European Film Star Postcards: Edmund Lowe

11 May 2024

Edmund Lowe

The career of American actor Edmund Lowe (1890-1971) included over 100 films, beginning in 1915. The tall and athletic Lowe became a popular leading man in silent films, best remembered for his role as Sergeant Harry Quirt, a smart-mouthed buddy of the equally abrasive Captain Jimmy Flagg (Victor McLaglen) in What Price Glory? (1926). He worked steadily as a leading man throughout the 1930s, freelancing at various Hollywood studios. Once his days as a star were over, Edmund Lowe remained much sought-after by producers, having eased effortlessly into supporting roles.

French postcard by A.N., Paris, no. 331. Photo: Max Munn Autrey / Fox Film. Dolores Del Rio and Edmund Lowe in What Price Glory? (Raoul Walsh, 1926).

British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. 201.

Austrian postcard by Iris Verlag, no. 5033. Photo: Max Munn Autrey / Fox.

Edmund Lowe and Myrna Loy in Transatlantic (1931)

British postcard in the Film Partners Series, London, no. PC 23. Edmund Lowe and Myrna Loy in Transatlantic (William K. Howard, 1931).

The boozing, brawling and swearing Sergeant Harry

Edmund Dantes Lowe was born in 1890 in San Jose, California, USA. His father was a judge. He attended Santa Clara College and entertained the idea of becoming a priest.

Lowe switched career paths several times. At one time, he studied law, then taught English and elocution. The latter led to his involvement in the acting profession. After briefly appearing in Vaudeville, he joined the Oliver Morosco stock company in 1911 and made his Broadway debut six years later in 'The Brat'.

The film soon beckoned. With his imposing physique and elegant manner, he quickly became a popular matinée idol, the Tuxedo-attired star of such A-grade productions as East of Suez (Raoul Walsh, 1925) opposite Pola Negri.

In 1926, Lowe was cast, against type, in the role he would be identified with for the remainder of his career: that of the boozing, brawling and swearing Sergeant Harry Quirt in Maxwell Anderson's World War I drama What Price Glory (Raoul Walsh, 1926), co-starring Victor McLaglen as his on-screen adversary Captain Jimmy Flagg. The popularity of Quirt and Flagg virtually guaranteed Edmund Lowe's success in the new talking pictures.

During the 1930s, he played romantic leads in such films as Dinner at Eight (George Cukor, 1933). He portrayed a young doctor trying to escape an affair with Wallace Beery's character's wife, played by Jean Harlow. His last romantic lead was in Every Day's a Holiday (A. Edward Sutherland, 1937), in which the 48-year-old Lowe played opposite the 44-year-old Mae West. Lowe shifted gears and began playing strong supporting roles in major films and leads in minor films.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 1318/1, 1927-1928. Photo: Loew Metro Goldwyn.

Dolores Del Rio and Edmund Lowe in The Bad One (1930)

Spanish postcard by MC, Barcelona, no. 133. Dolores Del Rio and Edmund Lowe in The Bad One (George Fitzmaurice, 1930). Collection: Marlene Pilaete.

Italian postcard by Cinema-Illustrazione, series II, no. 13. Photo: United Artists (Artisti Associati). Dolores Del Rio and Edmund Lowe in The Bad One (George Fitzmaurice, 1930).

French postcard by Cinémagazine-Edition, no. 585. Photo: Roman Freulich / Fox Film.

Firmly in Hollywood's minor league

Edmund Lowe worked under contract at 20th Century Fox (1924-1927, 1929-1932, 1934-1935), Paramount (1932-1933), MGM (1936) and Universal (1938-1939). In 1942, Lowe's friend William K. Howard, a top director of the 1920s, was attempting a comeback at the little 'Poverty Row' studio Monogram Pictures in 1942. As a favour to Howard, Lowe took the leading role in Klondike Fury (William K. Howard, 1942).

Lowe's loyal gesture took a toll on his professional standing, according to Wikipedia. The small, independent Monogram studio was firmly in Hollywood's minor league. However, Lowe gave a strong central performance in Monogram's Dillinger (Max Nosseck, 1945) as Specs Green, the father of the title character, played by Lawrence Tierney.

Dillinger was one of the slickest productions produced by Monogram and became a surprise hit.The film elicited complaints from a few meekly-inclined civic groups and was banned in Chicago for two years because of its 'brutal, sensational subject matter'. Irrespective, it was a surprise box office hit. Lowe's last starring film role was in Monogram's Horror film The Strange Mr. Gregory (Phil Rosen, 1945).

From the 1950s, he freelanced and acted on television. He starred as a sleuthing, two-fisted newspaper columnist in the half-hour series, Front Page Detective (1951-1952). In 1956, Lowe and Victor McLaglen were teamed for the last time in the all-star Around the World In 80 Days (John Farrow, Michael Anderson Jr., 1956). His final film was the Western Heller in Pink Tights (George Cukor, 1960) starring Sophia Loren and Anthony Quinn. Halfway through shooting, Lowe fell seriously ill and had to be doubled in long and medium shots by actor Bernard Nedell.

In private life, Lowe had a reputation for impeccable attire and sartorial elegance. He was married three times. After his first marriage to Esther Miller ended in early 1925, Lowe met Lilyan Tashman while filming Ports of Call (Denison Clift, 1925). Lowe and Tashman were married before the release of the film. The two had homes in Beverly Hills and Malibu. They were married until Tashman's death from cancer at age 37 in 1934. Seventy years after Tashman's death, author E.J. Fleming claimed Lowe was a homosexual and Tashman was a lesbian. Lowe's third wife was costume designer Rita Kaufman. They were married from 1936 to 1950. Edmund Lowe died in 1971 in Woodland Hills, California, of lung cancer and is buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery, Mission Hills, California. Not as well remembered today as he deserves to be, he is immortalised with a star on the 'Walk of Fame' on Hollywood Boulevard.