Eugene O'Brien Movies

The direction for Columbia's The Romantic Age is credited to "Scott Florey," but knowledgeable film buffs will recognize this as an alias for "B"-picture stylist Robert Florey. Engaged to middle-aged Eugene O'Brien, Alberta Vaughn develops a yen for O'Brien's handsome younger brother Stanley Taylor. But when Taylor succumbs to her charms, she spurns him with a severe tongue-lashing. Understandably confused, the mild-mannered Taylor turns nasty, causing a rift between himself and O'Brien. The two brothers are reconciled when one saves the other from a burning building. Saddled with a schizophrenic screenplay, Robert Florey did his best to rescue The Romantic Age with his customary visual flair. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

With Fine Manners, silent-screen superstar Gloria Swanson ended her association with Paramount Pictures; her subsequent star-vehicle productions would be made independently through Swanson's off-screen romantic interest, financier Joseph P. Kennedy. Scripted by James Ashmore Creelman (of King Kong fame), Fine Manners casts Swanson as Orchid Murphy, a chorus girl who falls in love with waiter Brian Alden (Eugene O'Brien). Only Alden isn't really a waiter, but an incognito millionaire. Once the artifice is revealed, Alden sets about to make Murphy more "acceptable" for his upper-crust family. She goes through a grueling series of lessons in the social graces, emerging as the perfect lady--too perfect for Murphy's tastes! He begs her to be "herself" again, which, of course, she does. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Australian actress Mae Busch was the Frivolous Sal of the title in this melodrama in a western setting. Saloon-owner Sal married a handsome actor (Eugene O'Brien), whose young son (Ben Alexander) mightily disapproved of. So did mine-foreman Tom Santschi, who wanted Sal all to himself and attempted to break up the marriage. There is a sub-plot concerning stolen gold, but true love once again wins out over avarice. Both Eugene O'Brien and Mae Busch were experiencing a career slump when this film was made, he due mainly to his advancing years, she because of a much-publicized affair with producer Mack Sennett. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Mary Alden stands out as the powerful matriarch in this drama. Elderly Aunt Augusta (Alden) runs the great Ruyland Iron Works. Stock in the iron works is owned by the other members of the Ruyland clan, all of whom do Aunt Augusta's bidding. When she decides that Kenyon Ruyland (Eugene O'Brien) will be her successor, she also decrees that he marry Alberta Ruyland (Beatrice Burnham). Kenyon has already secretly wed Frederika (Virginia Valli), and he brings her home. The strong-willed Aunt Augusta meets her match in the young woman, and the only Ruyland who is willing to make friends with the interloper is Norval, who was born dumb (Marc McDermott). Frederika receives roses on a daily basis, and Aunt Augusta believes they are from an old admirer. So does Kenyon, and his suspicious nature compels his new wife to leave. Norval reveals that he was the one who sent the roses and commits suicide, leaving his stocks to her in his will. Frederika decides to turn the stock over to Aunt Augusta, when, combined with Kenyon's shares, will allow them to keep control of the works. Augusta refuses to accept them. She dashes off in her old carriage, and Frederika and Kenyon chase after her in their car. When they catch up with the old lady, she finally admits that she was wrong about Frederika and the two women embrace. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

