Charles Bickford Movies

In this comedy drama, a very early talkie, set in the splendiferous South Seas, a French lassie charms a sea captain who takes her for his wife and sets sail for his conservative New England home. There the staid locals are shocked by the captain's free-spirited bride. More trouble ensues when the bride becomes disenchanted with her new husband because she believes that he loves his ship more than he does her. In the end the sea captain sails to France. There he discovers that his bride has inherited a fortune. Songs include: "Raymond," "Bric-a-Brac," "Sidewalks of New York," "An Idyll of the South Seas," "If You Believed in Me," and the title song. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Filmed in 1929 and released early in 1930, Dynamite was Cecil B. DeMille's first all-talking feature. As one observer has noted, this 128-minute opus has enough plots for seven pictures. The basic storyline here involves spoiled heiress Cynthia Crothers (Kay Johnson) who will lose her fortune if she isn't married right away. Her love Roger Towne (Conrad Nagel) isn't interested in marriage, so Crothers decides to wed convicted murderer Hagon Derk (Charles Bickford). Her plan: Derk will die, then she'll be a millionaire, free to chase after Towne without benefit of clergy. Unfortunately for Crothers, Derk is pardoned at the last minute when the real killer (Leslie Fenton) confesses. Crothers tries to drive Derk out of her life by humiliating him at a fancy party, only to discover that the conditions of her inheritance require that she live with her husband for a set period of time. She swallows her pride and heads for Derk's home town, a grimy mining village. Touched by Crother's inept efforts to keep house and cook dinner, Derk eventually falls in love with her--though he makes it clear that he wants no part of her money. Crothers, in turn, falls genuinely in love with her brutish but basically decent husband. It must needs be that fortune-hunting Towne arrives in the mining village, leading to a powerful climax wherein Derk, Crothers and Towne are trapped in a mine cave-in. Though the dialogue is occasionally quite silly (after the killer commits suicide in a crowded restaurant, one of the patrons is heard to complain "It's ruined my dinner!") and the performances overripe at times, Dynamite actually holds up better than you'd expect. DeMilles' utilization of sound is both innovative and imaginative, especially during the noisy climactic sequences. The film was a success, paving the way for DeMilles' camp classic Madame Satan (1930). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a two wealthy cousins find themselves involved in an unfortunate love triangle. The trouble begins when the one cousin, whose wealth came from marriage convinces the other, an heiress, to marry the family chauffeur. Years pass, and the first cousin ends up falling for the chauffeur herself and trying to break up the marriage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

One of the most frequently telecast films of the 1950s and 1960s, East of Borneo stars Rose Hobart as Linda, the wife of African missionary Dr. Clark (Charles Bickford). Feeling stifled by her unfamiliar surroundings, Linda is further isolated from civilization when her husband runs off into the jungle, believing that his wife has been unfaithful. With grim determination, our heroine heads into the wilds herself in search of Clark, braving all manner of marauding wildlife and human predators. When she finally catches up with her husband, she finds he's been living in comparative luxury as court physician of the Prince of Marudu (Georges Renavent). The End? Not quite -- we've still got a volcano in the offing! East of Borneo achieved latter-day fame when an avant-garde filmmaker got hold of a print of the film, spliced together all of the leading lady's close-ups, and came up with a surrealistic exercise titled Rose Hobart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a woman with dubious past finds herself blackmailed when she makes plans to marry a senator's son. She finds salvation with a bootlegger who offers to take care of the excursionist. Unfortunately, he chooses to kill the fellow, gets caught, and is put on trial. Now the woman must choose to risk reputation, and good marriage or tell the truth and save him from the electric chair. Eventually, she chooses the honorable path and happiness ensues all around. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Cecil B. DeMille's third remake of his debut film, this was the first sound version of Edwin Milton Royle's stage western melodrama. The story centers on a British captain who heads into the American West after taking the blame for his embezzling, blue-blooded cousin to protect the reputation of his cousin's wife, whom the captain secretly loves. There he rescues a beautiful Indian woman from a lustful, wicked cattle rustler. Later he and the woman marry and have a baby. To prove her love for her new spouse, the Indian murders the cattle rustler. More trouble brews when the captain's true love comes to tell him that her husband confessed all upon his death bed and that the captain is to the new Earl. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this melodrama, a starving orphan deliberately breaks a store window in hopes that she'll be tossed in jail and get a hot meal. The arresting officer does feed her, but then he gets her a job dancing in the Follies. Eventually the girl falls madly in love with the policeman. Unfortunately, he seems to have only a professional interest in her welfare and does not return her affection. This angers the frustrated girl. To try and get the cop's attention, the girl begins dating a notorious local sleazebag who tries to lure her to his bed. Fortunately, she escapes. Later the gigolo is found dead and the girl stands accused of the crime, forcing her beloved cop to arrest her. Later, he proves her innocence and marries her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this newspaper drama, a dedicated small-town reporter works hard and becomes the editor of a major New York paper. Unfortunately the man's ambition has blinded him to the needs of his wife and son. When the son dies, the bereaved, and lonely woman decides to leave him. Later the editor reconsiders his life, quits his high-pressure job and decides to save his marriage by working in a quieter town. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this mystery, a detective is called in to investigate the fate of a derelict ship that was found floating off the coast of Port Said. But for a madman and a woman, the ship is empty. The investigator soon reveals a plot involving the destruction of the vessel and insurance money. When the crew found out about it, they mutinied. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Cecil B. DeMille's This Day and Age was perhaps the most Draconian entry in Hollywood's early-1930s "vigilante" film cycle. Richard Cromwell heads a group of civic-minded teenagers in a small midwestern town. When a lovable old tailor (Harry Green) is murdered by a notorious gangster (Charles Bickford), Cromwell and his pals demand justice. But the local government is terrified by the influential gangster; in fact, many of the city fathers are on the take. Enraged, the kids take matters in their own hands. In the near-fascist climax, a mob of teenagers kidnap Bickford, spirit him away to the city dump, and suspend him over a pit of rats until he confesses to the murder! This Day and Age was the sort of Depression-engendered film of desperation that all but vanished once Franklin Roosevelt was elected. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this campy "adult-oriented" drama from the early 1930s, the ruthless manager of a Malaysian rubber plantation marries a singer facing deportation. He offers her a miserable existence of abuse and loneliness. She finds a bright spot with a handsome plantation worker. Unfortunately, her jealous husband sends him into headhunter country. When the man returns unscathed, the bullying supervisor is surprised for he figured the worker for a coward. The natives then revolt and an escaped convict helps the lovers make it to safety. The manager and the fugitive then play poker. The owner has a terrific hand, but never gets to lay it down, because his opponent is gored by a spear and dies. The ruthless overseer soon joins him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Helen Hayes reportedly turned down the opportunity to play the title role in this dreary melodrama about self-sacrificing motherhood; the opportunity, if that's the word, instead went to Viennese import Mady Christians. After killing her abusive husband (Paul Harvey) in self-defense, downtrodden Naomi Trice (Christians) dusts herself off and moves to another city with her four young children, vowing to pay for her crime when the youngsters are old enough to make their own way in life. Years later, Naomi is not only the proprietor of a successful dress designing business but is also courted by a kind newspaper editor, Pat Naylor (Charles Bickford). But when her oldest son Curtis (William Henry) is badly hurt in a fight with his sister's unsympathetic boyfriend (a very young Robert Taylor), Naomi vows to live up to her old promise if only he will pull through. The young man recovers and Naomi goes on trial for the murder of her husband but refuses to allow her children to give crucial testimony that may lead to an acquittal. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

A diverse group of ship passengers end up marooned on an isolated South Pacific island. Unfortunately, the contents of the hold, a number of potentially dangerous wild animals, also survived the wreck. Among the survivors is a criminal who proves to be just as big a threat as the lions and tigers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide