Mirror Mirror (and hidden initials)

Mirror Mirror (and hidden initials)

Alex Gard was the caricaturist at the famous (still operating) Manhattan eatery - Sardi’s. Gard drew film legend Joan Crawford, as did Vitch. Gard’s caricature of Crawford is a wink at the star’s jealousy of Greta Garbo, whom she is viewing in the mirror. It is also a...

“The Man is a Genius”!

“The Man is a Genius”!

When Vitch went to NY in 1931 he started drawing caricatures of clients at a famous Manhattan Speakeasy. These were the Depression years in America but Vitch not only managed to earn good money (a fortune at the time) but he also caught the attention of a journalist...

VITCH – In Uruguay

As we are starting our round of film festivals, I'm happy to report that the screening in Montevideo, Uruguay, was a great success. The director of the film festival said it was a small crowd as expected in the documentary genre but the response to the movie was...

Chris Pine? Adam Brody? Eddie Redmayne?

Chris Pine? Adam Brody? Eddie Redmayne?

It is no secret that I’m dreaming of making a feature film of Vitch - the documentary. It will be incredibly challenging for an actor to portray the complexity, charm, skills and struggles of Eddie Vitch. I’m toying with the idea of who can do it best. In an ideal...

The Original Madonna

Vitch’s portrait of Marlene Dietrich captures perfectly the mysterious star, who navigated herself in Hollywood on her own terms. Vitch knew her personally. He had a small part in Blue Angel (1930), the film that made her an international star. In this article,...

Groucho’s advise to Harpo

Groucho’s advise to Harpo

“Groucho Marx was overheard grumbling at Harpo: “Harpo, take a leaf from Eddie. He doesn’t just grimace. He’s a natural, a true pantomimist”. (Stage and Cinema magazine, 1953) In this photo taken at the Brown Derby, Groucho is “handkerchiefing” with Red...

The Funniest Drunk Since Chaplin

The Funniest Drunk Since Chaplin

In 1934 the LA Times published this review of Eddie Vitch’s performance at the Wilshire Ebell Theater: Eddie Vitch presented the funniest drunk pantomime I’ve caught since that classic, comic stagger of Chaplin’s “One A.M.”. The reviewer, Herb Sterne, went on to...

A Handsome Signature

A Handsome Signature

He was one of he handsomest men in Hollywood (pictured here with Mary Pickford). Gary Cooper was the actor with the trademark western roles, slow talk and calculated performance. He was tall, elegant and masculine. One of his striking features was his piercing...

What’s on the menu?

What’s on the menu?

Vitch had an agreement with Bob Cobb that he can order anything on the menu and just sign... It impressed his Hollywood dates. 'What? you can order anything you like? and why is your signature on all the caricatures?'... They thought he was the owner of the place.