THE LITTLE PICTURE HOUSE
1938 · Drama · USA · English · Black & White · approximately 100–104 minutes
About the film
A young actress takes a letter to a celebrated actor and discovers a deeply personal connection. As he helps her career, their decision to keep the truth private breeds jealousy and misunderstanding, threatening her romance and his carefully maintained public image.
Behind the applause lies a quieter story about recognition, family and the cost of keeping up appearances. The theatrical setting makes public success and private uncertainty uneasy companions, while Bergen’s comic partnership with Charlie McCarthy offers relief from the emotional complications.
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Meet the cast
Cast
Adolphe Menjou — John Mannering
Andrea Leeds — Katherine “Kay” Martin
George Murphy — Barry Paige
Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy — Themselves
Rita Johnson — Honey
Ann Sheridan — Lydia Hoyt
Natalie Moorhead — Supporting appearance
Eve Arden — Cora Phelps
Ernest Cossart — Andrews
Production credits
Director: John M. Stahl
Screenplay: Sheridan Gibney and Leonard Spigelgass
Original story: Bernice Boone
Photography: Karl Freund
Editing: Ted Kent and Charles Maynard
Art direction: Jack Otterson
Gowns: Vera West
Music direction: Charles Previn
Production and distribution: Universal Pictures Co.
Behind the scenes
Released on 29 July 1938, the film was made during March–June that year. The AFI Catalog identifies it as the first film in which Mortimer Snerd appeared with Edgar Bergen. Natalie Moorhead is included in the supporting cast without a named role.
Source: AFI Catalog — Letter of Introduction (1938).
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