“Some people are just nice guys and nothing, not even Hollywood, can change it.”
I LOVE Richard Arlen and mainly because I made his Chili Con Carne last night and it was quite honestly the most delicious Chili I have ever eaten outside of Texas! Despite the fact that I made a schoolgirl error thinking that “3 Red Peppers” were the kind of peppers that also come in green and orange and yellow over here (Bell Peppers to those across the pond) and having to use the STAR’s squeezy tube of pre-prepared chili when I realised my mistake…
Shame there was nobody there to see the comedy moment when I ate my first mouthful. I could have been on a cheesy commercial doing the bit before the “pack shot” where there is a close up of a “oh my goodness this is absolutely delicious” look. It was a big surprise as there are so few ingredients for such a splendid taste. I think the secret is the Worcestershire Sauce and flour combo added near the end. Bravo Richard.
Sunny days in London are adding to my current sunny demeanor. I am learning “I Wanna Be Loved By You” on the ukulele and have some fun DJing dates on the horizon. The cooking is picking up momentum and the love life is tickety-bo. I am making the most of everything…
As requested by blog reader Mitch in the comments below, here is Richard’s recipe… I think the Worcestershire Sauce is the magic ingredient…
Would you by any chance consider posting the recipe? I would love to try it out.
I made Arlen’s cabbage dish which you posted and loved it.
It would be much appreciated if you did.
Cheers!
Hi Mitch – yes of course! I will hunt out the recipe and post it for you! So glad you liked the cabbage dish, I’d forgotten all about that and must make it again. Will try and get the recipe up this weekend xx
How lovely, thank you so much! Yes, the cabbage dish is excellent, it’s easy and cheap to make. Thanks for the inspiration!
Here you go Mitch! Interesting to look at this recipe around 11 years after making it! I have made a LOT of chili since then! No tomatoes at all in this recipe, intriguing. But I remember why I liked it so much – the Worcestershire sauce. Magic ingredient!
Would love to hear how this turns out for you if you make it – Jenny x
Thank you so much! Never seen a chili recipe without tomatoes before, seems interesting. This is official on my to do list now. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Cheers!
Keep in touch, I obviously enjoyed it at the time! JX
I finally tried out the recipe and it was really nice. Definitely a different flavour to it due to the lack of tomatoes but I liked it a lot. Do you know if there is any other Arlen recipes out there?
Thank you for sharing the recipe! I’ll be sure to look out for more delicious recipes.
Cheers!
Hi Mitch – I’m so glad that you tried the chili and enjoyed it. You’ve inspired me to make it again!
I’ve just checked my recipe spreadsheet and these are the recipes I have for Richard Arlen – Bread Pudding With Lemon Sauce, Corn Pudding Southern Style, Potted Chicken, Salmon Souffle, Leg of Mutton With Oysters (!!), Buttered Cabbage a la Maryland (you know that one!), Tamale Loaf, Ham and Cabbage en Casserole, Savory Lamb Pie, Spaghetti With Meat and Cheese, Peach Cabinet Pudding, Windsor Eggs and Spaghetti Rarebit.
Quite a lot of recipes for Richard! If there are any there you fancy cooking I can dig them out and send them over. Just drop me a line via the contact page on the site, that way I’ll have your email address.
So glad you liked the chili!
Jenny x
It sure does works great in this cold!
That is indeed quite a lot of recipes! Some of them sound very fascinating, like the Leg of Mutton with Oysters. He must’ve been quite the cook.
That’s so kind of you! I’m definitely interested in a few of them, I’ll send a message through the contact page.
Thank you again for the recipe of the chili!
Hi Mitch! Received your request and will seek those recipes out for you and email. I’m away for a few days visiting my folks so it might take me a while, but I’ve put it on my to-do list! Best wishes from a somewhat warmer London than last week! – Jenny
Splendid! Thank you so much, Jenny, I really appreciate it!
Best wishes
Mitch
Are these other recipes from Richard Arlen available on this site? I would love to try his Bread Pudding with Lemon Sauce, and the Savory Lamb Pie. And I love the quote at the top of this page; everything I have read about Richard Arlen indicates that he was genuinely a nice guy, one of those that Hollywood couldn’t change.
Hi Dave – I’ve only made the chili and the buttered cabbage, but bear with me and I’ll gather together all the recipes I have and put a whole tribute blog post together very soon. Do you have a favourite film of his? I’d like to watch something and cook one of his other dishes…
The 1927 silent film “Wings” is an absolute must-see for any movie lover. It was the first Academy Award winner, and the only silent film to do so. It has recently been restored and remastered with an orchestral score and sound effects so while there is no spoken dialogue, it does not feel like a silent film. It’s an astonishing film. The aerial dogfight sequences are real, not faked or made in studio. The actors not only had to fly and land their own planes solo, but had to work the camera, get the right angles, and act their parts. Richard already learned how to fly during WW1 but his co-star, Buddy Rogers, learned on set during the filming. They are both terrific in this, and with Clara Bow, you really have something.
Richard successfully made the jump from silents to talkies. He was in the first talking version of “The Virginian” (1929) with Gary Cooper, and he was also the first to play the hero of “Gun Smoke” (1931). He does a great job in both of those. And if you want to see a horror film, look for “The Island Of Lost Souls” (1932) with Richard and Charles Laughton. It’s based on H.G. Wells’ novel “The Island Of Dr. Moreau” and is the best – and scariest – version of that film. They’re all good movies, but as I say, “Wings” is an absolute must-see. Richard’s final scene will break your heart.
I love your blog, I’ve spent quite a bit of time looking up my favorite actors and their appetites!
Oh brilliant! I did see Wings when I was a film student, many, many years ago but it’s about time I saw it again! I will seek out the new version on DVD – if that exists. I have a DVD projector and I can project films BIG on my lounge wall – bliss! Thanks for your nice comment about the blog – it’s a labour of love! In the olden days I didn’t put the recipes up, do feel free to email me if there are particular ones you would like and aren’t included in the blog posts. xx
The one recipe I am most interested in is the Bread Pudding with Lemon Sauce. I don’t think my doctor would approve but we only live once, right? I’ve already made the buttery cabbage with sausage and that was delicious; definitely a keeper. Do you know where the photo of him and the monkey smoking a pipe came from? Did he do comedies or was that a personal or publicity photo?
Right, I shall seek that one out and send it over to you! It seems to be taking me a while to get it together to do a blog post so you may have made it by the time you get around to it. Ooooh yes, the buttery cabbage with sausage – yum! I do happen to have half a cabbage in my fridge so I might have that for my tea on Monday! I’m afraid I don’t know about the provenance of that photo and I will be honest, I really don’t know much about Richard’s career – I think you know far more than I do!
Hello again! If you want a gold mine of anecdotes with photos about Richard Arlen for his tribute page, take a look at this webpage, and in particular, the articles from Photoplay Magazine from 1928 – 1936.
https://www.virtual-history.com/movie/person/651/richard-arlen
He really does come across as a down-to-earth guy, well liked in Hollywood and not one to let fame go to his head. I didn’t know he was also the first “Honorary Mayor” of Toluca Lake.
Wow, what a great tribute page – I love all those Photoplay articles – haven’t forgotten about gathering all the recipes together – coming soon!