The Unlucky Lives of the Barrymore Family

While filming The Great Man Votes in 1939, his body finally gave out. Years of heavy drinking had left him frail and unsteady, and in the middle of production, he collapsed on set. The incident made headlines, confirming what many already feared—his once-great career had reached its tragic end.

He recovered enough to finish the film, but the magic was gone. Hollywood moved on, wary of hiring a man who could barely stand, let alone perform. For audiences who’d grown up idolizing him, the collapse wasn’t just the fall of an actor—it was the end of an era.