Todd’s Serial Blog

When classic movie fans think of a mad Russian character in films they think of Mischa Auer.  Ironically he had played predominantly villains in his early career.  Born in Russia, he left with his mother during the Lenin led Soviet revolution.  Sadly she died soon after and Auer was forced to continue on alone, eventually making it to America and his grandfather who had him study music.   Though an accomplished musician it was acting that he really wanted to to do and thanks to his grandfather’s connections made his debut on Broadway in 1925.

Mischa soon migrated to Hollywood, where he began playing villains in such films as The Monster Walks (1932), Sucker Money (1933) and Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935).  He also appeared in several serials.  Mascot cast him as one of Boris Karloff’s henchmen in King of the Wild (1931).  He then played a villainous high priest in Principal’s Tarzan the Fearless (1933) and a similar role in Mascot’s The Adventures of Rex and Rinty (1935).

Then came the role that would change Auer’s career.  Cast as a fake nobleman/ con artist in My Man Godfrey (1936), Auer was forever typecast as a comedic actor.  He would go on to appear in such films as You Can’t Take It With You (1937), One Hundred Men and a Girl (1938) and Destry Rides Again (1939).

During the forties he had his own radio show, Mischa the Magnificent, and appeared in such films as Hold That Ghost (1941),  Brewster’s Millions (1945) and  Sentimental Journey (1946).  Relocating to Europe after the war he continuing making films, most notably Orson Welle’s Mr. Arkadin (1955), until his death in the late sixties from a heart attack.

Tags: Biography //