Orville O. Dull Movies

The Secret Land is the Oscar-winning documentary of Admiral Richard Byrd's 1946-1947 Antarctic expedition. Robert Montgomery, Robert Taylor, and Van Heflin, all commissioned naval officers, alternate as the film's narrator. The footage of the expedition was taken by members of the U.S. Navy photographic corps, while the narration was written by Harvey S. Haislip and William C. Park. Adding to the box-office value of this well-edited documentary (cut down by Frederick Y. Smith from 90 hours' worth of film!) was the fact that it was lensed in Technicolor. The Secret Land was produced by Orville O. Dull and distributed by MGM. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bad Bascomb is an expensive MGM western, tailor-made for the blubbery talents of Wallace Beery. Beery plays the badman of the title, whose heart is softened by a sweet little child (Margaret O'Brien at her most cloying). Just about to make a clean getaway, Beery realizes that the child is in danger of being killed by marauding Indians. He rides back to warn the cavalry, which results in his arrest but saves the girl. Sentenced to be hanged, Beery tearfully sends O'Brien off to her foster parents, never letting the precocious little tot know that he's about to have his neck stretched. Bad Bascomb is at its best whenever Beery shamelessly pulls every trick in the book to steal scenes from the estimable Margaret O'Brien. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A con artist heads for the gold fields of Nevada during the 1880s after he is tossed off of San Francisco's Barbary Coast. Once in the state, he poses as an important banker. When he actually does find a gold mine, he is forcibly compelled to divvy up the take with the townsfolk. He doesn't mind going straight until his former buddies (still crooks) show up and try to steal the town payroll. To save the town and the mine, the phony financier becomes a crook himself. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, the town gossip fills her time running the lives of others. Naturally, she is also a matchmaker. When she tries to find a suitable mate for her nephew, trouble ensues because he only has eyes for the daughter of the busybody's nemesis, the town judge. Meanwhile the girl the town yente wanted for her nephew finds herself attracted to the judge's son and ends up marrying him on the sly. He impregnates her and then goes to war. She later gives birth, but dies before she can tell anyone the truth. To protect her, the old gossip begins claiming the babe as her own. No one believes her. Fortunately, the judge's son returns and tells the truth. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Strange but true: Norma Shearer turned down the title role in Mrs. Miniver to star instead in the insignificant trifle We Were Dancing. Loosely based on two Noel Coward playlets originally presented as part of the omnibus production Tonight at 8:30, the story concerns the romance between socialite Vicki Wilomirsky (Norma Shearer) and Nicki Prax (Melvyn Douglas), an impoverished baron who supports himself as a "professional guest." Nicki steals Vicki away from her stuffy attorney fiance Hubert Tyler (Lee Bowman), but their subsequent marriage comes to an end when Vicki spots Nicki in the arms of his ex-lover Linda Wayne (Gail Patrick). Returning to Tyler, Vicki is on the verge of a second marriage, when Nicki once again waltzes into her life?.and on and on it goes, where it will stop, nobody knows. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In 1940, MGM turned out two films on the life of Thomas Alva Edison.The first, Young Tom Edison, starred Mickey Rooney and trotted out all the old Edison folklore, including the now-discredited incident in which Tom loses his hearing by being yanked onto a train by his ears. Edison the Man, starring Spencer Tracy in the title role, downplays certain inconvenient facts (including Edison's strong-arm tactics to protect his patents), but adheres more closely to actual events than its predecessor. The story concentrates on Edison's most productive years, from 1872 to 1882 (surprisingly ignoring his role in the development of the motion picture!) The inventions invented herein include the ticker-tape machine, the phonograph, the Dictaphone, and of course the electric light. Gene Lockhart is on hand to once more perform his movie specialty of the blinkered financier who can see no future in Edison's crazy schemes. The film tries to stir up suspense by giving Edison only six months to complete his dream of illuminating the streets of New York, lest he lose the contract--and, by extension, his credibility. While Young Tom Edison had unexpectedly lost money, Edison the Man was a success; as for Spencer Tracy, he was a versatile enough actor to escape the fate of poor Don Ameche, who was forever and inextricably associated with his portrayal of Alexander Graham Bell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Nobody really takes a Vacation from Love in this MGM programmer, though it's not from lack of trying. Dennis O'Keefe and Florence Rice star as young marrieds Bill and Patricia Blair. Have left her family's wealth behind to struggle along on Bill's salary, Patricia comes to regret her decision when her husband immerses himself in his work, totally neglecting his domestic life. The couple separates, with every intention of finalizing the split in divorce court. Despite formidable opposition from handsome Mark Shelby (Truman Bradley) and gorgeous Flo Heath (June Knight), Bill and Patricia finally realize that they're still in love with each other, and only with each other. The obviousness of the storyline is leavened somewhat by the sparkling supporting-player contributions of Reginald Owen, Ed Brophy and the ineffable Herman Bing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Returning from the war, Tom Mason (Tom Mix) rides square into a raging feud between the his family and the neighboring Brady gang. Dad Mason (George Irving) is wounded in an ambush, and Tom goes out to get revenge. At the Brady ranch he meets the lovely stepdaughter Paulita (Helene Costello), which naturally complicates matters somewhat. The untenable situation comes to an end, however, when both families are threatened by a gang of crooks determined to blow up a Spanish mission. The director of this fine Mix western was one Orville O. Dull who later became a producer at MGM. None of his films, it is safe to say, was ever released as a "Dull Production." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Based on Dark Rosaleen, a serialized novel by Max Brand (pen name of Frederick Faust), this fine silent Western starred a young Buck Jones as Mark Winton, a wanderer who takes up the cause of a band of ragamuffin's bullied by nasty loan shark Bert Ridley (Walter Percival). In between buying the youngsters Boy Scout uniforms, the irrepressible Winton comes to the aid of lovely rancher June Savary (Gladys McConnell), whose father (Bruce Covington) is in financial trouble because of Ridley. Framed for murder by the villain, Mark breaks out of jail, saves the girl's ranch and brings the villain to justice, teaching the kids a valuable lesson along the way. The Flying Horseman was directed by a gentleman bearing the less encouraging name of Orville O. Dull. It is a safe bet that the producer, Fox, did not advertise this Western as "a Dull picture!" ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide