Louise Carter Movies

Often referred to as an imitation of Warner's legendary prison drama I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932), RKO's stirring Hell's Highway was actually released a few months earlier. The two films were in production at the same time, but RKO was determined to beat the competition (which also included Universal's Laughter in Hell, 1933) and not a few corners were cut. All three films were set in a generic Southern state (read Georgia) and depicted a horrid penal system more akin to the Middle Ages than the supposedly enlightened 1930s. In Hell's Highway, the chain gang prisoners wear uniforms with a large target printed on the back and the torture instrument du jour is a so-called sweatbox, in constant operation so that unscrupulous contractor Billings (Oscar Apfel) may construct his "Liberty Highway" on time and under budget. When a prisoner dies from exposure in the dreaded contraption, Duke Ellis (Richard Dix) concocts a plan to escape. The escape comes to an abrupt halt with the sudden arrival of his kid brother, Johnny (Tom Brown). The latter ends up in the sweatbox, but Duke has the kid transferred to office duty by using a bit of blackmail. There is a climactic prison riot, during which Duke is killed after saving his brother once again. Or at least that was what a preview audience saw. The death of the film's hero proved so shocking that RKO hastily filmed an alternative ending and Hell's Highway, as it survives today, concludes with Billings being charged with murder (the sweatbox situation) and Duke asked to testify against him. Typical of pre-code Hollywood, Hell's Highway features an openly gay prisoner (who bats his eyes at the prison guards), several scenes of torture, an appearance of near equality between black and white inmates, a bible-quoting polygamist (Charles Middleton), a wife-murdering guard (Warner Richmond), and, for added verisimilitude, a handicapped character who, when mortally wounded during the riot, signs his farewell to this world. Hell's Highway may not have enjoyed the status of I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang, but it remains a powerful indictment of the Georgian penal system of 1931 and a fine, well-acted film in its own right. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Marion Davies and Billie Dove, both veterans of the real-life Ziegfeld Follies, star in the entertaining comedy-drama Blondie of the Follies. Having both grown up in the New York tenement district, Blondie (Davies) and Lurleen (Dove) hope to escape their shabby surroundings in favor of the show-business world. But while Lurleen takes "the easiest path," sleeping her way to the top and living in luxury as the kept woman of playboy Robert Montgomery, Blondie does her best to hold on to her virtue while climbing the rungs of fame and fortune. The rivalry between the two girls reaches a fever pitch when Lurleen inadvertently causes Blondie to suffer a debilitating injury during a particularly treacherous Follies production number. Sticking fast to her principles, Blondie ultimately wins Montgomery, whereupon she and Lurleen renew their rocky friendship. The film's highlight is a delightful party scene in which Marion Davies and Jimmy Durante perform a devastating send-up of Greta Garbo and John Barrymore in Grand Hotel. Blondie of the Follies might have even been better had it been shorter; at 90 minutes, however, it veers towards repetition and predictability in the final reels. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This heavy-handed drama from the Arrow film company is based on a particularly unrealistic premise -- that a man, suddenly gone blind, would mistake another woman for his wife. When Red Cross nurse Hilda Nevers (Jane Novak) returns from the Orient, she is left penniless because her father has died. She goes to work at a hospital where Dr. Kitchell (Gordon Standing) is impressed by her voice, which is almost identical to that of his lover, Evelyn Wentworth (Louise Carter). Evelyn is engaged to Lawrence Sinton (Niles Welch), but only for his money. On their wedding night, Sinton is blinded when a burglar hits him on the head. Hilda is substituted for Evelyn, who is then free to continue her affair with the doctor. A family friend finally exposes the situation, but by then, Hilda and Sinton have fallen in love. Sinton has an operation that restores his sight, and he and Hilda are united. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

After minor film star Hope Hampton married her producer, Jules Brulatour, she went into semi-retirement. This independently made drama was one of her occasional forays back into filmdom. Novelist Howard Bronson (Dave Powell) is having trouble with the latest book he is writing and he brainstorms with illustrator Warren Carr (Lowell Sherman). Bronson is in luck because Carr's life provides him with the material he needs: Even though the artist is married to a wonderful woman, Hilda (Hampton), and they have an adorable little girl, he finds himself attracted to his vampy model, Nona Boyd (Mary Thurman). Carr ultimately breaks up with Hilda, who pleads with Nona to no avail. Carr marries the model and has a child, while his daughter with Hilda dies. Bronson befriends Hilda and tries to help her win her husband back. At his suggestion, she goes back to her former career as a cabaret dancer and sure enough, Carr comes around. But by then, Bronson has discovered he loves Hilda himself, even though he is sure his affection is not returned. He decides to burn his unfinished novel, but Hilda shows up on his doorstep and tells him that she has left Carr for good, and she has arrived to help him finish his book -- with the typical happy ending. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide