Arthur Pierson Movies
Although handsome enough, Norwegian-born, Seattle-raised Arthur Pierson never made much of an impact as a Hollywood second lead, often playing rather stuffy young gents and losing the girl to higher billed male stars. A stock company juvenile, Pierson had made his Broadway debut in Remote Control in 1929. Hollywood was the next logical step and Pierson signed with Paramount, who mainly used him as a rehearsal director for the likes of Cecil B. De Mille and Ernst Lubitsch. Fox offered Pierson a couple of nondescript roles in 1932 and he was a slightly wooden Lorenzo in Hal Roach's The Devil's Brother (1933), his perhaps best-known film today. Returning to Broadway in 1935, Pierson co-starred with Ruth Matteson in Ayn Rand's The Night of January 16th, marrying Matteson while on tour with the show in 1937. Back in New York, he played Othello with Walter Huston and was Demitrius in Max Reignhardt's famous production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He next turned to directing with a couple of mildly popular farces and worked on the book for the Alan Jay Lerner-Frederick Loewe musical What's Up. It was a rather checkered career and no one was surprised when Pierson was back in Hollywood directing former Bowery Boy Billy Halop in something called Dangerous Years (1947). Marilyn Monroe had a bit part but Pierson was on rather more solid ground with the Douglas Fairbanks Jr. inexpensive but fun swashbuckler The Fighting O'Flynn (1947). Television was next and the now veteran actor/director went on to helm episodes of such shows as Terry of the Pirates and Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. He was an executive with cartoon factory Hanna-Barbera when he died from a heart attack in January of 1975. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi- 1955
Footsteps in the Fog is a cat-and-mouse Victorian melodrama in the grand tradition. Jean Simmons plays scheming servant girl Lily Watkins, who was hired by sinister nobleman Stephen Lowry (Stewart Granger) and his ailing wife. The wife dies of "natural causes," but Lily knows better, and uses this knowledge to her advantage. In exchange for her silence, she forces Lowry to cater to her every whim. He is forced to go along lest he face the gallows, but in a switch reminiscent of the "lost" ending of 1987's Fatal Attraction, he sees to it that Lily herself is carted away by the constabulary. Filmed in appropriately dank Technicolor, Footsteps in the Fog is an unusual foray into Gaslight territory for director Arthur Lubin, normally a comedy specialist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stewart Granger, Jean Simmons, (more)
The syndicated TV sci-fi series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger (1953) was dual-purposed. Though running 39 episodes, the series consisted of thirteen serialized continuities, each running three weeks. These adventures were later assembled into ersatz "feature films" for theatrical release. One such three-part adventure was Manhunt in Space, in which Rocky Jones and his space rangers battled a group of extraterrestrial desperadoes from the planet Prah. Scotty Beckett, Sally Mansfield and Maurice Cass costar in this low-budget but highly imaginative effort. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1951
Home Town Story was commissioned as a pro-Big Business tract by General Motors. The story revolves around Blake Washburn, a mildly leftist newspaperman, played by Jeffrey Lynn. Returning to his home town, Washburn turns his journalistic vitriol upon the local business interests. Only after his kid sister Katie (Melinda Plowman), trapped in a cave-in, is rescued by locally produced technology, does Washburn realize the value of the capitalistic system. Home Town Story was fitfully distributed by MGM, then lapsed into obscurity. It might have remained there had it not been for the presence of a young Marilyn Monroe in a supporting part. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Lynn, Donald Crisp, (more)
- 1949
In this lively adventure, a daring Irish leader tires to keep Napoleon from invading Ireland. The hero, in every way a swashbuckler, journeys to his recently inherited castle where he saves a fair lassie the Viceroy's daughter, from highwaymen. He then gets involved in many exciting and hair-raising exploits as he saves his beloved Erin from an evil conspiracy precipitated by the Viceroy's assistant who is secretly in league with Napoleon. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Helena Carter, (more)
- 1949
Vincent Price is the narrator of this version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol starring Taylor Holmes. Songs by the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vincent Price
- 1947
In this melodrama, a young juvenile delinquent convinces other teens to join his gang. The gang raids a warehouse and there he ends up killing the school's most beloved teacher. The boy is tried. In court the D.A.'s adopted daughter stands up for the boy. Years before, when they were both orphans, he had done the same for her. The D.A. is unmoved an tries to prosecute to the full extent of the law. The defense, says the real blame should be upon the boy's parents. The boy is given a life sentence. Unbeknownst to the self-righteous D.A., the boy is his long-lost son. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Billy Halop, Ann E. Todd, (more)
- 1943
Though Wendy Barrie never quite achieved stardom in A pictures, she could always count on top billing in Hollywood's B product. In PRC's Follies Girl, Barrie plays dress designer Anne Merriday, who becomes the object of middle-aged millionaire J. B. Hamlin's (J.C. Nugent) affections. To save his dad from throwing his life away on a supposed golddigger, Hamlin's son, Army private Jerry Hamlin (Gordon Oliver), begins courting Anne-and, of course, falls genuinely in love with her himself. Meanwhile, the rogueish J.B. tries to mount a Broadway burlesque show, with costumes designed by Our Heroine. The titular "Follies Girl" is burlesque queen Francine La Rue (Doris Nolan), who never strips when singing will do (worse luck for the male moviegoers of the era!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Wendy Barrie, Doris Nolan, (more)
- 1935
Filmed on location in New York, Sweet Surrender takes place in a variety of landmark locations, including the NBC radio studios at Rockefeller Center, Jack Dempsey's Restaurant, and the S. S. Normandie (several years before it capsized in New York Harbor, of course!) Radio tenor Frank Parker heads the cast as radio tenor Danny O'Day, who gets involved in a robbery-impersonation plot. The late Ukranian singer and Broadway actress Tamara Drasin (billed here as simply 'Tamara') plays a dual role as Danny's dancer sweetheart Delphine and her gun-moll look-alike Maizie Marshall. Also playing "masquerade party" is Maizie's gangster beau Jerry Burke (Russ Brown), who pretends to be a schoolteacher. It's up to Danny to figure out which girl is which, and why Maizie and Jerry are going to all this trouble. In addition to Frank Parker, several other New York habitues make brief appearances, including boxer-turned-restaurateur Jack Dempsey and Abe Lyman and his Orchestra. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Franklin Parker, Tamara, (more)
- 1934
In the first of Columbia Pictures' "Inspector Trent" whodunits, the inspector (Ralph Bellamy) is called in to investigate the death of Edward Arnold (William Jeffrey). Although the young doctor in charge, David Marsh (Arthur Pierson), maintains that Arnold died of natural causes, a family curse causes Trent to become suspicious. The good inspector becomes even more alarmed when the victim, who has indeed been poisoned, proves to be one John Fry, the real Arnold (Claude Gillingwater) having changed places with an old friend in order to defeat the curse. But who killed Fry? Was it the Japanese houseboy, Kono (Otto Yamaoka)? Or the family attorney (Bradley Page)? Suspicion also centers on Arnold's beautiful ward, Janet (June Collyer); Fry's widow, Mavis (Betty Blythe); and sundry other more or less sinister characters lurking about the family's cavernous Forest Lake estate. Before Midnight was followed by three additional "Inspector Trent" mysteries: One Is Guilty, The Crime of Helen Stanley, and Girl in Danger, all released in 1934 and starring the affable Ralph Bellamy. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ralph Bellamy, June Collyer, (more)
Lyle Talbot stars as "Three Star" Halsey, a hotshot West Coast aviator with a reputation for recklessness. Time and time again, Halsey promises his stewardess sweetheart Judy Wagner (Ann Dvorak) that he'll stop taking risks, and time and again he breaks his word. After several misadventures, Halsey becomes a hero when he prevents a top-secret explosive formula from falling into the hands of the villains -- and as a bonus, solves four airborne murders. Much of the aerial photography in Murder in the Clouds would be reused in such future Warners programmers as Fly-Away Baby and Fugitive in the Sky. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lyle Talbot, Ann Dvorak, (more)
- 1934
Paramount's You Belong to Me is a showcase for juvenile performer David Jack Holt, youngest son of action star Jack Holt. The boy is cast as Jimmy Faxon, the son of recently widowed vaudeville performer Florette Faxon (Helen Mack). When Florette marries acrobat Hap Stanley (Arthur Pierson), Jimmy takes an instant dislike to his new stepfather, preferring the company of happy-go-lucky vaudeville comic Bud Hannigan (Lee Tracy). Though Bud tries to encourage Jimmy to give Hap a chance, it turns out that the kid's instincts are correct: Hap is a philandering heel, who walks out on Florette at the earliest opportunity. The upshot of all this is that poor Jimmy is left an orphan, with old reliable Bud providing the boy with a shoulder to cry on at the fadeout. Helen Morgan adds to the overall gloominess with one of her patented torch songs. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Helen Mack, (more)
- 1933
Based on an 1830 opera entitled "Fra Diavolo" by Daniel F. Auber, the parts of two bit bandits were built up for Laurel and Hardy, but this was still just a minor effort--a few good laughs but nothing spectacular that wasn't done better elsewhere. Released later as Bogus Bandits and The Virtuous Tramps, changing the title didn't improve the product. A classic impersonation film, it has the comic duo servants to a bandit who is impersonating a Marquis to get his hands on the jewels worn by the upper crust. Standard dual identity film is similar to The Scarlet Pimpernel. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, (more)
- 1933
In this romantic musical, a carnival knife thrower's assistant falls for a Parisian tour guide who earns money wearing a sandwich board that says "Is Your Heart Happy? No? Consult Professor Bibi, 17 Rue Canton." After a few romantic mishaps, true love eventually ensues. Songs include: "Lover of Paree," "Lucky Guy," "In a One-Room Flat," "The Way to Love," "It's Oh, It's Ah, It's Wonderful" (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin). ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maurice Chevalier, Ann Dvorak, (more)
- 1933
In this melodrama a superb female lawyer finds that her success has emasculated her husband, a rather average architect, who runs away from home and career to become a nightclub singer and save some shred of manly dignity. While working at the club, he falls in love with an alcoholic, self-destructive patron. When she dies during a binge, he ends up accused of killing her. Fortunately, the court-appointed defense is a superb female lawyer, and in a corny, histrionic speech she manages to convince the jury that he is really innocent. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fay Wray, Gene Raymond, (more)
- 1933
Quite a bit of stock footage accompany this aerial melodrama from Columbia, which was directed by low-budget action specialist Albert S. Rogell. Pretty TWA air hostess Kitty King (Evalyn Knapp) falls in love with and marries dashing stunt pilot Ted Hunter (James Murray), despite the young man's rather rough lifestyle. She willingly accepts his plans for building a new kind of airplane in Albuquerque, NM, but upon arrival there finds him in the arms of a haughty socialite (Thelma Todd). A dejected Kitty hurriedly boards a train for home, unaware it is headed straight for a collapsing bridge. Learning of the possible disaster, Ted takes to the air in a final effort to warn the train's engineer. But the latter ignores the roaring plane and Ted is forced to crash land right on the tracks. None the worse for wear, the heroic pilot apologizes to Kitty for his bad behavior and they fly home to happiness. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Evelyn Knapp, Arthur Pierson, (more)
- 1932
In this western, based on a Zane Grey novel, the hero leaves town after someone is killed during a feud. As he escapes, he meets up with Indians. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1932
Beautiful but impractical socialite Penelope Newbold (Carole Lombard) has convinced herself that "the perfect marriage" is an impossible concept. After all, she reasons, no one man could possess all the virtues required for an ideal husband. Thus, she divides her time between dependable, hard-working gynecologist Dr. Karl Bemis (Paul Lukas) and wastrelly playboy Bill Hanaway (Ricardo Cortez). Penelope wises up in a hurry when Bill turns up murdered in the bedroom of another woman, whereupon our heroine takes a crash course in nursing to prove worthy of the faithful Dr. Bemis. If Carole Lombard had continued starring in dreck like No One Man, chances are that she wouldn't have attained the legendary status she presently enjoys in the annals of movie history. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carole Lombard, Ricardo Cortez, (more)
- 1932
In this drama, a frustrated wife, unable to get pregnant by her husband, decides to sleep with another in hopes of finally getting the child she so desperately wants. She ends up having an affair with a brain surgeon. He manages to get her pregnant and after it is born, she claims the child is her husband's. Years pass. One day the boy falls off a horse and is seriously injured. After the surgeon saves his life, the boy's mother confesses that he is the boy's real father, but then she tells him she still wants to stay with her husband. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ruth Chatterton, Paul Lukas, (more)
- 1932
Bachelor Andrew Hoyt (Adolphe Menjou), beginning to feel his age, convinces himself that he can become rejuvenated if he takes a young wife. Unfortunately, he chooses dimwitted Eva Mills (Joan Marsh), who lives to party, party, party! Unable to keep up the pace, Andrew finally gives up Eva to the true love of her life, Oliver Denton (Arthur Pierson). This is good news for Andrew's longtime lady friend Jane (Irene Purcell), a sensible lass who has loved him all along. All Bachelor's Affairs lacks is a strong comedy director at the helm: Alfred Werker also seemed more comfortable with such melodramatic fare as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Adolphe Menjou, Minna Gombell, (more)
- 1932
College football is satirized in this comedy that begins as racketeer "Knucks" McGoin buys Canarsie College and fills it with hoods and professional wrestlers posing as students. When football season comes, these "students" beat the tar out of their rivals during the games. Naturally the stands are SRO during home games; naturally, the racketeer keeps all the money. Things are going well until his rival gang figures out his scam and does the same thing. In the end, the two teams meet during the championship and all heck breaks loose when the gridiron heros are found to be packing iron of their own. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Victor McLaglen, Greta Nissen, (more)
- 1932
Based on a novel by Rian James, Hat Check Girl stars Sally Eilers as the title character, a pert little number named Gerry Marsh. Despite her lowly station in life, Gerry manages to fall in love with millionaire playboy Buster Collins (Ben Lyon). The fly in the ointment is blackmailing newspaper columnist Tod Reese (Monroe Owsley), who is killed by one of his many victims. Since Buster had been targeted for persecution by Reese, he finds himself the leading suspect, obliging Gerry to play detective to solve the mystery. Ginger Rogers, still a year or so removed from full stardom, steals the show as Gerry's wise-lipped best friend. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sally Eilers, Ben Lyon, (more)
