John Emerson Movies
A Broadway actor and director in the 1900s, John Emerson began writing for films in the early teens, and by 1915 was directing. Under D.W. Griffith's supervision, he helmed several of Douglas Fairbanks' early films: The Mystery of the Leaping Fish, In Again, Out Again, Wild and Wooly, Down to Earth, and three which Emerson co-scripted with his wife Anita Loos, His Picture in the Papers, The Americano, and Reaching for the Moon. Emerson stopped directing in the early '20s but continued to write with Loos, most notably Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, adapted from her play; The Struggle, Griffith's final film; and the Jean Harlow comedy The Girl from Missouri. As a producer in the mid '30s, Emerson made the Loos-scripted films San Francisco and Mama Steps Out. ~ All Movie Guide
Walt Disney Pictures produced this ambitious, animated tale of sorcery and swordfighting. Taran (voice of Grant Bardsley), is an assistant to Dallben (voice of Freddie Jones), a pigkeeper in the mythical land of Prydain. Taran longs to be a knight, and he's given his chance to live out his dream when he is sent out in search of a magical black cauldron which can either be a powerful instrument of good or a bottomless fount of evil, depending entirely upon who should find it. However, Taran is not the only one in search of this talisman -- the Horned King (voice of John Hurt) wants the cauldron to shore up his sinister powers and raise an army of the dead, and with the help of the all-seeing pig Hen-Wren, the wicked one may make his hideous plans a reality. The Black Cauldron had the distinction of being the first animated feature from Disney to receive a PG rating from the MPAA, due to some frightening scenes of black magic. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Grant Bardsley, Susan Sheridan, (more)
- 1937
Even the mighty MGM had to keep the home fires burning with B pictures. The studio's Mama Steps Out is a harmless confection built around the considerable talents of Alice Brady. She plays her standard empty-headed flibbertygibbet, this time vacationing on the Riviera after inheriting a fortune. Alice, her husband Guy Kibbee and her daughter Betty Furness soon tire of their shallow new society chums, and head back home a little sadder and wiser. For what was basically a lower-berth comedy, Mama Steps Out has impeccable credentials: it was adapted by Anita Loos from a play by John Kirkpatrick, and produced by Ms. Loos' husband John Emerson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Kibbee, Alice Brady, (more)
- 1937
Jean Harlow offers her final screen performance in this witty and -- in retrospect -- quite moving racetrack comedy-drama co-starring Clark Gable and Walter Pidgeon. When her father dies shortly after losing his horse farm to Duke Bradley (Gable), Carol Clayton (Harlow) refuses the handsome bookmaker's offer to forget the debt and instead vows to pay him back in full. She even forbids her stockbroker fiancé, Harley Madison (Pidgeon), to make wagers that may benefit Duke, but promises to marry him once her champion horse wins at Saratoga. But against all the odds, Carol falls in love with Duke and when he appears in danger of ruination, she finds herself rooting for the competitor to win the all-important race. Saratoga, which was finished using both onscreen and voice doubles for Jean Harlow, was partially filmed on-location at Lexington and Louisville, KY, and in Saratoga Springs, NY. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, (more)
The MGM historical "spectacular" San Francisco was allegedly based on a three-sentence synopsis, submitted verbally to producer B.F. Zeidman by studio troubleshooter Bob Hopkins. The story begins on the Barbary Coast on New Year's Eve, 1906, as rakish but likeable political boss Blackie Norton (Clark Gable) hires demure young singer Mary Blake (Jeanette MacDonald) to perform at his rowdy Paradise gambling house. Local priest Father Mullin (Spencer Tracy), Blackie's best friend, disapproves of the exploitation of the lovely Mary, feeling that she's suited for classier surroundings. Jack Hurley (Jack Holt), Nob Hill socialite and Blackie's political rival, agrees with Father Mullin and offers the girl the opportunity to sing with the San Francisco Opera. Blackie, who's fallen in love with Mary but won't admit it to himself, jealously holds on to her contract, forcing Mary to walk out on him. For the rest of the film, Mary is torn between the "respectable" lifestyle offered her by Hurley and the baser creature comforts provided by Blackie. It looks for a while that Hurley has won out, but fate takes a hand in the form of the devastating San Francisco Earthquake of April 18, 1906 (a special effects tour de force for art directors Arnold Gillespie and his uncredited associate James Basevi). Hurley is killed in the holocaust, while Blackie, desperately searching for Mary in the rubble, at long last finds religion and prays to God for his sweetheart's salvation. At the end, an unidentified bit player shouts defiantly "We'll build a new San Francisco!" -- and by golly, they do! The Hollywood censors were not so much bothered by the sexual subtext of San Francisco or its harrowing earthquake finale as they were by a scene in which Father Mullin is knocked down by an unrepentant Blackie. To "purify" this potentially blasphemous sequence, screenwriter Anita Loos quickly added an earlier scene in which Mullin and Blackie, both dressed in turtleneck sweaters, genially duke it out at an exercise gym, whereupon the priest cold-cocks Blackie with the greatest of ease. By establishing that Mullin could have punched out Blackie, but chooses not to in the controversial later scene, not only allows that scene to pass, but also strengthened the priest's character. San Francisco proved to be one of MGM's biggest hits, remaining in almost constant reissue for the next three decades. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, (more)
- 1934
Though she certainly didn't need the money, silent film favorite Colleen Moore made a comeback bid during the 1933-34 film season, appearing prominently in four productions. The least prepossessing of these was Columbia's Social Register, in which Moore is cast as good-natured chorus girl Patsy Shaw. Our heroine falls in love with wealthy Charlie Breene (Alexander Kirkland), but his snobbish parents oppose the relationship. To prove Patsy's unworthiness, Charlie's parents invite her to a high-society party. Turning the tables, Patsy wins over the hoity-toity crowd with her down-to-earth ebullience. As a last-ditch effort, Charlie's mother (Pauline Frederick) tries to frame the girl in a compromising position, but at the last moment the old lady relents and accepts the girl as her daughter-in-law. The whole thing was remarkably similar to MGM's The Girl From Missouri, but not so similar as to constitute plagiarism. Humorist Robert Benchley makes a brief but hilarious appearance as "himself." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colleen Moore, Charles Winninger, (more)
- 1934
Originally titled Eadie was a Lady, this Jean Harlow vehicle was slated for release under the title Born to be Kissed, but the new Production Code vetoed this "suggestive" cognomen. After a brief and uncomfortable period as One Hundred Percent Pure, the film was finally shipped to theaters as The Girl From Missouri. Harlow plays Eadie, a sexy gold-digger who promises to remain chaste until she finds a wealthy husband. Travelling to New York in the company of her best friend Kitty (Patsy Kelly), Eadie manages to keep that promise, though for a while it looks as though she'll succumb to the charms of playboy T. R. Paige Jr. (Franchot Tone). Once Paige has proven that his intentions are basically honorable, Eadie must break down the resistance of T. R. Paige Sr. (Lionel Barrymore), who is dead-set against his son's romance and intends to frame the girl in a compromising position. She gets even with Paige Sr. by framing him, but there's still a couple of reels to go before the happy ending. Except for some provocative costuming, Jean Harlow's character is essentially decent, thereby "cleansing" some of the more risque elements of this enjoyable romantic comedy. The film's best line is delivered by Patsy Kelly who, when propositioned by an elderly roue, snarls "Look at this! Death takes a holiday!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Harlow, Lionel Barrymore, (more)
- 1931
The directorial career of D.W. Griffith, "the father of the American cinema," ended on a discordant note with The Struggle, his second and last talking picture. Self-produced by Griffith and filmed on a $300,000 budget at a Bronx rental studio, the story is based on Emile Zola's cautionary tale The Drunkard. Broadway star Hal Skelly plays Jimmie Wilson, a bibulous millworker who swears off booze when he marries the lovely Florrie (Zita Johann). Alas, the combined pressures of his job and his new husband-and-father status lead him back into the local speakeasies, where he gets blind and stinking drunk on bootleg hootch. Losing job and family both, Jimmie wanders the streets as a bum until his sweet little daughter brings him back to his senses during a symbolic snowstorm. Reportedly, screenwriters Anita Loos and John Emerson wrote their screenplay as a sly satire of the Zola original, but Griffith insisted upon treating his material seriously. The resulting film was branded as hopelessly hokey and anachronistic: many reviewers, out of respect for Griffith's past triumphs, refused to critique the film, while other less-sentimental souls were positively savage in their condemnation of the production. Seen today, The Struggle is really no worse than most other films of its era, and at times it's actually better; the scenes in the mills, filmed on location with "natural" lighting, have the ring of utter authenticity, while Skelly's performance of a man ruined by cheap alcohol is intelligent and convincing. Still, The Struggle is a notch below the usual Griffith standard, rehashing themes he'd handled to better effect in his Biograph days. Financially the film was a disaster, and as result Griffith never directed another picture, spending his last 17 years in melancholy exile. The one positive aspect of the film is that it introduced Griffith to actress Evelyn Baldwin (cast as Skelly's sister), who became his second wife in 1936. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hal Skelly, Zita Johann, (more)
- 1931
Any movie that teams Robert Armstrong with Jean Arthur is certainly worth at least one look. Armstrong plays Chester Binney, a small-town rube who hopes to impress local beauty Ethel Simmons (Arthur). Aware that Ethel is ga-ga about "men of the world," Chester invents a shady past for himself and poses as a citified roue. He is forced to prove the veracity of his fabricated past when movie queen Letta Lardo (Lola Lane) shows up in town for a location shoot. Our hero is rescued from making a total fool of himself when it turns out that his rival (Jason Robards Sr.) for Ethel's affections turns out to be an even bigger phoney-baloney than he is. Ex-Bad Boy is based on John Emerson and Anita Loos' stage play The Whole Town's Talking (which ironically served as the title for an unrelated 1935 film, likewise co-starring Jean Arthur). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Armstrong, Jean Arthur, (more)
- 1930
The "conspiracy" of the title refers not only to a deadly narcotics ring, but also the combined efforts by the good guys to capture the villains. Margaret Holt (Bessie Love) and her brother Victor (Bert Morehouse) team up to destroy the drug peddlers responsible for their father's death. They are aided in this endeavor by cub reporter John Howell (Hugh Trevor), and by sourpuss mystery writer Winthrop Clavering (Ned Sparks). In the film's tension-packed climax, avenging-angel Margaret slowly sneaks up on gang leader James Morton (Otto Matiesen), dagger in hand. A remake of a Paramount silent film, Conspiracy barely made back its cost, precluding any future remakes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bessie Love, Ned Sparks, (more)
- 1929
In this comedy, a businessman takes his client with a beautiful escort to a fancy nightclub where he plans to close an important business deal. Unfortunately, the client's joins them. The escort must then pretend to be the businessman's wife. Marital trouble ensues when the businessman's real wife, at home and listening to a radio show originating from the club, hears a request sent out by her husband and his "wife." The suspicious woman wastes no time in getting to the club. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patsy Ruth Miller, Ford Sterling, (more)
- 1928
The present unavailability of 1928's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is especially frustrating for those who'd like to compare this first version of the classic Anita Loos comic novel to the 1953 Marilyn Monroe-Jane Russell remake. The blonde in question is Miss Lorelei Lee, a dumb-like-a-fox golddigger on the prowl for a rich husband. With her best friend Dorothy Shaw (Alice White), Lorelei takes a trip to Gay Paree, where among other adventures she gets mixed up with roguish old millionaire Sir Francis Beekman (Mack Swain). Eventually she finds that true love doesn't come with a price tag, or does it? Ford Sterling and Holmes Herbert co-star as Lorelei and Dorothy's middle-aged swains. Lorelei herself is played by Ruth Taylor, a onetime Mack Sennett bathing beauty who retired from films upon her marriage to a Manhattan stockbroker (life imitates art!) Incidentally, Taylor was the mother of humorist Buck Henry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruth Taylor, Alice White, (more)
- 1925
Once again, Constance Talmadge appears in a film written by John Emerson and Anita Loos -- the combination of star and writer usually turned out a good light comedy. Talmadge plays a character familiar to her fans, the flirtatious heiress. In this instance her name is Patricia Stanhope, and every man within a hundred yards of her falls hard for her, even her professor at school. Patricia gets engaged about every five minutes or so, to her school chum Billy Carmichael (Ray Hallor), Tom Morton (John Harron), whom she meets on a train, and the aristocratic Lord Copperfield (Byron Munson). These suitors, and several others, have to take a back seat, however, when Patricia finally meets her guardian, attorney Scott Warner (Antonio Moreno). She immediately falls in love with the handsome young lawyer who, much to her surprise, refuses to have anything to do with her. Of course this makes her work all the harder to land him. Finally she manages to spend the night at his apartment and they have to wed to avoid a scandal. Warner still keeps his distance until he is sure that Patricia is ready to settle down. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Constance Talmadge, Antonio Moreno, (more)
- 1923
Dulcy--better known as Dulcinea--was the cliché-spouting young bride created by newspaper humorist Franklin Pierce Adams. Given to such homilies as "Don't take any wooden nickels" and "There's never a policeman around when you need one"--the delightfully dunderheaded Dulcy inspired a popular three-act play, written by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly. The original Broadway production starred Lynn Fontanne; the first film version of Dulcy top-billed Constance Talmadge. While Dulcy's interminable cliches went by unheard, the Kaufman-Connelly plotline, wherein Our Heroine saves her husband's business during an otherwise catastrophic dinner party, remained intact. Anita Loos, John Emerson and C. Gardner Sullivan, comedy experts all, collaborated on the screenplay. Dulcy was remade in 1930 as Not So Dumb with Marion Davies, and again in 1940 under its original title with Ann Sothern. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Mulhall, May Wilson, (more)
- 1922
This fast-paced comedy came from the pen of husband and wife screenwriting team Anita Loos and John Emerson. After his father's death, Roland Stone (Basil Sidney) learns that his will stipulates that he must go to the South American country of Bunkonia and sell life insurance. Stone doesn't find this too terrible a task, considering that Colonel Cassius Byrd (Edward Connelly) has been appointed consul to Bukonia, and Stone is in love with Byrd's daughter, Anna Mae (Mae Collins). It turns out, however, that he has a rival. The rival convinces him to insure all of the cabinet of King Caramba the 13th (Frank Lalor) -- knowing full well that a revolution is breaking out and that they've all been marked for death. Not only does Stone have to save himself and his girl from the revolutionaries, he also has to save the lives of all the policy holders, too. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Basil Sydney, Henry Warwick, (more)
- 1922
There seems to be some debate over exactly who directed this amusing Constance Talmadge picture. Since John Emerson directed so many of her films (and co-wrote the screenplays with his wife, Anita Loos), he has automatically been given credit by several sources. However, trade paper Motion Picture News lists Joseph Plunkett as director, and Loos, in her memoir The Talmadge Girls, recalls that Emerson was involved with the Broadway actor's strike in New York, and only marginally available as a screenwriter, much less a director. Perhaps this just proves the strength of a good script, because, review-wise, most of the kudos go to Loos and Emerson's story. Polly Meacham (Talmadge) is a small town girl with a passion for the stage. She puts on an amateur theatrical which broken up by her straight laced uncle, Silas (Horace Knight), and plays a burlesque Cleopatra for a matinee at the Old Soldiers' Home. The next stop for Polly, of course, is new York and the Follies. Florenz Ziegfeld (Bernard Randall) puts her to work, and then Polly makes sure her pal, Alysia Potter (Billie Dove), is hired, too. But Polly blows her opportunity on her first night by coming down off the stage to welcome the folks from back home. She's fired and Alysia is given her part. But Alysia's fiancé, Bob Jones (Kenneth Harlan), has come to love Polly, while Alysia has decided to pursue a career. So even if Polly loses her slot in the Follies, she wins a husband. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1921
