Josephine Lovett Movies

This turn-of-the-century tragedy chronicles the sorrowful travails of a woman who endures a series of devastating losses. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This comedy/drama (which is really more drama) tells the tale of Ruth Brock (Nancy Carroll), a young woman who is at odds with the pace and texture of life in her small town. On the one hand, she is a dutiful daughter and the sole supporter of her aging father (William Collier, Sr.), home-maker mother (Jane Darwell), and younger sister (Rose Coghlin); she works at the local bank in her small upstate town and, from the looks of the film's opening sequence at the bank, may be the most serious and diligent employee under the age of 50 that the bank has. But she's also got a fun-loving, flirtatious side, which comes out when she's in the company of young men, especially her boyfriend and co-worker Conny Billup (Edward Woods). Invited to a party at the local getaway at a nearby lake, she is sidetracked briefly by the attentions of Romer Sheffield (Cary Grant), the town's resident ne'er-do-well -- a playboy of independent means who takes pleasure in the gossip that he knows is stirred by his every move, Sheffield does as he likes, without a care about what anyone thinks. That's fine for him, but his flirtation with Ruth causes her all kinds of problems -- in a fit of jealousy, Conny abandons her at the lake in the middle of the night, and in the ensuing confusion the whole town soon thinks that Ruth was alone with Sheffield at his mansion for hours, till two in the morning, and immediately believes the worst of her. She is fired from her job and can't even speak any longer to anyone in town. Her own mother, who is mostly concerned with the loss of her salary, attacks her. And then a ray of hope arrives in the person of Bill Fadden (Randolph Scott), a one-time neighbor boy who left to become a geologist, and is passing through on his way to do a survey nearby. He's loved Ruth since he was a teenager, and hasn't seen her in years, and their chance meeting in her parents' house leads the to two to decide to marry. But Conny, still jealous and now angry, successfully poisons Bill's image of her. He rejects her, and Ruth's world seems to be collapsing around her once again, until she realizes that her one real chance for redemption lies with the man who started it all, Romer Sheffield. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Tallulah Bankhead's first Hollywood movie was this romantic-drama weepie, in which she plays Susan, the unhappy wife of oil rigger Walt (Charles Bickford), who labors in a Central American oil field. The bored Susan falls in love with Walt's good friend Ken (Paul Lukas) but keeps her husband in the dark about her feelings -- until he's plunged into darkness for real when he loses his eyesight. Susan finds her attentions then wandering yet another man, Davis (Ralph Forbes), and Ken urges her to return to Walt. Unable to reconcile her emotions and ashamed of her faithlessness, Susan throws herself from a high cliff. ~ Nicole Gagne, Rovi

The widow in question is wealthy Tamarind Brooks (Gloria Swanson), who flits from one man to another with the rapidity of a butterfly. Beginning in New York and ending in Paris, Tamarind collects men like some people collect stamps. Among her most ardent suitors are lawyer Gerry (Owen Moore), violin virtuoso Baslikoff (Gregory Gaye), opera baritone Alvarado (Herbert Braggiotti), and cabaret dancer Victor (Lew Cody). After playing the field with gay abandon, Tamarind finally returns to square one (in a manner of speaking) and marries Gerry. Gloria Swanson is given opportunity aplenty to display her splendid singing voice, and even gets to hark back to her Keystone Comedy days by indulging in some gratuitous slapstick. In a sense, What a Widow was filmic valentine to Swanson from her sponsor-lover, producer Joseph P. Kennedy (JFK's father). Audiences, however, were not quite as smitten as "Papa Joe," and the film was a box-office bust. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This follow-up to MGM's 1928 hit Our Dancing Daughters reunites the female stars of the earlier film: Joan Crawford (in her last silent film) and Anita Page. Crawford is engaged to Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (her real-life husband at the time), but both she and her fiance fall in love with other people before the wedding takes place. Fairbanks Jr. renders Anita Page pregnant, but goes through with his wedding to Crawford all the same. Meanwhile, Crawford romances diplomat Rod La Rocque, partly in the hopes of advancing Doug's career, but mostly out of boredom. At any other studio, the romantic intrigues of Our Modern Maidens would be played out in small living rooms and cozy apartment houses. But MGM had a positive mania for placing its stars in the biggest, draftiest mansions possible, then dressing them to the nines in expensive costumes designed by the studio's own fashion arbiter Adrian. Our Modern Maidens proved successful, spawning a third in this loosely constructed series, Our Blushing Brides (one contemporary critic wondered aloud if the next film would be Our Dizzy Divorcees). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Road to Romance is a heavily Hollywoodized adaptation of the Joseph Conrad/Ford Maddox Ford novel Romance (which served as the film's title in Great Britain). Ramon Novarro stars as Jose Armando, a Spanish dragoon captain who goes undercover to save the fair Seranida (Marceline Day) from a forced marriage to corrupt judge Don Balthasar (Roy D'Arcy). Posing as a buccaneer, Jose travels to a lawless Caribbean island, where he is able to wander amongst the villains with impunity, biding his time until his final assault on Balthasar's stronghold. Just as the judge is about to have his way with the girl, Jose reveals his true colors, setting the stage for a grand-scale swashbuckling conclusion. The casting of Ramon Novarro necessitated the changing of Conrad and Ford's English-aristocrat hero into a high-born Spaniard. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Little Jackie Coogan, Charlie Chaplin's famous The Kid(1921), starred in this action melodrama from MGM as a young bugler whose stepmother (Claire Windsor) attempts to supplant the mother who only lives in his memory. According to the Motion Picture New Booking Guide, The Bugle Call, which apparently no longer exists, was set in a frontier cavalry post in the 1870s and also dealt with "Indians and adventure." Handsome Herbert Rawlinson played the romantic lead, with Tom O'Brien as a no-nonsense cavalry sergeant and Nelson McDowell and Sarah Padden as weather-beaten frontier types. The Bugle Call was directed by Edward Sedgwick, formerly of Hoot Gibson Westerns. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Richard Barthelmess and his wife, musical comedy actress Mary Hay, co-produced and co-starred in this comedy-drama. It was based on a play written by Milton Herbert Gropper and Oscar Hammerstein Jr. Clifton Webb makes an amusing appearance as a womanizing impresario -- one of his few screen roles during the silent era. After Will Webb (Barthelmess) sees his fiancée Natalie Woods (Catherine Wilson) off to Europe, he meets actress Mary Lane (Hay). They fall in love, marry, and start a family, but Webb never tells his wife of his former love. So when Natalie returns home and starts trying to renew her relationship with Will it causes a rift between the couple. Tom Lawrence (Webb) convinces Mary to go back on the stage and she does, while Natalie continues to vamp Will. Although Will has refused to see her perform, both he and Natalie wind up at the theater on opening night. Mary, as Queen Elizabeth, is a complete disaster and attempts to play the role for comedy. Will desperately searches for his wife after the performance, and when he locates her, they make up. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

The Enchanted Cottage stars Richard Barthelmess as Oliver, a physically and emotionally wounded World War I veteran who comes home to a fiancée who promptly leaves him. Licking his wounds in solitude, he meets a young woman named Laura (May McAvoy). They fall in love and agree to marry, but unexpected and magical events occur inside The Enchanted Cottage where they have agreed to spend their wedding night. The film was based on a 1921 play by Arthur Wing Pinero. Although no prints of this silent film are believed to exist, it was remade in 1945 with Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Richard Barthelmess plays completely against type in this romantic costume drama. Instead of the usual homespun boy, here he is the swashbuckling Karl van Kerstenbroock, Flemish soldier of fortune. He comes to England to avenge the death of his sister and becomes embroiled in the plot to overthrow King Charles I. When he is insulted by Watt Musgrove, a Royalist (Bradley Barker), he challenges him to a duel. Musgrove's sister Thomasine (Dorothy Mackaill) disguises herself as a boy and tries to dissuade Karl from the duel. Meanwhile, Musgrove's cousin, Lord Robert Erisey (Morgan Wallace), orders Karl's arrest. After discovering that Thomasine is a girl, Karl arrives at the headquarters of Oliver Cromwell (Frederick Burton) and joins the Roundheads. Cromwell sends Karl to the Staversham castle, the home of Thomasine's fiancé and his father. His presence is discovered and he is condemned to die. But Thomasine saves him by hiding him under her bed and feigning smallpox. This enables him to escape and round up enough soldiers to capture the castle. He rescues Thomasine from a forced marriage to the Earl of Staversham (Lee Baker), and wins her for himself. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Marshall Neilan's fame as a director of quality films was at its peak during the period this romantic melodrama was made. Because he married without the czar's consent, Prince Sergei (Richard Travers) is banished to Siberia. After having a baby girl, Sergei's wife dies. His enemies have ordered his death, so Sergei has to flee Siberia, leaving his child in the care of Vassily (Emmett Corrigan), who raises her as his own. By the time the girl, Vera, has grown to young womanhood (to be played by Lucille Rickson), the revolution has occurred and Godunoff, a Cossack brigand (Elmo Lincoln, best known as cinema's first Tarzan) declares himself governor of the province. Soldiers are sent to Siberia, among them American Walter Stanford (Conrad Nagel), who falls in love with Vera. When he is ordered back to the States, he leaves Vera in the care of his friend, Winkie, a British sergeant (Sydney Chaplin, in a bit of comic relief). Godunoff tosses Vassily in prison and forces Vera to marry him. His brutal treatment of her makes her deaf. Stanford comes back for Vera, and Godunoff heads for the shrine which is their meeting place. Vera innocently locks the door on him, not realizing that this will mean his death. With him out of the way, she is able to sail for America with Stanford. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Tommy Sandys (Gareth Hughes) is a poor Scottish boy who has an endless imagination. At the age of 16, he comes to the town of Thrums with his sister, Elspeth (Leila Frost). They meet Grizel (May McAvoy), a sweet young girl whose mother is known as the Painted Lady (Mabel Taliaferro). This woman was deceived by a man and is now unhinged; Grizel is actually head of the household, and she takes care of all the chores. Tommy protects Grizel from the taunts of the local boys, and she falls in love with him. Because of his vivid imagination, Tommy eventually goes to London and becomes a very successful novelist. He returns to Thrums where he finds that Grizel still loves him. In a sentimental moment, he proposes to her. Grizel realizes that he doesn't really love her and she turns him down. So Tommy returns to London where he is lionized by Lady Alice Pippinworth (Virginia Valli) and her friends. This whimsical film was based on two of Sir James M. Barrie's novels, Sentimental Tommy and Tommy and Grizel. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi