edward M. House William H. Lynn; General Tasker Bliss Eskine Sanford; Fridtjof Nanzen Montagu Love; Sir Basil Zacharoff St. Clair Bayfield; Secretary to Wilson Ralph Beech; Mrs. Wilson Mary Morris.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains of the Theatre Guild has the part of Clemenceau, and if the reactions of the county's citizens are any pointer, he turned into ‘Peace Palace’ a codicil that was excellent. The part is a difficult one.” (L.N., New York Times, June 6, 1933)

1934

THEY SHALL NOT DIE

A play in three acts by John Wexley. ROYALE THEATRE, New York, February 21–April (62 performances). PRODUCER: The Theatre Guild. DIRECTOR: Philip Moeller. SCENIC DESIGN: Lee Simonson.

CAST: Cooley William Lynn; Henderson John L. Kearney; Red Tom Ewell; St. Louis Kid Fred Herrick; Blackie Frank Woodruff; Deputy Sheriff Trent Ralph Theadore; Jeff Vivian Ralph Sanford; Lewis Collins Bob Ross; Walter Colton William Norton; Virginia Ross Linda Watkins; Lucy Wells Ruth Gordon; Luther Mason Hale Norcross; Benson Allen L. M. Hurdle; Roberts George R. Hayes; Purcell Alfred Brown; Walters Bryant Hall; Warner Grafton Trew; Heywood Parsons Al Stokes; Roy Wood Allan Vaughan; Andy Wood Joseph Scott; Morris Joseph Smalls; Moore Frank Wilson; Killian Eddie Hodge; Oliver Tulley Robert Thomsen; Dr. Thomas George Christie; Captain Kennedy Frederick Persson; Sergeant Ogden Ross Forrester; Mrs. Wells Helen Westley; Russell Evans Dean Jagger; Principal Keeper Charles Henderson; Lowery Carroll Ashburn; William Treadwell Brandon Peters; Reverend Wendell Jackson Fred Miller; Warden Jeffries Leo Curley; Rokoff Louis John Latzer; Cheney St. Clair Bayfield; Nathan G. Rubin Claude Rains; Johnny Hugh Rennie; Mr. Harrison Frank Wilson; Frank Travers Douglas Gregory; Judge Thurston Hall; Dr. Watson Robert J. Lawrence; Attorney General Dade Ben Smith; Seth Robbins Harry Hermsen; Circuit Solicitor Slade Carl Eckstrom.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains does jeopardize his opening scene with histrionic flamboyance. But in the courtroom scene, which is the crucial one, the part catches up with him and he plays magnificently.” (Bosley Crowther, New York Times, February 22, 1934)

1948–1949

A LINCOLN PORTRAIT

A symphonic work with narration by Aaron Copland. ACADEMY OF MUSIC, Philadelphia, October 15–16, 1948 (2 performances); CARNEGIE HALL, New York, April 19, 1949 (1 performance). Rains was the narrator; the Philadelphia Orchestra was conducted by Eugene Ormandy.

1951

DARKNESS AT NOON

A play in three acts by Sidney Kingsley, based on the novel by Arthur Koestler. ALVIN THEATRE, New York, February 13–March 24; ROYALE THEATRE, New York, March 26–June 23 (168 performances). PRODUCER: The Playwrights’ Company. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: May Kirshner. DIRECTOR: Sidney Kingsley. SCENIC DESIGN AND LIGHTING: Frederick Fox. ASSISTANT TO MR. FOX: Margery Quitzau. COSTUMES: Kenn Barr. PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER: David Gray, Jr. STAGE MANAGER: William McFadden. ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Norman Roland. MUSIC: “Moscow” composed by Dan and Dm. Potras, used with the special permission of Edward B. Marks Music Corporation.

CAST: Rubashov Claude Rains; Guard Robert Keith, Jr.; 402 Philip Coolidge; 302 Richard Seff; 202 Allan Rich; Luba Kim Hunter; Gletkin Walter J. Palance; First Storm Trooper Adams MacDonald; Richard Herbert Ratner; Young Girl: Virginia Howard; Second Storm Trooper Johnson Hayes; Ivanoff Alexander Scourby; Bogrov Norman Roland; Hrutsch Robert Crozier; Albert Daniel Polis; Luigi Will Kuluva; Pablo Henry Beckman; André Geoffrey Barr; Barkeeper Tony Ancona; Secretary Lois Nettleton; President Maurice Gosfeld.

REVIEWS: “Mr. Kingsley has chosen his cast judiciously and is fortunate in Mr. Rains’ acting. When he last performed in New York, Mr. Rains was not an actor of much eminence. He was a showy actor, to be frank about it. But his study of the destruction of Rubashov from courage and honor to obsequiousness and futility is a sensitive, intelligent, skillful and absorbing piece of work.” (Brooks Atkinson, New York Times, January 15, 1951) “Rains plays a trying role with a sure and quiet power that dominates the stage at all times…Unfortunately, for both Rains and the play, it is difficult to work up anything more than an academic sympathy for a man so justifiably hoist on a petard of his own fashioning; given unqualified pity, Rains’ characterization of the involuntary penitent might have been a truly shattering experience.” (Newsweek, January 22, 1951) “Claude Rains appears to understand his role and the book better than Mr. Kingsley. His performance as Rubashov is marked by a steadily rising tension; at the end he even looks as if he had been through an actual, not a simulated ordeal.” (Margaret Marshall, The Nation, January 27, 1951) “In the extremely large role of Rubashov, Claude Rains gives a brilliant performance, nicely counterpointed by Walter J. Palance's chilling Gletkin.” (Time, January 22, 1951) “Being a man of the thirties, Kingsley has a penchant for liberal social preachment. He has, however, no psychological insight, no poetic elegance, no capacity to convey the quality of any inner state.…Claude Rains as Rubashov is always sincere, dignified and intelligent. If he strikes one as an impassioned and idealistic English college professor rather than a steel-willed Russian political figure, the fault is not his.” (Harold Clurman, The Nation, February 5, 1951)

1952

MERELY PLAYERS

A theatrical benefit gala for THE MERELY PLAYERS SOCIETY, London, March 30. In an eclectic evening of scenes, skits and songs, Rains appeared in Act I, Scene II of Julius Caesar.

CAST: Cassius John Gielgud; Brutus Geoffrey Teale; Casca Claude Rains.

JEZEBEL'S HUSBAND

A biblical comedy in two acts by Robert Nathan (world premiere). POCONO PLAYHOUSE, Mountainhome, Pennsylvania, followed by THEATRE BY THE SEA, Matunuck, Rhode Island; opened August 4. DIRECTOR: Sherman Marks.

CAST: Jonah Claude Rains; Jezebel Carmen Mathews; Judith Claudia Morgan; Micah Ben Gazzara; Prince Azariah Robert Emhart. With Ruth McDevitt, Judith Parrish, Ossie Davis, Vinie Burrows, Tony Dowling, and Harry Worth.

REVIEWS: “Rains, who has been an actor since childhood, used every trick of the stage to attain a polished interpretation. His every action, his gestures, dramatic pauses and beautifully clear, clean-cut diction, together with his impressive facial expressions, must have indeed made the director, Sherman Marks, as proud of the star of his show as was the audience.” (Scranton Tribune, August 5, 1952) “Claude Rains’ performance is electrifying and enchanting. It is one of his most satisfying characterizations.” (The Daily Record [Morris County, New Jersey]; undated clipping)

AN EVENING WITH WILL SHAKESPEARE

A benefit evening for the American Shakespeare Festival and Academy. PARSON'S THEATRE, Hartford, Connecticut, December 5. DIRECTOR: Margaret Webster.

CAST: Claude Rains, Leueen MacGrath, Arnold Moss, Wesley Addy, Eva Le Galliene, Faye Emerson, Nina Foch, Staats Cotsworth, Richard Dyer-Benoit.

REVIEW: “In evening clothes against a simple backdrop they read, recited, and enacted excerpts from nearly a dozen of the Bard's most celebrated and familiar works. They received an enormous hand from a packed house even though ‘the flood was playing a revival outside in the night.’” (New York Times, December 7, 1952)

1954

THE CONFIDENTIAL CLERK

A comedy by T. S. Eliot. MOROSCO THEATRE, New York, February 11–May 22 (117 performances). DIRECTOR: E. Martin Browne. SETTINGS, COSTUMES, AND LIGHTING: Paul Morrison. PRODUCER: Henry Sherek and the Producer's Theatre.

CAST: Sir Claude Mulhammer Claude Rains; Eggerson Newton Black; Colby Simpkins Douglas Watson B. Kaghan Richard Newton; Lucasta Angel Joan Greenwood; Lady Elizabeth Mulhammer Ina Claire; Mrs Guzzard Aline McMahon.

NOTE: Rains's first wife, Isabel Jeans, played the role of Lady Elizabeth Mulhammer in The Confidential Clerk’s 1953 Edinburgh premiere.

1956

THE NIGHT OF THE AUK

A play by Arch Oboler. PLAYHOUSE THEATRE, New York, December 1–8 (8 performances). PRODUCER: Kermit Bloomgarden.

CAST: Colonel Tom Russell Wendell Corey; Lieutenant Mac Martman Dick York; Lewis Rohmen Christopher Plummer; Doctor Bruner Claude Rains; Lieutenant Jan Kephart Martin Brooks.

REVIEW: “[Oboler] is a rhetorical writer. Stirring up scientific jargon with portentous ideas, he writes dialogue that is streaked with purple passages and sounds a good deal like gibberish.…As the most experienced actor in the lot, Claude Rains plays the scientist with becoming thought and sobriety, speaking the dialogue as though in a moment everything might come clear.” (Brooks Atkinson, New York Times, December 4, 1956)

1959

FOR THE TIME BEING

A Christmas oratorio by Martin David Levy with text by W. H. Auden. CARNEGIE HALL, New York, December 7. NARRATOR: Claude Rains. With the Collegiate Chorale Symphony of the Air, conducted by Margaret Hillis, with guest vocalists from the Metropolitan Opera.

1961

ENOCH ARDEN

A piece for narrator and orchestra by Alfred Lord Tennyson and Richard Straus. ACADEMY OF MUSIC, Philadelphia, March 20. NARRATOR: Claude Rains. With the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Ormandy.

1965

SO MUCH OF EARTH, SO MUCH OF HEAVEN

A play in three acts by Henry Denker, adapted from The Burnt Flower Bed by Ugo Betti, based on the original translation by Peter Wexler. JOHN DREW THEATRE, East Hampton, New York; WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE, New Hope, Pennsylvania. August–September. PRODUCERS: Theatre Guild Productions, Inc., and Gerard Oestreicher, presented (at Westport, August 30–September 4) by James B. McKenzie, Spofford J. Beadle and Ralph Roseman. DIRECTOR: Edward Parone. SETTING AND LIGHTING: Paul Bertelsen. COSTUME SUPERVISOR: Patton Campbell; costumes executed by Costume Associates.

CAST: Giovanni Claude Rains; Luisa Leueen MacGrath; Tomaso Larry Gates, Nicola Lester Rawlins; Rosa Joanna Miles; Emilio Howard Honig; Raniero Harris Yulin.

Film Work

1920

BUILD THY HOUSE

STUDIO: Ideal Film Co. RELEASE DATE: October 1920. LENGTH: Five reels. DIRECTOR: Fred Goodwins. SCREENPLAY: Eliot Stannard, from a story by S. Trevor Jones.

CAST: Arthur Burnaby Henry Ainley; Helen Dawson Ann Trevor; Jim Medaway Reginald Bach; Burnaby Warwick Ward; John Dawson Jerrold Robertshaw; Mrs. Medaway Adelaide Grace; Marshall Howard Cochran; Clarkis Claude Rains; Mr. Cramer R. Van Courtlandt; Miss Brown Mrs Ainley; Florence Burnaby V. Vivian-Vivian.

1933

THE INVISIBLE MAN

STUDIO: Universal. RELEASE DATE: November13, 1933. RUNNING TIME: 71 minutes. PRODUCER: Carl Laemmle, Jr. DIRECTOR: James Whale. SCREENPLAY: R. C. Sherriff, based on the novel by H. G. Wells. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Arthur Edeson, ASC. SPECIAL EFFECTS: John P. Fulton. ART DIRECTOR: Charles D. Hall. EDITOR: Ted Kent.

CAST: Jack Griffin, The Invisible One Claude Rains; Flora Cranley Gloria Stuart; Dr. Kemp William Harrigan; Dr. Cranley Henry Travers; Mrs. Hall Una O'Connor; Mr. Hall Forrester Harvey; Chief of Police Holmes Herbert; Constable Jaffers E. E. Clive; Chief of Detectives Dudley Digges; Inspector Bird Harry Stubbs; Inspector Lane Donald Stuart; Milly Merle Tottenham; Reporter Dwight Frye; Informer John Carradine; Doctor Jameson Thomas; Boy John Merivale; Man with Bicycle Walter Brennan.

REVIEWS: “No actor has ever made his first appearance on the screen under quite as peculiar circumstances as Claude Rains does.” (Mordaunt Hall, New York Times, November 18, 1933) “Although Rains’ face is never seen, he performs his part cleverly, his voice carrying a sinister note that is very effective.” (Kate Cameron, New York Daily News, November 18, 1933)

1934

CRIME WITHOUT PASSION

STUDIO: Paramount. RELEASE DATE: August 17, 1934. RUNNING TIME: 70 minutes. PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS: Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. SCREENPLAY: Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, based on the story “Caballero of the Law” by Ben Hecht. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Lee Garmes. SPECIAL EFFECTS: Slavko Vorkapich. MUSIC: Frank Tours. FILM EDITOR: Arthur Ellis.

CAST: Lee Gentry Claude Rains; Carmen Brown Margo; Katy Costello Whitney Bourne; Eddie White Stanley Ridges; State's Attorney O'Brien Leslie Adams; Della Greta Granstedt; Miss Keely Esther Dale; Lieutenant Norton Charles Kennedy; Judge Fuller Melish; Buster Malloy Paula Trueman; Furies Betty Sundmark, Fraye Gilbert, Dorothy Bradshaw; Reporters Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur; cameos by Helen Hayes, Fanny Brice, Mickey King, Alice Anthon, and the Bobby Duncan Troupe.

REVIEW: “Mr. Rains handles his role in a masterly fashion. He gets full effect out of the cleverly written speeches and gives an extraordinarily clear characterization.” (Mordaunt Hall, New York Times, January 9, 1935)

1935

THE MAN WHO RECLAIMED HIS HEAD

STUDIO: Universal. RELEASE DATE: January 8, 1935. RUNNING TIME: 82 minutes. PRODUCER: Carl Laemmle, Jr. DIRECTOR: Edward Ludwig. SCREENPLAY: Jean Bart and Samuel Ornitz, based on Bart's play. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Merritt Gerstad. ART DIRECTOR: Albert S. D'Agostino. FILM EDITOR: Murray Seldeen.

CAST: Paul Verin Claude Rains; Adele Verin Joan Bennett; Henri Dumont Lionel Atwill; Linette Verin Baby Jane Quigley; Fernand DeMarnay Henry O'Neill; Laurent Henry Armetta; Curly Wallace Ford; Marchand Lawrence Grant; Baron Ferdinand Gottschalk; Charlus William B. Davidson; His Excellency Gilbert Emery; Danglas Hugh O'Connell; Jean Rollo Lloyd; Louise Bessie Barriscale; Pierre G. P. Hunley; Mimi Valerie Hobson; LuLu Doris Lloyd; Chon-Chon Noel Francis; Dignitaries Walter Walker, Edward Martindel, Crauford Kent, C. Montague Shaw; Munitions Board Directors Edward Van Sloan, Purnell Pratt, Jameson Thomas; Margot Judith Wood; Andre Lloyd Hughes; Antoine Bryant Washburne, Jr.; Petty Officer Boyd Irwin.

REVIEWS: “This cautious reporter is not prepared to admit that Mr. Rains’ portrait of applied hysteria is the brilliant piece of acting that some of his disciples appear to believe. But it is certainly arresting, and it is dosed with the kind of virtuoso terrorism that makes it difficult for you to breathe when he is on the screen.” (Andre Sennwald, New York Times, January 9, 1935) “The tempo of the film is slow and deliberate, but Mr. Claude Rains is there to carry it along.” (The Times [London], June 10, 1935) “With his performance in Crime without Passion still sharply etched in the minds of serious moviegoers, Claude Rains comes to the Rialto Theatre again to put himself over in the grandest manner.” (Wanda Hale, New York Daily News, January 9, 1935)

MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

STUDIO: Universal. RELEASE DATE: February 4, 1935. RUNNING TIME: 87 minutes. PRODUCER: Carl Laemmle, Jr. DIRECTOR: Stuart Walker. SCREENPLAY: John L. Balderston and Gladys Unger, based on the novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens; adaptation by Bradley King and Leopold Atlas. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: George Robinson. ART DIRECTOR: Albert S. D'Agostino. MUSIC: Edward Ward. FILM EDITOR: Edward Curtiss.

CAST: John Jasper Claude Rains; Neville Landless/Mr. Datchery Douglass Montgomery; Rosa Bud Heather Angel; Helena Landless Valerie Hobson; Edwin Drood David Manners; Crisparkle Francis L. Sullivan; Opium Den Woman Zeffie Tilbury; Mrs. Twinkleton Ethel Griffies; Thomas Sapsea E. E. Clive; Mr. Grewgious Walter Kingsford; Durdles Forrester Harvey; Mrs. Tope Vera Buckland; Mrs. Tisher Elsa Buchanan; Deputy George Ernest; Chief Verger Tope J. M. Kerrigan; Mrs. Crisparkle Louise Carter; Opium Fiends Harry Cording, D'Arcy Corrigan; Crisparkle Maid Anne O'Neal; Villager Will Geer.

REVIEW: “Mr. Rains, who has become the devil's own brother during his brief and hair-raising screen career, is brilliantly repellant. His searching eyes and malignantly arched brows are tainted with mania. In the opium den after the murder, when he wrestles with his conscience during his drugged stupor, Mr. Rains makes your flesh crawl.” (Andre Sennwald, New York Times, March 21, 1935)

THE CLAIRVOYANT

STUDIO: Gainsborough/Gaumont-British. RELEASE DATE (USA): June 7, 1935. RUNNING TIME: 81 minutes. PRODUCER: Michael Balcon. DIRECTOR: Maurice Elvey. SCREENPLAY: Charles Bennett, Bryan Edgar Wallace, and Robert Evans, based on the novel by Ernst Lothar as translated by B. Ryan. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: G. MacWilliams. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Louis Levy. MUSIC: Arthur Benjamin. SET DECORATION: Joe Strasser. FILM EDITOR: Paul Capon.

CAST: Maximus Claude Rains; Rene Fay Wray; Topsy Mary Clare; Simon Ben Field; Christine Jane Baxter; Lord Southwood Athole Stewart; James J. Bimeter C. Denier Warren; MacGregor Frank Cellier; Derelict Donald Cathrop; Counsel Felix Aylmer; Customs Official Jack Raine; Page Graham Moffat; Guard George Merritt; Man Eliot Markeham; Showman Percy Parsons; Lodging Housekeeper Margaret Davidge.

REVIEW: “A rather meandering melodrama which would be utterly unimportant except for Mr. Rains’ presence. His vigorous and sensitive performance is about all that holds a faulty story structure together.” (Frank S. Nugent, New York Times, June 8, 1935)

THE LAST OUTPOST

STUDIO: Paramount. RELEASE DATE: October 11, 1935. RUNNING TIME: 75 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Henry Herzbrun. PRODUCER: E. Lloyd Sheldon. DIRECTORS: Louis Gasnier and Charles Barton. SCREENPLAY: Philip MacDonald, based on the story “The Drum” by F. Britten Austin; adaptation by Frank Partos and Charles Brackett, with Marguerite Roberts, Arthur Phillips, Eugene Walter, and Max Marcin. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Theodor Sparkuhl. ART DIRECTORS: Hans Dreier and Earl Hedrick. FILM EDITOR: Jack Dennis.

CAST: Michael Andrews Cary Grant; John Stevenson Claude Rains; Rosemary Hayden Gertrude Michael; Ilya Kathleen Burke; Nurse Rowland Margaret Swope; Cullen Jameson Thomas; Haidar Nick Shaid; Lieutenant Prescott Colin Tapely; Private Foster Billy Bevan; General Claude King; Mirov Akim Tamiroff; Turkish Major Georges Revenant; Amrak Harry Semels; Head Nurse Elspeth Dudgeon; Sergeant Robert Adair; Armenian Patriarch Meyer Ouhayoun; Doctor Olaf Hytten; Colonel Frank Elliott.

1936

HEARTS DIVIDED

STUDIO: Warner Bros./Cosmopolitan/First National. RELEASE DATE: June 20, 1936. RUNNING TIME: 70 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jack L. Warner and Hal B. Wallis. PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Frank Borzage. SCREENPLAY: Laird Doyle and Casey Robinson, based on the play Glorious Betsy by Rida Johnson Young. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: George Folsey. ART DIRECTOR: Robert Haas. MUSIC: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, with original music and songs by Harry Warren and Al Dubin. FILM EDITOR: William Holmes.

CAST: Betsy Patterson Marion Davies; Jerome Bonaparte Dick Powell; Henry Charles Ruggles; Napoleon Bonaparte Claude Rains; John Edward Everett Horton; Sir Henry Arthur Treacher; Charles Patterson Henry Stephenson; Aunt Helen Clara Blandick; Isham John Larkin; Pichon Walter Kingsford; Du Fresne Etienne Giradot; Cambaceres Halliwell Hobbes; Thomas Jefferson George Irving; Madame Letizia Bonaparte Beulah Bondi; Gabriel Freddie Archibald; Mammy Hattie Mc-Daniel; Servant Sam McDaniel; Pippin Philip Hurlic; Innkeeper Hobart Cavanaugh; Livingston Granville Bates; James Monroe John Elliot; Black Man Clinton Rosemond; Footman Wilfrid Lucas; with the Hall Johnson Choir.

REVIEW: “The year's most disappointing picture…saved from utter downfall by innumerable devices of direction and by the performances of the supporting people. Claude Rains is a capricious yet superbly ruthless Napoleon.” (John T. McManus, New York Times, June 13, 1936)

ANTHONY ADVERSE

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: August 29, 1936. RUNNING TIME: 139 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Hal Wallis and Jack L. Warner. DIRECTOR: Mervyn LeRoy (with Michael Curtiz, uncredited). SCREENPLAY: Sheridan Gibney, based on the novel by Hervey Allen. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Tony Gaudio. ART DIRECTOR: Anton Grot. MUSIC: Erich Wolfgang Korngold. FILM EDITOR: Ralph Dawson.

CAST: Anthony Adverse Fredric March; Angela Giuseppi Olivia de Havilland; Vincent Nolte Donald Wood; Maria Anita Louise; John Bonnyfeather Edmund Gwenn; Don Luis Claude Rains; Denis Moore Louis Hayward; Faith Paleologus Gale Sondergaard; Neleta Steffi Duna; Carlo Cibo Akim Tamiroff; Debrulle Ralph Morgan; Ouvrard Fritz Leiber; Tony Giuseppi Luis Alberni; Anthony, age 10 Billy Mauch; Father Xavier Henry O'Neill; Brother Francois Pedro de Cordoba; Captain Jorham Joseph Crehan; Signora Bovino Rafaela Ottiano; Napoleon Bonaparte Rollo Lloyd; Mother Superior Eily Malyon; Mrs. Jorham Clara Blandick; Anthony's Son, Anthony Scott Beckett; Major Doumet J. Carroll Naish; Coach Driver Frank Reicher; Angela, as a Child Ann Howard; De Bourriene Leonard Mudie; Captain Matanaza Addison Richards; Innkeeper Egon Brecher.

1937

STOLEN HOLIDAY

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: February 6, 1937. RUNNING TIME: 76 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis. DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz. SCREENPLAY: Casey Robinson; original story by Warren Duff and Virginia Kellogg. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Sid Hickox. ART DIRECTOR: Anton Grot. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. FILM EDITOR: Terry Morse.

CAST: Nicole Picot Kay Francis; Stefan Orloff Claude Rains; Anthony Wayne Ian Hunter; Suzanne Alison Skipworth; Leon Alexander D'Arcy; Helen Tuttle Betty Lawford; Francis Chalon Walter Kingsford; LeGrande Charles Halton; Charles Ranier Frank Reicher; Dupont Frank Conroy; Deputy Bergery Egon Brecher; Prefect of Police Robert Strange; Madame Delphine Kathleen Howard; Borel Wedgewood Nowell.

REVIEW: “Rains gives the swindler-romancer a high polish.” (Variety, February 3, 1937)

THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: May 8, 1937. RUNNING TIME: 118 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jack L. Warner and Hal B. Wallis. DIRECTOR: William Keighley (and William Dieterle, uncredited). SCREEN-PLAY: Laird Doyle, based on the novel by Mark Twain and dramatic adaptation by Catherine Chisholm Cushing. DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Sol Polito and George Barnes. ART DIRECTOR: Robert Haas. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. FILM EDITOR: Ralph Dawson.

CAST: Miles Hendon Errol Flynn; Earl of Hertford Claude Rains; Duke of Norfolk Henry Stephenson; John Canty Barton MacLane; Tom Canty Billy Mauch; Prince Edward Bobby Mauch; Captain of the Guard Alan Hale; First Lord Eric Portman; Second Lord Lionel Pape; Archbishop of Canterbury Halliwell Hobbes; Barmaid Phyllis Barry; Clemens Ivan Simpson; Henry VIII Montagu Love; Father Andrew Fritz Leiber; Grandmother Canty Elspeth Dudgeon; Mrs. Canty Mary Field; Lady Jane Seymour Helen Valkis; St. John Lester Matthews; First Guard Robert Adair; Second Guard Harry Cording; Ruffler Lionel Braham; Innkeeper Lionel Belmore; The Watch Harry Beresford.

THEY WON'T FORGET

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: October 9, 1937. RUNNING TIME: 92 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jack L. Warner. DIRECTOR: Mervyn LeRoy. SCREENPLAY: Robert Rossen and Aben Kandel, based on the novel Death in the Deep South by Ward Greene. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Arthur Edeson, ASC. ART DIRECTOR: Robert Haas. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. MUSIC AND ARRANGEMENTS: Adolph Deutsch. FILM EDITOR: Thomas Richards.

CAST: Andy Griffin Claude Rains; Sybil Hale Gloria Dickson; Robert Hale Edward Norris; Michael Gleason Otto Kruger; Bill Brock Allyn Joslyn; Mary Clay Lana Turner; Imogene Mayfield Linda Perry; Joe Turner Elisha Cook, Jr.; Detective Laneart Cy Kendall; Tump Redwine Clinton Rosemund; Carlisle P. Buxton E. Alyn (Fred) Warren; Mrs. Hale Sybil Harris; Jim Timberlake Clifford Soubier; Detective Pindar Granville Bates; Mrs. Mountford Ann Shoemaker; Governor Mountford Paul Everton; Harmon Drake Donald Briggs; Ransom Clay Wilmer Hines; Shattuck Clay Trevor Bardette; Luther Clay Elliott Sullivan; Soda Jerk Eddie Acuff; Reporter Frank Faylen; Judge Moore Leonard Mudie; Confederate Soldiers Henry Davenport, Harry Beresford, Edward McWade.

REVIEW: “Credit must go to Mr. LeRoy for his remarkably skillful direction—there are a few touches as fine as anything the screen has done; to Aben Kandel and Robert Rossen for their excellent script; and to all the cast, but notably to Mr. Rains, for his savage characterization of the ambitious prosecutor.” (Frank S. Nugent, New York Times, July 15, 1937)

1938

GOLD IS WHERE YOU FIND IT

STUDIO: Warner Bros./Cosmopolitan/First National. RELEASE DATE: February 12, 1938. RUNNING TIME: 91 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jack B. Warner and Hal Wallis. DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz. SCREENPLAY: Warren Duff and Robert Buckner, based on the novel by Clements Ripley. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Sol Polito. TECHNICOLOR CONSULTANT: Natalie Kalmus. ART DIRECTOR: Ted Smith. COSTUMES: Milo Anderson. MUSIC: Max Steiner.

CAST: Jared Whitney George Brent; Serena Ferris Olivia de Havilland; Colonel Chris Ferris Claude Rains; Roseanne Ferris McCooey Margaret Lindsay; Ralph Ferris John Litel; Molly Featherstone Marcia Ralston; Slag Minton Barton MacLane; Lance Ferris Tim Holt; Harrison McCooey Sidney Toler; Judge Henry O'Neill; Joshua Willie Best; Mr. Crouch Robert McWade; Enoch Howitt George “Gabby” Hayes; Dr. Parsons Harry Davenport; McKenzie Russell Simpson; Senator Walsh Clarence Kolb; Senator Hearst Moroni Olsen; Nixon Granville Bates; Grogan Robert Homans; Deputy Eddie Chandler.

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: May 14, 1938. RUNNING TIME: 102 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jack L. Warner and Hal B. Wallis. DIRECTORS: William Keighley and Michael Curtiz. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Irving Rapper. SCREENPLAY: Norman Reilly Raine and Seton I. Miller. DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Tony Gaudio and Sol Polito. TECHNICOLOR PHOTOGRAPHY: Al M. Greene. TECHNICOLOR CONSULTANT: Natalie Kalmus. FILM EDITOR: Ralph Dawson. COSTUMES: Milo Anderson. MUSIC: Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

CAST: Robin Hood Errol Flynn; Maid Marian Olivia de Havilland; Sir Guy of Gisbourne Basil Rathbone; Prince John Claude Rains; Little John Alan Hale; Will Scarlett Patric Knowles; Richard the Lion-Heart Ian Hunter; Friar Tuck Eugene Pallette; Sheriff of Nottingham Melville Cooper; Bess Una O'Connor; Much Herbert Mundin; Bishop of the Black Canons Montagu Love; Sir Essex Leonard Wiley; Sir Mortimer Kenneth Hunter; Sir Geoffrey Robert Warwick; Sir Baldwin Colin Kenny; Sir Ivor Lester Matthews; Dickon Malbete Harry Cording; Captain of Archers Howard Hill; Tavern Proprietor Ivan Simpson; Sir Rafe Robert Noble; Crippen Charles McNaughton; Humility Prin Lionel Belmore; Sir Nigel Austin Fairman; Sir Norbert Crauford Kent; Archery Official Wilfred Lucas; Archery Referee Holmes Herbert; Additional cast Halliwell Hobbes, Olaf Hytten, John Sutton.

REVIEW: “On the side of villainy, we have such foil sports as Basil Rathbone as Guy of Gisbourne, Claude Rains as the treacherous Prince John, Melville Cooper as the blustery High Sheriff, Montagu Love as the evil Bishop of Black Canon. Deep-dyed they are, and how the children's matinees will hiss them!” (Frank S. Nugent, New York Times, May 13, 1938)

WHITE BANNERS

STUDIO: Warner Bros./Cosmopolitan. RELEASE DATE: June 25, 1938. RUNNING TIME: 88 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jack L. Warner and Hal B. Wallis. DIRECTOR: Edmund Goulding. SCREENPLAY: Lenore Coffe, Cameron Rogers, and Abem Finkle, based on the novel by Lloyd C. Douglas. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Charles Rosher. ART DIRECTOR: John Hughes. COSTUMES: Milo Anderson. FILM EDITOR: Thomas Richards. MUSIC: Max Steiner.

CAST: Paul Ward Claude Rains; Hannah Parmalee Fay Bainter; Peter Trimble Jackie Cooper; Sally Ward Bonita Granville; Sam Trimble Henry O'Neill; Marcia Ward Kay Johnson; Thomas Bradford James Stephenson; Dr. Thompson J. Farrell McDonald; Joe Ellis William Pawley; Bill Ellis Edward Pawley; Charles Ellis John Ridgely; Hester Mary Field; Sloan Edward McWade.

FOUR DAUGHTERS

STUDIO: Warner Bros./First National. RELEASE DATE: September 24, 1938. RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jack L. Warner and Hal B. Wallis. DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Irving Rapper. SCREENPLAY: Julius J. Epstein and Lenore Coffee, based on the short story “Sister Act” by Fannie Hurst. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Ernest Haller. ART DIRECTOR: John Hughes. GOWNS: Orry-Kelly. FILM EDITOR: Ralph Dawson. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. MUSIC: Max Steiner, with Max Rubinowitsch.

CAST: Adam Lemp Claude Rains; Felix Deitz Jeffrey Lynn; Mickey Borden John Garfield; Ben Crowley Frank McHugh; Aunt Etta May Robson; Emma Lemp Gale Page; Ann Lemp Priscilla Lane; Thea Lemp Lola Lane; Kay Lemp Rosemary Lane; Ernest Talbot Dick Foran; Mrs. Ridgefield Vera Lewis; Jake Tom Dugan; Sam Eddie Acuff; Earl Donald Kerr; Doctor Wilfred Lucas.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains is irresistibly persuasive and attractive as the father.” (Variety, August 17, 1938)

1939

THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: January 28, 1939. RUNNING TIME: 92 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis. DIRECTOR: Busby Berkeley. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Russ Saunders. SCREENPLAY: Sig Herzig, based on the play Sucker by Bertram Millhauser and Beulah Marie Dix. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: James Wong Howe. ART DIRECTOR: Anton Grot. FILM EDITOR: Jack Killifer. GOWNS: Milo Anderson. MUSIC: Max Steiner. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo. F. Forbstein.

CAST: Johnnie Bradfield John Garfield; Detective Phelan Claude Rains; Peggy Gloria Dickson; Grandma May Robson; Tommy Billy Halop; Angel Bobby Jordan; Spit Leo Gorcey; Dippy Huntz Hall; T. B. Gabriel Dell; Goldie Ann Sheridan; Doc Ward Robert Gleckler; Charles Magee John Ridgely; Budgie Barbara Pepper; Ennis William Davidson; Lenihan Ward Bond; Malvin Robert Strange; Smith Louis Jean Heydt; Gaspar Rutchek Frank Riggi; Manager Cliff Clark; Collucci Dick Wessel; Milt Bernard Punsley; Speed Irving Bacon; Fight Announcer Sam Hayes.

SONS OF LIBERTY

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: April 1939. RUNNING TIME: 21 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jack L. Warner. DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz. SCREENPLAY: Crane Wilbur. DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Sol Polito and Ray Rennahan. COSTUMES: Milo Anderson. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein.

CAST: Haym Salomon Claude Rains; Rachel Salomon Gale Sondergaard; Alexander MacDougal Donald Crisp; George Washington Montagu Love; Madison Henry O'Neill; Colonel Tilgham James Stephenson; Nathan Hale Larry Williams; Robert Morris Moroni Olsen; Jacob Vladimir Sokoloff.

JUAREZ

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: June 10, 1939. RUNNING TIME: 125 minutes. PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis. DIRECTOR: William Dieterle. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Irving Rapper. SCREENPLAY: John Huston, Wolfgang Reinhardt, and Aeneas MacKenzie, based on Juarez and Maximilian by Franz Werfel and The Phantom Crown by Bertita Harding. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Tony Gaudio. ART DIRECTOR: Anton Grot. GOWNS: Orry-Kelly. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore. MUSIC: Erich Wolfgang Korngold. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein.

CAST: Carlotta Bette Davis; Benito Juarez Paul Muni; Maximillian von Hapsburg Brian Aherne; Napoleon III Claude Rains; Porfirio Diaz John Garfield; Marechal Bazaine Donald Crisp; Alejandro Uradi Joseph Calleia; Eugenie Gale Sondergaard; Col. Miguel López Gilbert Roland; Miguel Miramón Henry O'Neill; José de Montares Montagu Love; Dr. Basch Harry Davenport; Achille Fould Walter Fenner; Drouyn de Lhuys Alexander Leftwich; Countess Battenberg Georgia Caine; Señor de Leon Gennaro Curci; Tomas Mejia Bill Wilkerson; Mariano Escobedo John Miljan; John Bigelow Hugh Sothern; Carbajal Irving Pichel; Duc de Morny Frank Reicher; Prince Metternich Walter Kingsford; Marshal Randon Holmes Herbert; LeMarc Louis Calhern; Pepe Manuel Diaz.

DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: July 22, 1939. RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis. DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz. SCREENPLAY: Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein, based on the play Fly Away Home by Dorothy Bennett and Irving White. DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: James Wong Howe and Ernest Haller. ART DIRECTOR: John Hughes. GOWNS: Howard Shoup. MUSIC: Max Steiner. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore.

CAST: Gabriel López John Garfield; Jim Masters Claude Rains; Johnny Heming Jeffrey Lynn; Nan Masters Fay Bainter; Sam Sloan Donald Crisp; Penny May Robson; George Frank McHugh; Eddie Moore Dick Foran; Manuel López George Humbert; Judge Hornsby Berton Churchill; Buff Masters Priscilla Lane; Tinka Masters Rosemary Lane; Linda Masters Lola Lane; Cora Masters Gale Page; Joe Tom Dugan; Rich Sucker Howard Cavanagh; Conductors Wilfred Lewis and Jack Mower; Court Clerk Nat Carr; Bar Owner George Cheseboro; Tim Jack Gardner.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains makes the glib, fascinating husband very attractive. His irresistible charm makes it easy to understand why his four daughters love him even after an absence of 20 years during which he has been ‘keeping a rendezvous with the universe.’” (Louella O. Parsons, Los Angeles Examiner, July 21, 1939)

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON

STUDIO: Columbia. RELEASE DATE: October 19, 1939. RUNNING TIME: 126 minutes. PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Frank Capra. SCREENPLAY: Sidney Buchman, based on the story “The Man from Montana” By Lewis R. Foster. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Joseph Walker. ART DIRECTOR: Lionel Banks. GOWNS: Kolloch. FILM EDITORS: Gene Havlik and Al Clark. MUSIC: Dimitri Tiomkin. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: M. W. Stoloff.

CAST: Jefferson Smith James Stewart; Saunders Jean Arthur; Senator Joseph Paine Claude Rains; Jim Taylor Edward Arnold; Governor Hopper Guy Kibbee; Diz Moore Thomas Mitchell; Chick McGann Eugene Palette; Ma Smith Beulah Bondi; Senate Majority Leader H. B. Warner; Senate President Harry Carey; Susan Paine Astrid Allwyn; Mrs. Hopper Ruth Donnelly; Senator MacPherson Grant Mitchell; Senator Monroe Porter Hall; Senate Minority Leader Pierre Watkin; Nosey Charles Lane; Carl Cook Dick Elliott; Sweeney Jack Carson; Ragner Allan Cavan; Schultz Lloyd Whitlock; Diggs Maurice Costello; The Hopper Boys Billy, Delmar, Gary, Harry Watson, and John Russell; with Baby Dumpling and H. V. Kaltenberg.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains in his many years as a screen actor has never bettered his performance as ‘The Silver Knight,’ the veteran senator who has had to compromise with the powerful state boss so that he might hold his position and be assured of reelection. He is not in any sense a villain, but a man driven to do the will of his master.” (Louella O. Parsons, Los Angeles Examiner, October 25, 1939)

NOTE: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington marked Rains's first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. His competition included Brian Aherne in Juarez, Harry Carey in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Brian Donlevy in Beau Geste, but the award went to Thomas Mitchell in Stagecoach.

FOUR WIVES

STUDIO: Warner Bros./First National. RELEASE DATE: December 25, 1939. RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis. DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Jo Graham. SCREENPLAY: Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Maurice Hanline, based on the story “Sister Act” by Fannie Hurst. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Sol Polito. ART DIRECTOR: John Hughes. GOWNS: Howard Shoup. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore. FILM EDITOR: Ralph Dawson; MUSIC: Max Steiner. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein.

CAST: Adam Lemp Claude Rains; Felix Deitz Jeffrey Lynn; Dr. Clinton Forrest, Jr. Eddie Albert; Aunt Etta May Robson; Ben Crowley Frank McHugh; Ernest Talbot Dick Foran; Dr. Clinton Forrest Henry O'Neill; Mrs. Ridgefield Vera Lewis; Frank John Qualen; Mickey Borden John Garfield; Joe Olin Howland; Charlie Pat West; Mathilde Ruth Tobey; Boy Soprano Dennie Jackson; Conductor Wilfred Lucas; Lab Technician George Reeves.

1940

SATURDAY'S CHILDREN

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: May 4, 1940. RUNNING TIME: 97 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Henry Blanke. DIRECTOR: Vincent Sherman. SCREENPLAY: Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein, based on the play by Maxwell Anderson. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Irving Rapper. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Elmer Decker. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: James Wong Howe. ART DIRECTOR: Hugh Reticker. SPECIAL EFFECTS: Robert Burks. GOWNS: Milo Anderson. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. SOUND: H. G. Riggs.

CAST: Rims Rosson John Garfield; Bobby Halevy Anne Shirley; Henry Halevy Claude Rains; Florrie Sands Lee Patrick; Herbie Smith George Tobias; Willie Sands Roscoe Karns; Gertrude Mills Dennie Moore; Mrs. Halevy Elizabeth Risdon; Mr. Norman Berton Churchill; Cab Driver Frank Faylen; Mr. MacReady John Ridgely; Mrs. MacReady Margot Stevenson; Mac Jack Mower; Carpenters John Qualen, Tom Dugan; Mailman Creighton Hale; Nurses Maris Wrixon, Lucille Fairbanks.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains is strong in the support as girl's plodding and sympathetically understanding father.” (Variety, April 10, 1940)

THE SEA HAWK

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: August 31, 1940. RUNNING TIME: 126 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Henry Blanke. DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Jo Graham. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Jack Sullivan. SCREENPLAY: Howard Koch and Seton I. Miller. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Sol Polito. FILM EDITOR: George Amy. ART DIRECTOR: Anton Grot. COSTUMES: Orry-Kelly. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore. MUSIC: Erich Wolfgang Korngold. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. ORCHESTRATIONS: Hugo Friedhofer, Milan Roder, Ray Heindorf, and Simon Bucharoff. A First National Picture.

CAST: Captain Geoffrey Thorpe Errol Flynn; Doña Maria Brenda Marshall; Don José Alvarez de Córdoba Claude Rains; Elizabeth I Flora Robson; Carl Pitt Alan Hale; Lord Wolfingham Henry Daniell; Miss Latham Una O'Connor; Abbott James Stephenson; Captain López Gilbert Roland; Danny Logan William Lundigan; Oliver Scott Julien Mitchell; Philip II Montagu Love; Eli Matson J.M. Kerrigan; Martin Burke David Bruce; William Tuttle Clifford Brooke; Walter Boggs Clyde Cook; Inquisitor Fritz Leiber; Monty Preston Ellis Irving; Kroner Francis McDonald; Captain Mendoza Pedro de Cordoba; Peralta Ian Keith.

REVIEW: “Little credit can be extended to the overwritten script, with long passages of dry and uninteresting dialogue, or to the slow-paced, uninspiring direction of Michael Curtiz.…Of the extended supporting cast, Claude Rains, Donald Crisp, Alan Hale and Henry Daniell, as most prominent.” (Variety, July 21, 1940)

LADY WITH RED HAIR

STUDIO: Warner Bros./First National. RELEASE DATE: November 30, 1940. RUNNING TIME: 78 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jack L Warner and Bryan Foy. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Edmund Grainger. DIRECTOR: Kurt Bernhardt. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Hugh Cummings. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Art Lucker. SCREENPLAY: Charles Kenyon and Milton Krims; story by N. Brewster Morse and Norbert Faulkner, based on the memoirs of Mrs. Leslie Carter. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Arthur Edeson. FILM EDITOR: James Gibbon. ART DIRECTOR: Max Parker. GOWNS: Milo Anderson. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore. MUSIC: H. Roemheld. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo Forbstein. SOUND: Oliver S. Garretson. TECHNICAL ADVISOR: Lou Payne.

CAST: Mrs. Leslie Carter Miriam Hopkins; David Belasco Claude Rains; Lou Payne Richard Ainley; Mrs. Dudley Laura Hope Crews; Mrs. Frazier Helen Westley; Charles Bryant John Litel; Mrs. Brooks Mona Barrie; Mr. Clifton Victor Jory; Mr. Chapman Cecil Kellaway; Mr. Williams Cornel Wilde; Mr. Foster Fritz Leiber; Dudley Carter Johnnie Russell; Henry DeMille Selmer Jackson.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains provides a standout characterization as David Belasco, and his work, coupled with that of Miriam Hopkins as Mrs. Carter, does much to maintain interest in the proceedings.” (Variety, November 13, 1940)

1941

FOUR MOTHERS

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: January 4, 1941. RUNNING TIME: 81 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Henry Blanke. DIRECTOR: William Keighley. SCREENPLAY: Steven Morehouse Avery, suggested by the story “Sister Act” by Fannie Hurst. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Charles Rosher. FILM EDITOR: Ralph Dawson. SOUND: Charles Lang. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. MUSIC: Heinz Roemheld, with Jack Scholl. ART DIRECTOR: Robert Haas. GOWNS: Howard Shoup. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore.

CAST: Adam Lemp Claude Rains; Felix Deitz Jeffrey Lynn; Clint Forrest Eddie Albert; Ben Crowley Frank McHugh; Aunt Etta May Robson; Emma Lemp Talbot Gale Page; Ernest Talbot Dick Foran; Mrs. Ridgefield Vera Lewis; Ann Lemp Deitz Priscilla Lane; Kay Lemp Forrest Rosemary Lane; Thea Lemp Crowley Lola Lane; Mr. Davis Thurston Hall.

HERE COMES MR. JORDAN

STUDIO: Columbia. RELEASE DATE: August 21, 1941. RUNNING TIME: 93 minutes. PRODUCER: Everett Riskin. DIRECTOR: Alexander Hall. SCREENPLAY: Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller, based on the play Heaven Can Wait by Harry Segall. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Joseph Walker. FILM EDITOR: Viola Lawrence. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: William Mull. ART DIRECTOR: Lionel Banks. MUSIC: Frederick Hollander. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: M. W. Stoloff. GOWNS: Edith Head.

CAST: Joe Pendleton Robert Montgomery; Bette Logan Evelyn Keyes; Mr. Jordan Claude Rains; Julia Farnsworth Rita Johnson; Messenger 7013 Edward Everett Horton; Max Corkle James Gleason; Tony Abbott John Emery; Inspector Williams Donald MacBride; Lefty Don Costello; Sisk Halliwell Hobbs; Bugs Benny Rubin.

REVIEW: “Plenty of laughs geared for widest audience appeal.…Rains and Gleason click effectively with standout performances.” (Variety, July 30, 1941)

THE WOLF MAN

STUDIO: Universal. RELEASE DATE: December 20, 1941. RUNNING TIME: 71 minutes. PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: George Waggner. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Vernon Keays. SCREENPLAY: Curt Siodmak. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Joseph Valentine. FILM EDITOR: Ted Kent. ART DIRECTOR: Jack Otterson. ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: Robert Boyle. SET DECORATOR: Russell A. Gausman. MUSIC: Charles Previn, Hans J. Salter, and Frank Skinner. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Charles Previn. SOUND: Bernard B. Brown. PHOTOGRAPHIC EFFECTS: John P. Fulton. MAKEUP: Jack P. Pierce. GOWNS: Vera West.

CAST: Sir John Talbot Claude Rains; Dr. Lloyd Warren William; Paul Montford Ralph Bellamy; Frank Andrews Patric Knowles; Bela, the Gypsy Bela Lugosi; Lawrence Talbot Lon Chaney; Gwen Conliffe Evelyn Ankers; Maleva Maria Ouspenskaya; Jenny Williams Fay Helm; Charles Conliffe J. M. Kerrigan; Mr. Twiddle Forrester Harvey; Kendall Leyland Hodgson; Mrs.Williams Doris Lloyd; Reverend Norman Harry Stubbs; Richardson Tom Stevenson; Villagers Olaf Hytten and Gibson Gowland; Talbot Chauffeur Eric Wilton; Mrs. Bally Ottola Nesmith; Mrs. Wykes Connie Leon; Gypsy Woman Jesse Arnold; Phillips Ernie Stanton.

REVIEW: “Embellished by a cast of well-known players and having a fairly dressy production, it is one of the more successful of this type of film.” (New York Herald-Tribune, undated clipping, December 1941)

1942

KINGS ROW

STUDIO: Warner Bros./First National. RELEASE DATE: April 18, 1942. RUNNING TIME: 127 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: David Lewis. DIRECTOR: Sam Wood. SCREENPLAY: Casey Robinson, based on the novel by Henry Bellamann. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: James Wong Howe. FILM EDITOR: Ralph Dawson. ART DIRECTOR: Carl Jules Weyl. PRODUCTION DESIGNER: William Cameron Menzies. MUSICAL SCORE: Erich Wolfgang Korngold. ORCHESTRAL ARRANGEMENTS: Hugo Friedhofer. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. SPECIAL EFFECTS: Robert Burks. SOUND: Robert B. Lee. GOWNS: Orry-Kelly. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore.

CAST: Randy Monaghan Ann Sheridan; Parris Mitchell Robert Cummings; Drake McHugh Ronald Reagan; Cassandra Tower Betty Field; Dr. Henry Gordon Charles Coburn; Dr. Alexander Q. Tower Claude Rains; Mrs. Harriet Gordon Judith Anderson; Louise Gordon Nancy Coleman; Elise Sandor Kaaren Verne; Col. Skeffington Henry Davenport; Mme. Van Eln Maria Ouspenskaya; Pa Monaghan Ernest Cossart; Tod Monaghan Pat Moriarty; Anna Ilka Gruning; Sam Winters Minor Watson; Dr. Berdoff Lugwig Stossel; Mr. Sandor Erwin Kalser; Dr. Candell Egon Brecher; Randy as a Child Ann Todd; Drake as a Child Douglas Croft; Parris as a Child Scotty Beckett; Cassandra as a Child Mary Thomas; Louise as a Child Joan Duval; Mrs. Tower Eden Gray; Benny Singer Danny Jackson; Willie Henry Blair; Aunt Mamie Leah Baird; Poppy Ross Julie Warren; Ginny Ross Mary Scott.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains gives a fine, intelligent performance as Dr. Tower and I must say the movie reason for his treatment of his daughter [schizophrenia instead of incest] is infinitely better than the reason given in the book.” (Louella O. Parsons, Los Angeles Examiner, April 2, 1942)

MOONTIDE

STUDIO: Twentieth Century-Fox. RELEASE DATE: May 29, 1942. RUNNING TIME: 94 minutes. PRODUCER: Mark Hellinger. DIRECTOR: Archie Mayo. SCREENPLAY: John O'Hara, based on the novel by Willard Robertson. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Charles Clarke. FILM EDITOR: William Reynolds. SOUND: Eugene Grossman and Roger Heman. MUSIC: Cyril J. Mockridge and David Buttolph. ART DIRECTORS: James Basevi and Richard Day. SET DECORATOR: Thomas Little. COSTUMES: Gwen Wakeling. MAKEUP: Guy Pearce.

CAST: Bobo Jean Gabin; Anna Ida Lupino; Tiny Thomas Mitchell; Nutsy Claude Rains; Dr. Brothers Jerome Cowan; Woman on Boat Helene Reynolds; Reverend Price Ralph Byrd; Bartender William Halligan; Takeo Victor Sen Yung; Hirota Chester Gan; Mildred Robin Raymond; Pop Kelly Arthur Aylesworth; Hotel Clerk Arthur Hohl; Mac John Kelly; Mr. Simpson Tully Marshall; Policeman Ralph Dunn; First Waiter Tom Dugan.

NOW, VOYAGER

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: October 31, 1942. RUNNING TIME: 117 minutes. PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis. DIRECTOR: Irving Rapper. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Edward Blatt. SCREENPLAY: Casey Robinson, based on the novel by Olive Higgins Prouty. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Sol Polito. FILM EDITOR: Warren Low. MONTAGES: Don Siegel. SPECIAL EFFECTS: Willard Van Enger. ART DIRECTOR: Robert Haas. SET DECORATOR: Fred M. MacLean. SOUND: Robert B. Lee. MUSIC: Max Steiner. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. ORCHESTRAL ARRANGEMENTS: Hugo Friedhofer. GOWNS: Orry-Kelly. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore.

CAST: Charlotte Vale Bette Davis; Jerry Durrance Paul Henreid; Dr. Jaquith Claude Rains; Mrs. Henry Windle Vale Gladys Cooper; June Vale Bonita Granville; Lisa Vale Ilka Chase; Elliot Livingston John Loder; Deb McIntyre Lee Patrick; Mr. Thompson Franklin Pangborn; Miss Trask Katherine Alexander; Frank McIntyre James Rennie; Dora Pickford Mary Wickes; Tina Janis Wilson; Tod Andrews Michael Ames; Leslie Trotter Charles Drake; Giuseppe Frank Puglia; William David Clyde; Captain Lester Matthews; Lloyd Ian Wolfe; Hilda Claire du Brey.

REVIEW: “Those first scenes…show Miss Davis as dowdy, plump and possessed of a phobia that probably cries out for the ministrations of a psychiatrist.…Treatment by the doctor, played by Claude Rains, transforms the patient into a glamorous, modish, attractive woman.…As the curer of Miss Davis’ mental ills, Claude Rains gives his usual restrained, above-par performance.” (Variety, August 19, 1942)

1943

CASABLANCA

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: January 23, 1943. RUNNING TIME: 102 minutes. PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis. DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz. SCREENPLAY: Julius Epstein, Philip Epstein, and Howard Koch, based on the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick's by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Arthur Edeson. FILM EDITOR: Owen Marks. SPECIAL EFFECTS: Lawrence Butler and Willard Van Enger. ART DIRECTOR: Carl Jules Weyl. MONTAGES: Don Siegel and James Leicester. MUSIC: Max Steiner; songs “Knock on Wood,” “Muse's Call,” and “That's What Noah Done,” M. K. Jerome and Jack Scholl; song “As Time Goes By,” Herman Hupfield. ORCHESTRAL ARRANGEMENTS: Hugo Friedhofer. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo Forbstein. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Hugh MacMullan. SOUND: Francis J. Sheid. SET DECORATOR: George James Hopkins. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore. WARDROBE: Orry-Kelly.

CAST: Rick Blaine Humphrey Bogart; Ilsa Lund Ingrid Bergman; Victor Laszlo Paul Henreid; Captain Louis Renault Claude Rains; Major Heinrich Strasser Conrad Veidt; Ugarte Peter Lorre; Signor Ferrari Sydney Greenstreet; Carl S. Z. Sakall; Sam Dooley Wilson; Yvonne Madeleine Le Beau; Berger John Qualen; Annina Brandel Joy Page; Jan Brandel Helmut Dantine; Croupier Marcel Dalio; Sascha Leonid Kinskey; Singer Corinna Mura; Herr Leuchtag Ludwig Stossel; Frau Leuchtag Ilka Gruning; Arab Vendor Frank Puglia; Abdul Dan Seymour; Heinz Richard Ryan; German Banker Gregory Gay; Pickpocket Curt Bois.

REVIEW: Casablanca provided Rains with one of his most iconic screen roles, second only to The Invisible Man, and yet critics of the time gave him mostly perfunctory notice. Even Louella Parsons, usually a great Rains booster, noted only that “Claude Rains, as the French prefect of police, is delightful.” (Los Angeles Examiner, January 30, 1943)

NOTE: Casablanca earned Rains his second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Also nominated were Charles Bickford in The Song of Bernadette, J. Carrol Naish in Sahara, Akim Tamiroff in For Whom the Bell Tolls, with the award going to Charles Coburn in The More the Merrier.

FOREVER AND A DAY

STUDIO: RKO. RELEASE DATE: March 26, 1943. RUNNING TIME: 104 minutes. PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS: Rene Clair, Edmund Goulding, Cedric Hardwicke, Frank Lloyd, Victor Saville, Robert Stevenson, and Herbert Wilcox. SCREENPLAY: Contributed to by Charles Bennett, C. S. Forrester, Lawrence Hazard, Michael Hogan, W. P. Lipscomb, Alice Duer Miller, John Van Druten, Alan Campbell, Peter Godfrey, S. M. Herzig, Christopher Isherwood, Gene Lockhart, R. C. Sherriff, Claudine West, Norman Corwin, Jack Hartfield, James Hilton, Emmet Lavery, Frederick Lonsdale, Donald Ogden Stewart, and Keith Winter. DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Robert De Grasse, Lee Garmes, Russell Metty, Nicholas Musuraca. FILM EDITORS: Elmo J. Williams and George Crone.

CAST: Brian Aherne, Ida Lupino, Merle Oberon, C. Aubrey Smith, Robert Cummings, Ruth Warrick, Kent Smith, Roland Young, Gladys Cooper, Ray Milland, Anna Neagle, Claude Rains, Charles Laughton, Dame May Whitty, Una O'Connor, Edward Everett Horton, Cedric Hardwicke, Buster Keaton, Jessie Matthews, Herbert Marshall, Robert Coote, Ian Hunter, Nigel Bruce, Reginald Gardiner, Arthur Treacher, Edmund Gwenn, Halliwell Hobbes, Patric Knowles, Montagu Love, Victor McLaglen, Richard Haydn, Clyde Cook, Elsa Lanchester, Gene Lockhart, Reginald Owen, Donald Crisp, George Kirby, Billy Bevan, Aubrey Mather, Walter Kingsford, Ivan Simpson, Eric Blore, Wendy Barrie, Ethel Griffies, June Lockhart, and Lumsden Hare.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains…does not impress as the menace.” (Variety, January 20, 1943)

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

STUDIO: Universal. RELEASE DATE: August 27, 1943. RUNNING TIME: 92 minutes. PRODUCER: George Waggner. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jack Gross. DIRECTOR: Arthur Lubin. SCREENPLAY: Eric Taylor and Samuel Hoffenstein, based on the novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, adaptation by John Jacoby. DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Hal Mohr and W. Howard Greene. FILM EDITOR: Russell Schoengarth. ART DIRECTORS: John B. Goodman and Alexander Golitzen. TECHNICOLOR CONSULTANT: Natalie Kalmus. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Charles Gould. SET DECORATORS: Russell A. Gausman and Ira S. Webb. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Joan Hathaway. SOUND DIRECTOR: Bernard B. Brown. SOUND TECHNICIAN: Joe Lapis. MUSICAL SCORE AND DIRECTION: Edward Ward. OPERA SEQUENCES: William Von Wymetal and Lester Horton. CHORAL DIRECTOR: William Tyroler. ORCHESTRATIONS: Harold Zweifel and Arthur Schutt. MAKEUP: Jack P. Pierce. COSTUMES: Vera West.

CAST: Anatole Garron Nelson Eddy; Christine DuBois Susanna Foster; Erique Claudin Claude Rains; Raoul Daubert Edgar Barrier; Signor Ferretti Leo Carillo; Mme. Biancarolli Jane Farrar; Lecours Fritz Feld; Amiot J. Edward Bromberg; Vercheres Steven Geray; Villeneuve Frank Puglia; Gerard Hume Cronyn; Christine's Aunt Barbara Everest; Franz Liszt Fritz Leiber; Mme. Lorenzi Nicki Andre; Jeanne Gladys Blake; Yvette Elvira Curci; Marcel Hans Herbert; Landlady Kate Lawson; Pleyel Miles Mander; Celeste Rosina Galli; Le Fort Walter Stahl; Desjardines Paul Marion; Nurse Beatrice Roberts; Reporters Muni Seroff, Dick Bartell, Jim Mitchell, and Wheaton Chambers; Ferretti's Maid Belle Mitchell; Office Manager Ernest Golm; Georgette Renee Carson; Gendarmes Lane Chandler and Stanley Blystone; Office Boy John Walsh; Policeman Alphonse Martell; Usher Edward Clark; Stagehands William Desmond and Hank Mann.

REVIEWS: “Claude Rains intelligently assumes the character of the mad violinist whose homicidal tendency is unleashed when he believes his concerto has been stolen by a music publisher, and imparts a haunting performance, by turns tender and terrifying.” (Variety, August 13, 1943) “Rains gives the performance his expected, assured performance that joins with the screenplay to lift the hooey horror characterization to a motivated, unfortunate human being.” (Box Office Digest, August 23, 1943)”The script never tells us that Claudin, the broken-down violinist, is Christine's father. But the sensitive performance by Rains leaves no other conclusion possible.” (Hollywood Reporter, August 13, 1943)

1944

PASSAGE TO MARSEILLES

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: March 11, 1944. RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes. PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis. DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz. SCREENPLAY: Casey Robinson and Jack Moffitt, based on a novel by Charles Nordhoff and James N. Hall. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: James Wong Howe. SPECIAL EFFECTS: Jack R. Cosgrove (director) and Edwin DuPar. FILM EDITOR: Owen Marks. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Herschel Daugherty. ART DIRECTOR: Carl Jules Weyl. SET DECORATOR: George James Hopkins. MONTAGE: James Leicester. MUSIC: Max Steiner. ORCHESTRAL ARRANGEMENTS: Leonid Raab. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. TECHNICAL ADVISOR: Sylvain Robert. SOUND: Everett A. Brown. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Frank Heath. GOWNS: Leah Rhodes. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore.

CAST: Jean Matrac Humphrey Bogart; Captain Freycinet Claude Rains; Paula Michele Morgan; Major Duval Sydney Greenstreet; Renault Philip Dorn; Garou Helmut Dantine; Marius Peter Lorre; Petit George Tobias; Manning John Loder; Grandpere Vladimir Sokoloff; Chief Engineer Eduardo Cianelli; Captain Malo Victor Francen; First Mate Konstantin Shayne; Second Engineer Louis Mercier; Second Mate Monte Blue; Lieutenant Hastings Stephen Richards; Jourdain Hans Conreid; Bijou Frederick Brunn; Mess Boy Billy Roy; Lieutenant Lenoir Charles LaTorre.

REVIEW: “Not only does [Rains] have the biggest part in the picture, but he practically captures all the acting honors in a film filled with good acting.” (Variety, February 16, 1944)

MR. SKEFFINGTON

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: August 12, 1944. RUNNING TIME: 146 minutes. PRODUCERS: Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein. DIRECTOR: Vincent Sherman. SCREENWRITERS: Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein, based on the novel Mr. Skeffington by “Elizabeth.” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Ernest Haller. FILM EDITOR: Ralph Dawson. MUSIC: Franz Waxman. ORCHESTRAL ARRANGEMENTS: Leonid Raab. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. ART DIRECTOR: Robert Haas. SET DECORATOR: Fred M. McLean. SOUND: Robert B. Lee. MONTAGE: James Leicester. GOWNS: Orry-Kelly. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore.

CAST: Fanny Trellis Bette Davis; Job Skeffington Claude Rains; George Trellis Walter Abel; “Trippy” Trellis Richard Waring; Dr. Byles George Coulouris; Young Fanny Marjorie Riordan; MacMahon Robert Shayne; Jim Conderley John Alexander; Edward Morrison Jerome Cowan; Johnny Mitchell Charles Drake; Chester Forbish Peter Whitney; Manby Dorothy Peterson; Thatcher Bill Kennedy; Rev. Hyslup Tom Stevenson; Dr. Melton Walter Kingsford; Soames Halliwell Hobbes; Fanny at age two Gigi Perreau; Fanny at age five Bunny Sunshine; Fanny at age ten Sylvia Arslan; Singer Dolores Gray; Marie Ann Doran; Dr. Fawcette Erskine Sanford; Miss Morris Molly Lamont; Clinton William Forrest; Perry Lanks Cyril Ring; Mrs. Thatcher Bess Flowers.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains plays with honor and dignity in the plainly subordinate title role, but it is hard to conceive why he never gives his wife a light chip on the jaw.” (Bosley Crowther, New York Times, May 26, 1944)

NOTE: For Mr. Skeffington Rains earned his third Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He competed with Hume Cronyn in The Seventh Cross, Clifton Webb in Laura, Monty Woolley in Since You Went Away, and Barry Fitzgerald, who won the prize for Going My Way.

1945

STRANGE HOLIDAY

STUDIO: Elite Pictures Corporation. RELEASE DATE: October 19, 1945 (rerelease: September 2, 1946). RUNNING TIME: 61 minutes. PRODUCERS: A. W. Hackel, Edward Finney, and Max King. DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: Arch Oboler. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Robert Surtees. FILM EDITOR: Fred Feitshans. MUSIC: Gordon Jenkins. ART DIRECTOR: Bernard Herzbrun. SPECIAL EFFECTS: Howard Anderson and Ray Mercer. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Sam Nelson. SOUND: W. H. Wilmarth.

CAST: John Stevenson Claude Rains; John, Jr. Bobbie Stebbins; Peggy Lee Barbara Bates; Woodrow, Jr. Paul Hilton; Jean Stevenson Gloria Holden; Sam Morgan Milton Kibbee; Farmer Walter White, Jr.; Truck Driver Wally Maher; Examiner Martin Kosleck; Betty Priscilla Lyons; Boyfriend David Bradford; Newsboy Tommy Cook; Regan Griff Barnett; First Detective Ed Max; Miss Simms, Secretary Helen Mack; Guard Charles McAvoy.

NOTE: Strange Holiday was re-released by Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) on September 2, 1946, in a revised version, running 55 minutes.

THIS LOVE OF OURS

STUDIO: Universal. RELEASE DATE: November 2, 1945. RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes. PRODUCER: Howard Benedict. DIRECTOR: William Dieterle. SCREENPLAY: Bruce Manning, John Klorer, and Leonard Lee, based on the play Come Prima Meglio de Prima (“Like Before Better than Before”) by Luigi Pirandello. (Working title: As It Was Before!) DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Lucien Ballard. FILM EDITOR: Frank Gross. MUSIC: Hans J. Salter. ART DIRECTORS: John B. Goodman, Robert Clatworthy, and Eugene Lourie. SET DECORATORS: Russell A. Gausman and Oliver Emert. GOWNS: Vera West. MERLE OBERSON'S COSTUMES: Travis Banton. DIRECTOR OF SOUND: Bernard B. Brown. SOUND TECHNICIAN: Charles Carroll. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Fred Frank. HAIR STYLIST: Carmen Dirigo. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Victor Stoloff. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Edward Dodds. MAKEUP: Jack Pierce.

CAST: Karin Touzac Merle Oberon; Joseph Targel Claude Rains; Michel Touzac Charles Korvin; Uncle Bob Carl Esmond; Susette Touzac Sue England; Chadwick Jess Barker; Dr. Jerry Wilkerson Harry Davenport; Dr. Lane Ralph Morgan; Dr. Bailey Fritz Lieber.

1946

CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA

STUDIO: The Rank Organization. RELEASE DATE: January 1946. Released in Great Britain by Eagle Lion, and in the United States by United Artists. RUNNING TIME: 138 minutes. PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Gabriel Pascal. SCENARIO AND DIALOGUE: George Bernard Shaw. GENERAL MANAGER OF PRODUCTION: Tom White. SCRIPT EDITOR: Marjorie Deans. DÉCOR AND COSTUMES: Oliver Messel. ART DIRECTOR: John Bryan (courtesy Gainsborough Pictures Ltd.). MUSIC: George Auric. CONDUCTOR: Muir Matheson, with the National Symphony Orchestra. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: F. A. Young, with Jack Hildyard, Robert Krasker, and Jack Cardiff. CAMERA OPERATOR: Ted Scaife. FILM EDITOR: Frederick Wilson. SOUND: John Dennis. DUBBING: Desmond Dew. MATTE SHOTS: Percy Day. CHIEF OF COLOR CONTROL DEPARTMENT: Natalie Kalmus. COLOR ASSISTANT: Joan Bridge.

CAST: Julius Caesar Claude Rains; Cleopatra Vivien Leigh (courtesy of David O. Selznick); Apollodorus Stewart Granger; Ftatateeta Flora Robson; Pothinus Francis L. Sullivan; Rufio Basil Sydney; Theodotus Ernest Thesiger; Lucius Septimus Raymond Lovell; Achillas Anthony Eustral; Ptolemy Anthony Harvey; Nubian Slave Robert Adams; First Centurion Michael Rennie; Second Centurion James McKechnie; Cleopatra's Lady Attendants Olga Edwards and Harda Swanhilde; Major Domo Esme Percy; Belzanor Stanley Holloway; Bel Affris Leo Genn; Persian Alan Wheatley; Boatman Anthony Holles; First Porter Charles Victor; Second Porter Ronald Shiner; Sentinel John Bryning; Auxiliary Sentinels John Laurie and Charles Rolfe; Noblemen Felix Aylmer and Ivor Bernard; Guardsmen Valentine Dyall and Charles Deane; Harpist Jean Simmons.

REVIEW: “Mr. Rains is delightful as Caesar, manifesting with arch and polished grace all the humor and tolerance and understanding that Mr. Shaw saw in the man.…Mr. Rains also handles with sympathy and moving delicacy the fleeting intimations of a middle-aged man's yearn toward youth.” (Bosley Crowther, New York Times, September 6, 1946)

NOTORIOUS

STUDIO: RKO Radio Pictures. RELEASE DATE: September 6, 1946. RUNNING TIME: 101 minutes. PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Alfred Hitchcock. ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Barbara Keon. FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: William Dortman. SCREENPLAY: Ben Hecht, based on an original story by Alfred Hitchcock. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Ted Tetzlaff. FILM EDITOR: Theron Warth. SPECIAL EFFECTS: Vernon L. Walker and Paul Eagler. MUSIC: Roy Webb. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: C. Bakaleinikoff. SOUND: John E. Tribby and Terry Kellum. SET DECORATORS: Darrell Silvera and Claude Carpenter. ART DIRECTORS: Albert S. D'Agostino and Carroll Clark. COSTUMES: Edith Head.

CAST: Devlin Cary Grant; Alicia Huberman Ingrid Bergman; Alexander Sebastian Claude Rains; Paul Prescott Louis Calhern; Madame Sebastian Leopoldine Konstantin; Dr. Anderson Reinhold Schunzel; Walter Beardsley Moroni Olsen; Eric Mathis Ivan Triesault; Joseph Alex Minotis; Mr. Hopkins Wally Brown; Ernest Weylin Gavin Gordon; Commodore Charles Mendl; Dr. Barbosa Ricardo Costa; Hupka Eberhard Krumschmidt; Ethel Fay Baker; Señor Ortiza Antonio Moreno; Knerr Frederick Ledebor; Dr. Silva Luis Serrano; Adams William Gordon; Judge Charles D. Brown; Rossner Peter Von Zerneck; Huberman Fred Nurney.

REVIEW: “Mr. Grant, who is exceptionally solid, is matched for acting honors in the cast by Claude Rains as the Nazi big-wig.…Mr. Rains’ shrewd and tense performance of this invidious character is responsible for much of the anguish that the siuation creates.” (Bosley Crowther, New York Times, August 19, 1946)

NOTE: The role of Sebastian Alexander was Rains's final, and unsuccessful, Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He lost to Harold Russell, the maimed returning soldier in The Best Years of Our Lives. Also in competition were Charles Coburn in The Green Years, William Demarest in The Jolson Story, and Clifton Webb in The Razor's Edge.

ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER

STUDIO: United Artists. RELEASE DATE: September 20, 1946. RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes. PRODUCER: Charles B. Rogers. DIRECTOR: Archie Mayo. SCREENPLAY: Harry Segall and Roland Kibbee, based on an original story by Harry Segall. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: James Van Trees. FILM EDITOR: Asa Clark. EDITING SUPERVISOR: George Arthur. MUSIC: Dmitri Tiomkin. ART DIRECTOR: Bernard Herzbrun. SPECIAL EFFECTS: Harry Redmond, Jr. PRODUCTION MANAGERS: David Sussman and William J. Fender. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: David W. Siegel. SET DRESSER: Edward G. Boyle. SOUND: Frank Webster. GOWNS: Maria Donovan. MEN'S WARDROBE: Robert Marten. PHOTOGRAPHIC EFFECTS: Howard Anderson. MAKEUP: Ern Westmore.

CAST: Eddie Kagle Paul Muni; Barbara Foster Anne Baxter; Nick Claude Rains; Dr. Higgins Onslow Stevens; Albert George Cleveland; Smiley Williams Hardie Albright; Bellamy James Flavin; Minister Erskine Sanford; Rosie Marion Martin; Chairman Jonathan Hale; Jim Murray Alper; Brazen Girl Joan Blair; Scientist Fritz Leiber; Warden Kurt Katch; Agatha Sarah Padden; Big Harry Addison Richards; Shaggsy Ben Welden; Mr. Bentley George Meeker; Bailiff Lee Shumway; Intern Russ Whiteman; Gangsters James Dundee, Mike Lally, Saul Gores, and Duke Taylor; Kramer Chester Clute; Prison Yard Captain Edward Keane.

REVIEW: “Rains shines as the Devil, shading the character with a likeable puckishness good for both sympathy and chuckles.” (Variety, September 18, 1946)

DECEPTION

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: October 26, 1946. RUNNING TIME: 111 minutes. PRODUCER: Henry Blanke. DIRECTOR: Irving Rapper. SCREENPLAY: John Collier and Joseph Than, based on the play Jealousy by Louis Verneuil. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Ernest Haller. FILM EDITOR: Alan Crosland, Jr. MUSIC: Erich Wolfgang Korngold. MUSIC DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. SOUND: Dolph Thomas. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Jack Daniels. WARDROBE: Bernard Newman. SPECIAL EFFECTS: William McGann (director) and Edwin DuPar. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore.

CAST: Christine Radcliffe Bette Davis; Karel Novak Paul Henreid; Alexander Hollenius Claude Rains; Bertram Gribble John Abbott; Jimmy, the Manservant Benson Fong; Norma Louise Austin; Manager Kenneth Hunter; Andre Jean DeBriac; Wedding Guests Philo McCullough, Gertrude Carr, and Bess Flowers.

REVIEWS: “In the play, the man who is bumped off never appears on the stage. Miss Davis might have wished that in the film, too, he were kept more discreetly concealed. For the mephistophelian performance of Claude Rains in this villanous role makes her look completely childish and, from the viewpoint of logic, absurd. As a famous and worldly composer with some vicious attachment to a dame, he fills out a fascinating portrait of a titanic egoist.” (Bosley Crowther, New York Times, October 19, 1946) “What a performance Claude Rains gives as that composer! Suave, haughty, playing with his mistress the way a cat plays with a mouse.…I have seen Rains in many a picture, but ‘Deception’ is his top performance. His cruelty to the girl, his pretense of helping her husband…are all done with typical Rains finesse.” (Louella O. Parsons, Los Angeles Examiner, November 20, 1946)

1947

THE UNSUSPECTED

STUDIO: Warner Bros. RELEASE DATE: October 11, 1947. RUNNING TIME: 103 minutes. PRODUCER: Charles Hoffman. DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz. SCREENPLAY: Bess Meredyth and Ranald MacDougall, based on the novel by Charlotte Armstrong. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Elwood Bredell. FILM EDITOR: Frederick Richards. MUSIC: Franz Waxman. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Leo F. Forbstein. SPECIAL EFFECTS PHOTOGRAPHY: Robert Burks. SPECIAL EFFECTS: David C. Kertesz and Harry Barndollar. ART DIRECTOR: Anton Grot. SET DECORATOR: Howard Winterbottom. COSTUMES: Milo Anderson. MAKEUP: Perc Westmore.

CAST: Matilda Frazier Joan Caulfield; Victor Grandison Claude Rains; Althea Keane Audrey Totter; Jane Moynihan Constance Bennett; Oliver Keane Hurd Hatfield; Steven Francis Howard Michael North; Richard Donovan Fred Clark; Press

Jack Lambert; Max Harry Lewis; Donovan's Assistant Ray Walker; Mrs. White Nana Bryant; Justice of the Peace Walter Baldwin; Roslyn Barbara Woodell; Bill Douglas Kennedy; Irving Ross Ford; Announcer Art Gilmore; Dr. Edelman David Leonard.

REVIEW: “Rains is intriguing as the fashionable radio ghoul…” (Bosley Crowther, New York Times, October 4, 1947)

1949

THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS

STUDIO: Pinewood/Cineguild. RELEASE DATE: January 20, 1949. RUNNING TIME: 91 minutes. PRODUCER: Ronald Neame. DIRECTOR: David Lean. SCREENPLAY: Eric Ambler, adapted by David Lean and Stanley Haynes; based on the novel by H. G. Wells. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Guy Green. CAMERA OPERATOR: Oswald Morris. FILM EDITOR: Geoffrey Foot. SET DESIGNER: John Bryan. COSTUMES: Margaret Furse. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: George Pollock. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Norman Spencer. SOUND: Stanley Lambourne and Gordon K. McCallum. DUBBING EDITOR: Winston Ryder. CONTINUITY: Margaret Sibley. HAIR DRESSER: Biddy Chrystal. MUSIC: Richard Addinsell, performed by the Philharmonica Orchestra of London, conducted by Muir Matheson.

CAST: Mary Justin Ann Todd; Howard Justin Claude Rains; Steven Stratton Trevor Howard; Pat Isabel Dean; Miss Layton Betty Ann Davies; Servant Arthur Howard; Hotel Manager Guido Lorraine; Hall Porter Marcel Poncin; Solicitor Wilfrid Hyde-White; Chambermaid Natasha Sokolova; Flowerwoman Helen Burls; Charwoman Frances Waring; Bridge Guest Wanda Rogerson; Emigration Official Jean Serrett.

REVIEW: “Polished acting, masterly direction and an excellent script put ‘The Passionate Friends’ in the top Rank of British productions.…Claude Rains, in the role of the banker husband, as a model of competence…” (Variety, February 2, 1949)

NOTE: The Passionate Friends was retitled One Woman's Story for American release.

ROPE OF SAND

STUDIO: Paramount. RELEASE DATE: September 23, 1949. RUNNING TIME: 104 minutes. PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis. DIRECTOR: William Dieterle. SCREENPLAY AND ORIGINAL STORY: Walter Doniger. ADDITIONAL DIALOGUE: John Paxton. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Charles B. Lang. PROCESS PHOTOGRAPHY: Farciot Eduoart. SPECIAL EFFECTS:

Gordon Jennings. EDITORIAL SUPERVISOR: Warren Low. SOUND: Harold Lewis and Walter Oberst. MUSIC: Franz Waxman, with music and lyrics to “The Zulu Warrior” and “The Crickets” by Josef Marais. ART DIRECTORS: Hans Dreier and Franz Bachelin. SET DECORATORS: Sam Comer and Grace Gregory. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Richard McWhorter. COSTUMES: Edith Head. MAKEUP: Wally Westmore.

CAST: Mike Davis Burt Lancaster; Paul Vogel Paul Henreid; Arthur Martingale Claude Rains; Suzanne Renaud Corinne Calvet; Toady Peter Lorre; Dr. Francis Hunter Sam Jaffe; Thompson John Bromfield; Pierson Mike Mazurki; John Kenny Washington; Chairman Edmund Breon; Ingram Hayden Rorke; Waiter David Hoffman; Jacques, the Headwaiter Georges Renavent; Henry, the Bartender David Thursby; Clerk James R. Scott; Specialty Singers Josef Marais and Miranda.

REVIEW: “Among the characters moving through the piece [is] Claude Rains doing a nifty performance of the effete head of the syndicate.” (Variety, June 29, 1949)

SONG OF SURRENDER

STUDIO: Paramount. RELEASE DATE: October 28, 1949. RUNNING TIME: 93 minutes. PRODUCER: Richard Maibaum. DIRECTOR: Mitchell Leisen. SCREENPLAY: Richard Maibaum, based on a story by Ruth McKenney and Richard Bransten. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Daniel L. Fapp. SPECIAL PHOTOGRAPHIC EFFECTS: Gordon Jennings. PROCESS PHOTOGRAPHY: Farciot Eduoart. MAKEUP SUPERVISOR: Wally Westmore. SOUND: John McCay and John Cope. FILM EDITOR: Alma Macrorie. ART DIRECTORS: Hans Dreier and Henry Bumstead. DIALOGUE DIRECTOR: Phyllis Loughton. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: John Coonan. MUSIC: “Song of Surrender”: music, Victor Young; lyrics, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, sung by Buddy Clark. “Serenade” by Franz Schubert, sung by Richard Tucker. “Una Furtiva Lagrima,” “O Sole Mio,” “O Paradiso,” and “La Donna é Mobile” from Enrico Caruso's RCA Victor recordings. COSTUMES: Mary Kay Dodson. MAKEUP SUPERVISOR: Wally Westmore.

CAST: Abigail Hunt Wanda Hendrix; Elisha Hunt Claude Rains; Bruce Eldridge Macdonald Carey; Phyllis Cantwell Andrea King; Deacon Parry Henry Hull; Mrs. Beecham Elizabeth Patterson; Mr. Willis Art Smith; Countess Marina Eva Gabor; Dubois John Beal; Clyde Atherton Dan Tobin; General Seckle Nicholas Joy; Simon Beecham Peter Miles; Auctioneer Ray Walker; Faith Beecham Gigi Perreau; Mr. Beecham Ray Bennett; Mr. Torrance Clancy Cooper; Mrs Parry Georgia Backus.

NOTE: Also known as Abigail, Dear Heart; Now and Forever; and The Sin of Abby Hunt.

1950

THE WHITE TOWER

STUDIO: RKO. RELEASE DATE: June 24, 1950. RUNNING TIME: 98 minutes. PRODUCER: Sid Rogell. DIRECTOR: Ted Tetzlaff. SCREENPLAY: Paul Jarrico, based on the novel by James Ramsay Ullman. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Ray Rennahan. ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHER: Tony Braun. TECHNICOLOR CONSULTANT: Morgan Padelford. SPECIAL EFFECTS: Harold Wellman. FILM EDITOR: Samuel E. Beetley. MUSIC: Roy Webb. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Constantine Bakaleinikoff. SOUND: Roland Van Hessen and Clem Portman. ART DIRECTORS: Albert S. D'Agostino and Ralph Berger. SET DECORATORS: Darrell Silvera and Harley Miller. HAIR STYLES: Larry Germain.

CAST: Martin Ordway Glenn Ford; Carla Alton Alida Valli; Paul Delambre Claude Rains; Andreas Oscar Homolka; Nicholas Radcliffe Cedric Hardwicke; Hein Lloyd Bridges; Astrid Delambre June Clayworth; Frau Andreas Lotte Stein; Knubel Fred Essler; Frau Knubel Edit Angold.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains, as a garrulous weakling, is something of a bore…” (Bosley Crowther, New York Times, July 3, 1950)

WHERE DANGER LIVES

STUDIO: RKO. RELEASE DATE: July 8, 1950. RUNNING TIME: 82 minutes. PRODUCER: Irving Cummings, Jr. DIRECTOR: John Farrow. SCREENPLAY: Charles Bennett, based on the story “White Rose for Julie” by Leo Rosten. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Nicholas Musuraca. FILM EDITOR: Eda Warren. MUSIC: Roy Webb. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Constantine Bakaleinikoff. ART DIRECTORS: Albert S. D'Agostino and Ralph Berger. SET DECORATORS: Darrell Silvera and John Sturtevant. COSTUMES: Michael Woulfe. MAKEUP: Mel Burns.

CAST: Dr. Jeff Cameron Robert Mitchum; Margo Lannington Faith Domergue; Frederick Lannington Claude Rains; Julie Maureen O'Sullivan; Police Chief Charles Kemper; Klauber Ralph Dumke; Mr. Bogardus Billy House; Dr. Maynard Harry Shannon; Milo DeLong Philip Van Zandt; Dr. Mullenbach Jack Kelly; Mrs. Bogardus Lillian West; Nurse Collins Ruth Lewis; Nurse Seymour Julia Faye; Nurse Clark Dorothy Abbott; Assistant Police Chief Lester Dorr; Intern Art Depuis.

REVIEW: “Story is a highly contrived, never credible chase melodrama. Other than Mitchum and Domergue…footage gives little length to the supporting players and Rains has only one sequence at the start of the action.” (Variety, June 21, 1950).

1951

SEALED CARGO

STUDIO: RKO. RELEASE DATE: May 19, 1951. RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Samuel Bischoff. PRODUCER: William Duff. DIRECTOR: Alfred Werker. SCREENPLAY: Dale Van Every, Oliver H. P. Garrett, and Roy Huggins, based on the novel The Gaunt Woman by Edmund Gilligan. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: George Diskant. FILM EDITOR: Ralph Dawson. MUSIC DIRECTOR: C. Bakaleinikoff. ART DIRECTOR: Albert S. D'Agostino.

CAST: Pat Bannon Dana Andrews; Margaret McLean Carla Balenda; Captain Skalder Claude Rains; Conrad Philip Dorn; McLean Onslow Stevens; Steve Skip Homeier; Holger Eric Feldary; Skipper Ben J. M. Kerrigan; Dolan Arthur Shields; Caleb Morgan Farley; Ambrose Dave Thursby; Anderson Henry Rowland; Smitty Charles A. Browne; Owen Don Dillaway; Tom Al Hill; Lt. Cameron Lee Mc-Gregor; Holtz William Andrews; Second Mate Richard Norris; Schuster Whit Bissell; Villagers Kathleen Ellis, Karen Norris, and Harry Mancke.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains clicks in his characterization of the German officer, getting across his menacing aspect underneath his quiet, cultured front.” (Variety, April 25, 1951)

1953

THE MAN WHO WATCHED THE TRAINS GO BY

STUDIO: Eros. RELEASE DATE: Europe: February 1953. USA: June 5, 1953 (under the title The Paris Express). RUNNING TIME: 82 minutes. PRODUCERS: Raymond Stross and Josef Shaftel. DIRECTOR: Harold French. SCREENPLAY: Paul Jarrico and Harold French, based on the novel by Georges Simenon. CINEMATOGRAPHER: Otto Heller. FILM EDITOR: Vera Campbell. ASSEMBLING EDITOR: Peter Hunt. ART DIRECTOR: Paul Sherrif. MUSIC: Benjamin Frankel (also conductor). PRODUCTION MANAGER: Ernest Holding. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Adrian Pryce-Jones. CAMERA OPERATOR: Gus Drisse. LOCATION MANAGER: Teddy Joseph. SOUND EDITOR: Leo Trumm. SOUND RECORDING: W. Lindop. MAKEUP: Stuart Freeborn. TECHNICOLOR CONSULTANT: Joan Bridge. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: David Berman.

CAST: Kees Popinga Claude Rains; Michelle Marta Toren; Inspector Lucas Marius Goring; Jeanne Anouk Aimee; Julius De Koster Herbert Lom; Mrs. Popinga Lucie Mannheim; Merkemans Felix Aylmer; Louis Ferdy Mayne; Goin Eric Pohlman; De Koster Gibb McLaughlin; Mrs. Lucas Mary Mackenzie; Karl Popinga Robin Alaouf; Frida Popinga Joan St. Clair; Train Conductor Michael Alain.

REVIEW: “The picture lacks quality, character, sympathy and suspense—and when [Rains] goes mad at the finish, he's not the only one in the house.” (Bosley Crowther, New York Times, June 6, 1952)

1956

LISBON

STUDIO: Republic. RELEASE DATE: August 17, 1956. RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes. PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Ray Milland. SCREENPLAY: John Tucker Battle, based on a story by Martin Racklin. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Jack Marta. FILM EDITOR: Richard L. Van Enger. MUSIC: Nelson Riddle.

CAST: Captain Robert John Evans Ray Milland; Sylvia Merrill Maureen O'Hara; Aristides Mavros Claude Rains; Maria Magdalena Masanet Yvonne Furneaux; Serafim Francis Lederer; Lloyd Merrill Percy Marmont; Inspector Joao Casimiro Fonseca Jay Novello; Edgar Selwyn Edward Chapman; Philip Norworth Harold Jamison; Tio Rabio Humberto Madeira.

REVIEW: “As a production, the picture is rich in pictorial effects, but it could have used a little sharper overseeing of story material, particularly that opening sequence in which sadistic Claude Rains, international crook, smashes a song bird with his tennis racquet so his hungry cat can have some breakfast.” (Variety, August 1, 1956)

NOTE: Lisbon was shot in a widescreen process called “Naturama” in “Trucolor.”

1959

THIS EARTH IS MINE

STUDIO: Universal-International. RELEASE DATE: June 26, 1959. RUNNING TIME: 126 minutes. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Edward Muhl. PRODUCERS: Casey Robinson and Claude Heilman. DIRECTOR: Henry King. SCREENPLAY: Casey Robinson, based on the novel The Cup and the Sword by Alice Tisdale Hobart. DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Winton C. Hoch and Russell Metty. FILM EDITOR: Ted Kent. ART DIRECTORS: Alexander Golitzen, George W. Davis, and Eric Orbom. SET DECORATORS: Russell A. Gausman, Ruby R. Levitt, and Oliver Emert. SOUND: Leslie I. Carey and Vernon W. Kramer. GOWNS: Bill Thomas. HAIR STYLIST: Larry Germain. MAKEUP: Bud Westmore. In Technicolor and CinemaScope.

CAST: John Rambeau Rock Hudson; Elizabeth Rambeau Jean Simmons; Martha Fairon Dorothy McGuire; Phillipe Rambeau Claude Rains; Francis Fairon Kent Smith; Charlotte Rambeau Anna Lee; Buz Cindy Robbins; Luigi Griffanti Ken Scott; Andre Swann Francis Bethancourt; Monica Stacey Graham; Mama Griffanti Augusta Merighi; Chu Peter Chong; Derek Jack Mather; Yakowitz Ben Astar; Petucci Alberto Morin; Mrs. Petucci Penny Santon; Berke Emory Parnell; Nate Forster Lionel Ames; Judge Gruber Dan White; Maria Geraldine Wall; David Lawrence Ung.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains fares best. His role is not explored in any depth, but it has the merit of being easily recognizable and consistent.” (Variety, April 17, 1959)

1960

THE LOST WORLD

STUDIO: Twentieth Century–Fox. RELEASE DATE: June 27, 1960. RUNNING TIME: 97 minutes. PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Irwin Allen. SCREENPLAY: Irwin Allen and Charles Bennett, based on the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Winton Hoch, ACE. SPECIAL EFFECTS PHOTOGRAPHY: L. B. Abbott, Emil Kosa, and James B. Gordon. EFFECTS TECHNICIAN: Willis O'Brien. FILM EDITOR: Hugh S. Fowler. ART DIRECTORS: Duncan Cramer, Walter M. Simonds, and Ad Schaumer. SET DECORATORS: Walter M. Scott, Joseph Kish, and John Sturtevant. MUSIC: Bert Shefter and Paul Sawtell. ORCHESTRATIONS: Howard Jackson and Sid Cutner. SOUND: E. Clinton Ward and Harry M. Leonard. PRODUCTION ILLUSTRATOR: Maurice Zuberano. COSTUME DESIGNER: Pal Zastupnevich. MAKEUP: Ben Nye. HAIR STYLIST: Helen Turpin.

CAST: Lord John Roxton Michael Rennie; Jennifer Holmes Jill St. John; Ed Malone David Hedison; Professor George Edward Challenger Claude Rains; Manuel Gomez Fernando Lamas; Professor Summerlee Richard Haydn; David Holmes Ray Stricklyn; Costa Jay Novello; Native Girl Vitina Marcus; Burton White Ian Wolfe; Stuart Holmes John Graham; Professor Waldron Colin Campbell.

REVIEW: “Claude Rains, transformed by a somewhat pinkish hairdo and beard, is a caricature of the dedicated, belligerent zoologist.” (New York Times, July 14, 1960)

1960 [1963]

BATTLE OF THE WORLDS

STUDIO: Ultra Films/Sicilia Cinematographica. RELEASE DATE: Italy, 1960; USA, 1963 (a Topaz Films release). RUNNING TIME: 83 minutes. DIRECTOR: Anthony Dawson (Antonio Margheriti). WRITER/DIRECTOR, ENGLISH VERSION: George Higgins III. SCREENPLAY: Vassily Petron. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Raffaello Masciocchi. FILM EDITOR: Jorge Serrallonga. PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR: Tommaso Sagone. PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS: Averoe Stefani, Nino Masini, and Cosmo Dies. SOUND: Giovanni Rossi. CAMERA OPERATOR: Cesare Allione. CAMERA ASSISTANT: Danilo Desidero. MUSIC: Mario Migliardi. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Renzo Ragazzi. SCRIPT GIRL: Tersicore Koloson.

CAST: Professor Benjamin Benson Claude Rains; Fred Steel Bill Carter; Eva Barnett Maya Brent; Commander Bob Cole Umberto Orsini; Cathy Cole Jacqueline Derval; General Varrick Renzo Palmer; Mrs. Collins Carol Danell; with Maria Mustari, Giuliano Gemma, Jim Dolen, John Stacey, Massimo Righi, Joseph Pollini, and Aldo D'Ambrosio.

1962

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

STUDIO: Columbia. RELEASE DATE: December 16, 1962. RUNNING TIME: 222 minutes. PRODUCERS: Sam Spiegel and David Lean. DIRECTOR: David Lean. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Roy Stevens. SECOND UNIT DIRECTORS: Andre Smagghe and Noel Howard. SCREENPLAY: Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson (uncredited). DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: F. A. Young. SECOND UNIT PHOTOGRAPHY: Skeets Kelly, Nicholas Roeg, and Peter Newbrook. FILM EDITOR: Anne V. Coates. ART DIRECTOR: John Stoll. ASSISTANT ART DIRECTORS: Roy Rossotti, George Richardson. PRODUCTION DESIGNER: John Box. MUSIC: Maurice Jarre. MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS: Gerard Schurmann. MUSICAL COORDINATOR: Morris Stoloff. MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Adrian Boult. SOUND: Winston Ryder and John Cox. SOUND RECORDING: Paddy Cunningham. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Roy Stevens. PRODUCTION MANAGER: John Palmer. CONTINUITY: Barbara Cole. WARDROBE: John Wilson Apperson. MAKEUP: Charles Parker. HAIR STYLIST: A. G. Scott.

CAST: T. E. Lawrence Peter O'Toole; Prince Faisal Alec Guinness; Auda Abu Tayi Anthony Quinn; General Allenby Jack Hawkins; Turkish Bey José Ferrer; Col Brighton Anthony Quayle; Mr. Dryden Claude Rains; Jackson Bentley Arthur Kennedy; General Murray Donald Wolfit; Sherif Ali Omar Sharif; Gasim I. S. Johar; Majid Gamil Ratib; Farraj Michel Ray; Tafas Zia Mohyeddin; Daud John Dimech; Medical Officer Howard Marion Crawford; Club Secretary Jack Gwillam; R.A.M.C. Colonel Hugh Miller; Allenby's Aide Kenneth Fortescue; Harith Elder John Ruddock; Reciter Henry Oscar; Turkish Sergeant Fernando Sancho; Regimental Sergeant-Major Stuart Saunders.

REVIEW: “Playing a diplomat, Claude Rains, always fine and now a vintage actor, is simply not on the screen long enough to suit us.” (Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic, January 12, 1963)

1963

TWILIGHT OF HONOR

STUDIO: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. RELEASE DATE: October 16, 1963. RUNNING TIME: 104 minutes. PRODUCERS: William Perlberg and George Seaton. DIRECTOR: Boris Sagal. SCREENPLAY: Henry Denker, based on the novel by Al Dewlen. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Philip Lathrop. CAMERA OPERATOR: Joe Jackman. FILM EDITOR: Hugh S. Fowler. ART DIRECTORS: George W. Davis and Paul Groesse. SET DECORATORS: Henry Grace and Hugh Hunt. MUSIC: John Green (also conductor). RECORDING SUPERVISOR: Franklin Milton. MIXER: Larry Jost. ASSISTANT DIRECTORS: Donald Roberts, Al Shenberg, and Richard Lang. MAKEUP SUPERVISOR: William Tuttle. MAKEUP: Ron Berkeley and Agnes Flanagan. HAIR STYLIST: Mary Keats.

CAST: David Mitchell Richard Chamberlain; Laura Mae Brown Joey Heatherton; Ben Brown Nick Adams; Art Harper Claude Rains; Susan Harper Joan Blackman; Norris Bixby James Gregory; Cole Clinton Pat Buttram; Amy Clinton Jeanette Nolan; Judge James Tucker Edgar Stehli; Charles Crispin James Bell; Paul Farish George Mitchell; Judd Elliot Donald Barry; Sheriff Buck Wheeler; Therese Braden Robin Raymond; Vera Driscoll June Dayton; Ballentine Vaughn Taylor; Alice Clinton Linda Evans; McWade Arch Johnson; with Burt Mustin.

REVIEW: “Rains comes through with his customary brilliance.” (Variety, September 13, 1963)

1965

THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

STUDIO: United Artists. RELEASE DATE: January 9, 1965. RUNNING TIME: 225 minutes. PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: George Stevens. DIRECTOR, PROLOGUE SEQUENCE (uncredited): David Lean. SCREENPLAY: George Stevens and James Lee Barrett. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Frank I. Davis. ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS: George Stevens, Jr., and Antonio Vellani. DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: William C. Mellor and Loyal Griggs. FILM EDITORS: Harold F. Kress, Argyle Nelson, and Frank O'Neill. SOUND: Franklin Milton, William Steinkamp, and Charles Wallace. SET DESIGN: David Hall. ART DIRECTORS: Richard Day and William Creber. COSTUMES: Vittorio Nino Novarese and Marjorie Best. SECOND UNIT DIRECTORS: Richard Talmadge and William Hale. CHORAL SUPERVISOR: Ken Darby. SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS: J. McMillan Johnson, Clarence Slifen, A. Arnold Gillespie, and Robert R. Hoag. MUSIC: Alfred Newman (also conductor).

CAST: Jesus Max Von Sydow; Mary Dorothy McGuire; Joseph Robert Loggia; Herod the Great Claude Rains; Herod Antipas José Ferrer; Herodias Marian Seldes; Aben John Abbott; Captain of Lancers Rodolfo Acosta; Chuza Philip Coolidge; Herod's Commander Michael Ansara; Archelaus Joe Perry; John the Baptist Charlton Heston; The Dark Hermit Donald Pleasence; Judas Iscariot David McCallum; Matthew Roddy McDowall; James the Younger Michael Anderson, Jr.; James the Elder David Sheiner; Peter Gary Raymond; Simon the Zealot Robert Blake; Andrew Burt Brinckerhoff; John John Considine; Thaddeus Jamie Farr; Philip David Hedison; Nathaniel Peter Mann; Thomas Tom Reese; Pilate Telly Savalas; Claudia Angela Lansbury; Questor Paul Stewart; General Varus Harold J. Stone; Melchior Cyril Delevanti; Balthazar Mark Lenard; Caspar Frank Silvera; Mary Magdalene Joanna Dunham; Mary of Bethany Ina Balin; Man at Tomb Pat Boone; Lazarus Michael Tolan; Veronica Carroll Baker; Uriah Sal Mineo; Bar Amand Van Heflin; Old Aram Ed Wynn; Woman with No Name Shelley Winters; Theophilus Chet Stratton; Annas Ron Whelan; Joseph of Arimathaea Abraham Sofaer; Speaker of Capernaum John Lupton; Scribe Russell Johnson; Caiaphas Martin Landau; Shemiah Nehemiah Persoff; Nicodemus Joseph Schildkraut; Soark Victor Buono; Emmissary Robert Busch; Alexander John Crawford; Roman Captain John Wayne; Simon of Cyrene Sidney Poitier; Dumah Joseph Sirola; Barabbas Richard Conte.

REVIEW: “There are two exceptions to the generally bad acting. One is Claude Rains as the sick old Herod who slaughters the innocents. The other is Max Von Sydow.” (Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic, March 6, 1965)

NOTE: Produced “in creative association with Carl Sandburg” and shot in Ultra Panavision 70 and Technicolor.

Radio and Recording Work

The following are checklists only; for more details, see John Soister's fine work Claude Rains: A Comprehensive Illustrated Reference (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 1999).

1932

THE GOOD EARTH (NBC, September 13)

1933

A BILL OF DIVORCEMENT (The Fleischmann Hour, NBC, February 2)

1934

THE FLEISCHMANN HOUR (NBC, March 17)

1935

THE GREEN GODDESS (Lux Radio Theatre, NBC, January 6)

THE TELL-TALE HEART (The Fleischmann Hour, NBC, April 4)

THE LAST OUTPOST (Hollywood Hotel, CBS, July 5)

1936

ANTHONY ADVERSE (Hollywood Hotel, CBS, July 17 and 24)

MADAME SANS-GENE (Lux Radio Theatre, CBS, December 14)

1937

THE GAME OF CHESS (The Royal Gelatin Hour, NBC, April 29)

JULIUS CAESAR (1937 Shakespeare Festival, CBS, June–July)

GIFT OF THE GODS (The Royal Gelatin Hour, NBC, July 1)

THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO (Sunday Night Party, NBC, July 18)

KRAFT MUSIC HALL (NBC, August 12)

1938

PARK AVENUE PENNERS (CBS, January 2)

THEY WON'T FORGET (Warner Brothers Academy Theater, NBC, spring)

KRAFT MUSIC HALL (NBC, June 9)

WHITE BANNERS (Hollywood Hotel, CBS, June 10)

JULIUS CAESAR (Great Plays, NBC, November 20)

CONFESSION (The Lux Radio Theatre, CBS, November 21)

1939

THERE'S ALWAYS JOE WINTERS (The Royal Gelatin Hour, NBC, January 5)

THE EIGERWUND (The Royal Gelatin Hour, NBC, March 30)

KIND LADY (Texaco Star Theatre, CBS, October 11)

KRAFT MUSIC HALL (NBC, December 28)

1940

THE STORY OF BENEDICT ARNOLD (Cavalcade of America, NBC, April 2)

THE LITTLEST REBEL (Lux Radio Theatre, CBS, October 14)

1941

AS A MAN THINKETH (Cavalcade of America, NBC, January 15)

THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY (NBC, February 22)

CALLING AMERICA (Mutual Network, July 11)

YOUR HAPPY BIRTHDAY (NBC, July 12)

THE HOBO WITH A HARVARD ACCENT (The Lincoln Highway, NBC, July 12)

CALLING AMERICA (NBC, July 25)

BLIND ALLEY (Great Moments from Great Plays, NBC, August 1)

A MAN TO REMEMBER (Philip Morris Playhouse, CBS, September 26)

THE HAUNTING FACE (Inner Sanctum Mysteries, ABC, September 28)

MILLIONS FOR DEFENSE (CBS, October 14)

CAPTAIN PAUL (Cavalcade of America, NBC, October 27)

1942

HERE COMES MR. JORDAN (Lux Radio Theatre, NBC, January 26)

KEEP ’EM ROLLING (Mutual Network, February 2)

CRIMINAL CODE (Philip Morris Playhouse, CBS, March 20)

YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN (This Is War, CBS, NBC, ABC, and the Mutual Network, March 21)

THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY (NBC, return appearance)

IN THIS CRISIS (Calvalcade of America, NBC, April 20)

BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM (Plays for Americans, NBC, June 7)

SOLDIER OF A FREE PRESS (Calvalcade of America, NBC, September 7)

UNDERGROUND (Philip Morris Playhouse, CBS, September 18)

THE MAN WHO PLAYED WITH DEATH (Inner Sanctum Mysteries, ABC, September 27)

THE KING OF DARKNESS (Inner Sanctum Mysteries, ABC, October 11)

THE MISSIONARY AND THE GANGSTER (Radio Reader's Digest, CBS, October 25)

THE LAUGHING MURDERER (Inner Sanctum Mysteries, ABC, November 8)

1943

THE FRENCH UNDERGROUND (Radio Reader's Digest, CBS, January 24)

THE TEXACO STAR THEATRE (CBS, February 7)

1945

STAGE DOOR CANTEEN (CBS, March 2)

PHILCO RADIO HALL OF FAME (NBC, March 18)

THE CITADEL (Theatre of Romance, CBS, March 20)

PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT: DEATH AND FUNERAL (A Legacy for America, CBS, May 15)

DR. CHRISTIAN: DIAGNOSIS AFTER DEATH; JERE TO LIEBE; THE LADY AND THE WOLF (CBS, June 6, 13, 20)

1946

MURDER IN THE BIG BAND (Radio Reader's Digest, November 7)

THE FRED ALLEN SHOW (NBC, December 8)

1947

THE WAXWORK (Suspense, CBS, March 20)

THE KRAFT MUSIC HALL (NBC, May 8)

MANY MOONS (Radio Reader's Digest, CBS, May 9)

FREEDOM PLEDGE (Philadelphia broadcast, September 16)

A PIECE OF STRING (Radio Reader's Digest, CBS, October 30)

1948

TOPAZE (Studio One, CBS, July 6)

VALLEY FORGE (Theatre Guild of the Air/U.S. Steel Hour, ABC, November 14)

THE HANDS OF MR. OTTORMOLE (Suspense, CBS, December 2)

1949

THE GAME OF LOVE AND DEATH (Theatre Guild of the Air/U.S. Steel Hour, ABC, January 2)

JACK HAS A MUSIC LESSON (Jack Benny Program, CBS, February 27)

THE HORN BLOWS AT MIDNIGHT (Ford Theatre, CBS, March 4)

BANQUO'S CHAIR (Philip Morris Playhouse, CBS, March 25)

THE GOAL IS FREEDOM (CBS, April 4)

EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (Armed Forces Radio Network, May 8)

CRIME WITHOUT PASSION (Ford Theatre, CBS, May 20)

MADAME BOVARY (Ford Theatre, CBS, October 8)

1950

MR. PEALE AND THE DINOSAUR (Cavalcade of America, NBC, March 7)

1952

MIDNIGHT BLUE (The Big Show, NBC, January 6)

THE CATBIRD SEAT (The Big Show, NBC; February 10)

THREE WORDS (Cavalcade of America, NBC, February 19)

THE JEFFERSONIAN HERITAGE (National Association of Broadcasters, fall series)

1953

OUR HIDDEN WEALTH (Medicine, USA, NBC, March 28)

THE LIVING DECLARATION (Kaleidoscope, NBC, July 4)

PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA CONCERT (WFIL Radio, Philadelphia, December 17)

1954

THE CONFIDENTIAL CLERK (excerpts; Stage Struck: A Review of the 1953–54 Theatrical Season, CBS, May 21)

THE CROSS EXAMINATION (First Came the Word)

1955

BUILDERS OF AMERICA (NBC, May 26)

1956

TITANIC (NBC, March 28)

Television Work

1951

TOAST OF THE TOWN (CBS, April 8)

1953

OMNIBUS (CBS)

“The Bentons at Home” (January 25)

MEDALLION THEATRE (CBS)

“The Man Who Liked Dickens” (August 1)

“The Archer Case” (October 3)

PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA CONCERT (WFIL-TV, Philadelphia, December 17)

1954

OMNIBUS (CBS)

The Confidential Clerk (February 14)

1956

ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS (CBS)

“And So Died Riabouchinska” (February 12)

KRAFT TELEVISION THEATRE (NBC)
“A Night to Remember” (March 28)

THE ALCOA HOUR (NBC)
“President” (May 13)

KAISER ALUMINUM HOUR (NBC)

Antigone (September 11)

GENERAL MOTORS “Aim to Live” (undated commerical, headlight alignment campaign)

1957

ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS (CBS)
“The Cream of the Jest” (March 10)

HALLMARK HALL OF FAME On Borrowed Time (November 17)

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN (NBC, November 26)

1959

ALFRED HITCHOCK PRESENTS (CBS)
“The Diamond Necklace” (February 22)

PLAYHOUSE 90 (CBS)

Judgment at Nuremberg (April 16)

ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS TIME (CBS, December 9)

1960

NAKED CITY (ABC)
“To Walk in Silence” (September 11)

HALLMARK HALL OF FAME (NBC) Shangri-La (October 24)

1961

ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS (NBC)
“The Horseplayer” (March 14)

1962

ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS (NBC)
“The Door without a Key” (January 16)

RAWHIDE (CBS)
“Incident of Judgment Day” (February 8)

WAGON TRAIN (NBC)
“The Daniel Clay Story” (February 21)

DUPONT SHOW OF THE WEEK (NBC)
“The Outpost” (September 16)

SAM BENEDICT (NBC)
“Nor Practice Makes Perfect” (September 29)

1963

BOB HOPE PRESENTS THE CHRYSLER THEATRE (NBC)
“Something About Lee Wiley” (October 11)

DUPONT SHOW OF THE WEEK (NBC)
“The Takers” (October 13)

1964

DR. KILDARE (NBC)
“Why Won't Anybody Listen?” (February 27)

THE REPORTER (CBS)
“A Time to Be Silent” (December 4)

1965

BOB HOPE PRESENTS THE CHRYSLER THEATRE (CBS)
“Cops and Robbers” (February 19)

Recordings

1940s (exact year unknown)

THE CHRISTMAS TREE (Mercury Childcraft Records)

1948

BIBLE STORIES FOR CHILDREN (Capitol Records)

1949

VALLEY FORGE (Fort Orange Radio Distributing Company)

1952

AN EVENING WITH WILL SHAKESPEARE (Theatre Masterworks)

1953

LITERARY READINGS IN THE COOLIDGE AUDITORIUM (The Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature, Library of Congress)

1957

THE SONG OF SONGS AND THE LETTERS OF HELOISE AND ABELARD (Caedmon Records)

1959

BUILDERS OF AMERICA: WASHINGTON AND LINCOLN (Columbia Masterworks)

1960

REMEMBER THE ALAMO (Noble Records)

THE JEFFERSONIAN HERITAGE (National Association of Educational Broadcasters)

1961

ENOCH ARDEN (CBS Records)