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1933 photo of Ida Lupino (right) with Charlotte Henry and director Norman McLeod.
Henry won the much-hyped role of Alice in Paramount’s “Alice in Wonderland” (1933) over Lupino—despite Lupino being imported from England to test for the part as the most-discussed contender. Ida was instead put into more mature roles despite her age of 15. As the caption stated, Charlotte “faded into obscurity.”
@pmbryant It’s interesting when you read through old movie magazines and see stars, given big write-ups and lavish spreads, who were only there for the moment. It makes you realise how talented/lucky the stars who made the long haul were.
@pmbryant I’m also wondering what Ida Lupino was thinking, in terms of the moment, and long-term. I sense, because of her background, that she sensed that she still had a substantial career in movies ahead of her. In other words, she knew that acting was in her DNA.
@HannahHowe She always said that she knew she wasn’t appropriate to play Alice, so missing out on that part didn’t seem to faze her. Indeed, she was always going to be in show business in some form, thanks to her family history, which she took very seriously.
@pmbryant Recently, I had a look at her genealogy. In terms of acting and performing, it’s a very impressive line. I sense with Ida, like Orson Welles, that a career in acting was the natural path to take.