Martha Madison Movies

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, All Movie Guide

The only truly interesting aspect of this melodrama is the spectacular fire aboard an ocean liner. The scene was shot in color, and to make it even more exciting, a leopard also breaks free on the ship. The lovely presence of Doris Kenyon also helps. Kenyon plays Poppy La Rue, an actress who winds up stranded in Singapore when her theatrical troupe goes bust. She winds up in the Red Light district where she works as a "hostess" (generally a silent film euphemism for prostitute), where she meets Philip Douglas, a down-at-the-heels Brit (Lloyd Hughes). While drunk, he kills a man in self-defense, and Poppy helps him to escape. Jardine (Sam Hardy), a plantation owner, is determined to have Poppy, and when she wants to escape from the Oriental underworld, he offers to help, provided she accompanies him to Penang. Douglas is also on board and when a fire breaks out in the hold, he rescues Poppy from Jardine's advances. They manage to get in a lifeboat just before the ship explodes, and are picked up by a passing vessel. Douglas' father (Hobart Bosworth) wants the couple to separate, but finally he accepts Poppy as his daughter-in-law. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Filmmaker James Mangold follows his Oscar-winning drama Girl, Interrupted (1999) with this whimsical fantasy. Meg Ryan stars as Kate McKay, a modern female executive in New York City whose drive to succeed in the cutthroat corporate world has left little time for romance. When her genius ex-boyfriend Stuart (Liev Schreiber) opens a portal in time, the experiment transports Leopold (Hugh Jackman) from 1867 to the present day. A charming bachelor and the royal "Third Duke of Albany" in his own time, Leopold is fascinated by the 21st century. As the courtly Leopold and the decidedly liberated Kate tour the town, a mutual attraction develops into something deeper, a relationship that's threatened by Leopold's temporary chronological status. Kate & Leopold (2001) was originally developed by co-screenwriter Steve Rogers as a project for star/producer Sandra Bullock, who had a hit with his film Hope Floats (1998). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide