Alan Crosland Movies

American director Alan Crosland entered show business at the age of 15 as an actor and stage manager. He began working for the Edison company in 1912 where he worked at several jobs for two years. In 1914 he became a full-fledged director of short films. He directed his first feature film in 1917; this lead to his working on many routine films for a variety of studios until 1925 when he was hired by Warner Bros. The following year he directed Don Juan, the first full-length film to use synchronized music; he then directed the first talkie, The Jazz Singer (1927). Crosland died in an automobile crash in 1936. His son Alan Crosland Jr. was a film editor and sometime director during the '40s and '50s. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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The Case of the Black Cat: 1936

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

Starring:: Ricardo Cortez, June Travis, (more)

The Great Impersonation: 1935

The Great Impersonation is based on the E. Phillips Oppenheim espionage novel of the same name, previously filmed in 1921. During WW I, drunken, dissolute British nobleman Everard Dominey (Edmund Lowe) wanders into the African jungle, where he meets his exact double, German spy Von Ragenstein (also Edmund Lowe). The scene shifts back to England, where, apparently, Von Ragenstein has assumed Dominey's identity after the latter is reported killed. The actual identity of the protagonist is kept secret until the very end. Either way, it's a story of redemption: If he's really Von Ragenstein, he may very well be persuaded to cast his lot with the British; if he's really Dominey, he might just sober up and assume his proper place in society. The film is brightened by the presence of two former Bride of Frankenstein co-stars: Valerie Hobson, then only a teenager, delivers one of her best performances as Dominey's distraught wife, while Dwight Frye goes through his usual "Renfield" paces as a roving lunatic. Both the 1935 Great Impersonation and the 1945 remake with Ralph Bellamy and Evelyn Ankers were later included in Universal's "Shock Theater" TV package, even though both films are more suspenseful than shocking. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Edmund Lowe, Valerie Hobson, (more)

Lady Tubbs: 1935

A variation on the Lady for a Day theme, Universal's Lady Tubbs stars Alice Brady as Henrietta "Mom" Tubbs, the no-nonsense cook in a rowdy railroad construction camp. Upon inheriting a fortune, Mom Tubbs trains herself to enter high society, not so much for her sake as for that of her pretty niece Wynne (Anita Louise). But before she can stage-manage the marriage between Wynne and Long-Island socialite Phil Ash-Orcutt, Mom must expose a few pompous stuffed shirts for the hypocritical phonies that they really are. Lady Tubbs scores most of its laughs from its central situation, but it's never above resorting to slapstick to make a few comic points. Particularly amusing is a wild fox-hunt sequence, portions of which later showed up in Abbott and Costello's In Society. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Alice Brady, Douglass Montgomery, (more)

It Happened in New York: 1935

A famous movie actress takes a trip to New York City. While there, she gets involved with a wisecracking cab driver who is in need of $200. Recognizing her, he devises a plan to get the money he needs from her. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Lyle Talbot, Gertrude Michael, (more)

Mr. Dynamite: 1935

Mr. Dynamite was based on the Dashiel Hammett novel On the Make. Edmund Lowe plays jaunty private eye T. N. Thompson, or T.N.T. ("Mistery Dynamite", get it?) Nothing pleases Thompson more than running rings around the San Francisco police force, headed by the dyspeptic detective King (Robert Gleckler). On this occasion, Mr. Dynamite stumbles upon several corpses, taking it all in stride as he follows the trail of clues to the guilty party. Alas, he's broken several laws along the way, thus our hero is forced to hop the first train out of town, accompanied as always by faithful secretary Lynn (Jean Dixon). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Edmund Lowe, Jean Dixon, (more)

