Robert Warwick Movies

Juarez was originally designed to concentrate almost exclusively on the tragedy of Hapsburg Emperor Maximillian, whose attempts to establish a puppet government in Mexico on behalf of Napoleon III ended in disaster and death. But when Paul Muni decided that he wanted to play Zapotec-Indian-turned-Mexican President Benito Pablo Juarez, the film's emphasis perceptibly shifted -- and Bette Davis, cast as Empress Carlotta, was shunted to second billing rather than first. Muni's makeup and costuming convincingly transforms him into Juarez incarnate. But unlike his other historical impersonations (Pasteur, Zola), Muni's Juarez is a one-note characterization: stoic, uncompromising, and v-e-e-r-y slow of speech. Far more exciting dramatically is Bette Davis as Empress Carlotta, whose highly stylized descent into madness is a tour de force both for the actress and for director William Dieterle. Claude Rains and Gale Sondergaard, as Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, in essence repeat their diabolical characterizations from Anthony Adverse (1936), while John Garfield is singularly miscast as Pofirio Diaz. The best performance is delivered by Brian Aherne, whose kindly, honorable Emperor Maximillian is less a despot than a misguided political pawn. When Aherne, about to be executed at Juarez' orders, requests that his favorite Mexican song "La Paloma" be played as he is led before the firing squad, audience sympathies are 100% in Maximilian's corner--which was not quite what the filmmakers intended. Based largely on Bertita Harding's book The Phantom Crown (the film's original title), Juarez takes every available opportunity to parallel its title character's fight against foreign intervention with the then-current European situation. To protect their investment in Juarez Warner Bros. purchased outright a like-vintage Mexican film on the same subject, The Mad Empress, suppressing the latter film's release in the United States. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Louis Armstrong steals the show as the groom to Jeepers Creepers, a skittish racehorse that can only settle down and run when Armstrong croons him the horse's namesake song. The main story concerns a plucky, ingenious salesman, who needing business, poses as a steeplechase jockey and endears himself to a prominent stable owner and his lovely niece. Romantic sparks fly between the girl and the sly fellow and his ruse works well until he is assigned to ride Jeepers Creepers, in the big race. The trouble is, the salesman doesn't know how to ride. On the day of the big race, the horse is extra nervous until Armstrong and a full band ride up beside him and begin performing. The horse then runs like the champ he is, insuring that the salesman gets his girl. Sure, it's a lot of horsefeathers, but who watches these old musicals for the plot? The story was filmed twice before as Hottentot and Polo Joe. Look for Ronald Reagan in a minor role as the stable owner's playboy son. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A rancher and the farmer who fences in precious grasslands battle it out in this drama. The fight begins as the rancher's horses continually breach the farmer's fence and destroy his wheat fields. The irate farmer then begins shooting the rancher's horses including the rancher's beloved wild stallion, Konga. The rancher then shoots the farmer to get revenge. The feud is eventually settled when the rancher's son falls in love with the farmer's daughter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this entry in the long-running western series, Hoppy and his pals must journey to Mexico after receiving a summons. Upon arrival, they realize that it was fake and that a good friend has been mysteriously murdered. They solve the puzzle with the assistance of the killer's feisty sister and a band of helpful caballeros. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Bar 20 Justice is the 16th entry in the durable "Hopalong Cassidy" western series. As ever, William Boyd stars as Hoppy, this time teamed with Windy Halliday (Gabby Hayes) and Lucky Jenkins (Russell Hayden). On this occasion, our heroes take on a bunch of crooks who've taken over a mining concern. In order to capture the criminal responsible for murdering the husband of heroine Ann Dennis (Gwen Gaze), Hoppy is obliged to head deep, deep, deep into a forbidding mineshaft. The excitement level of the closing scenes is enhanced by an intricate musical score. The bad-guy lineup on this occasion includes the swarthy Walter Long and the outwardly respectable Pat O'Brien. Bar 20 Justice was directed by Lesley Selander, who would eventually helm 27 of the 66 "Cassidy" films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Since the United States was officially neutral in the Spanish Civil War, the struggle of the Loyalists against Franco's forces didn't find much favor in Hollywood; this drama, produced by Walter Wanger, was one of the few films to deal with the conflict, albeit in watered-down terms. Marco (Henry Fonda) is a simple farmer driven from his land by troops of invading soldiers; in an act of defiance, he makes a speech declaring the need for freedom from tyranny, and soon Marco's fellow peasants are following him as their leader. Marco becomes a member of the Loyalist forces, and his strong words and fierce beliefs allow him to rise through the ranks and become a key member of the struggle. While stationed in a city under blockade, Marco becomes acquainted with Norma (Madeleine Carroll), who serves as a spy for armies allied with Franco; her sympathies are less with his policies than for the safety of her family, who live in an occupied territory. Despite their differences, the two become close when they're trapped in a building during a bombing raid; eventually Norma finds herself swayed by Marco's impassioned call to stop the murder of the innocent people of Spain. While producer Wanger was one of the few people in Hollywood who felt strongly enough about the situation in Spain to put it on film, the resulting picture doesn't say much about the specific political issues involved in the fight against Franco, and the troops Marco and his men encounter wear uniforms designed not to resemble those of any actual countries, for fear of offending nations that sided with Franco. Despite this, Blockade was deemed a strong enough leftist tract to be used against screenwriter John Howard Lawson when he was blacklisted in the 1950s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Whenever a Charles Starrett western flashed on the screen in the late 1930s, audiences could rest assured that the supporting cast would include Iris Meredith (heroine), Edward LeSaint (heroine's father), Dick Curtis (blackhearted villain) and Edmund Cobb, Art Mix and George Cheseboro (general hangers-on). All of these performers were in attendance in Starrett's 1938 vehicle Law of the Plains. Plot 24-B was trotted out on this occasion, wherein Starrett protects ranch-owner Meredith from a crooked cattle dealers. LeSaint comes into the story rather late, upon discovering that Meredith is (of course) his long-lost daughter. The film's biggest surprise is that the usually saintly LeSaint is the head of the villains, though he redeems himself by the fadeout. Musical interludes are provided by Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Too old to play the cute MGM urchin any longer, 16-year-old Jackie Cooper signed with Monogram for a group of above-average programmers. Gangster's Boy was the second of this series, all of which followed a predestined pattern of shame and redemption. Young Cooper is a high-school honor student who is revealed to be the son of an ex-gangster (Robert Warwick). Shunned by former friends, Cooper nonetheless stands by his dad, defending him to a hostile community. Father and son eventually prevail over provincial bigotry, though Cooper seems happier about the whole thing than the ever-sullen Warwick (an actor better suited to the role of a business executive or Shakespearean ham). Sentimental to the nth degree, Gangster's Boy was a success, prompting a third Cooper Monogram "special" with a similar plotline, Streets of New York (39). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sometimes mistakenly referred to as Bride of the West, this superior "Hopalong Cassidy" entry packs every conceivable ingredient for surefire entertainment into its 55 minute. Hoppy (William Boyd) plays it cool as he seeks out a stagecoach robber. Once he's determined who the guilty party is, Hoppy and his saddle pals Windy Halliday (George-not yet "Gabby Hayes) and Lucky Jenkins (Russell Hayden) swing into action. The script is by Nate Watt, a former director who knew his onions so far as nonstop action was concerned. Pride of the West was the 17th installment in the Hopalong Cassidy series, and there was more where that came from. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The trials faced by the US Army when it first attempted to trade horses for tanks provides the basis of this actioner. The tale centers upon the love affair between an Army post commander's daughter and a young tank specialist who is trying to prove that the new technology is better than horses. The old soldiers disagree and a race upon a special course is arranged. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

John Howard stars as Dr. Paul Martin, intent upon instituting sweeping medical reforms in his community. He is opposed in this by the corrupt political machine headed by Pete Lindsey (Edward Ellis). Thanks to Lindsey's chicanery, the town is a hotbed of health hazards, and no one but Martin has the power or fortitude to do something about it. A fortuitous last-minute confession signed by a dying "machine" judge enables Martin to triumph over his enemies. As a bonus, our hero is able to stem an outbreak of infantile paralysis -- and to win the hand of winsome heroine Judith Marshall (Nan Grey), the daughter of a man destroyed by Lindsey's crooked regime. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Leo McCarey directed this classic screwball comedy in which Cary Grant and Irene Dunne play Jerry and Lucy Warriner, a couple whose marriage is starting to fall apart. Jerry informs Lucy that he's taking a vacation alone in Florida; instead, he holes up with his buddies and plays poker for a week (while sitting under a sun lamp so he'll have an appropriate tan). Lucy concludes that Jerry was never in Florida just as Jerry discovers that Lucy was spending her time with Armand Duvalle (Alex D'Arcy), a handsome voice teacher. Both Jerry and Lucy believe the other was unfaithful, so they agree to a trial divorce, with a bitter battle fought over custody of Mr. Smith, the dog (Lucy gets the dog, but Jerry has visitation rights). Determined to make Jerry jealous, Lucy continues keeping company with Armand while also dating Daniel Leeson (Ralph Bellamy), a wealthy oil man from Oklahoma. Convinced that turnabout is fair play, Jerry starts going out with Dixie Belle Lee (Joyce Compton), a brassy nightclub singer, as well as socialite Barbara Vance (Molly Lamont). However, Lucy has belatedly decided that she wants Jerry back, and she hatches a plan to win him back by making a spectacle of herself at a party. The Awful Truth was based on a play which had been filmed twice before, but McCarey gave his superb comic cast free reign to improvise and add new business, and the results were splendid; you haven't lived until you've heard Irene Dunne attempt to sing "Home on the Range." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

After several overlong "Hopalong Cassidy" westerns, Rustler's Valley brings things back under control with a short-and-sweet running time of 58 minutes. William Boyd, George "Gabby" Hayes and Russell Hayden are back respectively as Hoppy, Windy and Lucky. This time, a powerful railroad tycoon frames an innocent young man on a robbery charge. The villain is in cahoots with an equally unscrupulous lawyer, played by Stephen Morris (better known as Morris Ankrum). With Hopalong Cassidy on the job, however, the baddies are foiled in near-record time. Of interest is the fact that the rail baron is played by 26-year-old Group Theatre veteran Lee J. Cobb, a full decade before his stage triumph in Death of a Salesman. Rustler's Valley comes to a thrilling climax as a rock-slide wipes out the remaining villains, a sequence later excerpted in toto in the 1942 Hopalong Cassidy oater Lost Canyon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide