William Collier, Jr. Movies

Even though his mother has been dead for three years, young Billy Andrews (a very young William Collier, Jr.) still worships her memory. So when his father (Wyndham Standing) -- the captain of a post in the untamed West -- remarries, Billy is naturally reluctant to accept the interloper, Mary (Anna Lehr). The Indians go on the warpath and trick Captain Andrews and his troops into leaving the fort while they plan an attack. But Billy rises to the occasion by first saving his stepmother, then jumping on a horse and dashing from hill to hill, bugling all the while, so that the Indians will think that the troops are returning. This keeps them at bay until his father shows up with the cavalry and saves the fort. This was Collier's very first starring role; up until then, he was just the young son of famed stage actor William Collier, Sr. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

After directing him as the title character in Huckleberry Finn, William Desmond Taylor again used boy actor Lewis Sargent in this picture. His character, known merely as "the boy," has been raised in an orphanage where he has caused as much trouble as possible. He finally can't stand living there anymore and runs away. On the streets he finds a friend in Mike (Ernest Butterworth), a newsboy. Mike teaches him how to survive but inevitably the boy gets hauled into court. However, the judge sees potential in him and hands him over to be adopted by a young politician. The judge, incidentally, is played by Judge Ben Lindsey, who was famous in his day for his efforts to give delinquent boys a decent chance in life. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Billie Dove and Elizabeth North star as inseparable sisters who grow up to become chorus girls. Jealousy rears its ugly noggin when wealthy young William Collier Jr. comes visiting backstage. Since Dove is billed first, guess who wins the guy? (Dove would go through many of the same paces in the 1932 film Blondie of the Follies, though she'd lose that round to Marion Davies). At the Stage Door was written and directed by William "Christy" Cabanne, who hadn't an original bone in his body but who knew what the public would lap up. The film was one of the earliest efforts by the old Robertson-Cole outfit, which by the end of the 1920s would help form the nucleus of RKO-Radio Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lew Cody leads an excellent cast in this colorful romance. While visiting France, Prince Rudolph (Cody) falls in love with a peasant girl (Jane Thomas), but her parents force her to marry a man of their own choosing. Both the girl and her unwanted husband suffer early deaths, and her daughter winds up being raised by a member of the Paris underworld. Years later, Rudolph, now a king, goes incognito to Paris in search of his former sweetheart. He happens on a dive called the Rat Hole, where thieves and criminals congregate, and where Mayflower, the daughter of his sweetheart (Gladys Hulette), is also found. Mayflower is pals with Francois (William Collier Jr.), a young man whose father is a thief fronting as a schoolmaster (Montague Love). Rudolph romances and wins the hand of Mayflower, while Francois is reunited with his long-lost mother (Effie Shannon), who turns out to be Rudolph's former nurse. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This epic production was the last film that producer and newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst produced for Paramount (after that, his production company, Cosmopolitan, went over to Goldwyn, which later merged with MGM). It was based on a novel by Vicenti Blasco Ibanez, who also wrote The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In addition to lavish sets by Joseph Urban, the cast and crew also filmed on-location in Paris and Monte Carlo. Russian Prince Lubimoff (Lionel Barrymore) thinks only of his wealth and his own gratification. After fighting a duel, he has to flee from the ire of the Czar, and Duchess Alicia (Alma Rubens) helps him to get out of the country. While he is staying at his villa in Monte Carlo, World War I breaks out, but neither he nor his associates even consider going to fight. Lubimoff, who won't even acknowledge that he is in love with Alicia, is incensed when he finds her embracing a young man. Without realizing that it is her 16-year-old son, Lubimoff and his friends form a group called "Enemies of Women." Because of the war, the feudal estates are lost, and Alicia's son dies just before he is about to enter into a duel. Lubimoff, who has finally realized that the world does not revolve around him, goes to fight and uses the money he has left to help the downtrodden. On the front lines, he meets Alicia, who has become a Red Cross nurse, and they are united. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This epic Western-melodrama was based on the popular novel by Harold Bell Wright. Two old prospectors, Thad Grove (Charlie Murray) and Bob Hill (Bert Woodruff) find an infant in the cabin belonging to Sonora Jack (Mitchell Lewis), a notorious bandit. The girl, Marta, grows to womanhood (to be played by Dorothy Mackaill). Hugh Edwards (Pat O'Malley), who has been falsely accused of embezzlement, escapes to the West, where he meets Marta and they fall in love. Natachee (Robert W. Frazer), an Indian educated in White ways, rescues Marta when she rides into a storm, and Edwards saves him from bandits. The grateful Natachee shows him the mine with the iron door, which contains a wealth of gold. Sonora Jack shows up, and, angry at not being able to find the mine himself, kidnaps Marta and holds her for ransom. Edwards and Natachee hunt him down and rescue the girl. Natachee kills the bandit, and papers prove that Marta's father is the one who embezzled the funds and that he confessed before he died. Sol Lesser, who produced this film, remade it as a talkie in 1936. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Based on the play Mary the Third by Rachel Crothers, Wine of Youth concerns Mary (Eleanor Boardman), a flapper whose mother (Eulalie Jensen) and grandmother (Gertrude Claire) were also named Mary. The first two Marys worked all their feminine wiles to snare their husbands, but the youngest Mary doesn't know if she really wants to be tied down. Two young men vie for her hand: sweet natured Lynn (Ben Lyon) and the charming but aggressive Hal (William Haines, playing the type of character that would later make him famous). Mary can't choose between the two of them, so, after a wild party, she decides to take them both on a camping trip, along with her pal, Tish (Pauline Garon), and Tish's sweetheart, Max (William Collier Jr.). Tish and Max decide to "do the right thing" and get married. It doesn't take long for Mary, meanwhile, to disqualify the pushy Hal, and insist that the party return home. When Mary enters her house she overhears her mother and father (E.J. Ratcliffe) arguing over her escapade, and she believes that they no longer love each other. This revelation causes her to lose all faith in the institution of marriage. Her mother decides to leave. When she faints, her husband believes she has been poisoned. This makes him realize how much he really does care. When Mary sees this she decides to accept Lynn's proposal. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This murder mystery certainly wasn't a typical Shirley Mason vehicle -- she was better known for her sunny, girlish portrayals. Here she is Ruth Wilson, a novelist whose latest book is a mystery based on the assumption that a murderer always returns to the scene of the crime. Her not-terribly original theory is tested when her sweetheart, Perry (William Collier, Jr.), is convicted of murdering his boss, Graves (John Cossar). Graves was a diamond merchant who accused Perry of stealing one of the precious stones. Ruth rents Graves' house in the hopes that the killer will show up. Several people come around, including Mallison (Philo McCullough), Graves' partner, who has always loved Ruth. Graves' old butler also shows up, asking for his job back. While courting Ruth, Mallison spends a lot of time digging around Graves' home for diamonds. He finally finds some in a clock. The butler comes rushing in and a shot is heard. The butler is the one who is hit, and he confesses he was the one who shot Graves -- that's right, the butler did it (at least it wasn't McCullough, who was famous for his villain roles). Perry is saved from the electric chair and he is happily united with Ruth. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Eve's Secret is that she's not the elegant society woman she seems to be. In fact, Eve (Betty Compson) is an unkempt country girl who's been "transformed," Pygmalion style, by European duke Poltava (Jack Holt). He has done this because he's fallen in love with her and wants her to be accepted by polite society. The duke begins to regret his decision when Eve's beauty attracts other men. Indeed, she begins dallying with a nouveau riche peasant boy from her own province. It takes a duel to the (almost) death for Eve and the duke to renew their love. This convoluted concoction was based on The Moon-Flower, a play by Zoe Akins and Lajos Biro. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A young Bostonian (Johnnie Walker) travels West to expect his father's New Mexico estate, which has become a target for gun runners. Along the way he mistakes travelling stock company actress Madge Bellamy for a child and brings her to the ranch. (The mistake is understandable as Bellamy was playing Little Eva in Uncle Tom's Cabin at the time!). The gun runners are indeed using the estate as their launching pad, but hero Walker grits his teeth and manages to bring the gang to justice, winning Miss Bellamy in the process. A handsome light leading man with dimples, Johnnie Walker was better known for a series of pleasant comedies than rough-and-tumble western fare like this. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Another of Raoul Walsh's "lost" silent films, Lucky Lady stars Gretta Niessen as the title character. Convent-bred to assume her position of nobility when the time comes, Princess Antoinette (Niessen) plays hooky from school one day to attend a theatrical performance. Here she meets a handsome young American (William Collier Jr.), and it's love at first sight. Meanwhile, in the Princess' home country, the Prime Minister (Marc MacDermott) plots to quell a rebellion by arranging a marriage between Antoinette and the Grand Duke (Lionel Barrymore). Assuming that the young American is a spy for the rebels, the Prime Minister does his best to break up the Princess' romance, but love wins out over politics in the end. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lady of the Harem was based on Hassan, a play by James McElroy Flecker. It all begins when the Caliph of Kornassah (Sojin) sends his minions out to find him more gold and more women. His henchmen return with gorgeous blonde captive Pervannah (Greta Nissen), whose sweetheart Rafi (William Collier Jr.) immediately races to the rescue. Rallying hundreds of peasants who are weary of the Caliph's despotism, Rafi stages a raid on the palace. The terrified Caliph escapes into the city, where he disguises himself as a humble street merchant. Eventually mounting a counteroffensive, the Caliph is restored to his palace, where he prepares to torture Rafi while Pervannah looks on in horror. But at the last moment, the Caliph's second-in-command Hassan (Ernest Torrence) rebels against his master, assumes control of the throne, and frees the hero and heroine. Louise Fazenda has an amusing role as a busy courtesan who can't keep track of her customers. The main selling angle of Lady of the Harem was, of course, the harem itself, wherein the many wives of the Caliph cavorted about in as little clothing as possible. It's curiosity that director Raoul Walsh seldom brought up the subject of this film in his later interviews. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ever since he was wounded in WWI, jockey Bobby Robertson (William Collier Jr.) has been able to predict when it's going to rain. This turns out to be handy in the horse-racing business, with Bobby placing bets on horses he knows to be good "mudders." Out of love for pretty nurse Nell Wendell (Georgia Hale), Bobby decides to use his unique talents for humanitarian purposes in a town suffering from a drought. Our hero's redemption is complete when he falls to his knees and prays for rain, whereupon the heavens open and a downpour saves the community. The Rainmaker was adapted from Heavenbent, a story by Gerald Beaumont. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide