Neil Hamilton Movies

Based on William McLeod Raine's 1917 novel The Yukon Trail, a Tale of the North, this long-lost silent melodrama featured Francis X. Bushman and Neil Hamilton, a couple of prospectors who kill a crazed hermit in self-defense. The hermit's daughter (June Marlowe) arrives to claim her inheritance, and when she falls in love with Hamilton, and he with her, Bushman confesses to the sheriff (James Farley). Our heroes are exonerated, however, and Bushman leaves the lovers to their happiness. One in a score of nearly identical action-adventures ground out by Universal in the late '20s, The Grip of the Yukon was directed by one of studio owner Carl Laemmle's many relatives. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Among the best-known of Republic's "B" pictures of the late 1930s, Hollywood Stadium Mystery is a neat and satisfying whodunit with very little "waste" footage. Neil Hamilton is his usual stalwart self as District Attorney Bill Devons, who tries to solve a murder that was committed in full view of hundreds of boxing fans at Legion Stadium. The victim was a contender for the championship, and there are no end of suspects to choose from. Complicating matters is the well-meaning but annoying interference of Polly Ward (Evelyn Venable), a murder-mystery writer who fancies herself a super sleuth. Radio personality Jimmy Wallington is appropriately cast as a glib sports commentator, while perennial cowboy sidekick Smiley Burnette shows up to offer a series of automobile imitations! Hollywood Stadium Mystery was written by Stuart Palmer, best known for his "Hildegarde Withers" stories. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this serial, onetime football hero Slingin' Sammy Baugh stars as Tom King, a Texas Ranger on the hunt for the Nazis who killed his father. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

Norma (Dorothy Sebastian) is in love with her boss Bill (Neil Hamilton). Everyone is aware of this -- except for Norma and Bill. Left penniless by several bonehead business transactions, Bill concocts a scheme to make a great deal of money in a hurry. The plan hinges on Norma's marriage to a wealthy playboy (John Holland). Incredibly, the much-used heroine returns to Bill for the finale, convincing him to forsake caviar in favor of hot dogs. But Norma is no fool: in a gag ending, she lets Bill know in no uncertain terms that she's going to be calling the shots from now on. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Kenyon Nicholson play Torch Song was the source for the Joan Crawford vehicle Laughing Sinners. Crawford plays nightclub entertainer Ivy Stevens, who loses her zest for living when she's thrown over by her salesman sweetheart Howard Palmer (Neil Hamilton). At her lowest ebb, Ivy is befriended by Salvation Army captain Carl Loomis (yes, that's Clark Gable!). With her faith in God and Mankind renewed, Ivy becomes an "urban missionary," singing on street corners with Loomis and his flock. Alas, she falls from grace when she rekindles her romance with the now-married Howard. The conscience-stricken Ivy quits the Salvation Army, insisting that she's no longer worthy of the organization. But rather than accept her resignation, Carl turns in his uniform and collection plate and pledges eternal devotion to Ivy! And this all happens in a swift 71 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lana Turner takes the lead in the seventh film version of Alexandre Bisson's glossy soap opera. Holly Parker (Turner) is married to respected diplomat Clay Anderson (John Forsythe), but his busy schedule prevents them from seeing each other very often. Distracted and lonely, Holly allows her head to be turned by carefree playboy Phil Benton (Ricardo Montalban), who dies in a freak accident during an assignation. In a panic, Holly contacts her mother-in-law, Estelle Anderson (Constance Bennett) and asks what she should do. Estelle, a joyless woman who has never cared for her daughter-in-law, tells Holly that unless she wants to destroy her husband's life and career, she should flee the country and never return. Tearfully, Holly follows Estelle's advice, leaving behind her young son. Many years later, Holly has fallen on hard times; addicted to drugs, she scrapes out a meager living as a prostitute in a cheap hotel in Mexico. Devious criminal Dan Sullivan (Burgess Meredith) tries to involve Holly in a blackmail scheme; at the last minute, she finds out that Clay is the target, and she kills Sullivan. She cannot afford to hire a lawyer to defend her, so she is assigned a dedicated young public defender, whom she soon recognizes as her son, Clay Anderson, Jr. (Keir Dullea). Not wanting Clay, Jr. to know her true identity, Holly is tried as "Madame X," but she has trouble keeping her composure given the trial and her mixed joy and shame at seeing her son. Madame X was Constance Bennett's first film in 12 years and the last she would ever make; she died of a cerebral hemorrhage shortly after completing her work on the picture, nine months before it was released. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Will Prescott (Richard Dix) is a bank cashier whose assistant, Ned Seabury (Neil Hamilton), has made a killing in the stock market. With his newfound riches, Seabury proceeds to woo Prescott's wife, Agnes (Claire Adams), by buying her luxurious items that her husband can not afford. Seabury makes no secret of his aim, and Prescott desperately steals some of the bank's bonds, hoping to make enough money to keep Agnes by his side. He invests the bonds with Seabury's broker, Arnold Kirke (Henry Stephenson), but they're wiped out. Kirke kills himself, and when bank president Culman (Robert Edeson) finds the bonds missing, he blames Seabury. Although it is tempting to let Seabury hang, Prescott fesses up. He is thrown in jail, but the repentant Agnes begs Culman to give him another chance. He does, and sends Prescott and Agnes to South America to manage his coffee plantation. This drama was based on a turn-of-the-century stage play by David Belasco and Henry C. DeMille. Henry C. DeMille's elder son, William C. DeMille, directed (his younger son was filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille). ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

In this actioner, the life of a the humble church youth group leader is turned topsy-turvy when a car, driven by a spy suddenly crashes into his house. Just before he dies, the mortally wounded spy begins whispering a vital secret to the man. Unfortunately, he expires before he can finish the message. Now the group leader finds himself pursued at every turn. During the chase, he ends up escaping from an airplane as well as the Tower of London, but in the end, he is knighted and elected to Parliament. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

When a playboy becomes entangled in the affairs of gamblers he eventually locates an underwater treasure. ~ Rovi

Marian Nixon made the first of a brace of starring appearances at low-budget Liberty Pictures in Once to Every Bachelor. Nixon plays a young innocent who through no fault of her own has become involved with gangsters. Seeking a way out, she latches on to a wealthy playboy (Neil Hamilton). Having been soured on matrimony, the lout suggests an "open" marriage, whereby he and his wife will be permitted to seek out the companionship of others. But he doesn't count on genuinely falling in love with his new bride. Silent screen favorite Aileen Pringle walks away with the picture as the vampish "other woman" in the case. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Gary Cooper is a small town dentist dissatisfied with his lot. Though married to the lovely and affectionate Frances Fuller, Cooper still carries a torch for his former sweetheart, Fay Wray. Years earlier, Cooper had lost Wray to his old friend Neil Hamilton, and is consumed with the desire to get even with his rival. The now-wealthy Hamilton comes to visit Cooper, with Wray in tow. Cooper then seeks to rekindle his old romance. Based on the stage play by James Hagan (which starred Lloyd Nolan on Broadway), One Sunday Afternoon was remade with James Cagney as Strawberry Blonde (41), then reworked as a musical with Dennis Morgan under its original title in 1948. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This is the first of four consecutive episodes in which Perry Mason appears only briefly, while a "guest" lawyer handles the case at hand (Raymond Burr was at the time recovering from minor surgery). No less than Bette Davis is cast as female attorney Constant Doyle, the widow of famed defense attorney Joe Doyle. Taking her late husband's place, Constant agrees to defend young Cal Leonard, who is accused of burglarizing the offices of Otis Industries and beating up a night watchman. Actually, Constant doesn't like Cal very much and was thinking of dropping the case until her curiosity was aroused by the fact that Lawrence Otis was all too willing to drop the charges against the boy. As it turns out, Cal is lucky to have Constant on his side when he charged with the murder of his cousin Steven (Jerry Oddo). Removed from the original Perry Mason syndicated rerun package in 1966, this episode remained unseen until it was telecast on cable TV in the mid-1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi