1940.02.29 “Peak of Fame”
by Julius Kroll (1896-1968)
11 x 15 in, ink on paper (mounted)
Coppola Collection
The year that Edward G. Robinson, William Powell, Clark Gable, and Charles Laughton would all be at the peak of their fame is 1939. So, let’s honor them on the day of the 1940 Academy Awards.
Clark Gable: 1939 saw the release of Gone with the Wind, which cemented Gable's status as a leading star and is considered a landmark film. And Edward G. Robinson: While Robinson had already established himself, 1939 saw the release of The Return of Doctor X which further solidified his role as a gangster in film. William Powell and Charles Laughton: both were prominent actors throughout the 1930s.
Julius Kroll caricatured for a Berlin newspaper until he left for Denmark in 1933, wary of the rising power of Adolph Hitler and the political harm he may have done with his cartooning. He emigrated to America in 1938 and was quickly utilized by the Saturday Evening Post, the New York Times and various other newspapers wanting his unique style of caricature. While he drew almost every political figure in the World for these publications, his real fancy was Hollywood. Kroll was very well known among the Hollywood crowd and was welcomed by many who wanted to be drawn in caricature.
