"He was so young...he never seemed old, never at any time, and that was a wonderful thing."
Gene Fowler, Biographer
"The King of Hamlets," "Godfather of the Grotesque," "The Great Profile"...these titles conjure unforgettable images of the great John Barrymore as Shakespearean actor, Svengali, Hyde, Ahab and Don Juan.
A stage actor, because he was a Barrymore, and a reluctant film star, John the individual, apart from his family legacy, harbored a frustrated desire to focus his considerable gifts on a different artistic medium--paper. As a gifted caricaturist, he left us numerous examples of his work. Briefly employed as a journalist, with his wry humor and sweeping vocabulary, he was a master of witticisms and one-liners.
John "discovered" Nita dancing at the Winter Garden's "Century Roof" in New York City. He affectionately called her his "Dumb Duse." Nita later said she learned most of what she knew about acting from John. Though they worked in only one film together, the horror classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the two remained life-long friends. On this, the opening page of "The Men in Her Life," we honor John Barrymore who possessed the imagination to see the Pietà in the Stone or, in this case, the Vamp in the Chorus Line.
  |
These pages were originally created on July 10, 1999.
All text and images on this site ©1999-2000Gloria Bowman, unless otherwise noted, and may not be used or copied without permission.