King Solomon of Broadway: 1935

Edmund Lowe stars as big-time gambler King Solomon, so named because of his fairness and sagacity. Naturally, our hero has several enemies to whom fair play is anathema. One of these is gangster boss Ice Larson (Edward Pawley), who demands Solomon's cooperation as payment for a gambling debt. But Solomon becomes Larson's best pal when he clears the man of a phony kidnapping charge by romancing Nikki Bradbury (Louise Henry), the wealthy and gorgeous ex-kidnap victim. All of this does not rest well with King Solomon's ever-lovin' girlfriend, whose name is -- what else? -- Sheba (Dorothy Page). Bespectacled crooner Pinky Tomlin, of "The Object of My Affections" fame, guest-stars as "himself." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Edmund Lowe, Dorothy Page, (more)

The White Cockatoo: 1935

Based on a mystery novel by Mignon Eberhart, The White Cockatoo concerns three mysterious murders at a French chateau. The villain seems determined to bump off all the friends and relatives of Sue Talley (Jean Muir) and Jim Sundean (Ricardo Cortez), hoping thereby to get his (or her) hands on the fortune they've inherited. Clouding the issue is the curious behavior of ostensible hero Sundean, who may very well be behind the killings. Though reviewers complained that they couldn't make heads or tails of the storyline, audiences didn't seem to share this confusion. Still, it would have been nice if screenwriters Ben Markson and Lillie Hayward had been more faithful to the Eberhart original. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Jean Muir, Ricardo Cortez, (more)

Midnight Alibi: 1934

In this drama, a gambler must hide-out from the mob and ends up in a spinster's apartment. The old woman, is unused to company as she has spent her life in seclusion after a failed romance in her youth. When the crime lord is killed, the gambler, his younger brother, is arrested for the murder. To protect him, the spinster perjures herself in court by telling the judge that he was with her on the night the crime was committed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Richard Barthelmess, Ann Dvorak, (more)

The Case of the Howling Dog: 1934

Two wealthy neighbors, who make no secret of despising one another, both claim that they're married to Bessie Foley (Mary Astor). When one of the claimants is murdered, Bessie is the prime suspect. Brilliant defense counsel Perry Mason (Warren William), whose spacious offices look like something out of the Taj Mahal, takes Bessie's case, aided and abetted by faithful secretary Della Street (Helen Trenholme). Like his later TV counterpart, Mason isn't above suppressing evidence to benefit his client, much to the dismay of district attorney Claude Drumm (Grant Mitchell) and obnoxious but efficient Sgt. Holcomb (Allen Jenkins). The solution to the mystery manages to have its cake and eat it too, but to tell more would spoil it. This initial entry in Warner Bros.' "Perry Mason" film series is also the least fascinating of the bunch, due mainly to Warren William's surprisingly somber approach to the role (he'd lighten up considerably in his subsequent "Mason" outings). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Warren William, Mary Astor, (more)

The Personality Kid: 1934

In his autobiography, Pat O'Brien described his character in The Personality Kid as a "Cassius Clay" type (this of course, was before Clay metamorphosed into Muhammad Ali). Indeed, arrogant prizefighter Ritzy (Pat O'Brien) is quite a piece of work, wearing a derby hat in the ring and dancing an Irish jig whenever he scores a knockout. Once he's risen to the top of his profession, Ritzy becomes even more insufferable, forsaking his faithful manager-wife Joan (Glenda Farrell) in favor of society artist Patricia (Claire Dodd). Ultimately he discovers that he'd be nowhere without Joan, who's been arranging "bum a month" boxing matches to guide him towards the championship. Only when he's hit the skids, however, does Ritzy return to Joan -- just in time to learn of another surprise in store for him, courtesy of "Mr. Stork." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Pat O'Brien, Glenda Farrell, (more)

Massacre: 1934

One of the first major Hollywood films to seriously address America's ongoing mistreatment of its Indian population, Massacre is more admirable for its intentions than its execution. The film was inspired by the activities of John Collier, commissioner for the Bureau of Indian Affairs during Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first term. A staunch advocate for Native American rights, Collier had been far more effective than his predecessors in this pursuit, effectively purging much of the corruption and bigotry then prevalent in the administration of the Indian Reservation system. The film's John Collier counterpart, a man named Dickinson (Henry O'Neill), turns out to be less important to the storyline than Joe Thunder Horse, the "assimilated" college-educated Sioux portrayed by Richard Barthelmess. Upon the death of his father, who was the tribal chieftain, Joe returns to the reservation of his youth, only to discover that his people are dying of various diseases and are being systematically cheated of their possessions and basic rights by crooked Indian agents. He heads to Washington in hopes of righting these wrongs, only to experience prejudice and hatred all along the way. Eventually successful in his efforts, Joe casts away the last vestige of his "white" existence by giving up socialite Norma (Claire Dodd) in favor of Sioux maiden Lydia (Ann Dvorak). The optimism of the final reels is sorely at odds with the rest of the picture, which paints a bleak portrait of an oppressed people under the thumb of corrupt, rapine petty tyrants (colorfully represented by Dudley Digges as the worst of the batch). The deck-stacking is a bit hard to take at times (surely there must have been some Indian agents who weren't substance abusers and lechers), but it's undeniably effective in the usual over-the-top Warner Bros. tradition. The film's oddest scene (and the one which has drawn the most attention from William K. Everson and other prominent film historians) finds a stereotyped African American valet (Clarence Muse) looking disdainfully upon the Indians as his racial inferiors! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Richard Barthelmess, Ann Dvorak, (more)

Hello Sister!: 1933

Love turns into an unhealthy obsession in this offbeat drama. Millie (Zasu Pitts) and Peggy (Boots Mallory) are two friends who leave behind the small town where they were raised to try their luck in New York City. Before long, Millie and Peggy meet Jimmy (James Dunn) and Mac (Terrance Ray); Millie is immediately attracted to Jimmy, but much to her displeasure she learns he's more interested in Peggy. Determined to have Jimmy as her own, Millie attempts to sew discord between Jimmy and Peggy by telling each of them foul lies about the other; when this fails, Millie becomes desperate and attempts to kill herself as an attention-getting device. The production history of Hello, Sister! was in many ways more interesting than the film itself. Originally titled Walking Down Broadway, the film was the first sound picture from the legendary Erich von Stroheim; hoping to mend the reputation as an egocentric spendthrift he acquired while directing epic-scale silent films, von Stroheim managed to bring in Walking Down Broadway on time and on budget. However, executives at 20th Century Fox were a bit puzzled by the film, which originally had a sub-plot suggesting a lesbian relationship between Millie and Peggy and other sexual undercurrents which were quite daring for the time. Uncertain about audience reactions to the movie, Fox brought in the less-than-distinguished Alfred Werker to re-shoot and re-edit von Stroheim's urban melodrama, and the resulting picture, entitled Hello, Sister!, was released without an on-screen directorial credit, and died a quick and little noticed death at the box office. No print of von Stroheim's original cut is known to exist. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Starring:: James Dunn, Boots Mallory, (more)

Week-Ends Only: 1932

In this romance, a recently impoverished but formerly wealthy young woman ends up working as a nightclub hostess. There she meets a handsome, sophisticated and wealthy fellow who hires her to help him spice up his weekend parties. She begins helping him and regains her lost wealth and posh lifestyle. Unfortunately, her starving-artist boyfriend knows nothing of her secret life. Trouble ensues when he learns the truth, but by the end the two reconcile and happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Joan Bennett, Ben Lyon, (more)

The Silver Lining: 1932

This socially-conscious drama is set in a slum and centers on the events that lead a parsimonious slum lord to change her ways. It all begins when a little boy stumbles down three flights of rickety stairs. The landlady is later approached by a lawyer who tries to collect damages for the child. She refuses to pay, causing her more compassionate uncle to argue on behalf of the boy. The woman won't listen and ends up stomping out. She is then mugged on the street. Afterwards, the police arrest her because she appears drunk; she is sentenced to 30 days. While in jail she meets a slum resident who is jailed after taking the fall for the injured lad's mother who had been stealing food for her poor boy. The heartless woman is finally touched and sees the error of her ways. After she is released, she marries and begins a kinder, gentler life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Maureen O'Sullivan, Betty Compson, (more)

Captain Sirocco: 1931

Captain Thunder: 1931

Warner Bros.' Captain Thunder contains some of the darndest Mexican accents you've ever heard in your life. The star is Hungarian-born Victor Varconi, portraying a legendary south of the border outlaw who tries to force Canadian senorita Fay Wray to marry a rival rustler whom she despises. She pleads with the bandito so pathetically that he is moved to grant her a single wish. Without hesitation she chooses her poor but true love. The bandit king, being a somewhat honorable fellow grants the wish and without a twitch, guns down the wicked cattle thief. Fortunately the film was played for comedy, a wise decision since it probably would have garnered laughs as a straight drama anyway. No fewer than four writers worked on Captain Thunder, and that folks is never a good sign. The true "bandit" in this film was Jack Warner, who picked the pockets of those filmgoers who thought they were going to see a thrilling melodrama (or at least a film with a semblance of coherent plot). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Victor Varconi, Fay Wray, (more)

Children of Dreams: 1931

Advertised variously as a "musical romance" and an "operetta style drama", Children of Dreams was the last of three Warner Bros. musicals written directly for the screen by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II. The story revolves around a group of singing migrant workers, laboring away in a Western apple orchard. One of the more talented of the workers, pretty Molly Standing (Margaret Schilling), manages to achieve fame and fortune as an opera star. This turn of events was reportedly inspired by the career of real-life diva Anna Case, who is about the only New York stage personality not seen in this picture. Children of Dreams offers a few amusing turns by vaudevillian Tom Patricola and by Show Boat's original "Captain Andy," Charles Winnigner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Paul Gregory, Tom Patricola, (more)

The Furies: 1930

The plays of Zoe Akins were so stilted and mannered that one critic referred to watching them as "the curse of an Akins heart." The film versions of Akins's efforts were slightly better, as proven by The Furies. Lois Wilson stars as attractive Mrs. Sands, who despite her married status is ardently pursued by several libidinous bachelors. When Mr. Sands (Montague Love) is poisoned to death, each of Mrs. Sand's two most fervent suitors suspects the other of committing the crime. Complicating matters is the fact that Mrs. Sands' defense attorney (H.B. Warner) is also crazy about her. The identity of the actual killer is never in doubt, inasmuch as the actor playing the role had "done it" in several previous films and would continue "doing it" in subsequent murder mysteries. The best scenes occur towards the end, when Mrs. Sands's loyal servants are coached in their testimony by their attorney -- and have trouble remembering their "lines." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Lois Wilson, Montagu Love, (more)

Viennese Nights: 1930

This early musical was filmed in color and centers upon the love affair between a young composer and the woman he wants to marry. Unfortunately the two quarrel and split up, causing her to marry a wealthy man. He also marries, but the union is unhappy because his new wife doesn't understand his love for music. Forty years pass. By then the composer is dead. His elderly ex-flame is seen listening raptly to his music. Later the grandchildren of the star-crossed lovers end up getting married. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Alexander Gray, Vivienne Segal, (more)

Big Boy: 1930

Big Boy may well be the closest a modern audience will ever come to seeing what a genuine Al Jolson Broadway musical looked like. Based on his 1925 stage hit, the film casts Jolson in the blackface role of Gus, a stableboy at a moss-covered Southern plantation. Gus' favorite horse is the magnificent Big Boy, whom he hopes to ride to victory at the Kentucky Derby. Through a misunderstanding, Gus is fired from his job, but he manages to make his way to Louisville during Derby week by working as a singing waiter. Against all odds, our hero manages to win the Big Race -- at which point the scene fades to a "curtain call" on a Warner Bros. soundstage, with Jolson, minus makeup and out of character, cheerfully introducing the supporting cast and offering to sing few encores for the benefit of the spectators. To say the least, Big Boy is a bizarre experience, but the film is not without its charms. The best moments include a lengthy Civil War flashback in which Gus's grandfather (Jolson again) outwits an outrageously bigoted Simon Legree type (Noah Beery Sr.), and the closing musical number in which Jolson waxes nostalgic over Sunday dinner with his family: "And I see on the kitchen table a ham -- a beautiful ham --.Ha! That ain't my house!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Al Jolson, Claudia Dell, (more)

Song of the Flame: 1930

This lavish musical is based on a play by Oscar Hammerstein II and tells the story of a young girl who inadvertently causes a revolution with her rendition of "Song of the Flame." Later she falls for a captured Russian prince. She is determined to save him, even if it means sacrificing her innocence to a lascivious villain. Songs include: "The Cossack Love Song," "Song of the Flame" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Herbert Stothart), "Petrograd," "Liberty Song," "The Goose Hangs High," "Passing Fancy," "One Little Drink" (Grant Clarke, Harry Akst, Ed Ward) and "When Love Calls" (Ward). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Alexander Gray, Bernice Claire, (more)

On with the Show: 1929

This early talkie antique is a backstage musical from Warner Bros. The plot involves the out-of-town tryout of a new musical comedy, and the people who perform therein: a bitchy leading lady (Betty Compson), an arrogant comedy lead (Joe E. Brown), and a starstruck chorus kid (Sally O'Neil). At the very last moment, the leading lady refuses to go on, forcing the producer to put the chorus girl in her place. It turns out that the star's seemingly rotten behavior was deliberately designed to give the chorine her big break. In between several Technicolor musical numbers (now only existing in black-and-white), we hear a lot of pedantic talk about "the show business." On with the Show's sole virtue is the exquisite Ethel Waters, who introduces her hit song "Am I Blue?" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Betty Compson, Louise Fazenda, (more)

General Crack: 1929

This costume drama is the first all dialog film in which Barrymore appeared. He plays a mercenary who will serve anyone who pays him. He is currently working for the Austrian Emperor. His mission is to abscond with the crown of the Holy Roman Empire. En route, the hero marries a gypsy and leaves her to await his return in Vienna. While he is off doing the king's bidding, the Austrian ruler begins dallying with his wife. This enrages the mercenary who upon his return, seeks to dethrone the king. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Starring:: John Barrymore, Lowell Sherman, (more)

Glorious Betsy: 1928

The romance between Jerome Bonaparte and Baltimore debutante Elizabeth Patterson was given the full treatment by Warner Bros., who starred their leading purveyors of cinematic passion, Conrad Nagel and Dolores Costello, both fresh from Tenderloin (1927). Like that crook melodrama, Glorious Betsy was hauled back into the shop to be refurbished with a couple of talking sequences, a necessity after the apparently unanticipated success of the studio's groundbreaking The Jazz Singer (1927). In the end, Glorious Betsy received a full Hollywood opening on April 26, 1928, the first Vitaphone production to be given such "royal" treatment in the hometown. But as with Tenderloin, criticism of the still underdeveloped sound techniques was harsh, the long-suffering Miss Costello once again the most obvious target. Costello's slight lisp was exacerbated by the studio's sound-on-disc system -- not quite as bad as the satirical Singing in the Rain (1952) would later suggest, but enough for the actress to face an uncertain future in
"talkies." The story of Glorious Betsy was based on a 1908 play by Rida Johnson Young, a minor trifle in which Jerome, posing as a schoolteacher, wins the love of Betsy Patterson. Only after their nuptials does he reveal his true identity, but brother Napoleon (played by opera baritone Pasquale Amato) refuses the new Mrs. Bonaparte entry into France and has the marriage annulled. Jerome is instead ordered to wed the vampish Princess of Würtemberg (Betty Blythe), but he instead makes a quick escape and rejoins Elizabeth in Baltimore. To compliment the action, Warner Bros. added a rousing rendition of "La Marseillaise" performed by Metropolitan Opera baritone Andre De Segurola. Screenwriter Anthony Coldewaay was nominated for an Academy Award but lost to Benjamin Glazer for Seventh Heaven. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide