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David Manners
1900-1998
NEW 4/17/2008!
biography
Born in 1900 in Nova Scotia to a prosperous family, handsome Canadian-born actor David Manners moved to the U.S. as a young boy. As a college student at the University of Toronto, Manners developed an interest in the stage and acted in a number of productions. In the late 1920s, when studios were looking for stage actors with voices resonant enough for early sound film technology, Manners was discovered for films while in a stage role. Thanks to his handsome visage and sturdy voice, he was almost an immediate success, quickly working his way up from uncredited roles. In 1930, he landed a contract with Warner Bros./First National.
LEFT: Manners escorts Billie Dove in this 1931 photo. RIGHT: Manners with his dog in an early 1930s studio portrait
On loan from Warner Bros., his fortunes rose when he was cast as Jonathan Harker in Universal's Dracula (1931; with Bela Lugosi, a success which he followed up in The Mummy (1932; with Boris Karloff) and The Black Cat (1934; with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi).
the films of david manners
The Truth About Youth (1930)
Manners falls under the spell of vamp Myrna Loy in the Warner Bros./First National drama The Truth About Youth
h4>The Miracle Woman (1931)
With Barbara Stanwyck in the Columbia drama The Miracle Woman
The Death Kiss (1932)
From the independently produced comedy The Death Kiss with Bela Lugosi and Adrienne Ames
A Bill of Divorcement (1932)
From the RKO drama A Bill of Divorcement. LEFT: Studio portrait. RIGHT: With Katharine Hepburn, Paul Cavanagh, Billie Burke, and Elizabeth Patterson
Man Wanted (1932)
With Kay Francis in the Warner Bros. romance Man Wanted
From Hell to Heaven (1933)
With Adrienne Ames in the Paramount drama From Hell to Heaven
Torch Singer (1933)
With Claudette Colbert in the Paramount musical drama Torch Singer
The Black Cat (1934)
From the Universal horror flick The Black Cat. LEFT: With Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. CENTER: With Jacqueline Wells, who later changed her screen name to Julie Bishop. RIGHT: Running lines with Wells
Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935)
With Douglass Montgomery and Claude Rains in Universal's horror flick Mystery of Edwin Drood
later years
Although Manners proved to be a popular leading man in the early 1930s, by the mid 1930s he had been relegated to supporting roles at bigger studios and starring roles in few poverty-row programmers, including Monogram's The Moonstone (1934; with Phyllis Barry), the Majestic comedy The Perfect Clue (1935; with Betty Blythe), and the Republic drama Hearts in Bondage (1936; with Mae Clarke). Following his supporting role in RKO's A Woman Rebels (1936; with Katharine Hepburn and Herbert Marshall), he walked away from films. On occasion, he acted on stage through the 1950s and maintained a cast directory entry and agent into the early 1940s. Mostly, Manners concentrated on writing. He passed away in December 1998 at the age of 98. Manners left no survivors.
The Monster Legacy DVD Gift Set [DVD] DVD
Deluxe six-disc boxed set includes "Dracula: The Legacy Collection," which includes "Dracula" (1931), the Spanish version of "Dracula" (1931), "Dracula's Daughter" (1936), "Son of Dracula" (1943), and "House of Dracula (1945); "Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection," which includes "Frankenstein" (1931), "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935), "Son of Frankenstein" (1939), Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942), and "House of Frankenstein" (1945); and "The Wolf Man: The Legacy Collection," which includes "The Wolf Man" (1941), "Werewolf of London" (1935), "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" (1943), and "She-Wolf of London" (1946). Also includes three hand-cast, hand-painted mini busts of Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein's monster.
Dracula: The Legacy Collection [DVD] DVD
Toothy two-disc set of Universal chillers opens with director Tod Browning's "Dracula" (1931), with Bela Lugosi defining the title role of Bram Stoker's vampire lord; with Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan. Next, the Spanish-language version of "Dracula" (1931), shot simultaneously on the Universal sets and noted for its erotic style, stars Carlos Villarias and Lupita Tovar. Then, Gloria Holden is "Dracula's Daughter" (1936), trying to end her undead life and battling Van Sloan's Van Helsing; Count Alucard (spell it backwards) comes to America in the form of Lon Chaney, Jr. in "Son of Dracula" (1943); and the Wolf Man and Frankenstein Monster are guests in the "House of Dracula" (1945), with Chaney and John Carradine. 6 3/4 hrs.
Dracula (75th Anniversary Edition) [DVD](1931) DVD
After starring in the title role on Broadway, Bela Lugosi became forever identified with the bloodsucking count in director Tod Browning's Gothic film adaptation. Follow Dracula from his Transylvanian castle to England as he ensnares the unwary in his diabolical schemes. With Dwight Frye, Helen Chandler, Edward Van Sloan. This two-disc set also includes the Spanish version of "Dracula," filmed (appropriately) at night on the same Universal sets as the Lugosi film being made simultaneously. Stars Lupita Tovar, Carmen Guerrero, and Carlos Villarias in the title role. 179 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish; audio commentary; featurette; documentary.
The Mummy: The Legacy Collection [DVD] DVD
You're certain to get wrapped up in this two-disc set. Boris Karloff embarks on a murderous search for his reincarnated lover in "The Mummy" (1932), with Edward Van Sloan, David Manners. Next, "The Mummy's Hand" (1940) belongs to Tom Tyler, as he attempts to kill the defilers of an ancient tomb. Then, Lon Chaney, Jr. emerges from "The Mummy's Tomb" (1942) and proceeds to terrorize Dick Foran and Elyse Knox; and "The Mummy's Ghost" (1944) has him finding his dead love reborn in the guise of a college student. John Carradine, George Zucco co-star. Finally, Chaney, Jr. and princess Virginia Christine reveal "The Mummy's Curse" (1944) to scientists in Louisiana. 5 1/2 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; audio commentary.
The Mummy [DVD](1932) DVD
Karloff is mesmerizing as the 3,700-year-old mummy brought to life when his tomb is uncovered by archeologists. He then sets out in a bloody path of vengeance while searching for his reincarnated lover. Edward Van Sloan, David Manners and Zita Johann co-star; Karl Freund directs. 74 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; audio commentary; "making of" documentary; theatrical trailer; biographies; filmographies.
Vintage Thrillers (Six-DVD Set) [DVD] DVD
Six-disc set includes "The Death Kiss" (1932), "The Mysterious Mr. Wong," "Bowery at Midnight," "The Black Raven," "Bluebeard" (1944), and "Fog Island."
The Death Kiss [DVD](1932) DVD
A movie studio is shrouded in mystery when its top star is murdered on the set, and everyone is a suspect. Bela Lugosi plays a temperamental actor who's the most likely suspect, alongside "Dracula" co-stars Edward Van Sloan, David Manners. 72 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
The Death Kiss [VHS](1932) VHS
A movie studio is shrouded in mystery when its top star is murdered on the set, and everyone is a suspect. Bela Lugosi plays a temperamental actor who's the most likely suspect, alongside "Dracula" co-stars Edward Van Sloan, David Manners. This restored print features hand-tinted color sequences. 75 min.
The Bela Lugosi Box: 15 Frightful Films [DVD] DVD
The seductively evil horror king Bela Lugosi appears in 15 chiller classics in this five-disc set. The silent soaper "The Midnight Girl" (1925) features a pre-Dracula Lugosi as the suave and shady patron of a Russian opera singer (Lila Lee) newly come to America. Also includes "White Zombie," "The Death Kiss," "Chandu on the Magic Island," "The Return of Chandu," "The Mysterious Mr. Wong," "The Dark Eyes of London (The Human Monster)," "The Devil Bat," "The Corpse Vanishes," "Bowery at Midnight," "The Ape Man," "Scared to Death" (1947), "Glen or Glenda?," "Bride of the Monster," and "Plan 9 from Outer Space"; also features the short documentary tribute "100 Years of Horror: Bela Lugosi," hosted by Christopher Lee.
The Moonstone (1934)/Murder At Midnight [DVD](1931) DVD
First up is "The Moonstone," Wilkie Collins' classic thriller involving the search for a priceless ancient gem from India that has been swiped in a creepy old mansion during a thunderstorm. David Manners, Phyllis Barry star. Then, mystery buffs will appreciate "Murder at Midnight," an intense thriller in which a room full of people are killed one by one, beginning with a deadly game of charades. Stars Aileen Pringle, Alice White, and Robert Elliott. 112 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
The Moonstone [VHS](1934) VHS
Wilkie Collins' classic thriller involving the search for a priceless ancient gem from India that has been swiped in a creepy old mansion during a thunderstorm. David Manners, Phyllis Barry star.
The Bela Lugosi Collection [DVD] DVD
"Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1932) stars Bela Lugosi as a mad doctor whose sideshow is a front for bizarre experiments that involve kidnapping beautiful young women and injecting them with blood from his pet gorilla. Then, Lugosi and Boris Karloff team up for the first time in "The Black Cat" (1934), Edgar G. Ulmer's macabre chiller about a Balkan castle, built over a WWI graveyard, that becomes the site for a battle of wills between psychiatrist Lugosi and devil-worshipper Karloff. Next, "The Raven" (1935) stars Lugosi as a Poe-obsessed plastic surgeon who invites a beautiful patient, her fiance and her father to his retreat and, with the aid of criminal Karloff, imprisons and tortures them. With Irene Ware, Samuel Hinds. A radioactive meteorite infects a scientist with a touch of death in "The Invisible Ray" (1936), which features Lugosi and Karloff as feuding researchers. And, in "Black Friday" (1940), scientist Karloff transfers the brain of a gangster into the body of an injuredEnglish professor who takes on the hood's traits and seeks revenge against rival mobster Lugosi. 5 1/2 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: French, Spanish.
The Perfect Clue [DVD](1935) DVD
Thrilling and comedic mystery in the spirit of "It Happened One Night" follows the spoiled daughter of an aristocrat as she flees to the countryside after she learns that her father is engaged to a woman she hates. When she hires an ex-con to drive her around, she soon finds true love--and plenty of problems. David Manners, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Dorothy Libaire star. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
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filmography
FILM
A Woman Rebels (1936) with Katharine Hepburn, Herbert Marshall, Elizabeth Allan, and Donald Crisp
Hearts in Bondage (1936) with James Dunn, Mae Clarke, Fritz Leiber, and Ben Alexander
Lucky Fugitives (1936) with Maxine Doyle
Jalna (1935) with Kay Johnson, Ian Hunter, C. Aubrey Smith, Nigel Bruce, and Peggy Wood
The Perfect Clue (1935) with Skeets Gallagher and Betty Blythe
Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935) with Claude Rains, Douglass Montgomery, Heather Angel, and Valerie Hobson
The Moonstone (1934) with Phyllis Barry
The Great Flirtation (1934) with Elissa Landi, Adolphe Menjou, and Lynne Overman
The Black Cat (1934) with Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Julie Bishop
The Luck of a Sailor (1934)
Roman Scandals (1933) with Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Gloria Stuart, Edward Arnold, Alan Mowbray, and Charles Wilson
Torch Singer (1933) with Claudette Colbert and Ricardo Cortez
The Devil's in Love (1933) with Victor Jory, Loretta Young, Vivienne Osborne, and J. Carrol Naish
The Girl in 419 (1933) with James Dunn, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Shirley Grey, and Jack La Rue
The Warrior's Husband (1933) with Elissa Landi, Ernest Truex, and Marjorie Rambeau
From Hell to Heaven (1933) with Carole Lombard, Jack Oakie, Adrienne Ames, Sidney Blackmer, and Shirley Grey
The Mummy (1932) with Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, Arthur Byron, and Edward Van Sloan
The Death Kiss (1932) with Adrienne Ames, Bela Lugosi, John Wray, and Edward Van Sloan
They Call It Sin (1932) with Loretta Young, George Brent, Una Merkel, and Louis Calhern
A Bill of Divorcement (1932) with John Barrymore, Billie Burke, and Katharine Hepburn
Crooner (1932) with Ann Dvorak, Ken Murray, J. Carrol Naish, and Guy Kibbee
Stranger in Town (1932) with Ann Dvorak, Raymond Hatton, Noah Beery, and Lyle Talbot
Man Wanted (1932) with Kay Francis, Una Merkel, Andy Devine, and Edward Van Sloan
Beauty and the Boss (1932) with Marian Marsh and Warren William
Lady with a Past (1932) with Constance Bennett, Ben Lyon, Bruce Cabot, and Bill Elliott
The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932) with Joan Blondell, Ina Claire, and Madge Evans
The Ruling Voice (1931) with Walter Huston, Loretta Young, and Doris Kenyon
The Last Flight (1931) with Richard Barthelmess, Johnny Mack Brown, and Helen Chandler
The Miracle Woman (1931) with Barbara Stanwyck and Charles Middleton
The Millionaire (1931) with George Arliss, James Cagney, and Noah Beery
Dracula (1931) with Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye, and Edward Van Sloan
The Right to Love (1930) with Ruth Chatterton and Paul Lukas
Mothers Cry (1930) with Dorothy Peterson, Helen Chandler, and Sidney Blackmer
The Truth About Youth (1930) with Loretta Young and Myrna Loy
Kismet (1930) with Loretta Young, Sidney Blackmer, and Montagu Love
Sweet Mama (1930) with Alice White
He Knew Women (1930)
Journey's End (1930) with Colin Clive
The Sky Hawk (1929) with Helen Chandler and Joyce Compton
david manners links
The Life and Films of David Manners
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This page premiered April 17, 2008.
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