The following is an overview of 1931 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.
John Conrad Nagel was an American film, stage, television and radio actor. He was considered a famous matinée idol and leading man of the 1920s and 1930s. He was given an Honorary Academy Award in 1940, and three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
Carmel Myers was an American actress who achieved her greatest successes in silent film.
Catherine Townsend Johnson was an American stage and film actress.
Holmes Herbert was an English character actor who appeared in Hollywood films from 1915 to 1952, often as a British gentleman.
Zeffie Agnes Lydia Tilbury was an English-American actress.
The Thirteenth Chair is a 1929 American mystery film directed by Tod Browning. The picture is based on a 1916 play of the same name by Bayard Veiller. It stars Conrad Nagel, Leila Hyams and Margaret Wycherly.
A Lady Surrenders is a 1930 American Pre-Code romantic drama film directed by John M. Stahl and starring Genevieve Tobin, Rose Hobart, Conrad Nagel, and Basil Rathbone. A copy exists in the Library of Congress.
Mystery Liner is a 1934 American Pre-Code film directed by William Nigh, starring Noah Beery, Sr., and based on an Edgar Wallace story originally published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1924. The film was entered as a feature attraction at the 1934 International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art in Venice, Italy, the forerunner of the Venice Film Festival.
Rhythm in the Clouds is a 1937 American film directed by John H. Auer.
The Terror is a 1928 American pre-Code horror film written by Harvey Gates and directed by Roy Del Ruth, based on the 1927 play of the same name by Edgar Wallace. It was the second "all-talking" motion picture released by Warner Bros., following Lights of New York. It was also the first all-talking horror film, made using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system.
Claude Ewart King was an English-born character actor and unionist, who appeared in American silent film. With his distinctive wavy hair, King appeared on both stage and screen. He served his country, Great Britain, in World War I in Field Artillery, reaching the rank of Major and surviving the war. He began his stage career in his native country, before emigrating to the US. In 1919, he appeared on Broadway in support of Ethel Barrymore in the play Declassee.
The Bowdoin Square Theatre (est.1892) in Boston, Massachusetts, was a playhouse and cinema. It was located on Bowdoin Square in the West End, in a building designed by architect C.H. Blackall. Personnel included Charles F. Atkinson and William Harris. Audience members included future magician Julius Linsky and future actor Joseph Sicari
Another Scandal is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Edward H. Griffith and distributed by W. W. Hodkinson. Based on a 1923 novel Another Scandal by Cosmo Hamilton, the film stars Lois Wilson and Holmes Herbert.
Careers is a 1929 American all-talking pre-Code drama film directed by John Francis Dillon and produced and released by First National Pictures. It stars Billie Dove and features Antonio Moreno, Thelma Todd and Noah Beery. The film was based on a 1924 German play entitled Karriere, written by Alfred Schirokauer and Paul Rosenhayn.
Woman Against Woman is a 1938 American drama film directed by Robert B. Sinclair and written by Edward Chodorov. The film stars Herbert Marshall, Virginia Bruce, Mary Astor, Janet Beecher and Marjorie Rambeau. The film was released on June 24, 1938, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Stage Struck is a 1948 American crime film directed by William Nigh and starring Kane Richmond, Audrey Long and Conrad Nagel.
TSS Carlotta was a London, Tilbury and Southend Railway passenger ferry, in service between Tilbury and Gravesend from 1893 until 1930.
The Girl from Mandalay is a 1936 American action film directed by Howard Bretherton and written by Wellyn Totman and Endre Bohem. It is based on the 1931 novel Tiger Valley by Reginald Campbell. The film stars Conrad Nagel, Kay Linaker, Donald Cook, Esther Ralston, Harry Stubbs and Reginald Barlow. The film was released on April 20, 1936, by Republic Pictures.
It Happened in Hollywood is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Richard Dix, Fay Wray and Victor Kilian. The arrival of sound wrecks the career of a leading western actor while his leading lady rises to new heights. Its original working title was Once a Hero.
