For many of us interested in Cortez, I think his masterful, long forgotten portrayal of Sam Spade in the first version of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon (1931) was a revelation when seen in the last few years. Not only is he very tough, he is also playful, stylish, not above making a (suppose...

Thank you guys for posting comments and questions. Keep 'em coming, please! Anyone who wonders about purchasing this book*--I would recommend it as a wonderfully detailed account of Ricardo Cortez's life in the first half, but also for the second part of the book, which details each of the actor's f...

Welcome, Vega! I think that several of our members (feaito, jackfavell, are you around?) might know more about this recognizable actor. I hope that they chime in with their extensive knowledge, but I thank you for becoming a member--and for posting here.

Thanks for returning today, Dan! Could you please discuss Cortez's relationship with some of the directors that the actor worked with during his career, such as James Cruze, D.W. Griffith, William Wellman, Michael Curtiz & John Ford, among others? What do you think inspired Ricardo to try to bec...

http://i.imgur.com/9pjPajC.jpg Above: Alma Rubens (1897-1931). Ricardo Cortez was later quoted as saying that when first seen on a city street: "I saw her pale face and dark luminous eyes. I’ll admit I was overcome. I walked back and forth watching her—trying not to be too apparent in my admir...

Great questions, Marco! I am also hoping that Dan might tell us about Garbo and his pairing in The Torrent (1926)--the only time Greta played second fiddle to her leading man in billing! I thought they had quite a lot of chemistry, as seen in this clip. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCcrO...

This carefully composed picture of Ricardo Cortez as a cherished little boy underlines the poignancy of a young Jacob Krantz so concerned about his family's tenuous finances that he almost refused to have a needed operation, as detailed in Dan's book. http://i.imgur.com/LkmWGjy.jpg One aspect of Cor...

Oh, that shirt, Van! What were they thinking? Match the polka dots with the freckles?

Welcome & my thanks to our guest, Dan Van Neste , for agreeing to visit and for your beautifully detailed biography of an actor whose versatile acting career spanned from the height of the silents to the television era. Here are a few questions to kick things off: 1.) What drew you to create the...

Here is the Spot to post your questions about Ricardo Cortez for our guest, Dan Van Neste . Please see the link below for more details. More about our upcoming guest and his accomplishments at the link below. All are welcome to take part in the discussion!: http://silverscreenoasis.com/oasis3/viewto...

AUTHOR DAN VAN NESTE TO VISIT THE SILVER SCREEN OASIS FOR Q & A ON RICARDO CORTEZ http://i.imgur.com/pWYFXnd.jpg The Silver Screen Oasis is pleased to announce an online visit by Dan Van Neste on August 26th & 27th to discuss his latest book, THE MAGNIFICENT HEEL: THE LIFE & FILMS OF RIC...

I think that our generous guests intend to visit tomorrow, so if questions are posted they may be able to answer them eventually.

I would like to take a moment to thank them for visiting and wish them every success. Please let us know when your next book is published (yes, there will be more!).

Thanks for your reply. Did Gardner's marriages help her or hurt? Reading about the way that things unfolded during her marital adventures, she seems to have had no idea how to build a relationship. Was that Hollywood's doing or did she simply feel too restless? Rooney and she don't appear to have be...

Could we talk a bit about the people who were important to Ava Gardner? First, her parents and sister, Beatrice “Bappie” Gardner: Given the poverty of her youth, how did the actress regard her mother and father? Were her memories of them bittersweet? http://i.imgur.com/Hg9WZs6.jpg Ava Gardner with h...

Ava was, understandably, very disappointed with Arthur Freed and MGM for not using her own signing voice, as originally agreed. She was actually a pretty good singer, as is evidenced on the recordings that went into the soundtrack LP released to the public. Her voice is earthy and sensual and bette...