This promo image shows Colleen Moore, née Kathleen Morrison, who’s not well known today but appeared in more than fifty films from 1916 to 1934. That’s going back to an era of movies few casual fans have seen, but some of her highlights include Her Bridal Nightmare, So Long Lettty, and the 1934 version of The Scarlet Letter. You could be forgiven for thinking the latter was the first time Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel had been filmed, or even for thinking it was the second or third time, but it was, incredibly, the seventh film version. It was also Moore’s last film. The above shot is from earlier, 1924, and was made for her comedy-drama Flirting with Love.
1935—Jury Finds Hauptmann Guilty
A jury in Flemington, New Jersey finds Bruno Hauptmann guilty of the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, the son of Charles Lindbergh. Hauptmann is sentenced to death and executed in 1936. For decades, his widow Anna, fights to have his named cleared, claiming that Hauptmann did not commit the crime, and was instead a victim of prosecutorial misconduct, but her claims are ultimately dismissed in 1984 after the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to address the case.