Caryl Lincoln Movies
A former dancer and model, silent-screen actress Caryl Lincoln entered films in 1926 as a bit player in two-reel comedies for Al Christie and Hal Roach. She reached stardom opposite a dog (Rin-Tin-Tin-imitator Ranger) in Wolf Fangs (1927) and Tracked (1928) and was the "Girl from Liverpool" in the popular A Girl in Every Port (1928) opposite Victor McLaglen. (Louise Brooks was the "Girl in France.") Lincoln received fine notices as Tom Mix's romantic interest in the Fox Western Hello Cheyenne, with Variety's reviewer applauding her for getting away "from the dumbness of the usual plains heroine." As a result of the Mix Western, she was voted a 1929 WAMPAS Baby Star by the Hollywood publicists, but unlike fellow WAMPAS baby Jean Arthur, she failed to escape the dreaded Poverty Row. Playing increasingly less important roles in cheap potboilers, Lincoln turned to working as an extra in the 1930s. In 1934, she married Barbara Stanwyck's brother, actor Byron Stevens, a union that lasted until Stevens' death in 1964. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Love Nest is a thoroughly likeable formula comedy with a most engaging cast. William Lundigan plays Jim Scott, an aspiring writer who, together with his wife Connie (June Haver), moves into the basement of an apartment building that they've bought. Scott's hopes to keep financially solvent are thwarted by the everyday travails of maintaining the building and ministering to the needs of the tenants. The episodic plotline settles on the activities of charming con artist Charley Patterson (Frank Fay), who targets tenant Eadie Gaynor (Leatrice Joy) as his latest victim. When Patterson is finally arrested, he generously offers to tell his life story to Scott, thereby launching the latter's writing career in earnest. Love Nest was frequently revived throughout the 1950s and 1960s because of the supporting-cast presence of future sex symbol Marilyn Monroe and TV talk host Jack Paar. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- June Haver, William Lundigan, (more)
- 1950
What mother didn't tell Dorothy McGuire was that it's hard to be a doctor's wife. Marrying physician William Lundigan, Dorothy finds herself home alone most of the time, and also fumes silently as she watches her husband's parade of beautiful female patients. Further problems arise due to Dorothy's snooty mother-in-law (Jessie Royce Landis), who feels the girl isn't good enough for her precious son. When a pretty nurse (Joyce MacKenzie) sets her sights on the doc, Dorothy nearly packs and leaves, but relents when she realizes that her husband is faithful after all. Mother Didn't Tell Me was based on The Doctor Wears Three Faces a novel by Mary Baird. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy McGuire, William Lundigan, (more)
- 1950
The Jackpot is a generally pleasing satire of quiz programs. James Stewart stars as Bill Lawrence, an average Joe who picks up the phone one day, answers a simple question, and suddenly finds himself the recipient of a radio quiz-show jackpot. Tons of prizes are shipped to Lawrence's house, to the delight of his wife Amy (Barbara Hale) and his kids. Unfortunately, the Lawrences must now contend with the income tax folks, who levy huge tariffs on their "free" prizes. Complications begin piling up with dizzying rapidity, resulting in a night in the hoosegow for the befuddled Mr. Lawrence. Featured in The Jackpot as the Lawrence children are a couple of stars-in-the-making: Natalie Wood and Tommy Rettig. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Stewart, Barbara Hale, (more)
- 1947
Based on a novel by Yolanda Foldes, this confusing romantic adventure concerns a love affair and international espionage. Told in flashback, British officer Ralph Denistoun (Ray Milland) recounts the story to American journalist Quentin Reynolds. Before WWII, British Intelligence officers Ralph and Richard (Bruce Lester) were held captive by Nazis who wanted to know about Prof. Otto Krosigk's (Reinhold Schunzel) secret formula. Ralph and Richard escape, deciding to look for Krosigk separately with the plan to meet up again in Stuttgart. Then Ralph meets gypsy woman Lydia (Marlene Dietrich) in the forest. She disguises him, gives him golden earrings to wear, and leads him through the forest. Ralph eventually fights the gypsy leader Zoltan (Murvyn Vye) and wins his respect. He joins the band of gypsies and heads to Stuttgart where he meets Richard and reads the horrible fate in his palm. He then meets Krosigk, who gives him the secret formula. He is then able to escape, but promises to return for Lydia. The story ends with Lydia and Ralph meeting again in the forest after the war is over. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Milland, Marlene Dietrich, (more)
Brooklyn tugboat worker Eddie (Eddie Cantor), bullied and cowed by his tough-guy stepfather and stepbrothers (a la Harold Lloyd's The Kid Brother), inherits $77 million from his uncle, an Egyptologist. Con artist Dot (Ethel Merman) wants to get her lunchhooks on the money, and to this end offers herself as Eddie's adopted mother (never mind that she's nearly 20 years younger), intending to have her thuggish brother Louie (Warren Hymer) bump off our hero at the first opportunity. The nonsensical plotline ends up with Eddie, Dot, Louie, pompous Southern colonel Larrabee (Berton Churchill), and nominal romantic leads Jerry (George Murphy in his film debut) and Jane (Ann Sothern) trapped in the palace of Arab potentate Mulhulla (Paul Harvey). The better-than-average comic banter includes some funny bits between Cantor and Eve Sully, of the comedy team of "Block and Sully" (her husband-partner Jesse Block is also in the picture, but just barely). Spotted among the featured players in Kid Millions are such "Our Gang" members as Stymie Beard, Scotty Beckett and Tommy Bond, and there's a specialty by the Nicholas Brothers during Cantor's obligatory "blackface" number; and yes, that's Lucille Ball as a blonde Goldwyn Girl in the harem sequence. PS: According to Ethel Merman, the film's elaborate Technicolor ice-cream factory finale, in which Eddie allows dozens of tenement kids to gorge themselves on his tasty confections, posed censorship problems: while producer Sam Goldwyn was allowed to show the little boys with comically extended stomachs, he was not permitted to do so with the little girls, for fear that the audience might think the female moppets were pregnant! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stanley Fields, Eddie Cantor, (more)
- 1934
Warner Oland made his fifth appearance as wily Honolulu-based detective Charlie Chan in Fox's Charlie Chan's Courage. Hired to deliver a valuable necklace, Chan shows up at a ranch estate, posing as a servant. His task is complicated when Victor Jordan (Jack Carter), the man who engaged his services, is murdered the moment he shows up at the ranch. Maintaining his servant guise, Charlie monitors the movements of the many suspects, eventually unmasking the hidden killer. Among the supporting players are several Chan-movie "regulars," some of whom turned out to be murderers in other series entries. Charlie Chan's Courage is a remake of the 1928 silent film The Chinese Parrot, in which Chan was played by Japanese actor Sojin; alas, neither film is available for viewing today. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Oland, Drue Leyton, (more)
- 1933
The last of three Tom Tyler Westerns produced by Gower Gulch regular John R. Freuler, War of the Range featured the strapping former silent star as a cowboy settling a dispute between homesteaders and proponents of a free range. J.P. McGowan of Hazards of Helen fame directed in his accustomed economical style and the supporting cast constituted the usual Poverty Row directory of former "names," this time including Charles K. French and 1929 WAMPAS Baby Star Caryl Lincoln as the farmer and his daughter respectively, as well as Lane Chandler, a handsome former Paramount star now down on his luck. Ted Adams, a comparative newcomer, played the head of the opposing cattle ranchers. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tyler, Charles French, (more)
- 1933
In his first Western of 1933, Columbia Pictures' Tim McCoy once again played a Texas Ranger, this time investigating the death of a supposed bank robber, "the Falcon." Tim and his buddy, Miguel (Julian Rivero), arrive at the Sherman ranch, whose owner (Lafe McKee) is the real victim of the robbery and is now about to lose his property. As it turns out, the robbery was staged by banker Frank Caldwell (Joseph W. Girard), who had advanced Sherman 10,000 dollars to pay his mortgage. Caldwell, meanwhile, is being blackmailed by evil Kit Masters (Stanley Blystone), who wants both the Sherman ranch and the rancher's pretty daughter, Irene (Caryl Lincoln). Although having to fight an unsympathetic sheriff (Wheeler Oakman) and his even more unscrupulous deputy (Ted Adams) all the way, Tim manages to save the Sherman ranch, force a confession out of meek bank teller Summers (Walter Brennan), and bring all the villains to justice. McCoy had great rapport with comic sidekick Julian Rivero (whose character answered to the imposing name Don Miguel y Guillermo Pablo Pancho Castrano de Villero), whom he always credited with teaching him the South-of-the Border accent he would employ in many of his future films. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1932
Virtually none of the male characters in The Thrill of Youth could pass muster as a role model. As an old man preaches against the sexual promiscuity of the early 1930s, the man's middle-aged son galavants around with a married woman -- while his sons regularly entertain good-time girls in their own bedrooms. In no position to pass judgement, dad not only condones his sons' behavior, but also slips them a few slugs of bootleg booze. Things come to a head when the libertine father, his paramour, his sons and their tootsies all converge at a mountain cabin. Naturally, everyone is duly punished for their sins, but they all seem to be having a high old time before the final reckoning. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- June Clyde, Allen Vincent, (more)
- 1932
As indicated by its "catchphrase" title, Okay America is one of several early-1930s films based on the exploits of gossip columnist Walter Winchell. The big surprise here is that the Winchell counterpart is played not by W.W. look-alike Lee Tracy, as was usually the case, but by baby-faced Lew Ayres. Caring little how many lives he's destroyed in his pursuit of sensationalism, columnist Larry Wayne (Lew Ayres) is arguably the most-hated man on Broadway -- and in some circles, the most influential. Wayne sticks his nose in everyone's business, including Caponelike gangster Alsotto (Edward Arnold) and the grief-stricken family of a kidnapped girl (Margaret Lindsay). Motivated by his lust for power and publicity, Wayne offers to rescue the kidnap victim, and in so doing absolves himself of his past misdeeds -- but not soon enough to avoid the terrible vengeance of the unforgiving Alssoto, whom he has double-crossed along the way. Its downbeat ending intact, Okay America was effectively remade as Risky Business in 1939. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lew Ayres, Maureen O'Sullivan, (more)
- 1932
This minor Western was the second of three to team former boy rider Buzz Barton with handsome, young Francis X. Bushman, Jr., the son of the silent matinee idol. Barton played Buzz Davis, whose father is murdered by Buck Logan (Edmund Cobb) when the old man refuses to reveal the location of a mine. Before he expires, however, "Pap" Davis (Frank Ball) manages to secretly pass the location on to his son and heir. Harrassed by Logan and his gang, Buzz hooks up with old-timer Andy Wiggins (Charles W. Hertzinger); Andy's granddaughter, Sally (Caryl Lincoln); and young Jim Collins (Bushman, Jr.). Despite a kidnapping attempt and several outright attacks, the four friends manage to keep the mine safe from Logan and his boss, Matt Higgins (Francis Ford). Directed by the veteran J.P. McGowan, Tangled Fortunes was released to rural theaters by the low-budget Big Four Film Corp. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1932
Based on a story in Golden West magazine by Frederick Ryter, this rather pedestrian Monogram Western starred handsome Tom Tyler as Jess Ryder, a detective for the Cattlemen's association who infiltrates a gang of rustlers. The gang is hired by a nefarious land grabber (Robert Walker) to drive the Langton family off their valuable land and their methods of destruction -- injecting the cattle with snake venom -- was the only off-beat touch in this otherwise humdrum Western effort. Tyler, whose B-Western career had begun in the late silent era, was never less than interesting to watch, but Monogram producer G.A. Durlam and veteran director J.P. McGowan offered him very little to work with here. The author of the story, Frederick Ryter, appeared as one of Walker's henchmen. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Caryl Lincoln, Jack Richardson, (more)
- 1931
Produced by cameraman Burton King for ill-named Poverty Row company Big 4 Film Corp., this western starred laconic silent screen cowboy Bob Custer in the title role. Quick Trigger is on his way to help a beleaguered old prospector who, because of bad eyesight, has signed a crooked I.O.U. The nasty Waleses, father and son (Monte Montague and Leander de Cordova), are waiting to ambush him when they are all interrupted by a movie crew filming a Western. Quick Trigger manages to romance the company's leading lady (Caryl Lincoln), while at the same time defeating the nasty Wales gang, who are soon enough carted off to jail. The movie actress turns out to be the old prospector's long-lost niece, and she's more than ready to leave her glamorous life for marriage to a handsome cowboy like Quick Trigger Lee. Offscreen, Caryl Lincoln was married to actor Byron Stevens and thus the sister-in-law of Barbara Stanwyck. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1931
In its last production days, Tiffany studios was home for many a "B" western series. One such starred Bob Steele, usually cast as a young cowboy searching for the murderer of his father. In At the Ridge, however, Steele and his sidekick Al St. John are occupied with protecting a herd of horses from murderous rustlers. The leader of the bad guys turns out to be an undercover US marshal, thus preventing Steele and John from ending up laced with lead. The "good bad man" in At the Ridge was played by Al Jennings, a real-life outlaw who reformed after a prison term and went into movies as an actor, producer and director. His life story was somewhat romanticized in 1951's Al Jennings of Oklahoma, which starred Dan Duryea. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1931
Like many "Big Four" westerns of the early talkie era, The Cyclone Kid spotlights a popular cowboy star of the silent era, in this instance diminutive Buzz Barton. The youthful hero undergoes all manner of perils for the sake of his sweet sister, played by Caryl Lincoln. Francis X. Bushman Jr., son of the celebrated matinee idol, plays the young ranch hand in love with Barton's sis. The dialogue is poor throughout but fortunately kept at a minimum by director J.P. McGowan. Cyclone Kid truly comes to life whenever Buzz Barton hops on his horse and rides hell-fer-leather to the rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buzz Barton, Caryl Lincoln, (more)
- 1930
The fourth of eight westerns made by diminutive Bob Steele for poverty row's Tiffany Productions, The Land of Missing Men is a sturdy little oater which contains a hair-rising scene where Steele and sidekick Al St. John enter a saloon littered with corpses! The remainder of the film is not quite as gruesome, but is instead a lively affair about a cowboy falsely accused of terrorizing a ranching community. Steele, of course, is innocent of all charges but has to prove it the hard way, by catching the real villain, the town's newly elected sheriff (Edward Dunn). The creepy saloon scene remains the film's center piece, however, what with a tinny player piano droning out the tune "After the Ball" over and over as Steele and St. John examine the bodies and the one man left alive (Emilio Fernandez). The scene precedes a similar but much more famous sequence in John Wayne's Randy Rides Alone (1934) but is actually better staged here. Real-life outlaw Al Jennings plays a retiring lawman in this film, but the real surprise is the appearance of Mexican-born Fernandez, who later became one his country's best known directors. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Steele
- 1928
The rampant male chauvinism in A Girl in Every Port might be hard for contemporary audiences to stomach, but fans of director Howard Hawks will be delighted. Victor McLaglen and Robert Armstrong play Spike and Salami, two sailors who become close pals but only after dukeing it out over a dame. Together, Spike and Salami travel all of the world in search of women and adventure and women. Their friendship is sorely tested when Spike decides to settle down to marry French fortune hunter Marie (Louise Brooks), but eventually Salami convinces his pal that this "skirt" just ain't worth it. Famed exotic dancer Sally Rand co-stars as one of the heroes' many sexual conquests. A Girl in Every Port was remade two years later as Goldie, with Spencer Tracy, Warren Hymer and Jean Harlow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor McLaglen, Robert Armstrong, (more)
- 1928
Rival telephone companies race to complete a line between Cheyenne, Wyoming and Rawhide in this lively Tom Mix Western directed by the star's brother-in-law, Eugene Forde. The foreman of one of the competing companies hires Mix to keep an eye out for sabotage from their rival. Mix swings into action when the foreman's daughter (Caryl Lincoln) gets herself kidnapped; at one point, the athletic hero hooks under a runaway wagon in order to evade his pursuers. Miss Lincoln is rescued and her father can claim victory for his company. Reviewers of the day praised Caryl Lincoln, a 1929 Wampas Baby Star and Barbara Stanwyck's sister-in-law, for her spirited portrayal of a Western heroine. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Mix, Caryl Lincoln, (more)
- 1928
A naive cowboy and a local bad man become rivals for the attention of the minister's daughter in this pleasant late-silent Western. Newcomer Rex Bell played the cowboy, with Neil Neely as the villain and Caryl Lincoln (Barbara Stanwyck's sister-in-law) as the girl. The bandit pulls another robbery and Bell helps sheriff Jack Walters bring him to justice, winning Miss Lincoln's love along the way. Bell was positioned to become the Fox company's next major cowboy lead, taking over the mantle from the departing Tom Mix. Sound, alas, proved a detriment to Westerns and outdoor melodramas for a while and Bell found work on Poverty Row. He later married silent star Clara Bow and ran successfully for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Nevada. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rex Bell, Caryl Lincoln, (more)
- 1927
Thunder the Dog, Fox Studios' answer to Warner Bros.' Rin Tin Tin, stars in Wolf Fangs. The star plays a sheepherder's pup who turns "outlaw" when he's falsely accused of killing sheep. Adapting to the wild with ease, Thunder soon becomes head of a wolf pack, though his supremacy is challenged by his bitter rival Lobo. The story's "human" angle is introduced when heroine Ellen (Caryl Lincoln) tries to save the wounded Thunder from his pursuers; he returns the favor by rescuing Ellen from her sadistic guardian. Wolf Fangs was filmed on location at Mt. Baker Park in Oregon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thunder, Caryl Lincoln, (more)
