Robert Ames Movies

Charles Dickens' novel Dombey and Son is set in 1931 America in this interesting drama that centers on an egotistical, over-ambitious owner of a shipbuilding company. So focused is he on succeeding that he forgets his family and their needs. He begins looking for a successor to his wealth and immediately ignores his capable daughter (after all, a woman couldn't possibly manage a business now could she?) in favor of her younger, more frail son whom he is determined to turn into a "real man." When the father's wife dies, he does not allow his poor son to grieve. This causes the sickly youth to become physically weakened; he dies. This does not deter the ice-hearted father who again ignores his daughter and soon marries another woman so she can bear him an heir. Meanwhile the lonely daughter marries the son of her father's rival. The father's new bride is made miserable by his obsession and leaves him. Finally all his grief comes crashing down and in his subsequent rage, the man single-handedly destroys his newest ship, the one that would have brought him even more money for he has finally learned the bitter lesson that love is more important than material gain. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A pompous executive has a hard time admitting that his hard-working, devoted secretary is really the one pulling the strings in his office and is behind his promotion to company president. As a result, he takes her for granted until she falls in love with another up-and-coming executive. Romantic fireworks ensue before he is able to rectify the situation. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A man finds he's torn between two women -- which isn't a good state of affairs for a man who just got married -- in this romantic comedy-drama. Not long after Bill Truesdale (Robert Ames) ties the knot with his girlfriend Sarah Jaffrey (Ina Claire), he happens to meet Evie Lawrence (Myrna Loy), a woman he was once involved with. Bill soon discovers he's still in love with Evie, and finds himself pursuing her, even though he's pledged his heart to Sarah. In time, Bill comes to his senses, but he's not sure if he's given up on Evie in time to keep Sarah from finding the love she needs with another man. Hedda Hopper highlights the film's supporting cast, several years before she became one of America's best known show-biz gossip columnists. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

W.B. Maxwell's novel served as a film vehicle for Alla Nazimova in 1924; in 1930 it made an even better (although underappreciated) showcase for Evelyn Brent, who always excelled at playing bad girls. Here she is May Fisher, the mistress of a wealthy man who dies before he can change his will to make her his heir. Instead, his million dollars goes to his nephew Peter Morton (Robert Ames), who runs a mission on San Francisco's Barbary Coast. May and her maid travel to Frisco so she can get her hands on the money that she feels belongs to her. By pretending to be Mary Smith, a woman on the skids, she easily infiltrates the mission and becomes Morton's assistant. She also finds herself becoming wrapped up in Morton's cause -- and falling in love with him. Morton loves her back, preferring her to his mercenary fiancée Marion (Josephine Dunn). May continues to live her lie, even marrying Morton in the process. When he discovers the truth -- that she was his uncle's lover -- he is angry and disgusted. But May proves herself when labor unrest results in a riot at the mission. She jumps in the way of a bullet intended for Morton and is wounded. She recovers, however, to see the million dollars go towards building a new mission out in the country. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

In this romance, a young woman aspires to have a huge church wedding with all the trimmings, but first she must find the perfect mate. One night the young woman has a nightmare in which she walks naked down a street. Her roommate the amateur fortune teller informs her that it means she will meet a handsome stranger. The girl disbelieves this, as she is already satisfied with her steady. No sooner does the young woman scoff than a good-looking man enters the music store where they work. He is most charming, and she feels inexplicably drawn to him. She accepts his invitation and attends his party where she gets drunk and ends up sleeping in his bed. Fortunately, he is an honorable fellow and sleeps in another room. The next day, he proposes. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this crime drama a reformed safecracker is pressured by his ex-cellmate to pull off one last job. The cellmate gives the safecracker a chance for peace and happiness on an isolated farm. There he meets a pretty woman and her grandmother. He falls in love with the young woman. Unfortunately, he soon discovers that they are part of his cellmate's gang. Eventually the two lovers are reunited and truly reformed. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The Trespasser was Gloria Swanson's first all-talking picture. All talk is right. Swanson plays a humble secretary who marries the son (Robert Ames) of a domineering millionaire (William Holden--no, not that William Holden). The father-in-law bullies Swanson into giving up his son; she agrees to step out of his life, proudly withholding the fact that she's about to become a mother. Later, Swanson enters her ex-husband's social class via an inheritance. Unfortunately, he's remarried to Kay Hammond, who is crippled and thus more needful of the man's love and comfort than self-reliant Swanson. Tearfully, Swanson gives up the man she loves, left only with her child and a bulging bank account. When Trespasser was remade by director Edmund Goulding as That Certain Woman with Bette Davis in 1937, a last-minute happy ending was tacked on--if one can call the death of wife number two a joyous event. As for the original film, Gloria Swanson proved (contrary to the popular belief engendered by Sunset Boulevard) that she could have been just as big a star in talkies as she'd been in silents (she even sings well); unfortunately her subsequent judgment in screenplay selection resulted in a string of flops. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In her first important screen role, Mae Clarke is cast as Jackie Lee, a saucy vaudeville dancer. Jackie comes between acrobat-partners Bert (Robert Ames) and Johnny (William Harrigan), despite their promises to one another never to let a "dame" break up their act. Much of the dialogue is comprised of show-business slang, which must have been confusing to 1929 filmgoers but provides an endless source of enjoyment to the contemporary movie buff. The musical numbers were imaginatively staged, notably a "post-card" routine in which a photograph suddenly comes to life (and this was 12 years before this bit was "introduced" in Citizen Kane!) Filmed in New York, Nix on Dames features several Broadway performers in the supporting cast, including Gilbert-and-Sullivan specialist George McFarlane and African American actress Louise Beavers, here dropping her usual "maid" characterization to offer a soulful spiritual. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Produced in Hollywood by Herbert Wilcox, who had been unable to obtain sound equipment in London, this "haunted house" (actually "haunted houseboat") mystery-thriller was nevertheless Great Britain's first "all-talkie." John Loder, the only Englishman involved besides Wilcox, and Mary Brian find themselves invited on board a mysterious, fog-bound houseboat. Soon, several of their fellow passengers fall victim to a disguised madman, who proves to be none other than their host, the Reverend Eph Kelly (veteran matinee idol James Kirkwood). Written by John Willard, the author of the classic The Cat and the Canary, and featuring innovative dialogue scenes, Black Waters ultimately suffered in comparison with Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail (1930), the first "all-talkie" filmed entirely in England. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Three Faces East was one of several films produced under the supervision of Cecil B. DeMille at the old Pathe Studios. Based on a play by Anthony Paul Kelly, the film stars Jetta Goudal as Frances Hawtree, alias British Secret Agent Z-1. Posing as one Fraulein Marks, Frances pretends to be working on behalf of Germany during WWI. Her mission is to halt the activities of master spy Valdar (Clive Brook), who is currently employed as a butler in the home of a high-ranking British diplomat. Director Rupert Julian uses the film's wartime setting as another excuse to appear in a cameo role as Kaiser Wilhelm. Three Faces East was remade in 1930, then again as British Intelligence in 1940. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Under the supervision of Cecil B. DeMille, character actor Alan Hale handled the directing chores in Wedding Song. DeMille contractee Leatrice Joy plays Beatrice Flynn, a beautiful con artist who marries Hayes Hallan (Robert Ames), the owner of a pearl-rich island. No sooner has the couple said "I do" than Beatrice's partners in crime (Charles Gerard, Ruby Lafayette) show up, claiming to be the bride's parents. When the crooks try to rob Hallan's safe, he orders them -- and Beatrice -- to leave the premises. But our heroine saves both the day and her marriage by saving Hallan from being killed by a bomb, hidden under his house by a disgruntled rival. Wedding Song was based on a novel by Ethel Watts Mumford. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi