OLGA BACLANOVA:
Filmography and Stage Credits
Compiled by L. Paul Meienberg
Reprinted from Films of the Golden Age #24 (Spring 2001)
Russian Silent Films
(Please note that the English titles are translated literally from the Russian titles.)
Simfonia lyubvi i smerti (Symphony of Love and Death). 1914. Directed by V.Tourjansky. With A. Geirot, A. Michurin and Olga Baclanova.
Kogda zvuchat struni serdtza (When the Strings of the Heart Sound). 1914. Directed by L. Starevitch. With Y. Vakhangov, M. Chekov, Olga Baclanova and B. Souskevitch.
Velikjj Magaraz (The Great Magaraz). 1915. Directed by Tourjansky. With Y. Bakhangov, Olga Baclanova, M. Goricheva and V. Tourjansky.
Zagrobnaja skitalica (Wanderer Beyond the Grave). 1915. Directed by V. Tourjansky. With Olga Baclanova, V. Tourgansky, A. Virubov, A. Michurin.
Zenscina vampir (Vampire Woman). 1915. Directed by V. Tourjansky. With Olga Baclanova and A. Michurin. OB in the title role.
Livrebov pod maskoi (The Masked Love). 1915. Directed by V. Tourjansky. With Olga Baclanova and G. Chmaro.
Petlia smerti (The Cloak of Death). 1915. Directed by A. Martov. With P. Negri, V. Brindzinsky and Olga Baclanova.
Jiszn iz choutka (Life Is a Stupid Pleasantry). 1915. Directed by L. Starevitch? or Ivanov-Gai. With Olga Baclanova, R. Boleslawsky, I. Pevtzov, V. Yanova.
Nana i yo dotch (Nana's Daughter). 1915. Directed by Ivanov-Gai. With Olga Baclanova, R. Boleslawsky, and I. Pevtzov.
Po tropam k stchastiov (Happiness Through Crime). 1915. Directed by B. Tourjansky. With Olga Baclanova and A. Michurin.
Trety pol (The Third Sex). 1916. Directed by Ivanov-Gai. With Olga Baclanova, R. Boleslawsky, and B. Souskevitch.
Domik na volga (Little House on the Volga). 1916. Directed by Ivanov-Gai. With Olga Baclanova, I. Pevtzov, and B. Souskevitch.
Ia pomnoiu vetera (I Remember an Evening). 1916. Directed by Ivanov-Gai. With Olga Baclanova, I. Pevtzov, and A. Nekrassov.
Tot, kto polucaet posceciny (He Who Gets Slapped). 1916. Directed by Ivanov-Gai. With I. Pevtzov, Olga Baclanova, I. Vronsky, and A. Nekrassov.
Kogda umiraet ljubov (When Love Dies). 1916. Directed by M. Bonch-Tomasheviskii.
Cvety zapozdalye (The Flowers Are Late). 1917. Directed by B. Souskevitch. With Olga Baclanova, A. Geirot, B. Souskevitch, and M. Ouspenskya. OB as Maruska.
Jaulte Pasaport (The Yellow Passport). 1917. Directed by Ivanov-Gai. With Olga Baclanova, I. Pevtzov, and B. Souskevitch.
Lunnyi svet (Moonlight). 1917.
Khleb (Bread). 1918. Directed by B. Souskevitch, R. Boleslawsky. With L. Leonidov, Olga Baclanova, R. Boleslawsky and Y. Bakgtangove. (The first Soviet agitprop film.)
US Silent Films
(Films known to survive are denoted with an asterisk.)
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Olga with Betty Compson in the Josef von Sternberg-directed The Docks of New York (1928). |
*The Dove. United Artists 1927. Directed by Roland West. With Norma Talmadge, Noah Beery and Gilbert Roland. OB in an uncredited bit role.
The Czarina's Secret. MGM 1928. Directed by R. Wm. Neill. With Olga Baclanova and Sally Rand. (Two-reel short in Technicolor and sound.)
Three Sinners. Paramount 1928. Directed by Roland V. Lee. With Pola Negri, Paul Lukas, Warner Baxter, and Olga Baclanova. OB as the Baroness Hilda Brings.
Street of Sin. Paramount 1928. Directed by Mauritz Stiller. With Emil Jannings, Olga Baclanova and Fay Wray. OB as Annie.
*The Man Who Laughs. Universal 1928. Directed by Paul Leni. With Conrad Veidt, Mary Philbin, and Olga Baclanova. OB as the Duchess Josiana.
*Forgotten Faces. Paramount 1928. Directed by Victor Schertzinger. With Clive Brook, Mary Brian, Olga Baclanova, and William Powell. OB as Lilly Harlow.
*The Docks of New York. Paramount 1928. Directed by Josef von Sternberg. With George Bancroft, Betty Compson and Olga Baclanova. OB as Lou.
*A Woman Disputed. United Artists 1928. Directed by Henry King. With Norma Talmadge, Gilbert Roland. OB as the Countess. (Note: Olga's scenes were cut, and were replaced with scenes with Gladys Brockwell playing the role.)
Avalanche. Paramount 1928. Directed by Otto Brower. With Jack Holt, Doris Hill and Olga Baclanova. OB as Grace Stillwell.
Sound Films:
(Films known to survive are denoted with an asterisk.)
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Olga with John Gilbert in Downstairs (1932). The film's screenplay was written Gilbert himself and shows him to be a great actor that could have done far better in talking films than he did. |
The Wolf of Wall Street. Paramount 1929. Directed by Roland V. Lee. With George Bancroft, Olga Baclanova, Paul Lukas and Nancy Carroll. OB as Olga. (See Footnote)
*A Dangerous Woman. Paramount 1929. Directed by Rowland V. Lee. With Olga Baclanova (top billed), Clive Brook and Neil Hamilton. OB as Tanya Gregory.
*The Man I Love. Paramount 1929. Directed by Wm. Wellman. With Richard Arlen, Mary Brian, Olga Baclanova, and Jack Oakie. OB as Sonia Barondoff.
The Life of Beethoven. British and Dominion Films UK, 1930. Unfinished and unreleased. (See Footnote)
*Cheer Up and Smile. Fox 1930. Directed by S. Lanfield. With Arthur Lake, Dixie Lee and Olga Baclanova. OB as Yvonne.
*Are You There? Fox 1930. Directed by Hamilton McFadden. With Beatrice Lillie, John Garrick, and Olga Baclanova. OB as Countess Helenka.
*The Great Lover. MGM 1931. Directed by Harry Beaumont. With Adolph Menjou, Irene Dunne, Ernest Torrence, Olga Baclanova, Neil Hamilton, and Cliff Edwards. OB as Savarova.
*Freaks. MGM 1932. Directed by Tod Browning. With Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Harry Earles, Daisy Earles, and Henry Victor. OB as Cleopatra.
*Downstairs. MGM 1932. Directed by Monta Bell. With John Gilbert, Virginia Bruce, Paul Lukas and Olga Baclanova. OB as the Baroness Eloise von Burgen.
*Billion Dollar Scandal. Paramount 1933. Directed by Harry Joe Brown. With Robert Armstrong, Constance Cummings, Olga Baclanova and Frank Morgan. OB as Anna (aka GoGo).
*Telephone Blues. Mentone productions 1935 (distributed by Universal). Directed by Milton Schwartzwald with Olga Baclanova and the Tic-Toc Girls. (Two-reel musical short in the "Mentone Brevities" series, 18 minutes.)
*Singing Silhouettes. Warner Bros./Vitaphone short 1935. Directed by Joseph Henabery. With Olga Baclanova. (Two reel musical short in the "Broadway Brevities" series, 21 minutes.)
*Double Crossky. Warner Bros./Vitaphone short 1936. (2 reel short.)
*Claudia. Twentieth Century-Fox, 1943. Directed by Edmund Goulding. With Dorothy McGuire, Robert Young, Ina Claire, Reginald Gardiner and Olga Baclanova. OB as Madame Daruschka.
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A publicity portrait from Olga Baclanova's Continental Revue. |
Radio and TV Credits
Radio: Olga Baclanova's Continental Revue (Mutual Broadcasting System Radio Network) 1938.
TV Debut: Ralph Bellamy's "Man Against Crime"
Episode: "The Jackal". Aired Feb. 15, 1951, CBS-TV.
TV: "Willys Theatre Presenting Ben Hecht's Tales of the City"
Episode: "Cinderella From Cedar Rapids". Aired June 25, 1953, CBS-TV.
Stage Credits
(Stage Credits are known to be incomplete, but this the information that is available.)
1917-1919
Moscow Art Theatre (parent stage)
"The Stone Guest" by Pushkin. OB as Laura.
"Ivanov" by Chekov. OB as Sacha.
"The Boarder" by Turgenev. OB as Olga Petrovna.
Moscow Art Theatre (first studio)
"Twelfth Night" by Shakespeare. OB as Olivia.
"The Cricket on the Hearth" by Dickens. OB as Bertha.
"The Deluge" by Berger. OB as Lizzie/Sadie.
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In The Fountain of Bakhski, part of the Love and Death trilogy. |
1920-1926
Moscow Art Theatre (musical studio)
With Nemirovitch-Danchenko Co. [co-director: Stanislavsky])
1920 "La Fille De Mme. Angot" by Lecocq. OB as Lange.
1922 "La Perichole" by Offenbach. OB in the title role.
1923 "Lysistrata" by Aristophanes / music by Fliere. OB in the title role.
1924 "Carmencita and the Soldier" Lib: Lipskeroff Music: Bizet OB as Carmencita.
1925 "Love and Death" trilogy
Comprised of three pieces:
"The Fountain of Bakhshi" by Puskin. (OB as Zarema.)
"Aleko" by Rachmaninoff. (OB as Zemfira.)
"Cleopatra" from Pushkin's "Egyptian Nights".
1925-26 - 8-month tour of the USA
Performed musical studio repertoire, including:
"Lysistrata"
"Carmencita and the Soldier"
"Love and Death" trilogy
US and UK Stage Credits
1926 "The Miracle" West Coast production. (OB as the nun)
1929 Vaudeville at the Palace. OB in "The Farewell Supper" (fragment from "Affairs on Anatol".)
1931 "Silent Witness" West Coast production.
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Olga as Madame Grusinskaya in the 1932 West Coast stage production of Grand Hotel. |
1932 "Grand Hotel" West Coast production. OB as Grusinskaya.
1932 "Twentieth Century" OB as Lily Garland. West Coast.
1932 "The Cat and the Fiddle" OB as Shirley. West Coast.
1933 "$25 an Hour" Broadway. OB as Germain Granville.
1933 "Murder at the Vanities" Broadway. OB as Sonya Sonya.
1934 "Mahagony Hall" Broadway. OB as Mme. Paris.
1936 "Going Places" London debut at Savoy Theatre. OB as Dagmar Petrova.
1936 "Idiot's Delight" US tour. OB as Irena.
1937 "Twentieth Century" US tour. OB as Lily Garland.
1941-1943 "Claudia" Broadway (US tour 1942).
1945 "The Cat and the Fiddle" stage revival. Paper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey. OB as Shirley?
Mid-1947 Summer Stock (East Coast).
1947 "Louisiana Lady" OB as Mme. Corday. Schubert Theatre, New Haven, CT.
1947 "A Copy of Madame Aupic" OB as Mme. Renée Aupic. Theatre-in-the-Dale, New Milford, CT.
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Footnotes:
1. The Wolf of Wall Street only has two montage sequences surviving. From Leonard Maltin's 2013 article "The 'Other' Wolf On Wall Street": "Last spring, the eminent film preservationist David Shepard wrote on the Nitrateville website, 'The 1929 Wolf of Wall Street is a lost film, as far as I know. However, it contained a couple of interesting montages by Slavko Vorkapich. He kept prints of these sequences and gave them to me. We used one in Unseen Cinema that was curated by Bruce Posner and produced for DVD by myself.'"
2. Until recently I was never able to find information on one of Olga’s talkies: The Life of Beethoven (British and Dominion Films, 1930). After perusing information in the trade journals and newspapers of the time, I have some answers but not the full story. It seems that Herbert Wilcox (producer for British and Dominion Films) decided around the summer of 1929 to produce the film. He signed Anglo-Russian concert pianist Mark Hambourg for the lead role in October, and Baclanova as his leading lady in November. Olga’s contract option with Paramount had not been renewed at that time. Apparently, production started in November, with Hamburg likely doing the concert numbers. Baclanova and her husband, Nicholas Soussanin, sailed for London in December. Shortly after the Soussanins arrived in late December, production on the film had closed down. The film was to be in four languages: English, German, French, and Russian. Both of the principals were fluent in all four languages and were to have speaking roles in all language versions of the film. The total amount that had been spent on production was ₤20,000 pounds sterling ($100,000 in 1930 US dollars). Olga's contract called for ₤5000 pounds (at that time $25,000 US dollars). Olga collected the money, and the Soussanins, also with Nicholas' son 16 year old Nikita (aka Nick Saunders), embarked to Paris to connect with the first Mme. Soussanin (Nicolas Soussanin’s previous wife) and Nikita's two sisters. Nikita recalled his memories of this to me shortly before his death in 2006.
—Paul Meienberg, May 2015