John Barrymore

Barrymore's "Dialing for Prizes Movie" portrait, and the full version

John Barrymore (1882-1942) was an actor known for his work on stage (especially William Shakespeare) and as a leading man in silent pictures and early talkies. He came from a noted theatrical family, including siblings Lionel and Ethel. Known as "The Great Profile" because of his looks, Barrymore starred in the silent films Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Justice, Don Juan, and the Moby Dick variation The Sea Beast.

Barrymore's stage-trained voice and diction allowed for an easy transition to talking pictures, such as starring as Svengali. However, by 1932, his roles were starting to reflect his age, sliding fame, and real-life alcoholism, playing a heavy drinking lawyer in State's Attorney and a washed-up alcoholic actor in Dinner at Eight. While there were more positive roles, playing the comedic Broadway impresario in Twentieth Century and returning to the classics as Mercutio in 1936's Romeo and Juliet, Barrymore shifted in his last years to parodying his own image and public reputation, in movies such as The Great Profile (1940) and regular appearances on Rudy Vallee's radio show, playing himself as an alcoholic ham.

References

• The set for the Sesame Street game show segment "Dialing for Prizes Movie" is adorned with framed pictures of the stars, including John Barrymore in Don Juan (1926).