Broadway (1942) was released on March 23, 1942 and starred George Raft, Pat O’Brien, Broderick Crawford and Janet Blair. George played himself in this drama about crime, speakeasies, bootleggers and nightclub dancers, a backdrop with which George was very familiar. At a time when the public was suffering through a war, this entertaining film provided escape …
Dancers in the Dark was released on March 11, 1932. The pre-code drama starred Miriam Hopkins as a taxi dancer and Jack Oakie as a band leader, but this lobby card featured George Raft who played a gangster and patron of the dance hall. Though very early in his career and with little thespian background, George …
George starred with Carole Lumbard in Rumba released on February 8, 1935. This was their second pairing in a musical and followed the hit film Bolero from the previous year. Their off-screen admiration and fondness for each other enhanced their on-screen romance in this film. Every motion in the final rumba is exquisitely performed, sensuous …
Jimmy knew that George was the best dancer for his opponent in the dance competition in the movie Taxi!, released on January 23, 1932, and recommended him for the uncredited role. George was a terrific ballroom dancer and had been a professional for many years before this film was made. Although Jimmy was a dancer, …
Carole Lombard and George Raft made two films together, Bolero (1934) and Rumba (1935). They were very fond of each other and that chemistry came through in both movies. Sadly, Carole died in a plane crash on 1/16/1942, eighty years ago today. What a shock it was to the Hollywood community. Her husband, Clark Gable, …
George passed away on November 24, 1980, from emphysema in a Los Angeles hospital. This image is from his last interview. He spent 62 years entertaining audiences, a very long career in any field. Stylish and charismatic to the end, he never lost his wit or charm. The full interview with Mike Douglas from February, …
Today, September 26th, is George’s birthday, but the year of his birth has been in question for a long time. Records like his Social Security registration state the year as 1901 and a New York census would seem to back that up. In a few places, the year is listed as 1903. But in his …