God felt sorry for actors, so he gave them a place in the sun and a lot of money. All they had to sacrifice was their talent. - Claude Rains

How many people can be Napoleon, Julius Caesar, Prince John, an angel, Satan, a US senator, a Spanish Don, a British earl, a colonel, a phantom, and an invisible man all in one lifetime? Claude Rains achieved that distinction during his vast, incomparable film career, which spanned over three decades. Although this great actor was born in England, he found stardom in Hollywood in 1933, at age forty-four. For the third year in a row, the Pure Entertainment Preservation Society is honoring Claude Rains's life and work in memory of his birthday; he would have been 131 this year!

The blogathon's dates this year are November 9-11, coinciding with his actual birthday, which is November 10. This it the third time we have hosted this celebration of the great "Willy Wains." Since both previous years have been so successful, we decided to continue this party for the third year, making this our only annual blogathon other than The Great Breening Blogathon. Like the first year, we hosted this, the dates coincide with Veterans Day, an appropriate coincidence, since Mr. Rains was a World War I veteran. Thus, this blogathon is also our tribute to the generation of actors and filmmakers who fought in the Great War.

The Rules:

1. We are putting no limitations on duplicates. Although Mr. Rains did make a great many films in his long career, there are a certain few that are especially beloved and famous, and I'm sure several people will want to review them.
2. Although Mr. Rains did quite a lot of work in the media of stage, radio, and television, we are limiting the blogathon to his film career, since PEPS predominately celebrates the cinema during the Golden Era. You can also write about his personal life, albeit respectfully.
3. Because PEPS's main goal is to celebrate and spread the word about the Code and the marvelous films it produced, we ask that you please keep all articles Code-compliant, even when discussing a film which is not.

Here are the banners for the Third Annual Claude Rains Blogathon! Please put at least one in your article and use them to advertise the blogathon on your website!

This banner features a shot from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939); in this scene, Senator Joseph Payne (Claude Rains) feels guilty for what he has done to young Jeff Smith (James Stewart).

This banner features a shot from Angel on My Shoulder (1946); in this scene, Nick (Claude Rains) tells a revitalized gangster (Paul Muni) what it means to make a deal with the Devil.

This banner features a shot from Notorious (1946); this is the scene when Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains) and his wife, Alicia (Ingrid Bergman), host a party.

This banner features a shot from The Unsuspected (1947); even wearing glasses, Victor Grandison (Claude Rains), a radio mystery host, looks suave.

This banner features a shot from The Man Who Watched Trains Go By, also known as The Paris Express (1952); as Kees Popinga, Claude Rains played a complex character who does much more than watch trains.