C.E. Thurston Movies
- 1926
The felicitous star-director combination of Reginald Denny and William A. Seiter served up another moneyspinner for Universal with Rolling Home. Denny plays young businessman Nat Alden, who is fired from his job when one too many of his surefire business schemes fizzles. He is given a lift home by his old pal Dan (Ben Hendricks Jr.), who happens to be the chauffeur of Nat's ex-boss Grubell (E. J. Ratcliffe). When his neighbors see Nat alighting from Grubell's Rolls-Royce, they naturally assume that our hero is a huge success. Thanks to this surge of public confidence, Nat is able to float one more business deal, which turns out to be a financial bonanza for all concerned. As an added fillip, he wins the love of local beauty Phyllis (Marion Nixon) -- but only after convincing the down-to-earth heroine that he's not a millionaire! Incidentally, both of Denny's leading ladies during his Universal period, Laura LaPlante and Marion Nixon, became the wives of director Seiter (though not, of course, at the same time). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reginald Denny, Marian Nixon, (more)
- 1921
It is said that every actor wants to play Shakespeare. Will Rogers would seem a likely exception to that rule, but here he is in this silent, taking a stab (albeit comic) at Romeo. Slim (Rogers), of course, begins as a cowpuncher but his boss switches from cattle to sheep, throwing him out of work. In addition his sweetheart, Lulu (Sylvia Breamer), says he should learn to be a real lover, like Douglas Fairbanks. So Slim decides to go work in motion pictures to discover how film folk make love. After he doubles for villains and heroes alike, Lulu changes her mind -- now she thinks Romeo and Juliet is the yardstick by which all lovers should be measured. So Slim obligingly gets his hands on a copy of the play and tries to read it. Naturally he falls asleep, but he dreams the story with himself and his girl in the title roles. When he awakes, however, he throws all technique out the window, grabs Lulu away from his rival (Raymond Hatton) and drags her off to the preache r. His show of force is what she wanted after all and the film ends happily. This was the final picture of Rogers' contract with the Goldwyn Studios. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Rogers, Sylvia Breamer, (more)
- 1921
Peep O'Day (Will Rogers) is the illiterate pauper of a small Southern town. When he gets the news from Judge Priest (Edward Kimball) that he has inherited a fortune from a relative back in Ireland, Peep's life changes overnight. He decides to use his money to experience the childhood he never got to have, and spends all his time having fun with the boys of the neighborhood. Meanwhile, the widow Hunter (Cordelia Callahan) has him pegged as husband material and is trying to catch him. The scheming Cassius Sublette (Sydney Ainsworth) wants to get his hands on Peep's fortune, so he tries to have him declared incompetent. His accomplice is a girl from Cincinnati who poses as Peep's "niece," who will be more than happy to handle his money. Judge Priest sees through scam, the accomplice has a change of heart, and the case is dismissed. Peep returns to his young pals, leaving a broken-hearted widow Hunter in his wake. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Rogers, Irene Rich, (more)