This drama was the type of feature that was very popular among typical filmgoers in the 1920s. Fred and Alice Garlan (Eugene O'Brien and Claire Windsor) are happy newlyweds, but once they settle into their marriage, things get a little dull. Fred focuses on his work and Alice gets wrapped up in a "fast" set of friends. Among them are Esther Hamilton (Eileen Percy) and Harrison Morrill (Anders Randolf). Alice envies Esther's sables, not realizing the price she had to pay to get them. Morrill begins paying a lot of attention to Alice and Fred starts suspecting that she is another one of his conquests. When Jim Hamilton (Robert Ober) discovers his wife's affair with Morrill, he kills her in a fury. This wakes Alice up to what is really going on, and she and Fred reconcile. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Although Norma Talmadge was at the height of her stardom, she was not immune to poor material, nor was veteran screenwriter C. Gardner Sullivan immune from writing it. The overused theme for this drama involves a young woman who marries to save the family fortune, and not even Talmadge could bring freshness to this idea. "Fighting Jerry" Herrington (Edwards Davis) is a financial power on Wall Street, but his son, Rex, is a hopeless drunk (Eugene O'Brien was woefully miscast as an alcoholic). He believes that the only woman who can bring Rex to his senses is Helen Brinsley (Talmadge), the daughter of financier William Brinsley (Winter Hall). When the elder Mr. Herrington catches Mr. Brinsley in an illegal transaction, he threatens arrest and scandal unless Helen weds Rex. Helen reluctantly assents, if Herrington will agree to a divorce once she manages to sober him up. So the ceremony takes place (performed by Rev. Neal Dodd, who was the real life minister for Hollywood's Little Church Around the Corner). To keep him away from liquor, Helen takes her new husband on a cruise. A storm wrecks the ship and the only ones left alive are Helen, Rex, and Ole Hanson (Matthew Betz), one of the crew. Rex gets into a fight with the testy Hanson and proves his manliness. When they are rescued, the now sober Rex offers to get a divorce, but Helen has fallen in love with him. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Based on a story by H.H. VanLoan and starring screen legend Rudolph Valentino, this melodramatic crime film finds an ex-gangster forced to trade places with an English lord. Released from prison and determined to make good for his previous indiscretions, former criminal "Swagger" Barlow (Eugene O'Brien) soon meets Lord Birmingham (also O'Brien), who also happens to be a dead-ringer for Barlow. Forced to impersonate Lord Birmingham when he is kidnapped by a determined gang of rouges (led by Valentino), Barlow attempts to get to the bottom of the case before the public catches on to the ruse. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This romantic drama finds Charley Riley (Eugene O'Brien) as a chivalrous young man who is always willing to help a damsel in distress. His uncle (George Fawcett) is a prominent politician who longs to teach his nephew about his unabashed heroics. Alice (Nancy Deaver) hides in Charley's apartment to escape her pursuers. When she ends up spending the night, the girl's father arrives in the morning and points a revolver at the surprised hero. The man demands that Charley marry his daughter. Once they are wed, Alice reveals to Charley that her brother had embezzled $5,000 from her fiance. Charley gives her the money to repay the man before being called to an abandoned house. He is chased by a gang of shady thugs before he finds he has been the victim of a ruse concocted by his uncle. Alice, although part of the initial deception, really loves Charley and finally confesses her involvement in the scheme. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In an attempt to keep gold diggers away from his son Jack (Eugene O'Brien), Frank Prentiss (Robert Edeson) tells him he must keep his mind on business if he wants to be successful. Jack, rather naively, swallows this line. So when Frank falls in love with Kate Gray (Lucille Lee Stewart), the young daughter of a family friend, Jack is dumbfounded. Kate doesn't want anything to do with the old man, but her parents (John Dean and thel Kingsley) have just found out they're broke and they want Kate to marry into money. Finally she accedes, but the marriage is not a happy one, and she finds a sympathetic ear in Jack. Frank becomes jealous over the growing empathy between his wife and his son, and finally he explodes during a dinner party. The force of his rage causes him to have a heart attack. He dies, leaving Jack and Kate to find happiness together. At the time, Eugene O'Brien was best known as leading man to Norma Talmadge. This picture was supposed to be a starring vehicle for him, but once again he found himself playing second fiddle, this time to Robert Edeson. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Little Miss Hoover is not the story of a female vacuum cleaner salesperson. The title is a reference to Herbert Hoover, who in the years following World War I was instrumental in teaching advanced agricultural skills to American farmers. Leading lady Marguerite Clark (who, though on the cold side of thirty, could still pass as a "Little Miss") plays a girl who is caught up in America's accelerated farm program. Breaking up the propaganda from time to time is Clark's romance with Army major Eugene O'Brien. Originally titled The Golden Bird, Little Miss Hoover was adapted from a novel by Maria Thompson Daviess. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Olga Petrova was "The Scarlet Woman" in this plodding domestic melodrama. Forced by circumstances to forsake her happy marriage for a life of sin and degradation, Petrova is at last able to put her sordid past behind her, and she wins the heart of a second husband. But the grim spectre of her previous misdeeds soon arises, destroying her second marriage as well. Cast out into the streets, Petrova briefly considers taking "the easiest way" to financial security, which was the mistake she made the first time around. Instead, however, she takes on an honest job, and at film's end she has redeemed herself in the eyes of the world in general and the movie audience in particular. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi