Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice

by David J. Skal

Born into the English working class, Claude Rains (1889–1967) overcame a severe speech impediment to become a fixture of the London theater scene. Rains’s personal life was as dramatic as his work to end his second marriage while masking his wife’s alcoholism, he staged an episode of infidelity, though the ensuing scandal made it difficult for him to find work. In 1926 he immigrated to America where, despite what Rains described as “the worst screen test of all time,” he was hired by director James Whale to play the title role in an adaptation of H. G. Wells’s The Invisible Man , a tour-de-force depending completely on his vocal skills. In Claude An Actor’s Voice, noted author David J. Skal illustrates how Rains’s talents were well suited to Hollywood’s studio system, allowing him to become one of cinema’s best known character actors. He lent his commanding presence to such landmark films as Casablanca, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Notorious, and Lawrence of Arabia and was nominated for four Academy Awards . Bette Davis considered him her favorite acting partner. Drawing on over thirty hours of newly released audio interviews with Rains and enriched by daughter Jessica Rains’s contributions, Claude Rains is an intimate portrait and the first full biography of this gifted actor. (20080205)

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Film, Theatre

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2008

About the author

David J. Skal became fascinated with monsters at the height of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when indestructible monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man provided a "nuclear security blanket" for a whole generation of youngsters.

Active as an editor and reporter on his high school newspaper, he was granted a journalism scholarship to Ohio University, Athens, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1974. His work as film critic, arts reporter, arts editor and assistant managing editor of the Ohio University Post, one of the country's leading college papers,led to his three-season appointment as publicity director of the University-operated Monomoy Theatre on Cape Cod. Following his graduation, he served as a public affairs intern in the office of National Endowment for the Arts chairman Nancy Hanks, and went on to the position of Publicity Director at the Hartford Stage Company, where he oversaw all media relations while the regional company fund-raised, built and opened a major new facility in downtown Hartford. In 1978, he was staff writer for the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, with responsibility for the content of all printed materials. From 1979-1982 he was Publications Director of Theatre Communications Group, a national service organization in New York City. From 1982 to 1992 he was president and creative director of David J. Skal Associates, Inc. (later Visual Cortex Ltd.), a Manhattan-based, nationally oriented design and marketing consultancy with clients ranging from the Metroplitan Opera to regional theatre, dance and music organizations.

A published writer of short fiction since his early college years (he was one of the youngest students ever admitted to the celebrated Clarion Writers Workshop in fantasy and science fiction), he authored three well-received science fiction novels: SCAVENGERS (1980), WHEN WE WERE GOOD (1981) and ANTIBODIES (1987). His long-standing interest in Dracula and his extensive contacts in the theatre world led to his first nonfiction book, HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC: THE TANGLED WEB OF DRACULA FROM NOVEL TO STAGE TO SCREEN (1990), followed by THE MONSTER SHOW: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF HORROR (1993). Many other books followed, including V IS FOR VAMPIRE (1995); DARK CARNIVAL: THE SECRET WORLD OF TOD BROWNING (1995,with Elias Savada); the Norton Critical Edition of Bram Stoker's DRACULA (1996, co-edited with Nina Auerbach); SCREAMS OF REASON: MAD SCIENCE AND MODERN CULTURE(1997); and the monumental anthology VAMPIRES: ENCOUNTERS WITH THE UNDEAD (2001, the largest such illustrated/annotated compendium ever published.

Skal began his work as a documentary filmmaker writing and co-producing segments for the A&E Network's award-winning series "Biography," and contributed scripts chronicling the lives and careers of Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Jr. and Angela Lansbury (with whom he had worked during his theatre career). In 1999, he wrote, co-produced and co-directed a behind-the-scenes chronicle of the Academy Award-winning film GODS AND MONSTERS. The same year, he was tapped by Universal Studios Home Video for a series of twelve original DVD documentaries exploring the legacies of the studio's classic horror and science fiction films. His DVD work has continued with Disney Home Video's "Jules Verne and Walt Disney: Explorers of the Imagination" (2003) and the feature commentary for Warner Home Video's special-edition release of Tod Browning's FREAKS (2004).

His current projects include CITIZEN CLONE: THE MORPHING OF AMERICA (Faber and Faber, 2005)and CLAUDE RAINS: AN ACTOR'S VOICE, a biography based on the acclaimed character actor's never-published reminiscences, written in collaboration with the actor's daughter, Jessica Rains.

David Skal is a member of the Authors Guild. He lives and writes in Glendale, California.

Reviews

[Jim Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

CLAUDE RAINS: AN ACTOR’S VOICE is likely the most extensive biography of the famous actor that we are ever likely to see. Rains started taking notes for an autobiography, but never put them into book form. Near the end of his life, he began collaborating with a writer who was extremely enthusiastic about the project and recorded 30-hours of interviews. Before the formal writing could begin, though, the collaborator suffered two major heart attacks (the second one claiming his life) and Rains died not long afterward.

This book is written by David J. Skal (especially known to me for his writings about the classic horror films of Hollywood) with Rains’ daughter, Jessica Rains. In addition to the tapes and access to notes and scrapbooks, he also interviewed a number of folks who had worked with Rains. (The comments from Roddy McDowall were wonderful!)

Even with all of this, there are periods in the timeline that receive superficial coverage. Also, there are a small number of significant events that have a “Where did that come from?” quality. Even assertions such as Rains having quite a temper are supported with few examples.

Yet, what is there is golden.

When dealing with facts from the record, the writing is a bit dry. But then, these are soon enhanced by Rains’ own comments that just bring it all so vividly alive. Even Skal mentions that the Reader may feel that Rains is embellishing, but then offers a reminder that Rains had an exceptional memory. Indeed, early in his theatrical career, he worked as a Prompter and became accustomed to memorizing entire scripts. This continued into his film years when he knew not only his part, but those of the remainder of the cast! (This ability provides a wonderful story of a joke that was played upon him by Peter Lorre and Humphrey Bogart while working on CASABLANCA!)

It is well worth the time to glance through the Notes at the end of the book before finishing with it. They sometimes contain additional commentary that can be quite illuminating. For instance, in the body of the book, Gloria Stuart’s assertion that Rains kept trying to up-stage her until the Director intervened on the set of THE INVISIBLE MAN is told. However, in the Notes section at the end, David Skal provides evidence that this may not have ever happened.

The Appendix is filled with extensive information about Rains’ work on the stage, screen, radio and recordings. These include the Theatre or Studio, a cast list, and frequently Review quotations. Two sections are filled with a generous collection of photographs. There are also occasional notes such as: LISBON was shot in a widescreen process called “Naturama” in “Trucolor.”

The book ends with Jessica Rains recalling the 2-hours she spent with Bette Davis who reminisced about her father. It seems that Davis had a twinkle in her eye as far as Rains was concerned. And this is even more fun when the Reader recalls Roddy McDowall’s speculation that Rains once mimicked the performance style of Davis for one of his most famous roles!

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fine, straightforward bio on Claude Rains that will be a treat to his biggest fans looking for a fairly in-depth look at the man's life and career. I feel like something was missing here, though.

Perhaps it's because I came in with expectations that were higher than they should have been: I do love Claude Rains and find him to be one of the most intriguing supporting stars of classic cinema AND I had read and loved Skal's books The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror and Dark Carnival: The Secret World of Tod Browning, Hollywood's Master of the Macabre. It seemed like a winning combo to me, but it just didn't land for me.

It could just be that Rains' personal life and personality off-screen was not overly fascinating. There's nothing wrong with this, obviously, but it seems Skal writes with way more feeling and emotion when his subject is far darker, more macabre, or a little off.. Like, the Horror Genre in Hollywood or Tod Browning.

I did enjoy the insight on Rains' personal journey through life, of which I knew nothing about. There were some great anecdotes and background on his contemporaries and his illustrious filmography. It is quick read which will easily please fans of Rains, but I was hoping for a little more than that.

[Tom Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

An account more of a career than the man

... and that is quite okay. Oh, Skal and the daughter of Mr. Rains manage to give some endearing glimpses into the man, but never more than glimpses. Maybe because there wasn't much there to begin with. He comes across as a lovely person and a monumental talent. There is no doubt that he was both of these. The recounting of his professional life is even more compelling than that of his private life (quite a feat for someone married six times).

All I know is that whenever I'm watching a film and Mr. Rains appears, he is the only one I see from that point on.

I guess the point of a biography is to help you know the person better ... If not from a personal viewpoint than from a public one ... This book succeeds in the latter. Well worth the time of anyone interested in theater and film of the era and especially anyone captivated by Mr. Rains.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, but interesting biography of a fine actor. Based on taped interviews with Rains by journalist Jonathan Root who passed away before he could begin writing his own book, author David J. Skal added his own research and interviews with Rains daughter Jessica for this respectful look at the subject's long career on stage, screen and television. Lots of good photos and an extensive appendix are pluses. Rains appeared in many fine films which I have watched while reading the book. He may be best known for playing intimidating roles, but could also be a sweet curmudgeon such as the father in the Four Daughters films.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography polite and professional, for the most part. An informed chronology of the actor's life and roles. The early history is quite interesting, and delves into Rains' troubled home life and theatre experiences. His Hollywood time is charted with authority. Excellent details and insight into the creation of "The Invisible Man" and "Phantom of the Opera". A bit lacking, however, in personal details, as if after all these years Rains is still the guarded person he seemed to be while alive. He is "humanized" only in the last quarter of the book, the time in the '50s and beyond. We finally read a bit about his emotional life, his stuggle with alcoholism (which is referred to only anecdotally throughout), and his desire to be loved. I found most intriguing that Rains was collaborating with a young writer in 1965 to 1967, but the writer died suddenly; and not long after, so did Rains. The author quotes a variety of industry personalities, and succeeds in creating a solid sketch of this enigmatic and vulnerable man. Admirable appendix with a comprehensive list of his work. Completed with the cooperation of Rains' daughter Jessica.

[Maija · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a life !

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the convenience of interlibrary loan, I had the pleasure of reading Claude Rains: An Actor’s Voice, by David J. Skal and Jessica Rains (Claude’s daughter). I requested it almost as a lark since I’ve never had a burning desire to know much more about Rains than the rudiments with which I was already familiar, but I’d seen a couple of his movies lately and something about his style clicked with me. When I went to look up a biography, this was the first one I came across, and having read a couple of Skal’s other books – Hollywood Gothic and The Monster Show, both quite good -- I thought, why not?

The biographical portion of the book is only 184 pages, and much of that is basically “and then he was in this play and then he was in that play,” so it’s a quick read. There’s a good selection of photographs. The 75-page appendix lists pretty much every play, film, and television or radio show that he ever did, and there are non-extensive bibliographic notes and an index. If you want to know about his work, what he did and with whom and where they did it and how much he was paid, this book has that covered. If you want to know why he did it, you may be disappointed.

Rains never published any in-depth memoirs, although he attempted them at least twice. He intended to call them Lost and Found because, he said, “I was lost for many years. I was a wretched little boy, you know, with no education, and for the most part, still am.” But late in life Rains sat with journalist Jonathan Root for many hours of recorded interviews that Root intended to turn into a biography. Unfortunately, Root died unexpectedly with very little written, and Rains died not long thereafter. It is these recordings, provided by Rains’ estate, along with contributions and guidance from Jessica Rains, that Skal uses to explore Rains’ career and character.

Skal admirably captures the career, and he certainly gives us the flavor of Rains’ personality. But Rains was too skilled and too constant an actor for this approach to get to the heart of who he was. To give Skal credit, I think he realized this and wasn’t interested in trying to illuminate Rains through a particular psychoanalytical or sociological lens. Perhaps there is more along those lines in the longer Claude Rains – An Invisible Man from 2022 by Toby I. Cohen. Surprisingly, that and Skal’s book appear to be the only book-length general biographies of Rains to date.

Here are some tidbits from the book:

• Rains married six times and divorced five, and was apparently irresistible to women. His frequent co-star and good friend Bette Davis lusted for him, but he rebuked her, and managed to do it without inciting her wrath, as they were lifelong friends. While apparently many other women were much more successful in their pursuit of Rains, none of them were, like Davis, world-famous Hollywood stars. While Rains’ third wife was the moderately well-known actress Beatrix Thomson, he did not appear to be interested in women who might also be competitors.

• As a young stagehand he developed the habit of memorizing entire scripts so he could feed lines to any actor who needed one. During the filming of Casablanca, Peter Lorre and other cast members, bemused at Rains’ perfectionism and wanting to lighten the mood on set, wrote a fake scene and contrived to be rehearsing it one day when Rains arrived on set. Lorre: “When he…saw us rehearing the [fake] scene, he was frantic. He called me aside and said, ‘Peter, something terrible has happened to me. I can’t remember a single line.’ We all broke up and he wasn’t even mad – just relieved that his memory wasn’t failing.”

• Rains could lighten the mood himself. After director Michael Curtiz kept asking him to make an entrance with “more energy,” Rains burst through the door, energetically, on a bicycle. It’s unclear if this happened during the making of Casablanca or of another of the several other movies that Rains made with Curtiz.

• Rains last appearance on Broadway, in 1956, was in “The Night of the Auk,” a science fiction play in blank verse by Arch Oboler, creator of “Chicken Heart” – yes, the one that Bill Cosby riffed on – and many other creepy stories in the seminal radio series Lights Out, as well as one of the earlier post-atomic war movies, the well-regarded Five, and the less well-regarded The Twonky, adapted from the Lewis Padgett (Catherine Moore and Henry Kuttner) story of the same name. Rains’ castmates in this oddity were Wendell Corey, Christopher Plummer, Dick York, and Martin Brooks. It closed after eight performances. Probably too cerebral, right?

[Tony Siciliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written if superficial biography of one of the greatest acting talents of the 20th century. The short man with the stammer who grew up in somewhat diminished circumstances transformed himself, by force of sheer will, into an elegant, golden voiced giant whose presence enhanced any play or movie he appeared in. He was never late for a performance or a screen shooting. He not only knew his own lines to perfection, but knew the dialogue of every person in the performance. He could act the sinister villain or the suave, likeable hero. In every case, his performances were spell-binding and commanded the attention of his audience and fellow actors. While he dreamed of marriage and raising a family, he married six times, mostly unhappily, and had only one child. There is not much in-depth analysis of the man, but, rather, a complete chronicle of his performances. The few anecdotes about his interactions with other performers are few and thus all the more valuable. And, as others here have said, perhaps he wasn't all that interesting a person. In any event, I fully enjoyed this biography of one of my favorite character actors.

[Marsha Valance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Born in the London in 1889, Claude Rains had a hardscrabble theater experience as child actor, call boy and prompter before being promoted by actor/producer Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree to stage manager/actor in the impresario's company. After losing the sight in his right eye to phosgene gas in World War I, then teaching at RADA, he eventually became a theatrical leading man. His 1st Hollywood film was James Whale's "The Invisible Man" in 1933. He went on to work with directors Frank Capra, Michael Curtiz, Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean, and Mervyn LeRoy. George Bernard Shaw chose him to star opposite Vivien Leigh in "Caesar and Cleopatra". Despite his lack of height (5'6") and alcoholism, he became known as "the consummate character actor of his generation."

[Nisha-Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why did that feel so rushed and like a synopsis rather than a deep exploration? Even though there was so much primary material to draw upon, such a richness of professional and personal drama. I don't know, I felt peculiarly dissatisfied. It was such a thrill to see who he crossed paths with in the theatre and the early years, that he even worked in Sydney and Brisbane as a stage manager and then as an actor in Melbourne in 1912. So many of my faves were mentioned and just as summarily dismissed. Gah.

I adore Claude Rains in all his complexity. I wanted to be fully immersed in that dangerous sweetness. So while I'm glad we finally got a proper biography, I wanted more depth, damnit.

He deserved that and so do I.

[Katharine Holden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good biography. Well-written. I would have liked the author to have included his own critiques of Claude Rains' performances in more of his films. He tells us Rains was a wonderful actor capable of playing characters so different from each other, and he was, but we don't get much detailed critique from the author. I also would have liked more information about his life on the farm he bought later in life, but perhaps that wasn't available. The author's description of life in the England of Rains' childhood and Rains having to support his family by working backstage in the theater when he was only a young boy was fascinating and well-detailed.

[Brad Graber · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever wanted to know what Bette Davis said to Claude Rains during the making of Mr. Skeffington, or, how she viewed Claude in Now, Voyager, well then, Skal has provided that info. Aside from Davis, Skal shares the ups and downs of the life of a beloved character actor. Six marriages and lots of theater productions, the theater details sometimes slow it down, but there's plenty here to sink your teeth into. How did a poor stuttering kid become an accomplished stage actor and movie star? Skal tells you how.

[KENNETH HAMLETT · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Suitably Great Biography of a Great Actor

This biography is a thorough, insightful, balanced & poignant look at the life of a great stage & film actor. Often, when reading biographies of famous people, I hurry through the accounts of their younger years to get to the stories of the events that caused them to become celebrated. But, the life of Claude Raines was interesting from its first moment until its last. Mr. Skal & the actor's daughter have done him justice.

[John Kenrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

As a longtime fan of Claude Rains, I found this book a treasure trove of background on this extraordinarily versatile actor and some of his most memorable screen performances. He appeared in hundreds of films so not all can be covered in detail. But everything here is choice. Thanks to his daughter's participation, his personal life is covered frankly but with empathy. Definitely recommended for fellow fans of classic film.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read for fans of Claude Rains. Some excellent insight into Rains' early days is balanced with the inside stories behind his films. i found some of the film stories woefully brief and rather incomplete.

[Delilah Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful trip through some early years of British Stage and American Theatre history, moving along into early Hollywood moviemaking following one of our favorite Classic Actors, Claude Rains!

[Daniel Curzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brings back Claude Rains from the dead. A long and interesting career and life.

[Howard Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needed more "oomph". This was an extraordinary actor and this feels like a very cursory biography.

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography of one of my favorite actors. It contains hours of interviews with Rains himself for a biography that was never written. Much more interesting than your standard show biz bio.

[Jean Applegath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written. Really enjoyed reading it. Very knowledgeable.

[Mim Eichmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, in-depth biography about one of Hollywood's most endearing actors whose talents were sadly never fully explored by those at the helm of the major motion picture industry.

[James Van Fleet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veers into itinerary, not too interested in digging deep, but the volume of well-researched info was a treat. If not reliably compelling, reliably exhaustive.

[Tony Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly definitive and much needed biography of one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century. The author has gone to great lengths to obtain and authenticate details about both Claude Rains the actor and Claude Rains the man. From his very humble beginnings in turn of the century England to his well deserved star status during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Mr. Skal has also included a complete and detailed chronology of Rains work in the professional theatre as well as in film. This is a candid and sensitive yet honest telling of the Clapham youngster (one of twelve) who grew up in great poverty. According to his daughter, Jessica Rains, he grew up with "a very serious Cockney accent and a speech impediment" which took the form of a stutter, causing him to call himself "Willie Wains". The transformation of Willie Wains to the magnificent actor Claude Rains was achieved though his own tenacious unrelenting work. Anyone who loves the classic movies: NOW VOYAGER, CASABLANCA, NOTORIOUS, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, THE INVISIBLE MAN, THE WOLF MAN, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, and many others, will come to know the magnificently gifted yet very human man and actor through this very well written and replete biography.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazingly this is the first biography of Rains and it is has a great deal of information that will come as news to his fans. One wishes it could have been written forty years ago when when many of his contemporaries were still alive. Once he reaches his Hollywood the films rush by with no more than an anecdote or two for most of them. Still this is as good a bio as we're likely to get, with Skal having access to a couple of dozen of hours of interviews that were done with Rains for a prospective bio that never happened, as well as the cooperation of Rains's only daughter. If you're a fan, you'll be glad you read this.

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strong biography, written about one of film's forgotten men...the character actor. Never really succeeding as a leading man, Claude Rains made the most impact with tough, powerful supporting roles, such as Louis in Casablanca or Alex the Nazi in Hitchcock's Masterpiece Notorious. Written by David Skal, a film historian and biographer, as well as by Rains' only child, Jessica, this book vividly tells the story of a man who didn't monopolize Hollywood, he just captivated it.

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second book by David J. Skal and it is quite good. I have been interested in Claude Rains' early start in London and the life he had before and around Hollywood. Without going into too personal details, which I'm not interested in, this book achieved the things I would have liked to know. Unfortunately as per with most biographies I have read so far there is too little on anecdotes between actors and other actors/actresses, or how some became friends.

[j_ay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine enough, but it would have been nice to have some meat on the bones of this 183 page biography. Far less credible ‘stars’ are out there with bios that easily more than double this page-count. Surely there are other sources the author could have drawn from to flesh out the work.
A nice film and stage listing at the back.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative book about one of the great cinematic character actors of our time of which I for one knew very little about. I would recommend this to anyone with a love for classic stage or cinema. Truly a story about a man who had to overcome considerable odds to become a success.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great biography of a truly remarkable actor. Knowing about his origins, his work ethic and even the demons he fought makes me appreciate him so much more. The book itself read very quickly, leading to my only complaint of wanting more information about the films.

[Sjfstudio · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite actors profiled in this interesting biography. A little "dry", but informative and of interest to anyone having seen this actor's work.