Paul M. Bryan Movies
- 1971
Eve (Barbara Anderson) investigates when an old friend, the female member of a folksinging trio consisting of two brothers and a sister, disappears during a San Francisco concert tour. Could this disappearance be linked with the murder of another girl--to say nothing of a sinister drug ring? The key to solving the mystery is a curious geometric configuration called "the quincunx." Cast as the singing Roberts brothers, David Carradine and Michael Blodgett perform "Lonesome Stranger", "I Stepped on a Flower" and "Sorrow of the Singing Tree". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1928
Dynamite, one of canine star Rin-Tin-Tin's many imitators, starred in this silent action melodrama from Universal, in which the pooch saves Silver Creek's new schoolmarm Molly (Gloria Grey) from a serious injury. Later that day, Dynamite witnesses the killing of John Lawton (Frank M. Clark) by his longtime enemy Marvin Henley (Gladden James). Retrieving some valuable papers that Henley stole from Lawton, Dynamite also rescues the dead man's young son Spots (Billy "Red" Jones, who is given shelter by the dog's owner, sportsman Jack Brooks (Edmund Cobb). The latter, who earlier saved Molly from Henley's unwanted advances, manages to catch the crook and place him under arrest. Spots receives an inheritance and Jack proposes to Molly. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dynamite the Dog, Edmund Cobb, (more)
- 1927
Hard-drinking silent screen hero Art Acord starred opposite his then-wife Louise Lorraine in this Universal oater directed by a young William Wyler. The story is something about a fake army colonel (Albert J. Smith) who blackmails Acord into doing his bidding, including smearing a rancher and his pretty daughter (Louise Lorraine. Unfortunately listed among the countless missing silent films, this Acord vehicle remains the most obscure film in director William Wyler's portfolio. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Art Acord, Louise Lorraine, (more)
- 1926
Independent producer Jesse J. Goldburg (the initial "J" stood for "Jesse!") released this minor offering starring second-echelon cowboy Bob Custer. More a comedy of errors than a true red-blooded western melodrama, The Dude Cowboy is the tale of a rancher (Custer) who hires himself out as a chauffeur for a pretty gal (Flora Bramley. In one of those coincidences so beloved by Hollywood hacks (in this case, Paul M. Bryan), the girl is on her way to Custer's dude ranch. The hero, smitten with the girl, keeps up the charade until the ever-present crooked foreman (Bruce Gordon forces his hand. Screenwriter Bryan threw a couple of stranded chorus girls and a fake count into the already outlandish plot. The heroine, British-born Flora Bramley, had appeared in the stage hit Cradle Snatchers before entering films in 1926. She was voted a 1928 WAMPAS Baby Star by the Hollywood publicists but returned to the stage soon after. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1926
Somewhat convoluted for an inexpensive silent Western, this film starred the laconic Bob Custer in the title role, a rancher helping a girl (Eugenia Gilbert) and her brother (Ernie Adams) defeat their evil stepfather. The latter (Murdock MacQuarrie) is forcing Rose to work in Blake's (Lew Meehan) saloon, and when Baxter interferes, Blake kidnaps her. The saloon owner, however, is killed by Jim Dodds (Jim Corey), whose gang of rustlers has been stealing cattle from the ranch belonging to Silas Brant (Hugh Saxon), Baxter's father. After a furious fight, Dodds and his men are finally brought to justice, paving the way for a marriage between Baxter and Rose. Hair Trigger Baxter was but one in a series of cheap Westerns produced by Jesse J. Goldburg's Independent Pictures. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Custer, Lew Meehan, (more)
- 1924
The husband-and-wife team of William Duncan and Edith Johnson once again brave numerous dangers in The Fast Express, a 15-chapter serial from Universal about a gang of crooks attempting to halt the building of yet another transcontinental railroad. The abduction of Miss Johnson, a haunted house, a cloaked mystery villain, and blackmail are among the many perils facing the stalwart Duncan, who also directed. Well-known screen villains Albert J. Smith and Harry Woods perform most of the skullduggery, receiving their comeuppance in the final chapter aptly entitled "Retribution." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1916
The Idol of the Stage is itinerant actor Malcolm Williams, who takes a job with an obscure stock company to pay his wife's mounting medical expenses. Unfortunately, he runs afoul of the law and is thrown in jail. Recovering from her illness, his wife settles down to await his release, only to be spirited away against her will by an ex-con pal of her husband's. Unaware of the facts, the actor assumes that his wife has run out on him on his own volition. The truth comes out years later when the actor, now a prosperous businessman, befriends a raggedy newspaper boy who turns out to be his own son. The film was directed by Richard Garrick. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1916
According to Law was intended to cast doubts upon the efficiency of the "legitimacy" laws in force in 1916. The film is sympathetic towards children born out of wedlock, children whose mothers die at birth, and children of divorce. Still, the filmmakers never lose sight of the fact that a social tract goes down easier with a sturdy coating of entertainment values. The 5-reel According to Law was produced by the American arm of the French Gaumont studios. It was directed by Richard Garrick, who years later became a prolific character actor, playing the doctor in the final scene of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and appearing prominently in several 20th Century-Fox productions of the early 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
