The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is presenting a five film series at LACMA in conjunction with LACMA’s ongoing weekly Tuesday Matinee series
Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. was born on May 5. From 1930s to the 1950s Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include “The Mark of Zorro”, “Blood and Sand”, “The Black Swan”, “Prince of Foxes”, “Witness For The Prosecution”, “The Black Rose”, and “Captain from Castile”.
Though largely a matinee idol known for his striking looks, Power starred in films from a number of genres, from drama to light comedy. In the 1950s he began placing limits on the number of films he would make in order to have time for the stage. He received his biggest accolades as a stage actor in “John Brown’s Body” and “Mister Roberts”. Power died from a heart attack, at the age of 44, on November 15, 1958
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Power was the only son of Helen Emma “Patia” (née Reaume) and the English-born American stage and screen actor Tyrone (‘Fred’) Power, Sr. Power was descended from a long theatrical line going back to his great-grandfather, the actor and comedian,Tyrone Power (1795-1841).
His parents, who divorced in 1920, appeared together on stage. 1917 Their movie, “The Planter” was released in 1917. They divorced around 1920.
Patia Power worked as a stage actress. In 1928, at the age of 14, Tyrone appeared with his mother in the mission play, “La Golondrina”, at San Gabriel, California. The family moved back to Cincinnati, where they lived with Patia’s aunt, Helen Schuster Martin, founder of the Schuster-Martin School of Drama. Power’s mother supported her family as a drama and voice coach at the Schuster-Martin School. She coached her son in voice and dramatics during her spare time.
Power’s Hollywood screen break came in 1936. The director Henry King, impressed with Power’s looks and poise, insisted that Power be tested for the lead role in “Lloyd’s of London”, a role thought already to belong to Don Ameche. Despite his own reservations, Darryl F. Zanuck decided to give Power the role, once King and Fox editor Barbara McLean convinced him that Power had a greater screen presence than Ameche. Billed fourth in the movie, he had the most screen time of any actor. It was a Star-making performance.
MARIE ANTOINETTE
Tuesday, September 2 | 1 p.m.
Marie Antoinette, 1938
The tragic life of France’s doomed young queen and her love for a Swedish count.
1938, 157 minutes, black and white, 35mm | Directed by W.S. Van Dyke; written by Claudine West, Donald Ogden Stewart, Ernest Vajda, inspired by the book by Stefan Zweig; with Norma Shearer, Tyrone Power, John Barrymore, Robert Morley, Anita Louise, Joseph Schildkraut, Gladys George.
THE MARK OF ZORRO
Tuesday, September 9 | 1 p.m.
The Mark Of Zorro, 1940
A young nobleman leads a double life as a masked avenger in 19th century Mexico.
1940, 93 minutes, black and white, 35mm | Directed by Rouben Mamoulian; written by John Taintor Foote, adaptation by Garrett Fort, Bess Meredyth, based on the serial story The Curse of Capistrano by Johnston McCulley; with Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone, Gale Sondergaard, Eugene Pallette, J. Edward Bromberg, Montagu Love.
THE BLACK SWAN
Tuesday, September 16 | 1 p.m.
The Black Swan, 1942
A handsome young buccaneer falls in love with the daughter of the former governor of Jamaica.
1942, 85 minutes, color, 35mm | Directed by Henry King; written by Ben Hecht and Seton I. Miller, based on the novel by Rafael Sabatini; with Tyrone Power, Maureen O’Hara, Laird Cregar, Thomas Mitchell, George Sanders, Anthony Quinn, George Zucco.
THE RAZOR’S EDGE
Tuesday, September 23 | 1 p.m.
The Razor’s Edge, 1946
A young man, traumatized by his experiences in the First World War, travels the world on a spiritual quest.
1946, 146 minutes, black and white, 35mm | Directed by Edmund Goulding; written by Lamar Trotti, based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham; with Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, John Payne, Anne Baxter, Clifton Webb, Herbert Marshall, Lucile Watson, Frank Latimore, Elsa Lanchester.
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Tuesday, September 30 | 1 p.m.
Nightmare Alley, 1947
A carnival barker makes his fortune as a mind reader only to meet his comeuppance.
1947, 112 minutes, black and white, 35mm | Directed by Edmund Goulding; written by Jules Furthman, based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham; with Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray, Helen Walker, Taylor Holmes, Mike Mazurki, Ian Keith.
Leo S, Bing Theatre
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
$4 general admission
$2 seniors and LACMA members.
Tickets will be available on-site.