What a thrill it was to discover this stunning studio portrait of Alice Brady with her chow puppy and the icing on the cake..ITS AUTOGRAPHED!!! The original was quite faded and yellowed but I was able to bring forward most of the detail, beginning with a 1200 DPI scan and then retouching in Photoshop. This wonderful woman was not only a talented actress but a champion for abused dogs through her founding Tailwagger Foundation (succeeded by Bette Davis) and worked to help provide dogs for the blind in Los Angeles. All in all this photo was an outstanding find!!
Alice Brady was one of the foremost actresses of stage and screen at the time of her death in 1939.
Millions laughed at her portrayal of nit-witted, fluttery bejeweled society women. But these same
millions, weeping at her sincere enactment of the role of the mother in the picture “In Old Chicago”
(1937), applauded when she received the Academy Award for her supporting part.
She served as president of the national humane animal society called the Tailwagger Foundation. Her
work in finding homes for lost dogs was famous.
So was her wardrobe. Brady’s lavish dress became a sort of trademark. In one moving picture
contract she had to agree — and not a bit unwillingly — to spend $75,000 a year on clothes.
Her fatal illness [not named at the time] started weakening her during filming of her final movie,
“Young Mr. Lincoln,” and ended a career marked by more than its share of bad luck.
In 1930, ready to star in Eugene O’Neill’s nine-act “Strange Interlude,” Brady suffered a nervous
breakdown. In 1938, she broke her ankle while performing in the film “Goodbye to Broadway.”
— Los Angeles Times Oct. 30, 1939
ALICE BRADY ALSO WORKED WITH THE NATIONAL EYE DOG ASSOCIATION HELPING THE BLIND
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