John Francis Natteford Movies

Poor Peggy Shannon goes from bad to worse in this ultra-cheap melodrama from one of Hollywood's few women executives, Fanchon Royer. A lowly but ambitious secretary, Dora (Shannon), marries wealthy Jimmy Hanford (Edward Woods), but Jimmy's society mother (Betty Blythe) quickly ruins the relationship. Dora then takes up with aging libertine "Breck" Breckenridge (Edward Earle), falls in love with handsome George Davis (Jack Mulhall), and goes on a cruise. George asks her to marry him and she agrees despite warnings that she is once again marrying "out of her class." The union, needless to say, fails miserably and George returns to his erstwhile and more suitable fiancée, Sally Newton (Marion Lessing). Jimmy, meanwhile, has fallen on hard times and commits suicide. In his will, Dora is left 50 dollars, "for services rendered," and the resulting scandal forces her to divorce George. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

A very young John Wayne is atypically cast as a randy playboy in His Private Secretary. Much to the dismay of his businessman father, Dick Wallace (Wayne) prefers a life of wine, women and more women to honest work. The elder Wallace demands that Dick take a job as his company's collection manager, and it is in this capacity that our hero heads to the small town of Somerville to collect a debt. Here he meets pretty Marion (Evelyn Knapp), the granddaughter of the man from whom Dick must extract overdue payments. Immediately putting the moves on Marion, Dick is rebuffed with a slap and several harsh words -- and for the first time in his life, the prodigal son is really in love! Inevitably, Marion ends up working as a secretary for Dick's dad, driving the poor boy crazy in his efforts to make up for his previous boorish behavior. Excerpts from His Private Secretary have frequently shown up in TV documentaries about John Wayne, as "proof" of his inability to act in his pre-John Ford years. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Apart from the fact that screenwriter John Francis Natteford named his lead heavy "Cole Porter," this Ken Maynard Western from low-budget producer Tiffany is regulation sagebrush fare. The nasty Mr. Porter (Hooper Atchley) is in the business of buying cattle from the ranchers, only to kill the men afterwards and retrieve the money. One of the intended victims, the Arizonian (Maynard), is found wounded in the desert by Kay Moore (Lina Basquette), who nurses him back to health. But Kay's father (Murdock MacQuarrie) is the next murder victim and the girl suspects the Arizonian, who is forced to flee. He hooks up with Emilio Vasquez (Michael Visaroff), a gregarious Mexican outlaw, and together they successfully trap Porter and his gang. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

A well-staged battle between two wild horses became the centerpiece in this early musical Western starring diminutive Mexican actress Armida. She plays the owner of a hacienda who takes in a fugitive (Don Terry) from the Mexican authorities. Terry, of course, is completely innocent in the charge of horse stealing and gets a chance to clear his good name when Armida's ranch becomes a target for the real rustlers. Produced by the penny-pinching Lester F. Scott, Jr., Border Romance came complete with a sentimental theme song written by Will Jason and Val Burton. Scott, however, wanted his money's worth and the theme, according to the New York Times was "heard on the sands of the desert, in adobe huts, at fiestas, during horse raids and after every meal!" ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

In this drama, the children of a recently deceased firefighter are sent to an orphanage. Two other firefighters offered to take the brother and his older sister in, but the authorities demurred and the children are whisked away. Time passes and one day the orphanage catches fire. The fireman rush to put it out and there find their colleague's children. By this time the girl has grown into a young woman and one of the firemen marries her, while his partner also finds a suitable match at the fire station. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Also known as Darkened Skies, this early independent talkie boasted an impressive (for its time) cast. Evelyn Brent, on loan from Paramount, stars as Juanita Morgan, who falls in love with dashing rum-runner Captain Pedro Real (Wallace MacDonald). For Juanita's sake, Pedro promises to give up his life of crime and settle down to married life. But first he must finish one last run, and to do that he needs Juanita's help. Her job is to warn him of any approaching prohibition agents by waving a lantern from the coast. Alas, government agent Nelson (Larry Steele) extinguishes Juanita's light (hence the film's title) and captures the nonplused Pedro. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Two friends, one of them a jockey, pursue a woman who must be wooed with money. The other friend steals cash from his employer and wins her, and the jockey tries to win a big race to help his friend replace it, but when the woman takes off with the winnings, his friend goes to jail. When he gets out, the two become better friends than ever. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi

After achieving stardom as Esmerelda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), Patsy Ruth Miller developed into a first-rate comedienne. In Beautiful but Dumb, she plays a mousy secretary who couldn't attract a man if she removed all her clothes. Instead, she merely removes her glasses and-presto!--she's beating off the guys with a stick. As a further means of landing a man, the hyper-intelligent Miller pretends to be a dimwit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Devil's Skipper was based on Demetrios Contos, a seafaring yarn by Jack London. Effectively cast against type, Belle Bennett plays a wronged woman who becomes the most brutal and feared slave-ship captain on the Seven Seas. Though her crews constantly threaten to mutiny, "The Devil Skipper" (Bennett) is protected by her first officer Montague Love, who has carried a torch for her for nearly thirty years. Capturing an enemy ship, Bennett prepares to turn over pretty passenger Mary McAllister to her lustful crew -- only to discover that the helpless girl is Bennett's own daughter. Suddenly concerned only with McAllister's safety, Bennett lets down her guard long enough to be overtaken by her vengeful crew, leading to an operatic death scene. Gino Corrado, who later found his cinematic niche as Hollywood's favorite head waiter, appears in the opening scenes as Bennett's treacherous lover. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Broken Gate was based on a novel by Emerson Hough, of Covered Wagon fame. Dorothy Phillips stars as Aurora Lane, who has never acknowledged the existence of her illegitimate son. Aurora's past catches up with her when her now-grown son (William Collier Jr.) is arrested and falsely charged with murder. The boy is saved from hanging at the last minute, but the local bluenoses and bigots insist upon driving Aurora out of town. Happily, the heroine is able to start life anew in a less-judgmental community with her now-forgiving son. Up-and-coming starlet Jean Arthur plays the nominal romantic lead opposite William Collier Jr. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Charlie Oelze, the Hal Roach Studio's special effects and "gadget" maestro, was given co-director credit on the silent, two-reel Our Gang comedy Tired Business Men. New kid in town Joe Cobb is initiated into the gang's new "Manhattan Club," a social center dedicated to the relaxation of youngsters tired of performing household chores. Undergoing a painful and humiliating initiation ritual, Joe is able to turn the tables on his tormentors when it is revealed that his dad is a cop. All of this is forgotten when notorious bank robber "Blow 'Em Up" Barnes takes refuge in the gang's clubhouse. Originally released on May 13, 1927, Tired Business Men is a slow, drearily paced comedy which actually plays better in its abbreviated TV version. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fireman Rex Lease doesn't like the attentions paid by his rival Theodore Von Eltz to his sweetheart Wanda Hawley. The animosity results in a fistfight, with Lease easily trouncing his opponent. Seeking revenge, Von Eltz steals the Fireman's Ball funds and places the blame on Lease. When our hero and his girl manage to locate the cash, the bitter rival sets the building on fire. The spectacular climactic conflagration and rescue must have cost at least three-fourths of the film's budget. Produced by low-budget Rayart Pictures (a precursor to Monogram), The Last Alarm taps the talents of three motion picture veterans who'd all seen better days: director Oscar Apfel (who collaborated with Cecil B. DeMille on 1913's The Squaw Man) and actors Maurice Costello and Florence Turner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Having starred in several William Steiner Production melodramas, former serial ace Charles Hutchison went behind the camera to produce this low-budget crime drama. Hutchison cast his wife, Edith Thornton, in the starring role as Norma Keith, a nice little secretary who falls for handsome but ruthless lawyer Bruce Elliot (Lou Tellegen). The scoundrel notices neither her nor her many sacrifices and instead marries Rita Thane, a mercenary blond vamp (Betty Francisco). When his new wife is accidentally killed, Bruce is convicted on circumstantial evidence of murdering her. Her love for Bruce undiminished, Norma goes in search of the truth, finding evidence to clear the lawyer in a waterfront dive, winning his true affection along the way. Leading man Lou Tellegen was the ex-husband of opera diva Geraldine Farrar, and his career was rather dramatically on the wane by 1925. Tellegen was always more an adornment than an actor, and the title of his autobiography, Women Have Been Kind, may have explained his rise to stardom. He committed suicide in 1934. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi