Jack Noble Movies

Herbert Rawlinson, a star on the downgrade, headed the cast of the independently produced Burning Gold. Most of the action is set amidst the oil wells of Oklahoma, as courageous digger Rawlinson races against the clock to bring in a gusher. Complicating matters are Rawlinson's romantic entanglements, including vampish Mildred Harris and virginal Shirley Palmer. The anticipated "fire in the oilfields" climax was skimpily produced, relying heavily on stock newsreel footage. Overall, the best thing about this second-rate actioner was its consistently fine photography. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Blackface comedy may make modern day Americans cringe, but in the late 1800s up to the 1920s it was an acceptable form of humor. One of its biggest fans was director .D.W. Griffith, who originally planned to have his company produce this film with theatrical icon Al Jolson as the star. An insecure Jolson (still a couple years away from The Jazz Singer) bailed on the project at the last minute. Griffith -- who was ready to begin shooting with his brother Albert Grey as producer, and John W. Noble as director -- went ahead anyway with two-reel comedian Lloyd Hamilton as the star. Hamilton plays Claude Sappington, a mystery writer who is determined to save faithful family servant Uncle Eph (Tom O'Malley) from a trumped-up murder charge. To find the real killer, Sappington covers his face in burnt cork and heads for the dance hall run by bootlegger Bill Jackson (Tom Wilson). Discovering the truth, Sappington breaks up the African-American bootlegging ring and wins the Governor's Daughter (Sally Long). Although the racist humor was deemed acceptable in 1924, this was still not a very good film and it lost money during its brief run, prompting Griffith to sue Jolson for breach of contract in a desperate attempt to regain his losses. The filmmaker won, but only a token sum of $2,671, which did nothing to help the massive debt he had run up because of his gross overspending and mismanagement as an independent producer. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

This middling period drama, based on the Robert W. Chambers novel, takes place in pre-Revolutionary War times and relied quite a lot on the audience's patriotism for its interest. Michael Cardigan (William "Buster" Collier, Jr.) is one of many American inhabitants who don't want to be under the King's rule. However, he's in love with Felicity -- called "Silver Heels" by the Native Americans (Betty Carpenter) -- the ward of the English governor. As the friction between the Tories and the Colonists builds, Cardigan finds himself fighting for both a new country and for Felicity's love. Along the way, he exposes the treachery of Captain Butler (William Pike), and is almost burned at the stake by Indians sympathetic to the British. Then Paul Revere (Austin Hume) makes his famous ride, the battles of Lexington and Concord are fought and the Red Coats are sent packing. Eventually Cardigan and Felicity are reunited. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

This Vitagraph programmer spices up a timeworn tale with a few interesting touches. Mary (Gladys Leslie) is an innocent college girl and a classical dancer. While performing a Grecian dance on her commencement day, she's seen by Broadway Al, a notorious lecher of the Great White Way (Robert Cummings). He decides he wants Mary and arranges an introduction. When she refuses to have anything to do with him, he figures that eventually he'll come up with the price tag that will win her. Mary is asked to perform her dance at a banquet and she agrees, not realizing that the host is Al. He lights the stage so that the audience can see through her outfit, which scandalizes the viewers. He then pursues her to her dressing room, but all the excitement gives him a heart attack; before he dies, he rewrites his will, leaving only a dollar to his son Lester (Frank Morgan) and giving his whole fortune to Mary, whom he refers to as his "sweetheart." Mary's friends and associates believe the worst and shun her, forcing her to leave town in shame and start life under an assumed name. Ironically, she meets up with Lester and the two begin a romance, which is threatened when he finds out her true identity. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

It is incomprehensible now, but being of illegitimate birth once carried a terrible social stigma, and that issue is forcefully addressed in this picture. Mary (Zena Keefe) has a hard life because her father died before he was able to marry her mother (also played by Keefe). After growing up in a foundling home, she is adopted as a teen by a cruel farmer, Peters (Lionel Belmore), who turns her into a virtual slave. Her only friend is Seppe (Paul Doucet), a deformed youth who is also illegitimate. After Peters beats her for talking to a young doctor (Niles Welch) passing by, she runs away and finds work with at the hospital run by the doctor's father (Jack Dunn). The doctor, Donald Strong, falls in love with her and proposes, but when he finds out about her background, he breaks off their engagement. Peters goes to court in an attempt to make the girl return to the farm, but Seppe shoots him so that she can stay at the hospital. Peters, however, is only wounded, so the doctor proposes once again. This time Mary turns him down and goes away with Seppe. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Margaret (Frances Nelson) is saved from suicide by an old artist (Fuller Mellish). When he dies and his effects are auctioned off, younger artists make snide remarks about his work, but Margaret fiercely defends it. This impresses Jean Duhanel (John Davidson), and he takes her home with him. Although he is already married, he gives her a ring. When Mrs. Duhanel (Sally Crute) comes back and Margaret discovers the truth, she leaves Jean. Eventually she meets up with an author, Austin Bland (Richard Tucker), and after she tells him of her past (without naming names), they marry. Bland is working on a book called "The Power of Decision" and he wants Margaret to pose for the illustrations. The only problem is that the illustrator turns out to be Jean Duhanel. Duhanel does his best to win her back, and Margaret is wracked with indecision. But in the end, she decides to remain loyal to her husband ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

When banker Kendall fails in business, his college-educated son (Francis X. Bushman) is forced to join the Army. He works his way up to quartermaster-sergeant and falls in love with Edith Ferris (Beverly Bayne, Bushman's inamorata in real life). Since she is the ward of the post commander (Robert Cummings), he's setting his sights a bit high. On top of that, he has an enemy in Lieutenant Burkett (John Davidson). But the young Kendall proves himself worthy when his regiment is sent to quell an uprising in Nicaragua. He becomes a hero, while Burkett turns out to be a coward. This film was adapted from the novel by Ralph D. Paine which had first appeared as a four-part serial in 1914 in The Popular Magazine. The director, John W. Noble, was a former army officer, and he helped give the battle scenes an air of reality. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

This picture has touches of that allegorical affectation so popular in the 1910s, making it appear slightly ridiculous to latter-day audiences. John Conscience (matinee idol Francis X. Bushman) is a professor with progressive ideas. This does not sit well with the college's conservative financiers, so they fire him. Because he sticks to his set of values, he has a problem finding work. He discovers a kindred soul in Mary Knowles (Beverly Bayne, Bushman's co-star in film and in life), who keeps getting fired because she won't let her bosses manhandle her. With the help of John's friend, Stephen Might (Charles Prince), they both get jobs. But John loses his once again because he favors the underdog. When he finds Mary and Stephen Jr. (John Davidson) together, he thinks that he's lost his girl too. So he changes from John Conscience to John Power and dives into the financial world with the intention of callously ruining the Mights. Just when he has about vanquished the family, he discovers that Mary, who has left the Mights and become a stenographer in one of Power's own factories, has loved him all along. The factory's structure catches fire and Power -- who has once again become Conscience -- saves Mary from certain death. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Hard to think of Lionel Barrymore as a romantic lead, much less a young coward who makes good. Yet Barrymore plays both in the 1916 silent production Brand of Cowardice. Barrymore plays Cyril Hamilton, a chicken-hearted easterner who heads west. He makes up for his past misdeeds by rescuing a Cavalry colonel's daughter Grace Valentine from Mexican bandidos. Note: the "Robert Cummings" and "John Davidson" listed in the cast are not the talkie-era stars of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Given the title Fighting Bob, one might think that this 1915 film is the story of Wisconsin politico Bob LaFollette. Not so. The "fighting Bob" hereabouts is a two-fisted American (Orrin Johnson) at large in Central America. The film was unabashed propaganda in favor of the United States horning in on south-of-the-border political affairs. A relic from the "Manifest Destiny" era of American diplomacy, Fighting Bob might not play well today. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi