Paramount Set Stills: Now and Forever, Pt. 1

Paramount’s 1934 production, “Now and Forever” (originally titled “Honor Bright” and then “You Belong to Me”) starred Carole Lombard, Shirley Temple, and Gary Cooper. Lombard and Cooper were already big stars; Temple had just exploded onto the scene with her captivating performance in “Little Miss Marker,” also a Paramount production. I am always amazed at the care and detail that went into creating the sets for these films from the golden age of Hollywood. The first production still shows the Sino Manor Hotel lobby located in Shanghai:



As you can see by the board, the film was still being referred to as “You Belong to Me”:



This screenshot reveals that the black area was used for a rear projection effect, thus eliminating having to build the rest of the set. Smart!



Another view of the lobby desk:



Look at all the branded materials on the desk, created just for this brief scene:



The hallway of the hotel, which does not appear in the final film:




This detailed exterior shows the shop where Cooper prints some bogus business cards:



This publicity still shows way more of the set than we see in the final film:



In this office, Cooper sets up shop to milk hotel customers for their outstanding hotel bills so that he can use the money to fund his extravagant trips with Lombard.



How it looked in the film:





The Stateroom occupied by Cooper and Lombard:



This area is barely seen in the final film:



…and yet someone had to go to the trouble of putting together Lombard’s luggage. Note her hat on the couch:



In a 1930s movie to get by with the recently created production code, separate beds were a necessity!



This is all we get to see of the room where “the magic” happens! The status of the relationship between Lombard and Cooper had to be solidified as a marriage, rather than just lovers, in order to appease the censors.



In France, Lombard returns to her hotel and receives a wire from Cooper: 



The corresponding production still:



A detail of the signs on the wall, that probably not a single movie-goer would notice back in 1934:



This little cafe is not in the final film:



It was used for an ultimately deleted scene between Jameson Thomas and Carole Lombard, who were in a relationship before she met Cooper.



More set stills from “Now and Forever” to come!

See more photos at my main website.

Paramount on Location, Pt. 3

Before Walt Disney released his animated version in 1951, Paramount filmed a mostly live-action version of “Alice in Wonderland” back in 1933. It’s just as odd as Lewis Carroll’s literary classic from which it was adapted and proved to be a box office failure. Charlotte Henry was cast as the cute but somewhat bland heroine, Alice, who daydreams her way through a series of adventures in Wonderland. As you can see by the still below, Cary Grant played the Mock Turtle.



Hopefully you caught the sarcasm. It’s true - the star was completely covered in costume from head to toe, as was comedian W.C. Fields who portrayed Humpty Dumpty. While their voices were fairly recognizable, the actors were not. MGM was very careful in making sure that the faces of the actors in “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) were not hidden by their makeup and costumes.



Here’s a set still of the room where Alice has her daydream, which leads into her adventure:



The accompanying scene, where Alice wishes she could see what’s on the other side of the mirror.



A set still of one of the fantastic doors Alice goes through in Wonderland. The set design for this film was extremely creative, doing a great job of capturing the surreal world that Alice visits. 



The dining room table for the grand banquet scene:



A frame from the film, with Edna May Oliver on the right as the Red Queen. At least you could see her face!



Note the “Queen Alice” on the chair:



A second shot of the table:



When stitched together, you get a view of the entire room:



Last year, I went to a service for a family member at Holy Cross Cemetery in San Diego. In researching who else was buried there, I learned that actress Charlotte Henry had her final resting place outdoors on the hill.



I had to go back to take a second photo, as a friend pointed out that the plot I had captured was actually that of her mother. Charlotte was buried under her married name, Dempsey, right next to Mama.



More on Holy Cross in a future post! See more Paramount set still photos at my main website.