Harry Woods Movies

The husband-and-wife team of William Duncan and Edith Johnson once again brave numerous dangers in The Fast Express, a 15-chapter serial from Universal about a gang of crooks attempting to halt the building of yet another transcontinental railroad. The abduction of Miss Johnson, a haunted house, a cloaked mystery villain, and blackmail are among the many perils facing the stalwart Duncan, who also directed. Well-known screen villains Albert J. Smith and Harry Woods perform most of the skullduggery, receiving their comeuppance in the final chapter aptly entitled "Retribution." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Although (falsely) accused of robbery and murder, Tom Bailey (Fred Thomson) is nevertheless granted amnesty for one day in order to ride in the rodeo and judge a baby pageant. The winner of the contest (Mary Louise Miller) is the brother of Esther Lacy (Helen Foster), whose stepfather, Hartigan (Harry Woods), is the actual killer. Eluding the law, Tom goes in search of the villain -- who, at one point, almost has the baby killed by an runaway train meant to maim Tom -- before the inevitable happy ending. Baby Mary Louise Miller (later to be seen as one of Mary Pickford's Sparrows (1926)) almost steals this pleasant western which, according to Moving Picture World, was "As good an action picture as money can buy." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this silent Western, popular genre star Fred Thomson was given a new sidekick in six-year-old Billy Butts, a fair-haired boy actor who could ride with the best of them. Fred, as Fred Saunders, rescues little Buddy, an orphan, from being trampled to death by a runaway horse. Saunders soon becomes so attached to the plucky tyke that he "kidnaps" him from the orphanage. The two of them recover money stolen from the collection plate at the local church and Fred falls in love with the minister's daughter, June (Lola Todd). Things turn serious, however, when little Buddy is kidnapped for real, this time by a gang headed by Con Carney (Robert McKim). The Western climaxes in a daring rescue of Buddy, who proves to be June's long-lost kid brother. Billy Butts went on to star opposite Fox cowboy Rex Bell and later replaced Jackie Morgan in the popular "Gumps" two-reeler. His waif-like qualities didn't survive into puberty, however, and Butts retired from films at age 17. Like so many of his FBO Westerns, The Tough Guy was written by Thomson's wife, Frances Marion, under the pseudonym "Frank M. Clifton." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Cowboy hero Fred Thomson's beautiful horse Silver King was the real star of this well-made FBO western. The film was Thomson's penultimate effort for the studio before signing with Paramount. After rescuing his employer Zeke (William Courtwright) from a mountain lion and Zeke's daughter Lucindy (Edna Murphy) from a runaway racehorse, Fred is given Silver King to train for the Big Race. Zeke bet his ranch on the outcome of the race, only to find Silver King abducted by the nasty Stanton (Harry Woods). Fred finds the horse in the nick of time, however, and together they beat Stanton's entry in the race. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Stalwart western hero Tom Tyler is once again falsely accused of a crime in this well-made silent oater from FBO. The sheriff has been killed, and everything points to Tyler as the culprit. Discovering the killer to be saloon-owner Harry Woods, Tyler pretends to be sympathetic but is actually gathering evidence. He is aided in his quest by 12-year-old Red Lennox and grizzled sidekick Alfred Hewston. Interestingly, the roles played by Lennox and Hewston were taken over by Buzz Barton and Frank Rice in FBO's popular "Red Hepner" series. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The chemistry between cowboy hero Tom Tyler and juvenile sidekick Frankie Darro saved this otherwise commonplace FBO Western from the doldrums. Veteran villain Harry Woods is, of all things, a Russian megalomaniac who keeps a group of miners as slaves in a hidden valley. The appearance of our two heroes ruins things slightly for the good Ivan Petrovitch. Director Robert DeLacy was the father of yet another child actor, PhilippeDe Lacy, who had played little Michael in Peter Pan (1924). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Although both of their starring careers would be cut short by the talkie revolution, MGM house comedians Karl Dane and George K. Arthur were still riding high in 1929 with such silent vehicles as China Bound. In this outing, the towering Dane and the diminutive Arthur find themselves smack in the middle of a Chinese revolution. Endeavoring to escape, our heroes disguise themselves as "typical Orientals," buck teeth, pigtails, and all (which may be why this film isn't revived very often these days). Polly Moran, who appeared in most of the Dane-Arthur comedies, is back again in this adaptation of a screenplay by Sylvia Thalberg (sister of MGM head-honcho Irving Thalberg). After his fall from stardom, George K. Arthur went into the production end of the business, but Karl Dane was not so lucky; despondent over his dormant career, he committed suicide in 1934. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Colonel Tim McCoy, M-G-M's only series Western star, played a Pony Express rider in this well-produced but otherwise average silent Western. In the course of his duties, McCoy gets acquainted with a beautiful Spanish landowner (Raquel Torres), whose property is besieged by a gang of land grabbers headed by the always nefarious Harry Woods. The studio released McCoy from his contract at the advent of sound and despite the solid box-office results of the McCoy series never again involved itself with the B-Western genre. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Buck Jones' first sound western, The Lone Rider, was not a rousing success. The former Fox star had left that studio at the changeover to sound in favor of touring with a circus. The tour proved a major flop, and the show closed after playing only forty-one stands. Returning to Hollywood, Jones was essentially starting all over in the film industry and could only command a $300 salary for The Lone Rider. Stardom would return with later series entries, but at the time the actor had good reasons to be worried. The producer of Jones' comeback western was Sol Lesser whose Beverly Productions released through Columbia. Jones played The Hell's River Kid, an outlaw mistaken for a hero during a stagecoach hold-up. He becomes the leader of a vigilante group while keeping his past life a secret; until, that is, the chief outlaw (Harry Woods), begins to dig up the truth. Jones, however, heroically defeats the gang and his past is forgiven. Despite the lukewarm reception, this film was remade by Jones in 1934, as The Man Trailer, and again in 1939, as The Thundering West, a vehicle for Columbia's newest western star, Charles Starrett. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

A cowpoke is duped and made to appear drunk by an unscrupulous foreman in this Western from small-scale Sono Art-World Widewhich benefited from location filming in the Mojave Desert. Losing his job at the Sutter ranch as a result, Jim (Rex Lease) vows to catch the true culprits, foreman Winslow (Harry Woods) and his gang of horse thieves. Disguised as one of Winslow's henchmen, Jim discovers that the gang is employing a specially trained white stallion to round up Sutter's mares and herd them into a secret mountain pass. Along with his sidekick Ben (Harry Todd), Jim follows the stallion and catches the gang red-handed, earning the love and respect of lovely Helen Sutter (Dorothy Gulliver). In all likelihood the opener of a proposed series, In Old Cheyenne failed to garner much interest. More a general purpose actor than a classic hero, Rex Lease would have to wait until 1935 to star in his own series, and then it was for Superior Talking Pictures, which, despite its name, was even lower on the Hollywood totem-pole than Sono Art-World Wide. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The first Marx Brothers film to be written directly for the screen (its authors included S. J. Perelman, Arthur Sheekman and Will B. Johnstone), Monkey Business is also the merry Marxes' first Hollywood production. Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo are brilliantly cast as four stowaways on an ocean liner, bound for New York. As our heroes endeavor to elude dimwitted First Mate Gibson (Tom Kennedy), each of the brothers gets involved in an adventure of his own. Groucho finds himself in a menage a trois with gangster Alky Briggs (Harry Briggs) and Briggs' sexy wife Lucille (Thelma Todd); Harpo joins a "Punch and Judy" puppet show, driving the ship's crew into a frenzy of confusion; Chico hires himself out as bodyguard to retired bootlegger Joe Helton (Rockliffe Fellowes); and Zeppo romances Joe's pretty daughter Mary (Ruth Hall). Once they've arrived in New York, the Marx boys head to Helton's Long Island mansion, where, after the obligatory harp-and-piano musical interludes, the fearsome foursome team up to rescue Mary from her kidnappers. There are far too many wonderful moments in Monkey Business to detail here, but highlights include Groucho's initial confrontation with Alky Briggs ("With a little study, you'll go a long way, and I wish you'd start now!") and his romantic tete-a-tetes with Lucille ("Come with me, and we'll lodge with my fleas in the hills -- er, flee to my lodge in the hills"); Harpo and Chico's attempts to shave a sleeping barbershop customer ("You know what, partner? I think we give-a him one snoop too much"); and the classic setpiece, "borrowed" from the team's early Broadway hit I'll Say She Is, in which all Four Marx Brothers try to slip past the customs officials by posing as Maurice Chevalier! Though not the best of their Paramount features, Monkey Business is still among the funniest Marx Brothers comedies ever made -- and one of the funniest comedies, period. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eddie Cantor plays Eddie Simpson, a shy and jumpy young fellow who spontaneously bursts into song whenever he gets nervous. He works with the sly Yolando, a phony but successful psychic. The trouble in this lively musical farce begins when Yolando attempts to swindle the owner of the local bakery. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide