Chester Morris: His Life and Career

The prodigious but humble scion of a New York theatrical family, Chester Morris acted on Broadway as a teenager and earned an Academy Award nomination for his first role in a Hollywood "talkie," Alibi (1929). He became leading man to filmdom's top female stars and starred in the popular series of "Boston Blackie" mysteries before creating substantial characters in the theater and the burgeoning medium of television. This first book about Morris provides a detailed, account of his life and career on stage, film, radio, and television, and as a celebrated magician. It also constructs a fascinating record of his previously undocumented labor activism during the early years of the Screen Actors Guild and his tireless efforts to aid U.S. troops on the home front during World War II.
Allen Nollen, a writer and editor, and Yuningsih Nollen, a researcher, recount the life and career of American actor Chester Morris (1901-1970), who worked in film, radio, television, theater, and magic. He was a member of a prominent theatrical family and a pioneer actor of the Hollywood "talkie revolution." They draw on contemporary interviews, articles in newspapers and trade and fan publications, and reviews to describe his family history, childhood, and appearances in The Big House, King for a Night, Public Hero Number 1, Flight from Glory, Meet Boston Blackie, Aerial Gunner, Unchained, Blue Denim, Naked City, Route 66, and other works. A filmography is included. Annotation ©2020 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)