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Nena Quartaro?
I've never heard of her before - What are her good films? What is her appeal?

Nathen,

Nena Quartaro? What is her appeal? "She's Good Looking! Take a gander.




Nena Quartaro

I thought posting colorizations anywhere else but in the color thread was a big no-no?

Martie,

To bad, people will just have to get over it. I don't have a Monochrome version. Looked and couldn't find it.

Well, I have one. At least I know who she is, now.

Nena Quartaro? What is her appeal? She's Good Looking! Take a gander.



Nena Quartaro

gagman,
As of now, I can't see the image you posted, but from what Martie posted later it must be the posed still of Nena Quartaro from FRA DIAVOLO (THE DEVIL'S BROTHER) - 1933.

Do you remember when you had that still posted on the TCM Message Boards but misidentified as someone else, I think Lina Basquette? That was back in Dec. 2008 and it was the posting of that still there that inspired me to sign on and make my first post - I had to correct the identity of the lady in the still...it's one of my favorites of her and I'm very familiar with her and her career (I even have a nice original of that still from 1933) - Nena Quartaro not Lina Basquette.

Well, I have one. At least I know who she is, now.

That is a posed still from the 1933 Hal Roach Production FRA DIAVOLO (THE DEVIL'S BROTHER) starring Laurel & Hardy, Dennis King, and Thelma Todd. Nena Quartaro has very little to do in the movie (I believe she originally had more scenes but they were edited from the final cut).

As I said earlier, I've been a fan for a long time of Nena Quartaro. So...how'd you like some trivia about her? Here's something you probably won't read anywhere else:
She always bought white shoes so she that could paint them whatever color needed to match whatever dress she was going to wear.

Richard,

Yes, I remember. November or December of 2008 when TCM debuted the Photoplay version of De Mille's THE GODLESS GIRL. Wow, has it been four years? I never thought that it was Lina either, Just went with that name because it was posted as such where I had found the photo originally.

Nena Quartaro?
I've never heard of her before - What are her good films? What is her appeal?

Hey, it seems a lot of my favorites are pretty obscure!
She's just someone I started noticing in small roles and comedy shorts many years ago and decided I'd try to learn all I could about her and try to find all of her films.

I can't say that Nena Quartaro ever became a great actress, but she's certainly fun to watch.
After hearing her dialogue delivery in one of her first talkies, the 1929 Hal Roach short THE BIG SQUAWK starring Charley Chase it was clear to me that she could only get better (and she would have to if she was going to have any kind of acting career in talkies!) But she did, and at least in comedy shorts she did fine. She did more films at Roach in 1933-34 as well as parts in features for numerous different studios.

Although she was Italian it seems most of her film roles were as "Mexican Spitfire" types, Gypsies, etc.

Charley Chase may have liked working with her, as she made several films with him. In addition to the aforementioned early talkie THE BIG SQUAWK she was in three of his silents in 1928-29 and then was back with him in 1937 for his first Columbia short THE GRAND HOOTER.

More Nena Quartaro trivia:
On her death certificate in 1985 her occupation was given as Motion Picture Actress even though she hadn't made a film since 1943. And her employer was given as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, even although she hadn't made a film for them since 1936.

They had faces then.