Beverly Roberts Movies

The plumber (Ivar Kants) shows up at the door of well-to-do Australian couple Robert Coleby and Judy Cowper. Though the plumber apparently hasn't been summoned, he is given unquestioned free reign in the household. He ends up staying several days, his work and personality growing weirder with each passing day. Housewife Cowper is driven to neurotic distraction by the plumber's presence and by his iconoclastic attitudes towards everything she holds dear. Then, the plumber walks out of the flat, never to return...leaving behind a residue of paranoia and shattered values. Filmed for Australian television, The Plumber may well be the most maddening 76 minutes ever committed to celluloid. Naturally, it only served to further the reputation of its gifted writer/director Peter Weir. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This wildly uneven "Dead End Kids/Little Tough Guys" entry focuses on young Tom Barker (Billy Halop), whose older brother Eddie ended up in the electric chair. Idolizing Eddie's memory, Tom and his buddies are also fascinated with Eddie's former partner, gangster Monk Bangor (Paul Fix). Police officer Frank Conroy (Dick Foran) tries to steer the kids away from a life of crime by setting up a neighborhood recreational center, but while he's able to interest Pig (Huntz Hall), Ape (Bernard Punsley) and String (Gabe Dell) in the project, Tom remains determined to follow in his brother's footsteps-even more so when he discovers that Sgt. Conroy was responsible for Eddie's arrest. Eventually, Tom realizes that his true enemy is the double-crossing Monk Bangor, prompting an instantaneous reformation. Versatile juvenile performer Darryl Hickman adds a bit of class to the proceedings as a pugnacious little Dead-Ender named Butch. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

That fine stage and screen actor Walter Abel enjoys a rare movie starring role in Columbia's First Offenders. Upset with the rising phenomenon of juvenile delinquency, district attorney Gregory Stone (Abel) resigns from office to become a full-time reform crusader. His pet project is a work farm, where would-be delinquents can learn a useful trade and become worthwhile members of society. Fred Gray (Johnny Down), one of the kids that Stone sent "up the river" during his DA days, vows revenge upon his release, but even he finds redemption on Stone's youth farm. Beverly Roberts provides the frankly dispensable romantic interest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, a New York physician takes a much-needed vacation down South. Unfortunately, he encounters a nurse working in the backwoods and ends up helping her to combat an epidemic that rages through the mountain communities. The doctor she works for prefers traditional herbs to modern medicine. At first the locals resent the big city doctor's intervention, but when he stops the scourge, they change their opinions. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this courtroom drama a countrified prosecutor deliberately fails in his attempt to convict a notorious gangster so he can protect his adopted daughter, the gangster's moll. As a result the lawyer loses his job. When his troubled girl gets accused of murder, he does all he can to defend her. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Most reviewers in the late 1930s considered Columbia's Jack Holt vehicles to be a waste of time, but Holt still had a fairly large and loyal fan following. Accordingly, Making the Headlines posted a profit despite its many production shortcomings. The jut-jawed Holt plays racket-busting detective Nagel, who works hand-in-glove with police reporter Withers (Craig Reynolds). Whenever Nagel collars a crook, Withers prints up the story with banner headlines, which displeases Nagel's bosses. For "the good of the department," Nagel is transferred to a quieter beat, where it is hoped he'll stay out of the limelight. Fat chance! Within what seems like three minutes, our hero gets mixed up with a double-murder case and an imperiled heiress (Beverly Roberts). Throughout the film, Jack Holt is handily out-acted by the supporting cast, especially such sly scene-stealers as Tom Kennedy and John Wray; also on hand is perennial Columbia 2-reel comedy heroine Dorothy Appleby. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Who better to direct Warner Bros.' Daredevil Drivers than B. Reeves "Breezy" Eason, the fast-action specialist who staged the chariot race sequence in 1925's Ben-Hur? Dick Purcell stars as suspended racecar driver Bill Foster who lands a job with a disreputable bus company. This puts him on the outs with his girlfriend Jerry Neeley (Beverly Roberts), the owner of a rival (and honest) bus firm. Bill gets back into Jerry's good graces when he exposes the criminal element running the company for which he works. As proof that everything's "relative" in Hollywood, Daredevil Drivers features Gloria Blondell, the sister of Warners contractee Joan Blondell, in a supporting role, while Charley Foy, the brother of the studio's B-movie unit supervisor Bryan Foy, provides comic relief. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, the third remake of a popular play by Porter Emerson Browne, General Wu Yen Fang, "the White Tiger," is an outlaw general who controls the bulk of northern China. The story begins as he invades the village in which two fighters work to prevent avaricious Americans from foreclosing on their oil interests. The lover of one of these men is romantically involved with the estranged wife of one of the foreclosers. Because he once saved Gen. Wu's life, the officer returns the favor by killing the evil oil man. This causes the government to sentence the general to death. He willingly sacrifices his life and is at peace knowing that his friend can now marry the woman he loves. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Rivalry, romance, and brotherly love in logging camps are chronicled in this drama. The trouble begins when the brother of a lumber company owner arrives from Paris to work for him. Upon seeing the beautiful owner of the rival logging camp, the newly arrived brother immediately defects to begin working for her. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Based on a popular novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams, this screwball comedy stars Errol Flynn in the title-role, the heir to an industrial fortune kept hidden from the world by his imperious grandmother (May Robson). Intrigued by the secrecy, peppy Joan Blondell literally crashes the estate to liberate the young man and the two embark on a whirlwind trip through Pennsylvania. Falling in love with the intruder along the way, Flynn learns how life is lived by the other half -- or at least by the wacky Warner Bros. stock company -- and proves himself to be much more capable than "Grandma" Robson ever imagined. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Based on the true story of Pan American Airlines, China Clipper was released only a year after the first transpacific flight in history. Pat O'Brien stars as Dave Logan, a man completely obsessed with starting the first commerical airline across the Pacific ocean. Engineer Dad Brunn (Henry B. Walthall) designs the airplane, while Dave teams up with business partner Tom Collins (Ross Alexander) to start up his company. Dave's wife, Jean (Beverley Roberts) has her doubts about the airline business, but loves her husband. Dave hires Hap Stuart (Humphrey Bogart) as the pilot to make his first flight to the Caribbean, where he ends up helping out the local people during a hurricane. Things start to go really wrong for Dave when Jean wants to leave him, his Dad gets ill, and his planes are subject to all kinds of tests. This was the last film appearance of Birth of a Nation star Henry B. Walthall, who had reportedly collapsed on the set right during production. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Strictly for Al Jolson's most fervent fans, The Singing Kid casts Jolie as neurotic Broadway star Al Jackson. Facing professional ruin when he loses his voice, Al heads to the country to regain his vocal timbre and to get his head back together. While recuperating, he falls in love with farm girl Ruth Haines (Beverly Roberts), the pretty aunt of precocious little Sybil Haines (Sybil Jason). The kid bids fair to steal the picture, but Big Al isn't about to let that happen! Much as it must have pained him, Jolson shares the spotlight with such specialty performers as Wini Shaw, Cab Calloway, the Yacht Club Boys and the knockabout comedy team of Mitchell and Durant. The E.Y. Harburg-Harold Arlen score includes "I Want to Sing a Mammy Song" and "I Love to Singa," which later served as the basis of an amusing Merrie Melodies cartoon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi