Harry Woods Movies
An effort by a Films in Review writer of the '60s to catalogue the film appearances of American actor Harry Woods came a-cropper when the writer gave up after 400 films. Woods himself claimed to have appeared in 500 pictures, further insisting that he was violently killed off in 433 of them. After a lengthy and successful career as a millinery salesman, Woods decided to give Hollywood a try when he was in his early thirties. Burly, hatchet-faced, and steely eyed, Woods carved an immediate niche as a reliable villain. So distinctive were his mannerisms and his razor-edged voice that another memorable movie heavy, Roy Barcroft, admitted to deliberately patterning his performances after Woods'. While he went the usual route of large roles in B-pictures and serials and featured parts and bits in A-films, Harry Woods occasionally enjoyed a large role in an top-of-the-bill picture. In Cecil B. De Mille's Union Pacific (1939), for example, Woods plays indiscriminate Indian killer Al Brett, who "gets his" at the hands of Joel McCrea; and in Tall in the Saddle (1944), Woods is beaten to a pulp by the equally muscular John Wayne. Comedy fans will remember Harry Woods as the humorless gangster Alky Briggs in the Marx Brothers' Monkey Business (1931) and as the bullying neighbor whose bratty kid (Tommy Bond) hits Oliver Hardy in the face with a football in Block-Heads (1938). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1929
It's the Hatfields and the McCoys out West again in this commonplace silent western from poverty-row company Syndicate. The strapping Tom Tyler and Australian-born Lotus Thompson star as Romeo and Juliet of the sagebrush, teaming up despite their feuding families in order to defeat the murderous Phantom Rider (played with his usual aplomb by inveterate Bad Guy Harry Woods). When the old, declining FBO scrapped its western unit at the dawn of sound and merged into the newly established RKO, the company's roster of cowboy stars, including Tyler, moved over to veteran director J.P. McGowan's Syndicate Film Exchange, a company that maintained a production of silent westerns longer than perhaps anyone else. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tyler, J.P. McGowan, (more)
- 1929
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
- Starring:
- Raquel Torres, Bert Roach, (more)
- 1928
Fred Thomson plays a dual role (sort of) in The Sunset Legion. Thomson is cast as a Texas ranger who poses as a cowardly firearms salesman in order to infiltrate a lawless town. By night, our hero assumes the guise of "The Black-Robed Stranger" to bedevil the villains. Heroine Edna Murphy is mad about The Black-Robed Stranger but has no time for the firearms peddler, never realizing that the two men are one in the same. The Zorro-like plot line wends its way toward an exciting conclusion, as Thomson takes on saloon owner (and outlaw leader) Harry Woods. At this point, he reveals his true identity to the wide-eyed Murphy, leading to mucho hugs 'n' kisses for the finale. The Sunset Legion was directed by Lloyd Ingraham, who helmed most of Fred Thomson's Paramount vehicles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Courtwright, Edna Murphy, (more)
- 1928
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
- Starring:
- Tom Tyler, Frankie Darro, (more)
- 1927
Thoroughly geared for the small fry, this pleasant silent western starred the strapping Tom Tyler, freckled boy actor Frankie Darro, and Tyler's faithful dog, Beans. The three pals (with Darro's sister Elsie Tarron in tow) are searching for the villain, known only as the "Black Rider," who murdered Tyler's father (Bert Hadley). Since sneering Harry Woods appears in the cast, Cyclone of the Range is not too taxing a prairie "whodunit." The film's director, Robert DeLacy, was the father of Philippe DeLacy, a boy actor too decorative for the rough-and-tumble world of series westerns. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tyler, Elsie Tarron, (more)
- 1927
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
- Starring:
- Edna Murphy, Harry Woods, (more)
- 1927
Silent cowboy star Fred Thomson raised quite a bit of controversy by portraying the famous outlaw in a sympathetic vein -- there were still a few oldsters around in those days who remembered the furor raised by the James gang. This role was a surprising turn for Thomson, whose films were generally known for their non-violent, clean-living heroes. Here, he polishes up Jesse James' character, gives him a love interest (Nora Lane), then uses the better part of the film to do what Thomson always did best -- perform elaborate tricks with his horse Silver King. The only difference from his prior films was a higher production value -- this was his first film for Paramount. While Hollywood features, for the most part, have dispensed with history in favor of drama (or the star's or director's whims), Thomson's take on Jesse James was not taken lightly, and this disapproval was quite a turnaround from the widespread esteem the actor was used to receiving. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nora Lane, Montagu Love, (more)
- 1927
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
- Starring:
- Tom Tyler
- 1926
One of American Western star Buck Jones' finest silents, A Man Four-Square is a screen version of William McLeod Raine's popular tale of a rancher who finds himself falsely accused of murder while attempting to help a friend in need. Jones, needless to say, not only saves his friend (two-reel Western lead William E. Lawrence), but vindicates himself and gets the girl (Marion Harlan). This fast-paced Western marked the first of many screen encounters between Jones and the always hissable Harry Woods. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1926
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
- Starring:
- Fred Thomson, Olive Hasbrouck, (more)
- 1925
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
- Starring:
- Fred C. Thompson, Helen Foster, (more)
A young man's jealousy causes him to rapidly rise from humble laborer to world heavyweight champion in this campy silent drama. His sudden ascent begins when he sees the current world champ messing with his girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth MacDonald, Frank Rice, (more)
- 1924
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
- 1924
Filmgoers must have been sick of desert romances by the time this one came out. About the only thing it had in its favor was the presence of fading star Priscilla Dean. She is Naida, who has been raised in an Arab family, completely ignorant of the fact that she is actually white. She has been promised to an Arab chieftain, Kali (Harry Woods), and he asks her to steal some documents from a British Secret Service agent. Naida falls in love with the agent, Barry Braxton (Robert Ellis). The documents turn up missing anyhow, and Braxton has to locate them. Kali, meanwhile, is not thrilled at Braxton's persistent search for the papers, or his interest in Naida. Braxton is kidnapped and taken to the Palace of the Stars, where Naida swears she will kill herself if he is put to death. Nevertheless, he is thrown into the Nile and Naida goes after him. The pair are finally rescued, and the documents retrieved. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Priscilla Dean, Robert Ellis, (more)
