Harry Davenport Movies

Less than a week after the press preview of his second starring feature Man in Blue, Robert Wilcox was seen on-screen in his first starrer, Armored Car. Wilcox plays detective Larry Willis, who goes undercover as an armored-car guard. Larry deliberate messes up his job so that he'll be fired, thereby convincing a gang of hijackers that he's desperate enough to join them. Our hero works his way into the confidence of "intellectual" head crook Walinsky (Irving Pichel), much to the displeasure of the boss' distrustful henchman Petack (Cesar Romero). Things get hairy when the hoods threaten the life of heroine Ella (Judith Barrett), forcing Larry to blow his cover. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director James Whale, well known for his witty horror films, tackled comedy head-on in this period piece, set in the 18th Century. David Garrick (Brian Aherne) is a gifted but supremely arrogant British actor whose fame is exceeded only by his ego. After finishing a starring run at London's Drury Lane Theatre, Garrick informs the audience his next engagement will be at the Comedie Francaise in Paris, and adds that he plans to use the opportunity to teach the French a few things about acting. Stung by the insult, the Comedie Francaise company plan to take their revenge against Garrick by pulling an elaborate prank; on his first night in Paris, Garrick is taken to an inn where, unbeknown to him, the staff and clientele have been taken over by actors, who stage an lively evening for his benefit. Garrick soon sees through the ruse but plays along, and acts cool towards a lovely young woman, Germaine De Le Corbe (Olivia de Havilland), even though he's smitten with her. After giving Germaine the brush off, Garrick informs the assembled thespians that he saw through their trick, only to discover that Germaine happened upon the inn by accident and wasn't part of the act. Garrick realizes he's alienated the woman who has stolen his heart, and his grief begins to effect his performance as Don Juan. The Great Garrick also features Lionel Atwill, Edward Everett Horton, and Melville Cooper; a young Lana Turner has a bit part. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Based on a popular novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams, this screwball comedy stars Errol Flynn in the title-role, the heir to an industrial fortune kept hidden from the world by his imperious grandmother (May Robson). Intrigued by the secrecy, peppy Joan Blondell literally crashes the estate to liberate the young man and the two embark on a whirlwind trip through Pennsylvania. Falling in love with the intruder along the way, Flynn learns how life is lived by the other half -- or at least by the wacky Warner Bros. stock company -- and proves himself to be much more capable than "Grandma" Robson ever imagined. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

King of Hockey was one of three low-budget hockey films released during the 1936-37 season, each one produced by a different studio. Dick Purcell stars as swell-headed hockey champ Gabby Dugan, whose career is abruptly terminated when he's accused of shaving points during a crucial game. Even worse, a blow on the skull induces temporary blindness, causing Gabby to wonder if he'll ever get to play again. Not only does he stage a spectacular comeback, but he also wins back the love of his estranged sweetheart Kathleen O'Rourke (Anne Nagel). A goodly portion of the film is given over to juvenile performer Ann Gillis, whom Warner Bros. evidently hoped would develop into the "new Shirley Temple" (even though there was still plenty of mileage left in the "old" Shirley Temple). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Warner Bros.' "Perry Mason" series quietly slipped from the "A" to the "B" category with this adaptation of Erle Stanley Gardner's The Case of the Caretaker's Cat. Ricardo Cortez and June Travis take over from Warren William and Claire Dodd as criminal attorney Perry Mason and his faithful secretary Della Street. Though the characters had been married in Case of the Velvet Claws, they're unattached again here, though Della is still hoping. This time there are three murders, all connected with a hectic treasure hunt and a screeching feline (grey, not black!) Throwing an added spanner into the works is the fact that one of the murders is a phony, designed to permit a millionaire from escaping his responsibilities. Case of the Black Cat was later redone as an hour-long episode of the Perry Mason TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This modern "Flying Dutchman" story stars actor/playwright Noel Coward as a class-A heel. Coward uses his position as a powerful publisher to break as many hearts as is humanly possible. When Coward does his usual hatchet job on poet Julie Haydon, she plants a curse on his head, praying that he'll die and that no one will mourn him. Within the week, Coward is killed in a plane crash. Slated for Purgatory, Coward is given a second chance; if he can find someone who will weep for him, his soul will be saved. As expected, the sole mourner turns out to be Haydon, whose fiance's life is saved by the repentant Coward. As with most of the Ben Hecht-Charles MacArthur film productions of 1930s, The Scoundrel is hard to warm up to because the characters are so unappealing. Still, it's fascinating to see Noel Coward playing a villain, and to spot legendary critic/curmudgeon Alexander Woollcott in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In all three of her 1931-32 movie vehicles, Tallulah Bankhead played variations of that familiar soap opera standby, the Fallen Woman. My Sin casts Bankhead as a college-educated nightclub entertainer named Carlotta, working in a seedy dive in Panama. Tormented by her blackmailing husband, she shoots and kills the bounder then finds that no self-respecting attorney will take her case. Fortunately for her, alcoholic lawyer Dick Grady (Fredric March) has no respect for himself, and it is he who agrees to defend her in court. Acquitted of murder, Carlotta heads to New York to start life anew, only to have her unsavory past catch up with her again. Once more, however, she is rescued by Grady, who has sworn off booze and metamorphosed into a pillar of society. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Elisha Cook Jr. made his screen debut in this early exploitation talkie from De Forest Phonofilm. Cook and Pauline Drake appear as innocent lovers who can only stand by and watch while their friend Dorothy Kennedy (Adele Ronson) becomes pregnant by careless Jack Conover (Paul Clare). When Jack refuses to marry her, Dorothy seeks an abortion from the kindhearted Dr. Remington (Harry Davenport), who instead notifies her mother (Frances Underwood). Meanwhile, Jack learns that his domineering aunt (Doris Rankin), is actually his mother and has a complete change of heart, proposing to Dorothy. Produced in New York City, Her Unborn Child also marked the screen debut of venerable Broadway actor Harry Davenport. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

This Northwoods drama stars Ruth Sinclair and Irving Cummings. Ruth (Sinclair) is an orphan who lives with her foster-father, Jim Vance, a crude mountaineer (Arthur Morrison). One night he tries to attack her and she stabs him. Fleeing the cabin in the belief that she has killed Vance, she is found by handsome French-Canadian Jules LeClerc (Cummings), and the two fall in love. Ruth and LeClerc marry and head for the DuBois settlement, where he goes into partnership with Mackenzie, who runs the general store (Roy Applegate). Late one night, Ruth catches a man rifling the cash drawer, who turns out to be Vance. He escapes, and the next morning when Mackenzie discovers the money is missing, he thinks that LeClerc is the culprit. LeClerc overhears Vance talking at the local saloon and comes to believe that he was Ruth's lover. He gives chase and they head into the woods. A fierce battle between the two men ensues, and Vance is drowned in the river. Ruth explains everything to her husband and they are happily united. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

If the name "Tillie" appears in the title and the film is made in the latter half of the 1910s, it's a sure bet that Marie Dressler is starring. Here, she plays Tillie Tinkelpaw, the put-upon family breadwinner, and her foil is Johnny Hines as henpecked husband Mr. Pipkins. The pair decide to escape for an afternoon from their horrendous mates (Frank Beamish as Mr. Tinkelpaw and Rubye DeRemer as Mrs. Pipkins) and go to Coney Island. They arrive via an ice wagon and have a bit of Scotch to take away the chill. Naturally, the liquor revs up all the slapstick antics to come. This was a great two-reel idea stretched out to five (how many times can Dressler sit on Hines and have it be funny?), but the stars' talents and some very funny titles carry it through. The scenario was written by Dressler's good friend Frances Marion. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Antonio Moreno stars in this wooden Vitagraph drama as Sandy Morley, a young man from the South who can no longer stand living under the same roof as his abusive stepmother. He leaves home only to become ill with typhoid fever. He is taken in and cared for by John Markham, a Northern business magnate. Markham offers to send his nephew, Lansing Hartford, to college if he works in his factory for a year; Hartford refuses, but Morley is quick to accept in his place. He graduates from the university with honors, and Markham sends him back to his home in the South to build a factory. Hartford, meanwhile, goes South as well and tries to stir up trouble with Jeff Crothers, a rival factory-owner (William Balfour). He also tricks Morley's former sweetheart, Cynthia Starr (Belle Bruce), into marrying him. Morley wins the trust of Crother's workers, and when an old flame of Hartford's shows up with a baby, Cynthia leaves him and returns to Morley. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Long before he was kindly old Dr. Meade in Gone With the Wind, Harry Davenport was a sort of renaissance man of the American theatre, serving as actor, writer, producer and director. Wearing his director's cap, Davenport helmed the 1915 silent feature Island of Regeneration. Juvenile star (and future Warner Bros. director) Bobby Connolly plays the young gadfly in a group of tourists trapped on a desert island. While Connolly remains pretty much the same from first reel to last, each of the adult members undergoes a life transformation during their enforced stay. A well-handled earthquake sequence climaxes this adaptation of a novel by Cyrus Townsend Brady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide