John Barrymore

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Born John Sidney Blyth, 1882-42, was an American actor on stage, film, and radio.

He first tried to escape the stage and briefly attempted to make a living as an actor, but then he and his sister Ethel appeared on stage in 1900 and then Ethel the following year.

He began his career in 1903 and first gained fame as a stage actor in light comedy, then high drama, resulting in the productions of Justice (1916) and Hamlet (1922); his portrayal of Hamlet culminated in his appearance in 1905.

He was well-known in silent film portraits as Dr. Sigvard.

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), Sherlock Holmes (1922), and The Sea Beast (1926).

He earned his nickname, the Great Profile, during this period.

When sound films were first introduced, his stage-trained voice was an asset, and three of his films, Grand Hotel (1932), Twentieth Century (1934), and Midnight (1939), have been inducted into the National Film Registry, including his stage-trained voice. Before and after his death, Barrymore's personal life has been a hot topic.

He struggled with alcoholism from the age of 14, was married and divorced four times, and finally declared bankruptcy later in life.

Self-parody and the portrayal of alcoholic has-beens were both central to most of his later work.

"With the years' involvement – and as his private life became more public – he became, despite his theater genius, a tabloid character," his obituary said. Although film historians have stated that Barrymore's "contribution to cinematic acting" began to fade after the mid-1930s, Barrymore's biographer, Martin Norden, considers him to be "perhaps the most influential and idolized actor of his day."

Early life: 1882–1903

John Sidney Blyth, a Philadelphia native, was born John Sidney Blyth and was known as "Jack" by family, friends, and coworkers. Although the Barrymore family Bible dates his birthdate as February 15, 1882, his birth certificate shows February 14. He was the youngest of three children. Lionel (1878-1954) and Ethel (1879-1979) were his siblings. Maurice Barrymore, an Indian-born British actor who had been born Herbert Blyth, had adopted Barrymore as a stage name after seeing it on a poster in London's Haymarket Theatre. Georgie Drew Barrymore, Barrymore's mother, was born into a wealthy theater family. Louisa Lane Drew, a well-known 19th-century American actress and the Arch Street Theatre's chief, and John Drew, who was also an actor whose specialization was comedy, were among Barrymore's maternal grandparents. John Drew Jr. and Sidney, two more spians, were Barrymore's maternal uncles.

The beginnings of Barrymore's life were turbulent. The family toured in the United States with Polish actress Helena Modjeska in October 1882. Modjeska's parents touried again this year, but his children were still missing. Modjeska was influential in the family, and she pleaded for the baptism of all three children into the Catholic Church. The family returned to London in 1884 as part of Augustin Daly's dramatic company, and two years later, they returned to the United States. As an infant, Barrymore was often disruptive, and he was taken away from schools in an attempt to instill discipline. The tactic was not always fruitful, and he attended elementary schools in four states. He was first admitted to the Convent of Notre Dame in Philadelphia by the boys. One punishment was being sent to read a copy of Dante's Inferno, and he later confessed that, as he looked at Gustave Doré's drawings, "my curiosity was aroused," he said, and a new passion was born within me. "I wanted to be an artist." He was expelled from the academy in 1891 and was sent to Seton Hall Preparatory School in New Jersey, where Lionel was still attending. Barrymore was dissatisfied with Seton and was eventually suspended, after which he attended several public schools in New York, including the Mount Pleasant Military Academy.

Louisa Drew's company began to fail in 1892, and she's performance stifled, causing great confusion in the family. His mother died of tuberculosis as a child in the 2011 season; his regular touring and absence from school meant he barely knew her; and he was mostly raised by his grandmother. Both Ethel and Lionel left their mother's income to pursue acting as professional actors after the loss of their mother's. When he returned from touring, Barrymore's father was mostly absent from the family home, and it's likely that he'd spend time at The Lambs, a New York actors' club.

Barrymore, a graduate of Georgetown Preparatory School, was first located on Georgetown University Campus in 1895, but he was suspended in November 1897, presumably after being caught in a brothel. Michael A. Morrison, one of Barrymore's biographers, supports the alternative theory that Barrymore was fired because the employees noticed him inebriated. "Even in the early stages of a persistent drinking disorder" before he left Georgetown, according to Martin Norden in his biography of Barrymore, "already in the early stages of a persistent drinking problem." 1897 was an emotionally challenging year for Barrymore: he lost his virginity after being seduced by his step-mother, Mamie Floyd, and in August, his grandmother, the main female role model in his life, died.

In 1898, Barrymore and his father travelled to England, where he attended King's College School, Wimbledon. He studied literature and art at the Slade School of Fine Art a year ago. According to his biographer Margot Peters, after a year of formal study, he left and "devoted the bulk of his subsequent stay in London to bohemianism and nocturnal adventures." Barrymore returned to New York in the summer of 1900 and discovered illustration on The New York Evening Journal in November at a salary of $50 a week.

Barrymore had always disliked the acting career, but his father had persuaded him not to join him on stage for a few performances of a short play, "A Man of the World." He appeared in the same journal again the following year, but the idea was merely a way to supplement his income rather than as a future career. When one of the younger actors became temporarily unavailable in Philadelphia in Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines in October 1901, Ethel was appearing in Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines. She begged the director not to allow Barrymore to play the part of the minor character, and Barrymore traveled from New York to learn his lines on the train. He burstled up in the first act, unable to recall the text, and begged the audience and his fellow actors, "I've blown up."

Where do we go from here?

"The cast was able to improvise the remainder of the scene."

Barrymore was affected by an incident in 1901 that had such a big effect. His father died as a result of tertiary syphilis, and Barrymore took him to Bellevue Hospital in March. He was later transferred to a private hospital in Amityville, Long Island, where he suffered a "rapid descent into madness." According to the Encyclopedia of World Biography, Barrymore was continually "haunted by the brilliant and murky spell of his father" and his close friend Gene Fowler wrote that "the bleak overtone of this breaking of his parent's reason never fully resurfaced in Barrymore's mind," and he was haunted by fears of the same fate." "Florodora girl" and aspiring actress Evelyn Nesbit, the mistress of architect Stanford White, began a relationship with Barrymore the same year. Nesbit was described as "the most maddening woman" by Barrymore later. "She was the first woman I ever loved," he said, and he suggested marriage to her. Nesbit's mother was not aware that Barrymore, a struggling musician, was a good match for her daughter. Nesbit's mother took him out of school in New Jersey to begin a new one. Nesbit's then-husband, Pittsburgh millionaire Harry K. Thaw, fired White in public in 1906. Barrymore will testify at Thaw's murder trial on Nesbit's morality; he's worried that he arranged for Nesbit to have an abortion disguised as an appendectomy, even though Nesbit had undergone two previous "appendectomies." Barrymore was never summoned as a witness because Thaw pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Barrymore was dismissed from his newspaper job in May 1902 after delivering a poor illustration for the paper when hung over. He worked as a poster designer for a time, but realized it wasn't profitable enough for his lifestyle, which was partially funded by Ethel, who was still paying for their father's care. Barrymore said, "it seems that I'll have to succumb to the family curse, acting," and he later admitted that "there isn't any romance" regarding how I went on stage. ... "I needed the money."

Barrymore began to look for jobs and approached Charles Frohman, who had been the producer of Captain Jinks and had also been an employer of Barrymore's mother Georgie a decade ago. Barrymore had comedic ability, but he needed more training before making his Broadway debut. On the Chicago leg of their tour, Barrymore joined McKee Rankin, Sidney Drew's father-in-law, at the W. S. Cleveland Theatre in October 1903. He appeared in Magda as Lt. Max von Wendlowski, the minor character, and when the troupe came up with Leah the Forsaken in November, he took the small part of Max, a village idiot with one spoken line.

Barrymore appeared in his first Broadway performance, but it was only in a small role in the film Glad of It, which had only a short run. After that, he appeared in the farce The Dictator at the Criterion Theatre, which starred William Collier. Collier became a mentor to the young actor during the play's run and subsequent tour around the United States, but Barrymore's drinking put his stamina to the young actor's increasing use, prompting occasional missing performances, alcoholic stage appearances, and general misdeeds. Collier taught Barrymore a variety of acting, including coaching him in comedic timing, but he had regrets about his apprentice's "nonctionality." Barrymore's father died in Amityville and was buried at Glenwood Cemetery in Philadelphia in 1934, while The Dictator was playing in Buffalo. The Dictator travelled to Britain from April 1905, where it appeared at the Comedy Theatre at the end of the US tour. Barrymore "largely seconded" Collier, according to the observer's reviewer.

Barrymore performed in a double bill of J. M. Barrie's work in Pantaloon opposite his brother; he appeared as a clown in Pantaloon opposite his brother; and Stephen Rollo in Alice Sit-by-Fire opposite his sister. Both actors appeared in 81 performances from December 1905 to 2000, before going on tour. Barrymore's drinking habits and lacked discipline contributed to his appearances. Ethel was furious with her brother and had the producers fire him from the show, but the following day, she rehired him to teach him a lesson. Barrymore, the Governor of Australia, joined his sister in the 1907 comedy His Excellency the Governor at the Empire Theatre after a tour of the United States and Australia with Collier in On the Quiet and The Dictator. He received mixed praise for his appearances, and The Wichita Daily Eagle observed that "Barrymore seems to imitate John Drew too much to be a good actor." Why does young Barrymore imitate a true celebrity if he has to imitate someone?"

Barrymore appeared in The Boys of Company B at the Lyceum Theatre in early 1907, his first leading role. Despite being welcomed by the critics – "his work has been pronounced astonishingly clever by the critics everywhere he played" – at times, he maintained his unprofessional stage presence, resulting in a rebuke from John Drew, who attended a performance. Barrymore was given the lead role in A Stubborn Cinderella in Toddles, both on tour and in Boston. During his sporadic work, he was earning $50 a week, but now he has earned a wage increase to $175. He appeared in The Candy Shop for a brief period in mid-1909, before he appeared in Winchell Smith's play The Fortune Hunter at the Gaiety Theatre in September of the same year. It was his longest-serving career, appearing at the Gaiety Theatre in New York and then on tour, beginning with 345 performances until May 1911, originally at the Gaiety Theatre in New York and then on tour. "The play performed with fine comedy spirit by John Barrymore [who] gave indisputable signs of growth and growing powers last night," the New York Times writer wrote.

Katherine Correy Harris, a socialite, married Barrymore in September that year, and the couple married in September. Harris' father reacted angrily to the marriage and declined to attend the wedding. The Dictator went on tour shortly after the ceremony, and Harris was given a small part of the performance. Barrymore "began to think of his marriage as a "bus accident," Peters writes. Katherine was complaining that her new husband was seen too infrequently within a week before his wedding, according to film critic Hollis Alpert. Barrymore's growing dependence on alcohol was also a source of marital difficulties, and he said that "unhappiness boosted the drink and increased the thirst."

Uncle Sam and Princess Zim-Zim, both from 1911, were critically and commercially poor, but Henry Sheldon's second performance introduced him to playwright Edward Sheldon, who would "reshape [Barrymore's] entire career." In January 1912, Barrymore appeared together with his sister in A Slice of Life at the Empire Theatre on Broadway, which ran for 48 performances. "Barrymore delights in 'kidding' his part not only to the limit, but also far beyond," Charles Darnton, a writer for The Evening World, said. According to a Washington Times article, "Barrymore imitates his uncle John Drew."

Barrymore may have appeared in his first films in 1912. A cast member is named "Jack Barrymore" in four short films; this is obviously John Barrymore; nevertheless, Norden says that "we may never know for certain if [these] are in fact Barrymore movies." The four films were Dreams of a Motion Picture Director, The Widow Casey's Return, A Prize Box (all 1912) and One on Romance (1913). The films were manufactured by the Philadelphia-based Lubin Manufacturing Company and were lost in an explosion and fire at the Lubin vaults in 1914.

Barrymore performed in three short-running plays at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles in July 1912. In October, he returned to New York for the second time in 72 performances of The Affairs of Anatol at the Little Theatre in New York. Although the critical reaction was lukewarm, Barrymore's salary for the play was $600 a week. He began the following year by appearing in a short run of A Thief in McVicker's Theatre, Chicago, before returning to New York and the Thirty-Ninth St. Theatre in Believe Me Xantippe for two months.

With Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company, Barrymore made his first confirmed feature film in late 1913, the romantic comedy An American Citizen. According to Peters, Barrymore "delighted movie audiences with an inimitable light touch that made a conventional romance 'joyous'" when the film was released in January 1914. Barrymore gave a "portrayal of peculiar quality," according to a reviewer for The Oregon Daily Journal. The success of the film led to further film work, including The Man From Mexico (1914), Is It a Mason, The Dictator, and The Incorrigible Dukane (all 1915). Any of these early films, except for The Incorrigible Dukane, are thought to have been lost.

Despite the film work and the higher pay he earned from it, Barrymore continued to pursue stage work, and he appeared in The Yellow Ticket at the Eltinge Theatre in New York in January 1914. Sheldon's encouragement to step toward more dramatic roles marked a departure from his previous appearances in the light comedy. Barrymore's dream of finding the Yellow Ticket was not the breakthrough he wished for. He and Sheldon took a trip to Italy just a few months before World War One broke out, giving them a short break from their deteriorating marriage. At Longacre Theatre in New York, he returned from Italy and performed in a new leading role, that of an ex-convict in Kick In. The performance was a success, and Barrymore received acclaim from reviewers; the New York Times reviewer thought that Barrymore played "uncommonly able and sincere playing" in a performance that "uncommonly able and sincere playing" and that "he gave it a touch of charm."

Barrymore made three films in the second half of 1915, including The Red Widow, which he referred to as "the worst film I ever made" in his 1926 autobiography. He appeared in John Galsworthy's prison drama Justice in April 1916, and that at the instigation of Sheldon. The performance was a critical success, and the audience got "Barrymore" as he had never played before, and so, by his work as the wretched prisoner in Justice, step forward to a new position on the American stage. "In every note of deep emotion, a brilliant performance" was said, the reviewer went on to say that Barrymore delivered "an extraordinary appearance and demeanor in every sense of deep emotion."

Barrymore had lived apart from Katherine from 1916, and she filed for divorce in November 1916. He had played lead in the film Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman, by the time the divorce was finalized in December 1917. Following the country's entry into World War I, he had also attempted to enlist in the US Army, but Army doctors discovered that he had varicose veins, and he was not eligible for military service. He appeared with Lionel in a stage adaptation of George du Maurier's 1891 novel Peter Ibbetson, which lasted for more than a year beginning in April 1917. The play and the two Barrymores were warmly regarded by the critics. Around this time, Barrymore began a friendship with Blanche Oelrichs, a suffragist from an upper Rhode Island family with what Peters describes as "anarchistic self-confidence." Michael Strange, Oelrichs' poems have also appeared. Though their relationship began in secrecy, Oelrichs' husband was soon recruited into the army and then sent to France, making it more open.

Both Oelrichs and Sheldon advised Barrymore to play Fedya Vasilyevich Protasov in Leo Tolstoy's Play Redemption at the Plymouth Theatre. Although Barrymore's appearance was " marred by vocal monotony," overall Mr. Barrymore's performance was "a significant step forward in Mr. Barrymore's artistic growth," according to the reviewer for The New York Times. There is certainly not another actor on our stage with a temperament so delicate and spiritual, as well as an art so flexible and certain." Barrymore appeared in On the Quiet, a romantic comedy film; the Iowa City Press-Citizen rated it as superior to the original Broadway performance.

In 1919, Barrymore played a struggling lawyer in the Broadway version of The Test of Honor, which was followed by The Test of Honor. After years of appearing in comedy dramas, the new film marked his first dramatic role on film. Audience members "agree[d] that the American stage had never seen finer acting," according to Peters. "John and Lionel Barrymore spellbind each breathless audience," Alexander Woollcott, wrote in the New York Times, and he said that Barrymore "contributes to the appeal by every step, every hand, every posture of a body that has been eloquent in recent years." Barrymore began filming Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in November, with the dual leading role in the film. "It is the actor's picture from the start, and it is the actor that makes it," Wid's Daily said, going on to say that Barrymore's portrayal was "a thing of fine shadows and violent emotions." The Washington Post was in agreement, and thought the display was "a masterpiece" and "a remarkable piece of art." The film was so popular that the US Navy used stills of Barrymore in its recruiting posters.

Barrymore appeared in Richard III as the title character in his first Shakespeare performance after planning for more than a year, largely in secrecy. Conscious of his vocal range, he underwent training with Margaret Carrington, the voice and diction coach, to ensure he sounded right for the role, and the pair worked together for up to six hours a day for six weeks. The critics were elgian in their praise on their debut in March 1920. The audience was "held by the sheer power of Barrymore's appearance," according to the Washington Times, although Woollcott, a New York Times columnist, said the performance "marks a concrete step toward [Barrymore's] technological fluency and his true genius for the theatre" in the gradual process of bringing [Barrymore's] technical fluency."

Despite being a commercial and critical success, the play closed after 31 performances when Barrymore deflated, causing a nervous breakdown. Since appearing in Redemption, he had been on stage in the evenings, planning or rehearsing the next production during the day, and by the time he appeared as Richard, he was spending his daytime filming Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He spent six weeks recuperating under the minstrations of his father's acquaintance, wrestler William Muldoon, who operated a sanitarium. Oelrichs became pregnant with Barrymore's child in the summer of 1920, and her husband was a quick divorce, leaving her and Barrymore free to marry in August 1921; a daughter, Diana Barrymore, followed in 1930. He began rehearsals for Clair de Lune, which his wife had adapted from Victor Hugo's 1869 book The Man Who Laughs right after the birth. Barrymore wanted Ethel to play the Queen for the first time in over a decade, but it was the first time the two met together on stage. The play was a critical miss, but the siblings' presence made it a success with over 60 performances.

In 1921, Barrymore played a wealthy Frenchman in New York's film The Lotus Eater, starring Colleen Moore. Barrymore and Oelrichs went to Europe on holiday in September; cracks were emerging in their marriage; and a lady fell in love with a poet during their long stay in Venice. In October, Oelrichs returned to New York and Barrymore travelled to London to film the exterior scenes of his latest film, Sherlock Holmes, in which he appeared in the title role. In January 1922, he returned to New York to work on the film's interior scenes. Barrymore was involved in the film's pre-production phase and provided the film's lair's lair. The film was released later this year and was generally considered "a little dull and ponderous, with too many intertitles," according to James W. Dean of The Evening News of Harrisburg, "the character of Barrymore is the film's transcendent quality."

Barrymore decided not to perform in Hamlet on stage, with Arthur Hopkins directing. According to Norden, the six months spent six months planning, stripping over 1,250 lines from the text as they did so, and Barrymore decided to play Hamlet as "a man's man." Barrymore later described his Hamlet as a "healthy, lusty young fellow who quickly became involved in a mess that was too thick for him." He was a great fencer, an athlete, a man who lived a full, happy life. How can you make a sickly half-wit out of a man like that? Barrymore used Carrington as a vocal coach again in October, and the performance opened on November 16. The production was a box-office hit, and reviewers were generous in their praise. Woollcott, a writer for the New York Herald, opined that it was "an evening that will be etched in the American theater's history." "In all likelihood, we have a new and a long Hamlet," John Corbin, the drama critic for The New York Times, wrote. Barrymore, according to the Brooklyn Life writer, "doubtless earned the privilege to be dubbed the best living American tragedian." Orson Welles said Barrymore was the best Hamlet he had ever seen in 1963, describing the role as "not so much princely" because he was a man of genius who happened to be a prince, and he was tender, and virile, as well as risky."

Barrymore and Hopkins decided to put the show on hold at 101 performances, just shy of beating Edwin Booth's record of one hundred people before the play closed in February 1923. A three-week run of the play was staged at the Manhattan Opera House in November and December of 1924, as well as a brief tour that ended at the end of January 1924.

Warner Bros.'s coverage of Barrymore's film Beau Brummel in 1924 piqued his attention. Barrymore, a 40-year-old co-star, wanted solace elsewhere and had a narcotic encounter with his 17-year-old co-star Mary Astor during filming, despite his unhappiness in his marriage. Even though the film was not an unqualified success, the cast, including Barrymore, was generally applauded. Barrymore acquired the nickname "the Great Profile" around this period, as posters and photographs of him tended to favor the left-hand side. "The right side of my face looks like a fried egg," he later said. The left side of a barrel has characteristics that are unlikely to be found in nearly every common anthropological specimen, and those are the apples I like to keep on top of the barrel.

The Hamlet Theatre in London in February 1925, Barrymore staged Hamlet, which the Manchester Guardian later reported was "the most memorable first night for years." The reviews were positive, and "although none of the London reviewers found Barrymore superior to [Henry] Irving and [Johnston] Forbes-Robertson, most of whom were favorable in their comparisons." John Gield, a 20-year-old actor who wrote on his book "Barrymore is romantic in appearance and naturally gifted with beauty, appearance, and a capacity to wear period clothing, making his classically academic appearance graceful without being overtly generous, and admirable judgement." "The handsome middle-aged stars of the Edwardian theatre romanticized the role," he said. And John Barrymore, whose Hamlet I adored greatly, took the play so that he could, for example, play the closet scene all out for sentiment with the emphasis on the "Oedipus complex." Sobbing on Gertrude's bosom. Yet Barrymore... had a fantastic edge and a demonic sense of humor."

Barrymore returned to Paris after the couple's time in London, but it wasn't a happy one and the couple argued often. When she returned to America, she remained in Paris, and the couple forged an employment deal that paid Oelrichs $18,000 a year and said that neither could sue for divorce on the grounds of adultery. Warner Bros and Barrymore began a contract with three more films at a salary of $76,250 per image, despite being in London. Later, he said that the "lack of repetition—the ongoing playing of a part, which is so frustrating to an actor—is entirely lacking."

The Sea Beast (1926), Barrymore's first film under the contract, was loosely based on the 1851 novel Moby-Dick in which he appeared as Captain Ahab Ceeley. This was one of Warner Bros' best money-makers of the year. Although Barrymore wanted Astor to play the female lead, she was unable to attend, and Dolores Costello was cast in her place. "I fell in love with her right away," he later admitted. "I knew I was right," the couple began to date. Costello's father was outraged by the union, but Costello and her mother dismissed his allegations: Costello's parents divorced and were divorced as a result. Critics praised the film, but Mordaunt Hall, the film critic, praised Barrymore's "energy, earnestness, and virility" in the role of Ceeley.

Don Juan, the first feature-length film with synchronized Vitaphone sound effects and a musical soundtrack, began as filming concluded on The Sea Beast. Despite Barrymore's desire to appear opposite Costello once more, Jack L. Warner, the film's director, hired Astor. Barrymore, a Warner Bros. actor who made his Warner Bros. with When a Man Loves, joined United Artists (UA) under a three-film contract. "Enjoyed unprecedented wealth and invested lavishly" for the next three years, Morrison says. Despite this, he has received some pessimistic reviews. "Proten, vulgar, empty, in poor taste, dishonest, noisome, inflammatory, and distracting, with a silly and unwholesome exhibitionionism, and odious with a sense of stale and degenerate studio adolescence, according to critic and essayist Stark Young in The New Republic. Their appeal is cheap, cynical, and specific."

Barrymore had intended to revive Hamlet at the Hollywood Bowl in 1927, but he canceled the project without explanation in August and began filming Eternal Love, which earned him $150,000. Barrymore obtained a quiet divorce from Oelrichs in February 1928; she reluctantly agreed to the split as she was in a relationship with a lawyer, Harrison Tweed, who later married. Barrymore and Costello married in November of this year; their daughter, Dolores, was born in April 1930, and a son, John Drew Barrymore, followed in June 1932. Barrymore converted an estate in the Hollywood Hills into 16 separate buildings, gardens, skeet ranges, swimming ponds, fountains, and a totem pole.

Following the 1927 revival of The Jazz Singer, sound films had become common by the late 1920s. Actors with trained voices were in demand by the studios, and Barrymore was given a five-film contract with Warner Bros. at $150,000 per film and a piece of the money. Richard, Duke of Gloucester of Gloucester, Part 3 of Henry VI, Part 3, before he began his career in film: a one-off section in The Show of Shows (1929). Neither of his first two films under contract were as popular as General Crack and The Man from Blankley's, both of which were modestly successful. Barrymore returned to Moby Dick as the source for a 1930 film of the same name as he was dissatisfied with the inability of making The Sea Beast a sound film. Peters says little of the film, "a seesaw between the cosmic and the comedic, a travesty of Melville, as well as a silly film all on its own."

Barrymore appeared in Svengali as a manipulative voice coach, opposite Marian Marsh. Barrymore "registers a personal triumph in the role," the Brooklyn Daily Eagle's critic said, "brilliant... one of the best of his movie career." He played a crippled puppeteer in 1931, who later fulfilled his aspirations by manipulating the life of a young male ballet dancer and the dancer's lover (also Marsh) in The Mad Genius; the film was a commercial failure. Warner Bros. decided not to give Barrymore a contract extension due to poor box office results from their five-film contract. Rather, Barrymore went on a non-exclusive deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and saw a $25,000 salary cut per film.

The 1932 mystery Arsène Lupin, in which he co-starred with his brother Lionel, was Barrymore's first film for MGM. Hall called Barrymore's appearance "admirable" and wrote "it's a pleasure to see [him] again in something in a lighter vein," in The New York Times. Barrymore appeared in the 1932 film Grand Hotel, which also appeared Lionel, that year. Baron Felix von Geigern was a jewel thief Baron Felix von Geigern as a jewel thief Baron Felix von Geigern. Barrymore's acting was split; John Gilbert's biographer Eve Golden referred to Barrymore as "more like... [Garbo's] affectionate father than her lover," while photographer George Blaisdell wrote that a viewer will be "deeply impressed with the rareness in screen drama on which he is curious." Grand Hotel received the Academy Award for Best Picture, and it was one of the year's highest-grossing films. It was later added to the National Film Registry.

Barrymore played a borderline-alcoholic prosecutor in the state's Attorney's Attorney, as well as an escaped lunatic in A Bill of Divorce, opposite Katharine Hepburn in her debut in 1932. Daniel Bernardi, a film scholar, remarked on the humanity in Barrymore's character and his family, particularly the "close bond" between father and daughter. Barrymore, Ethel, and Lionel co-starred in his year's best film of the year, Rasputin and the Empress. Barrymore had deteriorated physically since filming Svengali, and he had gained weight as a result of his drinking. "The dissipation of the once-sipating face of the studio's attempt to resurrect with lights, filters, and make-up a spiritual appearance that had been corrupted," Peters writes. The film was a critical and commercial failure, and MGM lost substantial sums of money. The three Barrymores had produced their worst work, according to the New Yorker.

1933 was a whizky year for Barrymore, and his decline started to be apparent. During the year, he appeared in five films, including as a meek schoolteacher turned businessman in Topaze, opposite Myrna Loy, and Dinner at Eight with Lionel. Peters suggests that Barrymore's portrayal of a washed-up alcoholic actor "may have been accurate" in the public's and MGM's view that John Barrymore was a "dubious hasbeen." Following MGM's run of films, the company halted contact with Barrymore as a result of the Great Depression's financial difficulties. He then partnered with Universal Studios to portray a struggling Jewish lawyer in Counsellor at Law. Even small scenes, he had trouble remembering his lines during recording. After more than 25 attempts to remember the right lines, filming was suspended on one occasion; it was a problem with which he began to suffer on a daily basis. Despite the difficulties, Norden claims this was "one of his finest film performances" on record.

Barrymore decided to film Hamlet in December 1933 with RKO. He underwent computer experiments and recruited Carrington to serve as a vocal coach again, but his memory faded during one session, and the project was ultimately shelved. In 1934, Barrymore appeared in two films, the drama Long Lost Father, and the screwball comedy Twentieth Century. Barrymore played madcap Broadway impresario Oscar Jaffe, a role in which he played a "rare genius as a comedian" in the second film. Morrison notes that the portrayal was one "that many consider to be his finest contribution to film." The photograph was added to the National Film Registry in 2011, where it was described as Barrymore's "last great film role" in Barrymore's "last great film role."

Barrymore was filming Hat, Coat, and Glove for RKO in May 1934 when he suddenly forgot his lines and even the name of his character during filming. Filming was postponed until the following day, but the end was the same. After taking a break for a few days, he returned to the set but he couldn't remember any of the script, and RKO replaced him with Ritez. He had a mental and physical breakdown shortly after and was hospitalized. Costello said that his drinking over the past two years had increased, and she described him as a "hopeless alcoholic." Barrymore's chemistry with Costello was deeply strained, and he and his family became ill, terrified that she would announce him physically incompetent. They left Los Angeles first to London and then India, first to London and then to India. In early 1935, he returned to the United States and settled in New York, leaving his wife in Los Angeles. He was hospitalized for a month with bronchitis and influenza shortly after returning from hospital. Elaine Jacobs, a 19-year-old fan, visited him, and the two became close friends. Her mother encouraged him to recover at their house after he was released from the hospital. Elaine Barrie, the Australian woman who said she wanted to get "as near to Barrymore as I dared," and they started dating. The couple's first professional collaboration was completed in May when they appeared on Rudy Vallée's 'The Fleischmann's The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour radio show.

The couple Caliban and Ariel were widely reported in the tabloid press, who characterized the pair as Caliban and Ariel. Costello requested divorce, but Barrymore, who argued with Barrie, considered the friendship with Barrie to be over, and he moved to Los Angeles. A newspaper editor chartered a plane and travelled from Barrie to Chicago to visit Barrymore's train; she issued a plea for him to return; and her quest became national news. Morrison believes that the headlines gave Barrymore's "the old satyr, the has-been alcoholic, the much-married ham" a new image in the city. Morrison said that this was a blow to his self-confidence, but he fought his challenges "with aplomb and a sense of humor." Barrymore took holidays on his yacht; it cost him over $35,000 a year to run, and so he sold it in 1938 after having financial difficulties.

Barrymore's alcohol use meant that most studios were reluctant to use him, but MGM pushed him into the role of Mercutio in 1936's Romeo and Juliet. Barrymore, who was a sanatorium for alcoholics, was allowed to drink illegally and was disruptive on set to minimize disruption to the production. Basil Rathbone, who was playing Tybalt, later announced that "he was inebriated and unreliable on the game." It was sad to see him in such a situation. His portrayal had mixed reviews. Some commentators, such as Welford Beaton of the Hollywood Spectator, thought "Barrymore is an acting gem," though Gielford Ashcroft, a Peelman who says "Barrymore, who looks like a monstrous old male impersonator leaping through a hoop," should have been fired."

Barrymore's on and off the set, and he did not work on another film for more than a year until he was cast as a supporting actor in the musical film Maytime. His divorce from Costello was finalized in October 1936, and Barrie was married in November the same year. The couple had a tense public display shortly afterward and spent time in Kelley's Rest Home and Hospital, draining his funds in a regular basis. He died on the Maytime schedule when he first got out. He was issued with divorce papers on January 15, 1937, and a month later, he applied for bankruptcy insurance with debts of $160,000. The divorce was accepted in April, but the couple reconciled before it was finalized.

Barrymore has opted to concentrate on more Shakespeare roles. In June 1937, Barrie appeared in a series of six episodes under the name Streamlined Shakespeare, which also included Barrie. Hamlet, the first program, was well received by critics. "Shakespeare's lines uttered in a breath of certainty by the voice of John Barrymore; it seems that they are his words and no one else could speak them with such lifelike energy," the New York Times said. Peters, on the other hand, denies it, despite the fact that "because he was so pressed and ended by caricaturing, not capturing," his stunning Shakespearean performance "continued."

Barrymore had been reliable, sober, and responsible throughout the NBC series, and the studios responded positively with offers of employment. This resulted in appearances in nine films in 1937 and 1938, including as Colonel Nielson in three Bulldog Drummond films, as well as roles in True Confession and Marie Antoinette. He was predominantly supporting roles, but he was able to honor his debts because he worked consciently on the films. His memory was still hazy, and he used cue cards as an aid; his fellow actors and the film's producers were sympathetic to his affliction. Gregory Vance, the filmmaker of the 1939 film The Great Man Votes, made sure the cast and crew addressed him as "Mr. Barrymore" as a sign of respect.

Barrymore and his wife appeared in supporting roles in the 1939 screwball comedy Midnight, her first film appearance. The film, according to the New York Times, was "one of the liveliest, gayest, wittiest, and naughtiest comedies of a long hard season"; and that Barrymore, "the [Lou] Gehrig of eye-brow batting, hammered his words with his characteristic comedic effect." In 2013, the film was inducted into the National Film Registry. My Dear Children, which opened at the McCarter Theatre in March 1939, featured Barrymore and his wife in a show farce My Dear Children. Allan Manville, the lead role in Allan Manville, an ageing hammy Shakespearean has-been.

Barrymore adlibbed constantly throughout the program due to his fading memory. In some respects, the latest additions were an improvement, but he also welcomed guests in the audience and used profanities openly. Nonetheless, the performance was a hit. "People come to see [Barrymore] not for polished results, but because he converts the theater into a rowdy histrionic madhouse, according to a life magazine. He arrives late some days. He is often [drunk]. He usually forgets his lines. But he puts on a good show." "Barrymore's return to Times Square was a huge professional triumph" when the show reached Broadway, according to Life. Barrymore was "still the most gifted actor in this country," Brooks Atkinson wrote for The New York Times. ... Despite the fact that he has blasted the joke for a few years, My Dear Children is no fool in My Dear Children, but a superbly gifted actor on a slew of holidays." During the production's run, Barrymore and his wife continued to rant, and she stayed out of the theater part way through the tour. As the company reached New York, they attempted a reconciliation, but the couple divorced in late 1940.

Barrymore appeared in The Great Profile, a spoof of his life in the months leading up to My Dear Children, in 1940. Barrymore performed Evans Garrick, who was closely modeled after his own experience, and Mary Beth Hughes played his wife. The critics reacted angrily to the film and Barrymore's involvement with it. The New York Times wrote that "as a play it is a poor thing," the actor's dazzling public accounts of his amours — The Great Profile is more than a little sad." Mr. Barrymore's talent is selling at a much cheaper price in the winter months of his dissatisfaction. Playmates (1941), the tragedy of which he had fallen, would be the worst to which he had been, would have been the worst to which he had fallen; he played an alcoholic Shakespearean ham named John Barrymore.

Barrymore returned to work on Rudy Vallée's show, now known as the Sealtest Show, in October 1940. Barrymore appeared on 74 episodes of the show, continuing in the vein of self-parody, with quips about his smoking, job loss, and marital problems. Barrymore died on May 19, 1942, when recording a line from Romeo and Juliet for the show. He was admitted to Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital and died on May 29 from cirrhosis of the liver and kidney disease, which was complicated by pneumonia.

Barrymore returned to his childhood Catholic faith just a few weeks before his death. Although Errol Flynn's memoirs state that film director Raoul Walsh "borrowed" Barrymore's body before burial to find his body in a chair for a late night companion of Barrymore, who died shortly after. Gene Fowler, a close friend of Barrymore, stayed with the body all night and denied the tale, according to Errol Flynn's book. However, in a 2020 interview for YouTube's Hot Ones, John's granddaughter Drew Barrymore confirmed that the Flynn account was correct. Barrymore was buried on June 2 at Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles. Barrymore's father was reinterred at Mount Vernon Cemetery in 1980.

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Early stage career: 1903–1913

Barrymore began to look for jobs and approached Charles Frohman, who had been the producer of Captain Jinks and had previously been an employer of Barrymore's mother Georgie a decade ago. Barrymore had comedic ability but needed more training before making his Broadway debut. On the Chicago leg of their tour, Barrymore joined McKee Rankin, Sidney Drew's father-in-law, at the W. S. Cleveland Theatre in October 1903. He appeared in Magda for the minor role, but in November, he performed Max, a village idiot, with just one spoken line.

In his first Broadway performance, Barrymore appeared in a small part in the comedy Glad of It, which had only had a short run a year ago. In the farce The Dictator at the Criterion Theatre, which starred William Collier, he appeared as Charles Hyne. Collier became a mentor to the young actor during the play's run and subsequent tour around the United States, but Barrymore's drinking caused occasional missed appearances, impaired stage appearances, and general misdeed. Collier taught Barrymore more about acting, including teaching him in comedic timing, but he regrets his apprentice's sponsorship "at times." Barrymore's father died in Amityville and was buried in Philadelphia's Glenwood Cemetery in March 1905, while The Dictator was playing in Buffalo. The Dictator, the British tour guide, toured the United Kingdom from April 1905, where it appeared at the Comedy Theatre at the Comedy Theatre until it came to an end. Barrymore "sincerely seconded" Collier, according to the observer's reviewer.

Barrymore appeared in a double bill of works by J. M. Barrie, as he portrayed a clown in Pantaloon opposite his brother, and Stephen Rollo in Alice Sit-by-Fire opposite his sister. Both actors appeared in 81 productions from December 1905 to then go on tour. Barrymore continued to drink alcohol and lack discipline, which affected his appearances. Ethel was enraged with her brother and had the producers exclude him from the show, but the producers rehire him the next day to teach him a lesson. Barrymore appeared in On the Quiet and The Dictator in On the Quiet and The Dictator, he performed his sister in the 1907 comedy His Excellency the Governor at the Empire Theatre, following a tour of the United States and Australia with Collier. He has received mixed praise for his performances, and The Wichita Daily Eagle wrote that "Barrymore seems to imitate John Drew too much to be a good actor." Why can't a young Barrymore imitate a real celebrity if he has to imitate someone?"

In the comedy The Boys of Company B at the Lyceum Theatre in early 1907, Barrymore played his first leading role. Despite being applauded by the critics – the Washington Post said "his work has been pronounced amazingly clever by the critics wherever he appeared" – at times, he continued his unprofessional stage behavior, resulting in a rebuke from John Drew, who attended a performance. Barrymore was given the lead role of Mac in A Stubborn Cinderella in Toddles, both on tour and in Boston. He had been earning $50 a week in sporadic work before, but now he has a pay increase to $175. He appeared briefly in The Candy Shop in mid-1909 before playing lead role in Winchell Smith's play The Fortune Hunter at the Gaiety Theatre in September the same year. It was his longest-serving position, running for 345 performances until May 1911, first at the Gaiety Theatre in New York and then on tour. The play was considered by the New York Times critic, who "acted with fine comedy spirit by John Barrymore... [who] gave indisputable signs last night of increased and increasing control."

Katherine Correy Harris, a socialite, married Barrymore in September that year. Harris' father was dissatisfied with the marriage and refused to attend the wedding. The Dictator went on tour shortly after the festival, and Harris was given a small part in the performance. Barrymore "began to think of his marriage as a 'bus accident,'" says Peters. Katherine was complaining that her new husband was seen too infrequently within a week of her marriage, according to film critic Hollis Alpert. "Unhappiness led to the downpouring of alcohol in Barrymore's marriage, and drink increased the stress," he said.

Both of Barrymore's next two plays, Uncle Sam and Princess Zim-Zim, were critically and financially poor, but his second performance introduced him to playwright Edward Sheldon, who would "reshape [Barrymore's] entire career." Barrymore appeared in A Slice of Life at the Empire Theatre on Broadway in January 1912, which ran for 48 performances. "Barrymore delights in 'kidding' his role not limited to the limit, but perhaps beyond." "Barrymore imitates his uncle John Drew," a Washington Times article said.

Barrymore may have appeared in his first films in 1912. A cast member appears in four short films as "Jack Barrymore," this is clearly John Barrymore, although Norden notes that "we may never know for sure if [these] are in fact Barrymore films" are in fact Barrymore films." The four films were Dream of a Motion Picture Director, The Widow Casey's Return, A Prize Box (both 1912) and One on Romance (1913). The films were made by a Philadelphia-based Lubin Manufacturing Company and were lost in a fire and fire at the Lubin vaults in 1914.

Barrymore performed in three short-running plays at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles in July 1912. In October, he returned to New York for the second time as the lead actor in 72 productions of the comedy The Affairs of Anatol at the Little Theatre in New York. Although the critical response was lukewarm, Barrymore's salary for the play was $600 a week. He began his year by appearing in a short run of A Thief in McVicker's Theatre, Chicago, before returning to New York and the Thirty-Ninth St. Theatre for a two-month run in Believe Me Xantippe.

Barrymore directed An American Citizen, his first confirmed feature film by late 1913, with Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company. "Berrymore stunned movie audiences with an inimitable light touch that made a conventional romance 'joyous' when the film was released in January 1914, writes Peters. Barrymore gave a "portrayal of unusual quality," according to a writer for The Oregon Daily Journal. The success of the film inspired further film work, including The Man From Mexico (1914), The Dictator, and The Incorrigible Dukane (all 1915). Both of these early films, except for The Incorrigible Dukane, are thought to have been lost.

Despite the film work and the higher commissions he earned from it, Barrymore continued to pursue stage work, and in January 1914, he appeared in The Yellow Ticket at New York's Eltinge Theatre. Sheldon's instruction pushed him to move to more dramatic roles in his previous appearances. Barrymore's first dream was not the Yellow Ticket. He and Sheldon took a vacation to Italy for a short break from his deteriorating marriage just months before World War One began. In Kick In, an ex-convict played in Kick In, he returned from Italy and took up another important stage role. The performance was a success, and Barrymore received accolades; the New York Times columnist thought that in a performance where "uncommonly able and sincere playing," Barrymore played his part with "intelligence and vigor and impart[ed] a touch of charm."

Barrymore made three films in the second half of 1915, including The Red Widow, which he described as "the worst film I ever made" in his 1926 autobiography. He appeared in John Galsworthy's prison drama Justice in April 1916, a second time at Sheldon's instigation. The performance was a critical success, and The New York Times claimed that the audience saw "Barrymore" play as he had never seen before, and that by his work as the wretched prisoner in Justice, he had stepped forward to a new position on the American stage. Barrymore delivered "an extraordinary appearance and demeanor in every note of deep emotion," the critic continued on to say that "an extraordinary performance in every area of appearance and manner matched every note of deep emotion... a superb job."

Barrymore had been living apart from Katherine from the start of 1916, and she was sued for divorce in November 1916. He had been in the lead role in the film Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman, by the time the divorce was finalized in December 1917. Following the country's entry into World War II, he had also tried to enlist in the US Army, but Army doctors discovered that he had varicose veins and was not eligible for military service. He appeared with Lionel in a stage version of George du Maurier's 1891 novel Peter Ibbetson, beginning in April 1917. The play and the two Barrymores were warmly regarded by the scholars. Around this time, Barrymore began a relationship with Blanche Oelrichs, a suffragist from an elite Rhode Island family with what Peters describes as "anarchistic self-confidence." Michael Strange, Oelrichs has also published poetry. Although their relationship began in secrecy, Oelrichs' husband was recruited into the army and then sent to France, making it more open.

Both Oelrichs and Sheldon encouraged Barrymore to perform his next role, Fedya Vasilyevich Protasov, in Leo Tolstoy's play Redemption at the Plymouth Theatre. Although Barrymore's appearance was "marred by vocal monotony," overall, Mr. Barrymore's performance was "a significant step forward" in Mr. Barrymore's artistic growth. There is probably no other actor on our stage with such a delicate and spiritual disposition, as well as an art form that is fluid and certain." Barrymore appeared in On the Quiet, a romantic comedy film; the Iowa City Press-Citizen ranked the film as superior to the original Broadway performance.

In the film version of Here Comes the Bride, which he followed with The Test of Honor, Barrymore portrayed a struggling lawyer in 1919. After years of appearing in comedies, the new film marked his first straight dramatic role on screen. Audience members "agree[d] that the American stage had never seen finer performances," Peters said later this year, when Barrymore appeared on stage with Lionel in Sem Benelli's historical drama The Jest." "John and Lionel Barrymore spellbound each breathless audience," Alexander Woollcott wrote in The New York Times, and he wrote that Barrymore "contributes to that appeal by every step, every hand, every posture of a body that has been growing eloquent in recent years." Barrymore started filming Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, playing the dual leading role, in November. "It is the actor's picture from the outset, and it is the actor who makes it," Wid's Daily explained, adding that Barrymore's portrayal was "a thing of fine shadows and vehement emotions." The Washington Post was unanimous in agreement, and called the show "a masterpiece" and "a marvel piece of work." The film was so popular that the US Navy kept Barrymore stills in its recruiting ads.

Barrymore appeared in Richard III for the first time in over a year, largely in secrecy. Conscious of his vocal range, he undertook training with Margaret Carrington, the voice and diction coach, to ensure he sounded right for the role, and the pair worked together for up to six hours a day for six weeks. The critics were elious in their praise at the launch of March 1920. The audience was "held by the sheer strength of Barrymore's performance," the Washington Post reported, although Woollcott, editor of The New York Times, characterized the performance as a "measurable step forward in the gradual process of bringing [Barrymore's] technical flourishment [the actor's] clear enthusiasm and his true genius for the theater."

Despite being a commercial and critical success, the play was cancelled after 31 performances, causing a nervous breakdown. He had been working nonstop, appearing on stage in the evenings, planning or rehearsing the next production during the day, and by the time he appeared as Richard, he was spending his daytime filming Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He spent six weeks recuperating under the care of his father's friend, wrestler William Muldoon, who operated a sanitarium. Oelrichs was pregnant with Barrymore's child during the summer of 1920, and a quick divorce was reached with her husband, leaving her and Barrymore free to marry in August that year; a daughter, Diana Barrymore, followed in March 1921. He began rehearsals for Clair de Lune, which his wife had adapted from Victor Hugo's 1869 book The Man Who Laughs. Ethel was reluctant to play the Queen, according to Barrymore, it was the first time the two actors had appeared on stage together in over a decade. The play was a critical flop, but the siblings' presence made it run for more than 60 performances.

In 1921, Barrymore portrayed a wealthy Frenchman in New York's film The Lotus Eater, starring Colleen Moore. Barrymore and Oelrichs went to Europe in September for their long stay in Venice. Cracks were emerging in their marriage, and they fell in love with a poet. In October, Oelrichs returned to New York and Barrymore to film the exterior scenes for his latest film, Sherlock Holmes, in which he appeared in title role. In January 1922, he returned to New York to work on the film's interior scenes. Barrymore was involved in the film's pre-production work and created the lair for Moriarty. The film was released later this year and was generally regarded as "a little dull and ponderous, with too many intertitles," according to James W. Dean of The Evening News of Harrisburg, but "the character of Barrymore is the film's transcendent quality."

Barrymore decided not to play in Hamlet on stage, with Arthur Hopkins directing. According to Norden, they spent six months planning, stripping over 1,250 lines from the text as they did so, and Barrymore decided to play Hamlet as "a man's man." Later, Barrymore described his Hamlet as a "healthy, lusty young fellow" who had simply fallen into a mess that was too thick for him... he was a great fencer, an athlete, who lived a long, happy life. How can you make a sickly half-wit out of a man like this? Carrington was used as a vocal coach again by Barrymore; rehearsals began in October and the performance opened on November 16. The production was a box-office hit, and the reviewers were lauded for it. It was "an evening that would be cherished in the history of the American theater," Woollcott wrote for the New York Herald. Although John Corbin, The New York Times' drama critic, agreed that "in all likelihood we have a new and a lasting Hamlet." Barrymore had "doubtless" earned the distinction of being named the "best living American tragedian," according to the Brooklyn Life reporter. Orson Welles said in 1963 that Barrymore was the best Hamlet he had ever seen, referring to him as "not so much princely – he was a genius who happened to be a prince," he said.

At 102 performances, Barrymore and Hopkins decided to end the run, only beating Edwin Booth's record of one hundred before the performance closed in February 1923. A three-week run of the play was staged at the Manhattan Opera House in November and December this year, as well as a short tour that closed at the end of January 1924.

Warner Bros.'s remark on Barrymore's success in Hamlet piqued his curiosity, as the lead in the 1924 film Beau Brummel. Barrymore, a young man at the time, was unhappy in his marriage and sought solace elsewhere after a feud with his 17-year-old co-star Mary Astor during filming. Although the film was not an unqualified success, the cast, which included Barrymore, was generally lauded. Barrymore came up with the name "the Great Profile" around this time, as advertisements and photographs of him tended to favor the left-hand side. "The right side of my face appears to be like a fried egg," he later said. The left hand has characteristics that would not be found in any typical anthropological study, and those are the apples I try to hold on top of the barrel.

Barrymore staged Hamlet at the Haymarket Theatre in London in February 1925, which the Manchester Guardian later reported was "the most memorable first night for years." The evaluations were positive, and many of the respondents were enthusiastic in their comparisons, "although none of the London analysts found Barrymore superior to [Henry] Irving and [Johnston] Forbes-Robertson." The 20-year-old actor John Gield, who wrote on his book "Barrymore is romantic in appearance and naturally gifted with grace, looks, and the ability to wear period clothing, made his flawlessly academic appearance classical without being unduly severe," has great delicacy and admirable judgment. "The handsome middle-aged stars of the Edwardian theatre romanticized the role," he said. Even John Barrymore, whose Hamlet I adored so much, sparked the play so much that he might, for example, take the closet scene entirely out for sentiment with the emphasis on the 'Oedipus complex.' Nevertheless, Barrymore... had a marvelous edge and a demonic sense of humor."

Barrymore and Oelrichs had visited Paris after his stay in London but not a happy one, and the couple argued often. When he returned to America, she stayed in Paris, and the couple forged an annulment deal that gave Oelrichs $18,000 a year and stated that neither could sue for divorce on the grounds of adultery. Warner Bros and Barrymore began a relationship for three more films at a salary of $76,250 per square inch. He later stated that his motivation for switching from stage to film was due to a "lack of repetition—the constant performance of a role, which is so ruinous to an actor."

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