Eve Orrin (Constance Talmadge) is at the mercy of her possessive mother (Effie Shannon), who has a case of "nerves" every time her daughter tries to show a mind of her own. Mrs. Orrin and her friend, Mrs. Marchant (Katherine Kaelred), have determined that Eve will marry Mrs. Marchant's milquetoast son, Henry (George LeGuere), and Eve is willing to go along with it just to placate her mother. But Eve herself finally has an attack of nerves, and she falls in love with Doctor Harmon, the physician called in to care for her (Kenneth Harlan). In spite of the manipulations of Henry and her mother, Eve manages to get the man she wants. The screenplay to this Constance Talmadge vehicle, like many others, was written by John Emerson and Anita Loos. It was based on a Harvard prize-winning stage play by Rachel Barton Butler, and for once Miss Talmage's vibrant personality was buried under the plot -- in fact, Effie Shannon (who played the role of the mother on Broadway, too) practically stole the whole show. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1921
This picture had three things in its favor right from the start -- its star, Constance Talmadge; the fact that women had recently won the right to vote; and its release date, which was shortly before the November elections. The Women's Political League decides to find a female candidate for mayor and their choice is Kay Gerson (Talmadge) who, they figure, will win votes from the men because of her looks. But the town's political boss, Jim Bradley (Kenneth Harlan), counters with his own good-looking candidate, Freddy Bleeker (Hassard Short), who he thinks will get the women's vote. Kay and Bleeker just happen to be engaged. Naturally, the race does nothing for their relationship and Kay loses the election because the men's wives are jealous of her beauty and refuse to let them vote for her. But all is not lost -- Kay and Bradley have fallen in love and after the election, he goes to work for the Women's League and marries Kay, with the tacit agreement that she will be running things from now on. The story and scenario to this comedy are credited to the crack writing team of John Emerson and Anita Loos, but judging from her later work as a novelist (she penned the best-selling Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), it's a pretty good bet that this picture is primarily Loos' work. Considering the tone of this picture, it's no wonder that it would be several decades before women's lib could make any real headway. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Constance Talmadge, Kenneth Harlan, (more)
- 1920
Constance Talmadge teams up once again with the writer/director team of Anita Loos and John Emerson for this light comedy. The spoiled, capricious Nancy Flavel (Talmadge) is always chasing after some inappropriate male and completely ignores the timidly offered love of Clarence Brooks (Kenneth Harlan), who is secretary to her father (George Fawcett). When World War I breaks out, Clarence enlists. Nancy's mother (Matilda Brundage) has a rich mate (Jack Raymond) picked out for her daughter, and when his draft number is called, she insists on an immediate wedding. To get out of it, Nancy suddenly declares that she and Clarence were secretly married before he went to France. But Clarence comes home a much stronger man and he refuses to play the game Nancy's way. First he insists that she spend the night in an adjoining bedroom, which compromises her, and then refuses to marry her for real because she's too frivolous. So Nancy is forced to get serious and win him back, which eventually she does. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
In this comedy, Constance Talmadge plays Babs, a girl who is thrown out of boarding school because she's more interested in studying romance than she is in studying books. The object of her affections is Jim Winthrop (John Halliday), but before they can wed, he has to find suitable mates for his two plain sisters, Dorcas (Natalie Talmadge, Constance's real-life sister) and Matilda (Fanny Bourke) -- and Winthrop's elderly aunt, too. To speed things up, Babs takes it upon herself to find them all men. This picture was adapted from a Mary Roberts Rhineheart story by scenarist Anita Loos. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
Constance Talmadge dominates this comedy in her usual, mischievous manner. She's Georgiana Chadbourne, a young widow. Her dead husband was such a straight arrow that it bored her, and after a proper enough mourning period, she goes out in search of adventure. She gets in trouble for picking flowers in Central Park, but is rescued by Jack Garrison (Rockcliffe Fellows), who she mistakes for an artistic, bohemian type of character. To her frustration, she discovers he is as good as her husband was. Since he has already won her heart, she has no choice but to make a bad guy out of him. When she discovers that Garrison is friends with her brother, she hatches her plot. Georgiana pretends that she is her brother's wife, not his sister, and shocks Garrison by vamping him. In spite of his super-human efforts to reject her, he can't help but fall into her trap. Eventually all is explained and Georgiana is more than happy to wed and "reform" her man. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
This fluffy Constance Talmadge vehicle is based on the play by Anthony Wharton. Lilliums Blair (Talmadge) is an ambitious chorus girl with expensive tastes. To help her stage career, she welcomes the attentions of Reggie Clonberry (Reginald Mason), but she discovers he's a wolf when he takes her to a road house. After struggling with him and hurting her hand, she escapes to a nearby home. The butler dresses her wound while telling her that the large house is owned by three bachelors: Kenneth Maxwell (Conway Tearle), Jimby Lewis (George Fawcett), and Billy Crane (Templar Saxe). When the three men return from their golf game, Lilliums pretends to be an old friend of Lewis' and is invited to stay. The men protect her from Clonberry and she keeps things exciting around the house. Eventually Maxwell is won over by her charms. But then his mother shows up and concludes that Lilliums is a schemer. Maxwell believes his mother, but when he takes this up with Lilliums, she lets him have it. He finally declares his love for her and she allows him to win her. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
Even people as talented as scenarists Anita Loos and John Emerson and film star Constance Talmadge had their off days, as this picture illustrated. Mary Blake (Talmadge) can charm any man, young or old, with her winning ways -- except for the one she really wants. James Stanhope (Charles Meredith) is a misogynist who won't give her the time of day. During her various attempts to get Stanhope's attention, Mary gets tangled up with a group of anarchists and by the end of the picture, the bad guys are down for the count and Stanhope has finally fallen in love. The one saving grace of this picture was Loos' always-witty subtitles. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
Getting Mary Married was tailor-made to the talents of perky Marion Davies. The stepchild (Davies) of a millionaire is required by the conditions of a will to live with the family of her step-uncle, who makes life hell for the poor girl. She can't even find solace in romance, since she'll lose her legacy should she ever marry. At last deciding that she cares less for money than for happiness, our heroine defiantly weds. The upshot: the girl ends up as rich as Croesus, while her wicked uncle finds himself broke at fadeout time. The legend that all of Marion Davies' films were fiascoes doesn't stand up to such evidence as Getting Mary Married, which in addition to the sprightly performance of the star, boasts an excellent script by Anita Loos and John Emerson, and topnotch direction by the ever-reliable Allan Dwan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1919
The husband-wife writing team of Anita Loos and John Emerson wrote the screenplay for Good-Bye, Bill, with Emerson performing double duty as director. A WWI farce, the story would have us believe that Kaiser Wilhelm would import a professional "mustache fixer," all the way from New Jersey. Kaiser Bill is of the opinion that his army will win only if their upturned moustaches are properly waxed and trimmed. The Beast of Berlin's plan is foiled by the sweetheart (Ernest Truex) of the mustache fixer's pretty daughter (Shirley Mason). The closing gag of Truex putting an end to the scheme by cutting off the Kaiser's mustache was later reworked seriously into the plot of the WWII melodrama Hitler: Dead or Alive (1942). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
