William Collier, Jr. Movies

Based on a 1923 novel by Fannie Hurst, this dreary and primitive early talkie was unleashed on a derisive audience in January of 1930. Winifred Westover played the title-role, a downtrodden Swedish kitchen slavey seduced by the son (Ben Lyon) of her wealthy employer (Ida Darling). When she discovers that the boy is engaged to a society belle, she leaves the household, carefully hiding her pregnancy. Giving the baby up for adoption to a rich family, "Lummox," a la Madame X, can only watch from the sides as her son (Robert Ullman then William Bakewell) grows up in luxury to become a famous concert pianist. Directed by one of the grand old men of the silent era, Herbert Brenon, Lummox was stagebound to the point of ridiculousness with actors speaking their lines carefully into mikes hidden in vases and other such places. The film was also a case of nepotism: Not even a near-star, Winifred Westover was the wife of William S. Hart, the former Western ace rumored to have a financial interest in the producing company, United Artists. Formerly a leading lady of silent Westerns, Westover was singularly incapable of carrying a full-fledged talking picture. The film, her first in nine years, also proved her last. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a Viennese composer kills his wife and her lover in a jealous rage, and then heads for the US with his daughter where he becomes a successful musician in a Broadway restaurant. Eighteen years later, his grown daughter gets a job as an arranger for a jazz combo. The trouble begins when she and her boyfriend arrange one of her father's old tunes. It becomes popular, and the Austrian authorities follow up on it and capture the criminal composer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this romance, a husband, believing that his wife had sexual relations before they were married, ends up leaving, joining the Foreign Legion and living in Algeria. There he falls for the lover of the cruel officer in charge. After the illicit romance is revealed, a gun goes off, and the woman is mortally wounded. Just before she dies, she helps her lover escape. He is later captured, but the officer decides to show mercy and let him return to his wife, who forgives him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Two friends, one of them a jockey, pursue a woman who must be wooed with money. The other friend steals cash from his employer and wins her, and the jockey tries to win a big race to help his friend replace it, but when the woman takes off with the winnings, his friend goes to jail. When he gets out, the two become better friends than ever. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide

This early sound-film only features three scenes with dialog as it tells the tale of an arrogant, egotistical salesman who messes up and loses his job. Fortunately, his girl friend, the personal secretary to the company president, helps him get hired by his former company's arch rival. He soon rises to power, and by the story's end the young woman quits and goes to work for her true love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Demure college coed Doris Marlowe (Jobyna Ralston) wants desperately to be accepted by her peers, so she links up with campus "coquette" Betty Forrester (Ruth Taylor). Unfortunately, Betty plays fast and loose, keeping company with such unsavory types as lothario Tom Marion (William Collier Jr.) Set up on a date with Marion, Doris sacrifices her virtue to him, only to discover that he has no intention of making a lasting commitment. Subsequently, Doris is killed in a freak accident, laying a heavy guilt trip upon Betty. A former Mack Sennett bathing beauty, College Coquette leading lady Ruth Taylor had also been the original Lorelei Lee in the 1928 screen version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; she was also the mother of comedian/screenwriter Buck Henry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The screenplay for Beware of Bachelors was credited to Mark Canfield, but it was penned pseudonymously by future movie mogul Darryl F. Zanuck. Here again is the old saw about the young couple who stand to inherit oodles of money if they can stay married for an entire year. Both hero William Collier Jr. and heroine Audrey Ferris swear eternal devotion, but their scheming cousin, who'll get the money by default in the event of a divorce, schemes to break up the couple's happy home. To this end, seductress Margaret Livingston is dispatched to lure Collier away from the nest. But with the help of an epicene perfume salesman, Ferris wins back her hubby and claims the dough. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Two rich sisters become arch rivals when they fall in love with their swimming teacher in this silent adventure. The sneakier sister gets her sibling out of the way by sending her on a slow boat to China. Unfortunately, the handsome instructor was just hired to teach swimming on the same cruise. Desperately the conniving sister sneaks aboard. As soon as they arrive in China, she stuffs her good sister into a hotel closet, locks the door and leaves her there. She then does her best to make love to the instructor. Unfortunately, a Chinese revolution sudden erupts and the instructor, ignoring the bad sister, races back and gets there just in time to save the endangered girl. Marital bliss soon follows. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

No relation to the 1953 Grace Moore biopic of the same name, So This is Love was another early Frank Capra production for fledgling Columbia Pictures. The hero, dress designer Jerry McGuire (William Collier Jr.), is tired of being considered a wimp. After business hours, Jerry secretly takes boxing lessons, enabling him to knock the stuffings out of his burly rival Spike Mullins (Johnnie Walker). Jerry's newfound pugilistic skills wins him the affections of store clerk Hilda Jensen (Shirley Mason), who's just car-razy about "cave men." Filmed in a fast three weeks, So This is Love? was completed before Frank Capra's Matinee Idol but released afterward. Leading lady Shirley Mason was the sister of Viola Dana, who starred in Capra's initial Columbia effort, That Certain Thing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Neglected by shallow husband Dick (William Collier Jr.), young bride Paula Wayne (Patsy Ruth Miller) seeks male companionship outside the marital nest. She soon finds it in the form of mature lover Frank Gordon (Warner Baxter). Upon learning of his wife's infidelity, Dick attempts suicide, whereupon the guilt-stricken Paula goes back to him. Ultimately, however, Paula realizes that she can't go on living a lie, and returns to Frank. D.W. Griffith veteran Claire McDowell is seen as Paula's mother, while black comedian Stepin Fetchit provides comedy relief as a lazy porter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Chorus girl Barbara Bedford is left broke and stranded by a crooked producer in Backstage. Her good-hearted stage manager pal allows her and the other cast members to stay in his apartment until another job comes along. Unfortunately, our heroine's nerdish boyfriend William Collier Jr. doesn't grasp the situation. Most showbiz films of the 1920s were essentially excuses to show off plenty of female epidermis, and Backstage is no exception. Its pulchritude quotient notwithstanding, the film is quite innocent when compared to such contemporary efforts as Showgirls. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Broken Gate was based on a novel by Emerson Hough, of Covered Wagon fame. Dorothy Phillips stars as Aurora Lane, who has never acknowledged the existence of her illegitimate son. Aurora's past catches up with her when her now-grown son (William Collier Jr.) is arrested and falsely charged with murder. The boy is saved from hanging at the last minute, but the local bluenoses and bigots insist upon driving Aurora out of town. Happily, the heroine is able to start life anew in a less-judgmental community with her now-forgiving son. Up-and-coming starlet Jean Arthur plays the nominal romantic lead opposite William Collier Jr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Irene Rich heads the cast of this lachrymose "mother love" drama. Rich is cast as Sylvia "Dearie" Darling, a nightclub entertainer who willingly sacrifices her own health, wealth and happiness for the sake of her son Stephen (William Collier Jr.) Alas, the ungrateful boy grows up despising his mother, doing everything he can to humiliate her once he comes of age. Only when tragedy looms over the horizon does Stephen comes to his senses. The film is told in flashback, as the repentant Stephen unfolds his life story to publisher Samuel Manley (Anders Randolph). Dearie is the sort of high-gloss soap opera that would become the province of such actresses as Ruth Chatterton, Ann Harding and Kay Francis in the 1930s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide