Trivia Contest for March 11, 2012

[JuneaBlanchard]

A little early, due to a time-crunch:

The Purchase Price (1932) stars Barbara Stanwyck and a certain Warner Bros. star. Before arriving at Hollywood, this fellow was an active member of the IRA and left Ireland with a price on his head. He became Bette Davis' favorite leading man, starring with her in Dark Victory, The Old Maid, The Great Lie, and others. He also starred with Stanwyck in a pre-code favorite, Baby Face. Name him.

[Blackthorn]

Being a huge fan of all things Irish, especially history, I had to cheat and look it up. I had no idea of his previous history, and will now begin catching all his movies.

I learn so much from you, June! Keep up the good work! Or to put it in fewer words (we Irish use LOTS of words), thank you!

[n11pilot]

That would be George Brent. I cannot recall his actual birth name but he was an operative for Michael Collins serving mostly as a runner for Sinn Fein which was basically the left wing of the Irish Republican Party. The rumor is that since MR Brent's primary duties (With occasional forays into being a trigger puller for the Active Service Unit) were to deliver messages through well patrolled and hostile areas and since he was known to the Black and Tans, he developed the ability of adopting alternate identities. It is further rumored that the tradecraft needed for both his runner's and gunman's duties served as a sort of basic training for acting.

I find it interesting that with the IRA policy of "Once in never out" that MR Brent was allowed to survive in such a high profile position of actor.

[JuneaBlanchard]

Congratulations, n11pilot,

The correct answer is George Brent. I don't think Warner Bros. always used him to his best advantage. Usually, (in A+ movies) he was overshadowed by very strong actresses. However, Brent could shine in certain roles, like The Spiral Staircase. I liked him best in smaller budget movies where his characters could often be lighter-hearted and humorous. Must be that Irish twinkle in his eyes!

He was married or linked to some of Hollywood's top actresses. Wives included Ruth Chatterton, a very popular actress in the '30's, and the wonderful Ann Sheridan. Brent was also linked to Bette, who was said to have been quite aggressive in her pursuit of him. You have to wonder which part of his life was the most dangerous...

June

[Blackthorn]

That would be George Brent. I cannot recall his actual birth name but he was an operative for Michael Collins serving mostly as a runner for Sinn Fein which was basically the left wing of the Irish Republican Party. The rumor is that since MR Brent's primary duties (With occasional forays into being a trigger puller for the Active Service Unit) were to deliver messages through well patrolled and hostile areas and since he was known to the Black and Tans, he developed the ability of adopting alternate identities.

Pilot, do you happen to know if he was one of Collins' Twelve Apostles?

I find it interesting that with the IRA policy of "Once in never out" that MR Brent was allowed to survive in such a high profile position of actor.[/quote]
Maybe the fact that he came to the US had somethng to do with it, Pilot. The IRA had their hands full right there in Derry, Belfast, Armagh...

[Blackthorn]

Congratulations, n11pilot,

The correct answer is George Brent. I don't think Warner Bros. always used him to his best advantage. Usually, (in A+ movies) he was overshadowed by very strong actresses. However, Brent could shine in certain roles, like The Spiral Staircase. I liked him best in smaller budget movies where his characters could often be lighter-hearted and humorous. Must be that Irish twinkle in his eyes!

He was married or linked to some of Hollywood's top actresses. Wives included Ruth Chatterton, a very popular actress in the '30's, and the wonderful Ann Sheridan. Brent was also linked to Bette, who was said to have been quite aggressive in her pursuit of him. You have to wonder which part of his life was the most dangerous...

June

Indeed!

[n11pilot]

Pilot, do you happen to know if he was one of Collins' Twelve Apostles?

I find it interesting that with the IRA policy of "Once in never out" that MR Brent was allowed to survive in such a high profile position of actor.[/quote]
Maybe the fact that he came to the US had somethng to do with it, Pilot. The IRA had their hands full right there in Derry, Belfast, Armagh...[/quote]


Honestly friend Blackthorn, with the exception of the founding ten members of what was initially referred to as "The Squad" the identities of other members are subject to debate. Some people falsely claimed to have been members for reasons of status, while others who were members denied it to preserve their skins. I do not believe that MR Brent was one of the founders since he would have been very young at the time. "The Squad" also called "The Twelve Apostles", was originally founded as a counterintelligence unit to address the problem of British Intelligence's infiltration of the movement. The methods used to neutralize the hostile intelligence threat tended to be of the permanent nature.

As IRA counterintelligence/intelligence grew they did establish a presence in the US mainly to protect the fund raising from Americans of Irish ancestry. That was the root of my question about MR Brent's survival. I wonder if he did not continue to contribute to the cause in some way thus insuring his immunity.

[JuneaBlanchard]

Thanks for the compliments. This is a place where a lifelong hobby comes into good use. : ) Being that time of year, it was fun to submit an Irish-related question that wasn't about The Quiet Man (although it is a fantastic movie).

And now for something completely different: Is anyone else going to the one night showing of Casablanca, on the 21st?

June

[n11pilot]

Thanks for the compliments. This is a place where a lifelong hobby comes into good use. : ) Being that time of year, it was fun to submit an Irish-related question that wasn't about The Quiet Man (although it is a fantastic movie).

And now for something completely different: Is anyone else going to the one night showing of Casablanca, on the 21st?

June

June, you couldn't keep me away. I bought my ticket a few days ago.

[JuneaBlanchard]

I can't wait! It's only showing at a couple of theaters, locally.

June

[Cousi]

I am!

[JuneaBlanchard]

Afterward, everyone can talk about their experience. On the big screen, I wasn't nearly as thrilled by GWTW as I was The Wizard of Oz. White Christmas was also fun, but Casablanca should be magic.

June

[Blackthorn]

Afterward, everyone can talk about their experience. On the big screen, I wasn't nearly as thrilled by GWTW as I was The Wizard of Oz. White Christmas was also fun, but Casablanca should be magic.

June

About 20 miles from me is Stanford Theater, which runs classic movies all the time. In the last two years I have seen Casablanca twice, and it's wonderful on the big screen. I'll be out of town when it plays nationwide this time, but the rest of you, enjoy!