Eve Unsell Movies

A socially prominent wife must choose between avoiding scandal and her own happiness in this British drama. According to social convention, the wife is expected to gracefully ignore her husband's constant philandering, and under no circumstances can she get a divorce. But her husband's actions are difficult to ignore as he is sleeping with her brother's wife. She decides to escape and head for Switzerland. There she gets involved with another. Meanwhile, her husband and his lover are killed in an automobile crash. When the wife explains that the two were en route to meet her and her lover, a major scandal erupts and her social status is destroyed. Fortunately, she is now free to marry her new love and happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The Secret Call is adapted from The Woman, a play by William C. DeMille (brother of Cecil B.) Peggy Shannon plays Wanda Kelly, the daughter of a disgraced politician. Reduced to working as a switchboard operator, Wanda is privy to the many secrets and indiscretions of the clients of a big-city hotel. She also finds romance in the form of handsome Tom Blake (Richard Arlen). The huge cast of characters comes in handy for the film's multitude of subplots, none of which ever get their wires crossed. Peggy Shannon acquits herself nicely in her first major role, but by the end of the decade her career was in decline. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Spirit of Youth begins as sailor Larry Kent discards his uniform to enter the boxing ring. Inspiring him to victory in his early bouts is Kent's hometown sweetheart, poor-but-pretty Dorothy Sebastian. Upon attaining fame and fortune, our hero's head is turned by wealthy Betty Francisco, but she dumps him when he's knocked out by his own training-camp sparring partner. Fortunately, faithful Sebastian is still around to pick up the pieces. Despite its cliched trappings, Spirit of Youth manages to pull a few surprises on its audience. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Exclusive Rights was inspired by Invisible Government, a story by Jerome N. Wilson. The central character is a crooked political boss who sets about to destroy an honest governor. The villain frames one of the governor's most trusted assistants on a murder charge. The price for the assistant's release is the pardon of a criminal boss whom the governor had previously sent to prison for life. In the nail-biting climax, the innocent man walks grimly to the electric chair, as the heroine rushes to the governor's office with evidence that the corrupt politico engineered the murder. Much of the film is set in a nightclub, allowing for an extended specialty number by legendary Broadway dancer-pantomimist Jimmy Savo. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Two alumni from the old Thomas Ince Studios -- director Emmet Flynn and Tom's actor-director brother Ralph -- collaborated on the lurid melodrama Yellow Fingers. Ralph Ince stars as Brute Shane, a South Pacific trader who has adopted native girl Saina (Olive Broden). When Shane rescues English lass Nora Deering (Claire Adams) from white slavers, the jealous Saina begins plotting Nora's demise. By film's end, however, the repentant Saina teams with Shane to rescue Nora from a second "fate worse than death." Yellow Fingers manages to have its cake and eat it too by contriving a last-minute plot device which allows Saina to be deliriously happy even without the man she loves. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Yellowstone National Park was the setting for this delightful Tom Mix western that also featured a two-color Technicolor fiesta scene starring leading lady Olive Borden. Of mixed parentage (from Mexico and New England a title explains). Mix's Paul Wharton is paymaster of a railroad construction gang who will have nothing to do with his maternal heritage. That is, until he falls for the beautiful senorita Manuelita, whose honor is about to be violated by a gang of cutthroats. "In all, this is the best Mix western that has come along in some time," the trade-paper Variety acknowledged. Leading lady Borden found her career waning after the changeover to sound. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

This drama was based on the novel Joseph Greer and His Daughter by Henry Kitchell Webster. Inventor Joseph Greer (Lewis Stone) has been separated from his wife for many years, and suddenly discovers he must look after Beatrice (Shirley Mason), his grown daughter who he didn't even know existed. Greer has created a new way to make linen and he is being backed by a group of financiers. Although he does not agree with their marketing schemes, he hopes that his connection to them will help Beatrice socially. Instead, it creates disaster. Vi Williamson (Ethel Grey Terry), the wife of one of the money men (David Torrence), makes a pass at Greer, and when he turns her down, she becomes vengeful. She turns her husband against Greer, and he ruins the inventor. Beatrice, meanwhile, marries Burns (Hugh Allen), the chauffeur. Greer takes to drinking, but with the help of Beatrice and her husband, he pulls himself together. His secretary, Jennie McArthur (Barbara Bedford), also returns, and Greer fights his way back to the top. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Although the theme of this melodrama -- based on the John Golden play Howdy Folks -- was serious, the film also had some entertaining comic relief courtesy of ZaSu Pitts and Otis Harlan. Sam Martin (Leslie Fenton) grows up in the Kentucky hills with a preacher (Alec B. Francis) as his closest friend and father figure. The young man goes away and gets an education, and when he returns home, he wants to build a school so that others can learn, too. He goes to the miserly Simon Pace (Russell Simpson) for a loan, but is turned down. Azelea (Madge Bellamy), a circus queen, winds up in the rural township when she deserts the show and she and Martin fall in love. She tries to get the money from Pace by dancing for him, which causes a scandal. Pace is murdered, and Martin is thought to have committed the crime. The townsfolk prepare to mete out justice by hanging Martin, but the preacher saves him by dynamiting the mountainside and claiming that the explosion is an act of God. The real killer confesses, and Martin gets to build his school and marry Azelea. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Ben Lyon and Viola Dana co-star in this heavy society drama -- not exactly the forte of either of these stars. Charming but irresponsible Dick Jerome (Frank Mayo) wins Frances (Gladys Brockwell) over his rival, the more responsible David Devanant (Thomas Holding). Jerome is a drunk and a womanizer, and in an attempt to straighten him out, Devanant sends him on an assignment to South America. He dies there, a victim of a brawl. Back home, Frances dies too, and she asks Devanant to marry her so that her son, Frank, will have a father. He agrees, and also adopts a girl, Shirley Holmes. Frank grows up (to be played by Lyon), and proves to be every bit as irresponsible as his father. He marries Hattie (Mary Thurman), an adventuress who wants money to annul the marriage. When Devanant refuses, some bonds are stolen from him. He accuses Frank and sends him to South America to earn back the money lost. Frank works hard until a friend insists that Devanant is only trying to get rid of him so he can marry Shirley
(Dana), who both he and Frank love. Frank returns to the States to stop the wedding, but Devanant reveals that he knew that Frank did not take the bonds -- he just wanted to make a man of him. Devanant has a heart attack and dies, so Frank and Shirley are able to wed. This picture was based on a book written by future Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Stephen Vincent Benet. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Lighthouse keeper Jeremiah Judkins (Hobart Bosworth) rescues a little girl (Baby Peggy) from a storm. The girl, called Captain January, unabashedly adores her adopted father and loves her life at the lighthouse. Judkins prevents the villagers from taking her away from him, but he can't stop her aunt, Isabelle Morton (Irene Rich). Isabelle shows up one night when a vessel she is on becomes grounded. She makes her way over to the lighthouse and recognizes the little girl as the daughter of her dead sister. Captain January goes to live at the Morton's lavish home, but she longs for Judkins and her old life. She is able to sneak off and see him, and the Mortons realize that she and Judkins should be together. They make room for Judkins in their home, and the little girl is happy. This film was remade in 1936 as a vehicle for Shirley Temple. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Although Clara Bow was not yet a full-fledged star, she had already made a mark by mid-'20s. In this melodrama, said trade paper Motion Picture News, "Clara Bow is cast as the flapper, a role for which she has become quite famous on the screen." For once she is nearly upstaged by experienced character actor and perennial villain Walter Long, who plays a bootlegger. On the evening that society deb Angela Warriner (Bow) debuts, her mother (Myrtle Steadman) discovers that the family is bankrupt. To keep the Warriners afloat financially -- and to keep Angela's parties and social status intact -- Mrs. Warriner convinces her husband, John (Huntly Gordon), to become partners with Benedict (Long), a bootlegger posing as a count. Meanwhile, Angela is being courted by Carl Graham (Forrest Stanley), but Harry Van Alstyne (Robert Agnew) tempts her away with a fun, jazzy lifestyle. Everything falls down with a crash for the Warriner family; John is arrested and sent to prison, and his wife temporarily goes blind from the bootleg booze. This wakes up Angela, however, and she returns to the more sedate romancing of Graham. The story to this picture came from the Saturday Evening Post tale by William MacHarg. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Betty Austin (Katherine MacDonald) has dreams of going to the city and pursuing a career, but she gives it all up to marry Warren Wade (Orville Caldwell). The marriage, however, is not a happy one -- Wade wants Betty to run the house exactly as his mother ran hers and demands that she be at his side constantly, but he never really has time for her needs. It's no wonder Betty leaves him and goes to the city where her friend Leila Mead (Kathleen Kirkham) is enjoying the life of a single career woman. She meets Dr. Devereaux, an esteemed physician (William Conklin). Wade finds Betty in the company of Devereaux and takes her home, but nothing changes until their son (Stanley Goethals) is seriously injured and in danger of becoming a cripple. Betty takes the boy to Dr. Devereaux, and Wade believes that she has walked out on him again. Orville Caldwell's claim to fame was that then-popular author and trendsetter Elinor Glyn called him the "most physically perfect man on the American stage." Unfortunately, Caldwell's physique wasn't enough to earn him screen stardom, and his motion picture work was sporadic. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi