Sam Wood Movies
When American director Sam Wood first reported to Cecil B. De Mille as an assistant in 1915, Wood had already dabbled in real estate and acted on-stage under the name of Chad Applegate. A solo director by 1919, Wood worked throughout the '20s directing some of Paramount's biggest stars, among them Gloria Swanson and Wallace Reid. He began his long association with MGM in 1927, working with personalities as varied as Marion Davies, Clark Gable, Marie Dressler, and Jimmy Durante. He guided the Marx Brothers through their two most profitable films, A Night at the Opera (1935) and A Day at the Races (1937), and turned out one of the most accomplished sentimental dramas ever made in Hollywood, Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939). Hopping from studio to studio in the '40s, Wood directed Ginger Rogers through her Oscar-winning performance in Kitty Foyle (1940), successfully transferred Thornton Wilder's highly theatrical Our Town (1940) to the screen (even the studio-imposed happy ending worked), and assembled the quintessential baseball biopic, The Pride of the Yankees (1942).The list of Wood's successes would seem to assure him a niche in the ranks of all-time best Hollywood directors, yet his reputation has tarnished since his death in 1949. Most detractors insist that Wood was a hack, citing his habit of shooting each scene an average of 20 times, his only verbal direction in each instance being "Go out there and sell 'em a load of clams." In truth, this technique was invaluable in wearing down such mannered performers as Walter Brennan, Dan Duryea, Frank Morgan, and Wallace Beery, until they were tired enough to behave like human beings instead of play-actors. The 20-take habit also enabled the more limited actors to re-think their interpretations until they'd found nuances that they would never have considered on the first take: Ronald Reagan, who was certainly no Olivier, was never better than in Wood's Kings Row (1942). Taking into consideration all the complaints about Sam Wood, the biggest bone of contention seems to be his reactionary politics. Wood was active in a number of right-wing organizations, and in 1947 he virulently condemned Hollywood's "left" before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Those whose politics are diametrically opposite to Wood's dwell incessantly upon this aspect of his life, embellishing the facts by painting him as a bigot and (in the words of Groucho Marx) a "fascist." But just as it is fitting and proper to separate the performances of a Jane Fonda, Shirley MacLaine, or Paul Newman from their political agendas, so too would it be fair to extend the same courtesy to Wood. No matter what sort of man Sam Wood was personally, his string of Hollywood hits should be his true legacy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A Day at the Races was the Marx Brothers' follow-up to their incomparable A Night at the Opera. Groucho Marx is cast as Hugo Z. Hackenbush, a veterinarian who passes himself off as a human doctor when summoned by wealthy hypochondriac Emily Upjohn (Margaret Dumont) to take over the financially strapped Standish Sanitarium. Chico Marx plays the sanitarium's general factotum, who works without pay because he has a soft spot for its owner, lovely Judy Standish (Maureen O'Sullivan). Harpo Marx portrays a jockey at the local racetrack, constantly bullied by the evil Morgan (Douglass Dumbrille), who will take over the sanitarium if Judy can't pay its debts. After several side-splitting routines--Chico selling Groucho tips on the races, Chico and Harpo rescuing Groucho from the clutches of femme fatale Esther Muir, all three Marxes conducting a lunatic "examination" of Margaret Dumont--the fate of the sanitarium rests on a Big Race involving Hi-Hat, a horse belonging to the film's nominal hero, Allan Jones. Virtually everything that worked in "Opera" is trotted out again for "Races", including a hectic slapstick finale wherein the Marxes lay waste to a public event. What is missing here is inspiration; perhaps this is due to the fact that MGM producer Irving Thalberg, whose input was so essential to the success of "Opera", died during the filming of "Races". Even so, Day at the Races made more money than any other previous Marx Brothers film--the result being that MGM, in the spirit of "they loved it once", would continue recycling Races' best bits for the studio's next three Marx vehicles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marx Brothers, Groucho Marx, (more)
Although some purists hold out for Duck Soup (1933), many Marx Brothers fans consider A Night at the Opera the team's best film. Immediately after the credits roll, we are introduced to Groucho Marx as penny-ante promoter Otis B. Driftwood. After a sumptuous dinner with a beautiful blonde at a fancy Milan restaurant, Driftwood tries to cadge another free meal from his wealthy patroness, Mrs. Claypool (Margaret Dumont). The dignified dowager complains that Driftwood had promised to get her into high society, but has done nothing so far. Otis B. counters by introducing Mrs. C to pompous opera entrepreneur Gottleib (Sig Rumann); all Mrs. Claypool has to do is invest several hundred thousand dollars in Gottleib's opera company, and her entree into society is in the bag. Contingent upon this plan is Driftwood's signing of Rodolfo Lassparri (Walter Woolf King), a self-important tenor. Backstage at the opera, Driftwood meets Fiorello (Chico Marx), who poses as a manager and offers to sell Driftwood the "world's greatest tenor"-not Lassparri, as Driftwood assumes, but Fiorello's pal Ricardo Baroni (Allan Jones). Instantly the two sharpsters try to draw up a contract ("The party of the first part shall hereafter be known as the party of the first part..."), which they proceed to tear up piece by piece whenever coming across a clause that displeases them (Driftwood: "That's a sanity clause"; Fiorello: "You no foola me. There ain't no Sanity Claus"). Having lost Lassparri to Gottleib, Driftwood sails back to America with Mrs. Claypool and the opera company. Gottleib arranges for Driftwood to get the tiniest, least accessible stateroom on the ship. Unpacking his trunk, Driftwood discovers that he's got to share his postage-stamp quarters with Ricardo Baroni, who has stowed away because he's in love with the opera troupe's leading lady Rosa (Kitty Carlisle). Also hiding out in Driftwood's trunk is Fiorello, who's come along because he's still Ricardo's manager, and the wacky Tomasso (Harpo Marx), Lassparri's former dresser, who has come along for the hell of it. Anxious to arrange a tete-a-tete with Mrs. Claypool in his stateroom, Otis finds out that his unwelcome guests won't leave until they're fed ("Do you have any stewed prunes? Well, give them some black coffee, that'll sober 'em up"). After ordering a huge dinner, Otis and his new friends are crowded even farther by a steady stream of intruders, including an engineer and his assistant, a cleaning lady, a manicurist, a girl looking for her Aunt Minnie, and a dozen waiters. The celebrated "stateroom scene" comes to a rollicking conclusion when Mrs. Claypool has the misfortune of opening the door. On the last night of the voyage, Fiorello, Tomasso and Ricardo sneak out of their stateroom to enjoy an impromptu ethnic festival in steerage. Ricardo sings, Fiorello "shoots the keys" on the piano, and Tomasso plays the film's theme song Alone on the harp. The stowaways are caught and thrown in the brig, but with Driftwood's help they escape. To avoid recapture, the stowaways don heavy beards and pose as three famed Russian aviators. After making a shambles of a public reception, the three reprobates hide out in Driftwood's New York apartment, where everyone conspires to drive an investigating detective (Robert Emmet O'Connor) crazy. Driftwood is fired from the opera company for associating with the stowaways, while Rosa is dismissed for refusing Lassparri's affections. In order to restore Rosa's job and put the deserving Ricardo in Lassparri's place during the opening performance of La Traviata, Driftwood, Fiorello and Tomasso concoct a scheme that will reduce the opera to comic chaos. The actual night at the opera in A Night at the Opera must be seen to be believed, but the spirit of the scene can be summed up by Gottleib's anguished cry "A battleship in Il Trovatore!" Opera was the Marx Brothers' first film for MGM, and they dearly coveted a hit after the disappointing box-office showing of their final Paramount films. With the blessing of MGM production chief Irving Thalberg, the Marxes went on the road with their brilliant writing staff (including George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind and Al Boasberg) to test their comedy material before live audiences. As a result of this careful preplanning, Night at the Opera was a smash-hit gigglefest, grossing over $3 million and putting the Marxes back on top in the hearts and minds of filmgoers everywhere. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, (more)
- 1931
Previously filmed in 1922, the 1917 stage farce The Impostor was reheated in 1931 as the William Haines vehicle A Tailor Made Man. Essaying his usual brash wisecracker, Haines plays John Paul Bart, a pants-presser who tries to crash High Society by borrowing the dress suit owned by millionaire Jellicott (William Austin). Thus garbed, he attends the weekend party held by socialite Mrs. Stanlaw (Hedda Hopper), doing his best to avoid the baleful eye of Jellicott, likewise a party guest. Through a combination of prevarication and chutzpa, Bart saves Jellicott's business from bankruptcy and also wins the heart of heroine Tanya (Dorothy Jordan). By 1931, William Haines could have done this sort of role in his sleep, which at times seemed to be the case. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Haines, Dorothy Jordan, (more)
- 1950
- NR
Ambush is a tight, well-paced western, expertly assembled by veteran director Sam Wood, whose last film this was. Robert Taylor stars as an Indian scout, sent to rescue a woman who is somewhere deep in Apache territory. The woman's sister, naturally, goes along for the ride: she is played by Arlene Dahl, then in her considerable prime. Outside of its feminine angle, Ambush is packed with action from first frame to last. Released to theatres at the tail end of 1949, the film was an unqualified success with holiday audiences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, John Hodiak, (more)
- 1922
This picture did great at the box office, and no wonder -- Paramount's biggest star of the day, Gloria Swanson, co-starred with Rudolph Valentino (whose fame was so new that his first name was still being spelled "Rodolph"), in a story written by the most famous trashy novelist of the day, Elinor Glyn. There was no way this romantic drama could have lost. Swanson plays Theodora Fitzgerald, the daughter of poor but aristocratic parents. Her father pushes her into a marriage with a retired and wealthy grocer, but on the honeymoon she meets Lord Bracondale, a stunningly handsome nobleman (Valentino) when he saves her from a mountain climbing fall. The two embark on a torrid affair (enhanced by fanciful historical flashbacks). Although Theodora wishes to do right by her husband, he discovers that she does not love him and goes on an expedition, where he is fatally wounded. Before he dies, he generously gives the errant couple his approval. Between the time this film completed production and the time it came out, The Four Horsemen of the Apolcalypse was released, increasing Valentino's box office value even more. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, (more)
- 1923
This romantic drama gave filmgoers everything they expected from a Gloria Swanson picture -- fancy settings, gorgeous clothes, and a story that wasn't too taxing on the brain. It was adapted from the stage play by Alfred Savior, which starred Ina Claire on Broadway. John Brandon, an American millionaire (Huntley Gordon), has been married seven times but never found love. Then, when he is in Paris, Mona de Briac (Swanson) comes into his life. Mona comes from an noble family who is facing ruin. Although the marriage is financially advantageous, Mona really loves Brandon -- until she finds out about his seven other wives. She goes out of her way to do everything she can to test Brandon's love for her, and her tactics bring them to the brink of divorce when he finally loses faith in her. But as he is about to send her away, he realizes that her love is sincere, not her foolish actions. Ernst Lubitsch would remake this film in 1938 as a talkie, with Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert as the stars. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson, Huntly Gordon, (more)
- 1924
Agnes Ayres, who'd once been topbilled over Rudolph Valentino, was beginning the slow downward slide when she starred in Bluff. Ayres plays a young woman who must raise a great deal of money in a hurry to afford medical treatment for her brother. Thus she poses as a world-reknowned fashion designer, and in this guise is able to accrue the necessary funds. Her plan backfires when she is arrested for crimes committed by the designer. Attorney Antonio Moreno saves the day. Bluff was directed by Sam Wood, whose more famous endeavors included A Night at the Opera, Goodbye Mr. Chips and The Pride of the Yankees. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Agnes Ayres, Antonio Moreno, (more)
- 1944
When he finds out his ex-wife has just had his child and plans to give her up for adoption, a timid English instructor dashes to the child's rescue and attempts to care for her in a hotel room. Before too long, however, his new fiancee and his ex confront him and he must decide what he will do. This light comedy starring Gary Cooper, Theresa Wright and Anita Louise garnered Oscar nominations for Sound and Art Direction and was previously filmed under the title Little Accident in 1930 and 1939. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, (more)
- 1933
Based on the play by Sidney Howard (of Gone with the Wind and Dead End fame), Christopher Bean is a showcase for the magnificent Marie Dressler. She plays Abby, the poor but proud housekeeper of a small-town doctor (Lionel Barrymore), his wife (Beulah Bondi), and their children. Years before the story proper begins, Abby had been a close friend of Christopher Bean, a local painter who was treated as a pariah by the community because of his drunken misbehavior. After his death, however, Bean was acknowledged as a genius, and his paintings became extremely valuable. One of Bean's best works is a portrait that he painted of Abby -- and she refuses to part with it at any price, despite the entreaties of her avaricious employers. Sadly, Christopher Bean was Marie Dressler's final film; she died of cancer not long after its completion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie Dressler, Lionel Barrymore, (more)
- 1920
Milly West (a miscast Ethel Clayton) is a dancer who has her heart bent on stardom. She has an admirer in country boy Tim Ennis (Walter Hiers), who lives in the same boarding house as she does, but she turns down his marriage proposal. During a performance, Milly is injured and can't get her strength back to get another gig. Hughie Ray (William Boyd), a pal of Tim's, comes to town and offers to take Milly back to the country to recuperate. She takes him up on his offer and after she has been there a while he proposes. But Milly has been told that her injury makes it impossible for her to bear children; since she knows that Ray loves kids she tries to leave him. Ray catches up with her and when he finds out why she ran away, he says he would be happy to adopt. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
Command Decision is a stagebound but consummately acted adaptation of William Wister Haines' Broadway play. Clark Gable, starring in the role essayed on Broadway by Paul Kelly, plays Air Force Brigadier General "Casey" Dennis. With time at a premium, Dennis sends waves of bomber squadrons into Germany to knock out the enemy's jet plane factories. Though Dennis seems utterly unconcerned about the fate of his pilots (even his superior officer Walter Pidgeon is appalled by the heavy losses), the audience knows that his duty is exacting a severe emotional toll on him. Thanks to pressure from a misguided US senator, "butcher" Dennis is replaced by the supposedly more humane Brian Donlevy. But Donlevy realizes that Gable's decisions were the correct ones, and he vows to continue his predecessor's "suicide missions". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, (more)
- 1920
Sylvester Tibble (Wallace Reid) comes to New York City to work at the jug business run by his uncle, Enoch Jones (Raymond Hatton). He winds up supplementing his $6.00 a week when dancer Junie Budd (Bebe Daniels) discovers his slick footwork and takes him on as a dancing partner. His gig at one of the city's biggest jazz clubs wins him acclaim and enhances his uncle's modest business. This picture was based on a Saturday Evening Post story by Henry Payson Dowst. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1921
According to trade paper Wid's, "If it happened that you got into your seat just after the introductory titles had been run off...you would probably go out fully impressed that Don't Tell Everything was a DeMille production." The reason for that, Gloria Swanson says in her autobiography, is because this comedy-drama was merely outtakes from Cecil B. DeMille's film The Affairs of Anatole. But the studio, Paramount (and perhaps the director that was given credit, Sam Wood), did manage to make a halfway credible film from the scraps -- sportsman Cullen Dale (Wallace Reid) secretly marries society girl Marian Westover (Swanson). But his pal, sportswoman Jessica Ramsey (Dorothy Cumming), decides she wants him herself. Marian doesn't want to honeymoon with Dale at Jessica's hunting lodge and they argue. Dale goes there on his own, and Marian's former suitor, Harvey Gilroy (Elliott Dexter), convinces her to go after him. She arrives at the cabin and wins her husban d back from Jessica. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wallace Reid, Gloria Swanson, (more)
- 1920
When "Speed" Carr (Wallace Reid) has to travel from New York to Los Angeles to meet his uncle and claim an inheritance, he decides to make the trip by automobile. The trek goes well until he reaches the Western desert. While he is sleeping, his car and all his belongings are stolen, even his shoes. He arrives in L.A. looking like a bum, and the bank that was supposed to give him his money tosses him out as an impostor. By coincidence, he takes on the name of a certain criminal and goes to work as a chauffeur for the bank president's daughter, Sallie McPherson (Wanda Hawley). Sallie's new car just happens to be the one stolen from Speed. Because of his choice of pseudonym, Speed gets himself in all sorts of trouble, and ultimately he is accused of stealing his own car, impersonating himself and being his own murderer. Before things get cleared up, he manages to marry Sallie and eventually all turns out well. In the years before his premature death from drugs, Wallace Reid played breezy characters like this one in quite a few light comedies. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
During the early '20s, Wallace Reid starred in a number of snappy car racing films. This one was adapted from the Saturday Evening Post story "The Bear Trap," by Bryon Morgan, the same author responsible for the story to Reid's prior film, The Roaring Road. "Toodles" Walden (Reid) is manager of the Darco auto concern. His father-in-law, J.D. Ward, also known as "the Bear" (Theodore Roberts), is the company's president. Ward has a Darco with a powerful, new motor, which he is hiding from his rivals at the Fargot Motor Car Company. Its president, Mutchler (Tully Marshall), is determined to get his hands on the design. One of Fargot's racing drivers, Ritz (Walter Long), gets Walden involved in a street race and he is arrested. As a result, the angry Ward makes sure his license is suspended and sells the three Darco racing cars. The Fargot company acquires two of them and disguises them as Fargots. The firm challenges Darco to a race and Ward puts up ten thousand dollars for a Los Angeles-to-San Francisco race. Walden buys the other old Darco, which the Fargot people assume is the one with the new motor. Ward still has it and he gets into the race himself when he hears that Ritz has been ordered to destroy Walden's car. Walden beats Ritz up and takes over the other Fargot car. Ward wins the race, with Walden coming in second. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1926
Fascinating Youth was designed as a showcase for the winners of Paramount's Junior Star contest of 1926. Newcomer Charles "Buddy" Rogers heads the cast as Teddy Ward, the son of a wealthy hotelier (Ralph Lewis). Disturbed by Teddy's hedonistic lifestyle, Ward Sr. orders the boy to take over management of a winter resort hotel. With the help of talented sketch artist Jeanne King (Ivy Harris), Teddy mounts a big-time advertising campaign and transforms the dormant resort into a smashing success. Outside of Buddy Rogers and Ivy Harris, the other Junior Stars given a boost in Fascinating Youth include future cowboy hero Jack Luden and the delightful comedienne Thelma Todd. Also performing box-office duty in cameo roles are such established Paramount luminaries as Richard Dix, Adolphe Menjou, Clara Bow, Lois Wilson and Thomas Meighan, not to mention contract directors Lewis Milestone and Mal St. Clair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ivy Harris
- 1924
Dalla (Betty Compson) is an untamed orphan of the South African veldt. She falls in love with Colonel Valentia, a noted English hunter (Warner Baxter), but his refined friends make fun of her crude ways. Hurt by their taunts, she decides to wed wealthy Boer Barend DeBeer (Noah Beery), under the condition that he wait three years before consummating the marriage. During that time, she goes to England and learns to become a lady. During a lion hunt back in South Africa, Dalla is left alone in her tent. Clon Biron (Freeman Wood) tries to seduce her. DeBeer, however, returns and Biron kills him. Dalla is accused of his murder, but Biron is finally found to be the guilty party. With DeBeer out of the way, Dalla is able to find happiness with Valentia. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Compson, Warner Baxter, (more)
Based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls is a romantic drama set against the turbulent tapestry of the Spanish Civil War. Gary Cooper plays Robert Jordan, an idealistic American fighting with a Spanish guerilla band. He is assigned to blow up a crucial bridge in order to halt the enemy's progress. He falls in love with Maria (Ingrid Bergman), a young peasant girl who's joined the fight after being ill-used by enemy troops. Pablo (Akim Tamiroff), the eternally drunken leader of the guerillas, resents Jordan's attentions toward Maria, and he refuses to help Jordan in his sabotage work. Pablo's wife Pilar (Oscar-winner Katina Paxinou) takes over command of the guerillas and helps Jordan by arranging horses for the band's departure after their job is done. The man supplying the horses (Joseph Calleia) is killed, and Jordan is left to finish his task minus a means to escape. For Whom the Bell Tolls was a long, faithful adaptation of the Hemingway novel, with excellent performances, torrid love scenes, and first-rate Technicolor photography. Available for many years only in the 130-minute reissue version, it was restored to nearly its full original length of 168 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, (more)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips, based on James Hilton's novel, is a melodrama about a shy British teacher named Mr. Chipping (Robert Donat) who devotes his life to teaching "his boys" after the death of his lovely, energetic American wife Katherine (Greer Garson). Told via flashbacks, the film features an aged Mr. Chipping looking back nostalgically at his long career, taking note of the people who've touched his life over the years. Donat was the recipient of a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the title character, and the film features the debut performance of a young Garson. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Donat, Greer Garson, (more)
- 1921
Author Elinor Glyn knew how to generate publicity, and she created quite a bit when Paramount decided to film this story. In one scene, the girl (played by Gloria Swanson) has been bitten by a rattlesnake, and to save her, her co-star (played by Milton Sills) must suck the poison out of the wound -- which is located on her breast. A scene like this one just wasn't allowed in the silent era, and the studio was up in arms because Glyn refused to change it, at least until the controversy received enough press. Then she relented and allowed the wound to be low on the shoulder. As for the plot, it's the usual Glyn romantic stuff, and it kept Swanson -- who would soon become a superstar -- very much in the spotlight. Sir Edward Pelham (Alec B. Francis) married a Russian Gypsy (Swanson), and his daughter, Nadine (Swanson), now that's she's grown, is proving to have the same fiery temperament as her mother. Although he arranges for Nadine to marry her cousin, she falls in love with Bayard Delavel (Sills), a young engineer, during a trip to Nevada. Here is where the big rattlesnake bite scene happens. Delavel takes Nadine to his cabin to care for her, and gives her some whiskey. When her father walks in on the scene, he believes his daughter has been compromised and forces the couple to marry. Just as quickly, however, he also separates them and takes Nadine to Washington, D.C. Delavel, who believes that Nadine does not love him, allows her to go. In D.C., Nadine promises to marry Hopper (Arthur Hull), a millionaire, but when Delavel shows up at her engagement ball, the estranged couple are reunited. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson
- 1945
This screwball comedy stars Claudette Colbert as Mary, the wife of bumbling but likeable banker Chris (Dick Foran). Foreign correspondent Joe (Don Ameche) Chris' best friend, is in danger of losing his job because he's not married (his boss insists that all his employees be married-and remember, bosses could get away with this in 1945!) Mary magnamimously offers to pose as Joe's wife, leading to all sorts of comic misunderstandings-the silliest of which finds Mary being accused of living in sin with her real husband. As one critic put it, "It's oh-ho time!" Guest Wife might have even been funnier had it not been hampered by the stringest censorship of the era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, (more)
A remake of the 1939 French film Battement de Couer, Heartbeat reunites star Ginger Rogers with her Kitty Foyle director Sam Wood. Ms. Rogers plays Arlette, a reform school alumnus who is recruited by Faginlike Professor Aristide, headmaster at a school for pickpockets. Before long, Arlette becomes Aristide's prize pupil, and is being groomed for bigger things. Assigned by a corrupt foreign ambassador (Adolphe Menjou) to steal a valuable watch from wealthy and handsome diplomat Pierre (Jean Pierre Aumont), Arlette not only bungles the job, but also falls in love with her would-be victim. Heartbeat wasn't the first mediocre American remake of a French film, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ginger Rogers, Jean-Pierre Aumont, (more)
- 1920
This light comedy, based on the French farce La Veglione by Alexandre Bisson and Albert Carre, should have been funnier than it actually turned out to be -- especially with players like Wanda Hawley, Harrison Ford, and famed character actor Tully Marshall. Martinot, a French lawyer (Ford) falls for Susanne Bergomat (Hawley), but has to go on a business trip before he can find out much about her. So he asks his friend, Paul Blythe (Ramsey Wallace), to look into her background for him, and to propose on his behalf. Blythe winds up falling in love with her himself, so he tells Martinot that her father's a drunkard, her mother's a cabaret singer, and that she has inherited the worst traits of both. Martinot writes her off and Blythe marries her. A year later, the young lawyer wants to visit his friend, which sends Blythe into a panic. To hide Susanne's presence, he sends her off with his business partner, Dr. Poulard (Marshall), to visit her parents. But first, they make a stop in Nice to see the Carnival, during which Dr. Poulard gets drunk and passes out -- so Susanne goes off on her own. She runs into Martinot and discovers that he wanted to marry her. She's mad at being duped, so she decides to trick her husband into believing she is all the things he claimed she was, and worse. Mrs. Poulard (Lillian Leighton) helps in this regard when she accuses Susanne of having an affair with her husband. When Blythe has finally been utterly destroyed by Susanne's scandalous behavior, she lets him know it was all a hoax. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
When Gerald Elliot (Jay Eaton) becomes involved with Lotta St. Regis, a notorious snake dancer (Nell Craig), his cousin Christina (Wanda Hawley) decides to rescue him from her clutches. She heads over to Lotta's house, as does Adrian Maitland (Jerome Patrick), whose younger brother is also involved with the vamp. Christina and Maitland meet on Lotta's front porch, and he mistakes her for the snake dancer. She allows him to believe this, and he takes her prisoner on board his yacht. Christina finally tells him she's not Lotta, but he has fallen in love with her, so they get married. They keep it a secret, however, until Lotta tells Gerald's family that Christina compromised herself with Maitland. The couple pulls out their wedding license and Gerald dumps Lotta, who shrugs her shoulders and goes off in search of her next victim. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1922
This picture was one of several that Sam Wood directed for Gloria Swanson, and its lavishness shows the influence of Cecil B. DeMille -- not long before, Wood had been DeMille's assistant (and Swanson, for that matter, had been his star). Unfortunately, fancy sets and gowns was just about all it had. Its wispy story was founded on the tired cliché of the lover who believes the worst about his girl. Suzanne Ornoff (Swanson) comes to America as a successful actress because her press agent, Bud Walton (Walter Hiers, providing some comedy relief), has made up a notorious past for her. Unfortunately, her sweetheart, American artist Arnold Pell (David Powell) really does believe she was "the favorite of King Fernando," and leaves her. But Suzanne has allowed Walton to make her infamous only so she can make enough money to support her poor uncle and crippled sister, Jacqueline (Anne Cornwall). The estranged couple meet up again and Pell realizes the error of his decision to leave. His brother, Lawrence (Harrison Ford), is a doctor who cures Jacqueline, along with falling in love with her. So the film ends with two happy couples. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Swanson, Dave Powell, (more)
