Actor Joseph Schildkraut (1896-1964) was born — and got his start in — Austria, but moved to the US in the 1910s. He won an Oscar for playing Alfred Dreyfus in The Life of Emile Zola, and is notable to me as the poncy but scheming duc d’Orléans in Marie Antoinette (1938).
He starred in a VAST number of frock flicks, a decent number of which I can’t find any photos of him in. So, here are his historical roles that I CAN document!
Orphans of the Storm (1921)
As a chevalier who falls in love with one of two identical twins during the French Revolution.
Show Boat (1929)
A mostly silent film that’s sort of based on the stage musical, and I THINK it’s supposed to be sort of period? Schildkraut plays “Gaylord Ravenal” (sorry, not a Show Boat fan!).
The Mississippi Gambler (1929)
As the title indicates, Schildkraut plays a (wait for it) Mississippi gambler … who of course falls in love.
Cleopatra (1934)
As King Herod to Claudette Colbert’s Cleopatra.
Viva Villa! (1934)
As the villian “General Pascal” in this biopic about Pancho Villa, Mexican revolutionary.
The Crusades (1935)
As real-life Conrad of Montferrat, “a north Italian nobleman, one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. He was the de facto King of Jerusalem (as Conrad I) by virtue of his marriage to Isabella I of Jerusalem from 24 November 1190, but officially elected only in 1192, days before his death” per Wikipedia. He’s the villain in this 12th century-set film.
The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
As Captain Alfred Dreyfus, the real-life French army captain who was falsely convicted of treason and spawned a reckoning with anti-semitism in France. Writer Emile Zola became involved in advocating for his release. Schildkraut won an Oscar for this.
Marie Antoinette (1938)
As the foppy, schemey, fabulous duc d’Orléans to Norma Shearer’s 18th-century French queen.
Suez (1938)
As Vicomte Rene De Latour, friend of the main character (played by Tyrone Power) in this confused story set in Napoleon III’s France and Egypt.
The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
As Fouquet, eventual French Superintendant of Finances, in this adaptation of the 17th-century-set Alexandre Dumas story.
Rangers of Fortune (1940)
As the villainous landowner in this Western.
The Parson of Panamint (1941)
Set in 19th-century San Francisco, and something to do with a preacher.
Flame of Barbary Coast (1945)
Yet another Western, this one set in San Francisco. Schildkraut plays a cardshark.
Monsieur Beaucaire (1946)
A mistaken identity comedy set in 18th-century France. Schildkraut plays “Don Francisco.”
Plainsman and the Lady (1946)
Back to the Westerns! Set in 1859 Missouri, Schildkraut plays a villainous stagecoach line owner.
Northwest Outpost (1947)
An operetta set at Fort Ross, a Russian fort in northern California, in the early 19th century.
Old Los Angeles (1948)
More Westerns, more California — Los Angeles this time! I can’t tell for sure, but I’m guessing Schildkraut is the baddie.
The Gallant Legion (1948)
5000th Western! Texas Rangers fight to keep Texas from being broken up into smaller states. Schildkraut plays “Senator Clarke Faulkner,” who I’m guessing is on the opposing side.
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
As Otto Frank, father of Holocaust victim and author Anne Frank, in this TV film. Schildkraut was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role.
Which is your favorite Joseph Schildkraut frock flick role?
The Diary of Anne Frank is not a TV film. Shelley Winters one the first of her two Oscars for playing Mrs. Van Daam.
Hi! I wrote quite a bit of Conrad of Montferrat’s Wiki, and have written extensively on him, including his fictional misrepresentations. Schildkraut’s portrayal (partly from Scott’s ‘The Talisman’ and Hewlett’s ‘Life & Death of Richard Yea-and-Nay’) in turn influenced Ronald Welch’s depiction of him in his YA novel ‘Knight Crusader’ (1954).
See my article in the Journal of Historical Fictions:
http://historicalfictionsjournal.org/pdf/JHF%202019-018
Conrad of Montferrat has his own wiki? The history of the Crusader states is incredibly convoluted with multiply married queens to nobles from outside Outremar. Conrad seems to have been one of the better choices for the crown matrimonial.
I meant his Wikipedia page.
He’s a wonderful character – always picks himself up and dusts himself down and finds something else to do. His assassination (in which Richard remains a chief suspect) was a tragedy. I’ve been working on and off on a biography of him for years, and have visited Monferrato – beautiful part of Italy.
One of the great trobador courts, too.
My, he was pretty!
I hadn’t seen that early photo of him at the top before: yes, very handsome! I don’t understand why he didn’t get more romantic lead roles in talkies.
The fact he was from a Jewish family was maybe the reason why if I had to guess. It was highly uncommon for Jewish or other non Anglo Saxon/Celtic actors to be cast as romantic Leads prior to the 1970s new Hollywood era.
I don’t think that’s strictly true… The Fairbankses (real name Ullmann), Leslie Howard, Paul Newman…
I do wonder if his accent may have been more of an issue, as he played romantic leads in silent era?
Good point – I knew about Leslie Howard but forgot about those others.
I think German accents became identified (for contemporary political reasons) with ‘bad guys’. Unfortunately this meant a lot of actors who were Jewish refugees and/or anti-Nazi ended up playing baddies (even Nazis) in 1930s-40s.
On the plus side, that meant that they got to rob Nazis of their power much as possible- Werner Klemperer was a German-American Jewish actor who insisted that the Nazi he played on Hogan’s Heroes would always be a bumbling fool who never won. Making him menacing would mean he was in some way to be taken seriously and his rhetoric was to be engaged with (even just to refute it). This is also the tactic Mel Brooks took (himself a WWII vet) with the philosophy that while Nazis were evil and dangerous, treating them with any dignity gives them narrative strength that they should not have. (Not gonna pass judgement on if this is the best or only way to portray Nazis, or that something like Hogan’s Heroes isn’t… mixed, as far as how much it’s actually confronting the horrors of WWII. Just that having the ability to rob a monster of its power and menace can be an important part of reckoning with that evil.)
Being pigeonholed as a refugee absolutely sucks, though, and it’s not like Hollywood (or America in general) was really opening its arms without reservations. If you got in at all, you did what you were told and had to like it. Even if that meant having to play the villain of your own story.
I was definitely thinking it was more likely the accent.
Turns out I only saw him in the 1940 “The Shop Around the Corner” (on which “You’ve Got Mail” was based) with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. And of course saw him “The Diary of Anne Frank” as I saw every version/telling of Anne & her family’s story (almost a prerequisite for a Dutch citizen and daughter of pre-WWII Parents).
I hope to find a way to see more of his FF movies, as it’s indeed a long and interesting list.
Some of the early ones are on YouTube as now in public domain. ‘The Crusades’ horrified me (it’s basically pasted together from Walter Scott and Maurice Hewlett, despite the on-screen credit to Harold Lamb, who (although a popular writer) was a better historian…). Have been a Conrad of Montferrat fangirl/geek for nearly 40 yrs.
It’s awful, but I also love the ahistorical wackiness. Me and my friends had to watch it for a film class, and we cracked up at Loretta Young’s 12th century cone bras and fluffy bangs, “Michael, King of the Russians” ‘s absurdly low bass voice, the fact that Richard kept a falcon indoors (why???) and this weird little moment near the beginning where he chucks a goblet like a football. Lots of fun if you just want to yell at a screen for a while, though it’s also boring at times and has some insidious undertones that we all felt the need to address. (That’s why I love my friends. We switch from talking about Norman English bias-cut evening wear to imperialism and Orientalism and back on a dime.)
I talk about it a bit in the article I’ve linked to above, and about the novel that it draws on heavily, which was still in copyright, hence DeMille didn’t mention it in onscreen credit! Having Conrad in France and England when he was already almost singlehandedly fending off Saladin in Tyre is taken from Maurice Hewlett’s ‘Richard Yea-and-Nay’, and Berengaria’s role owes a lot to Hewlett’s fictional Jehanne de Saint-Pol (a very Mary-Sue mistress he invents for Richard).
I’ve only seen The Diary of Anne Frank…years ago in school. Never knew of this actor By name, but wow he was handsome!!
To the Question above: we don’t know much About make up on 18th century men. However all notes I saw yet indicates that make up was noticed to be odd. The common Picture that especially French noble men had a lot of make up on them is not true or seems to be a modern Invention. I think that Maybe even the 1920s (and Theater) are a reason for that portrayal of 18th century men. In silent film we find Always costumes, poses and make up exaggerated. I’m almost Always happy to see reasonable portrayals of 18th century aristocrats.
Fine actor, and the question of accents is interesting. I once asked my ma why people were so impressed by Maurice Chevalier, and she immediately said, “The French accent. Most Americans had never heard one.” (She preferred Louis Jourdan; has he gotten a MCM? I think he starred in some frock flicks.) Presumably WWI helped to demonize a German-Austrian accent.
I don’t know if I’ve seen any of these, but I love the “Is this 19th century? Discuss.” Here for the snark even when I don’t know the flicks. :-)