Marvin Stephens Movies

The bucolic, down-home novels and short stories of Gene Stratton-Porter had been fodder for Monogram's screenwriting staff ever since the early 1930s. This cinemazation of Stratton-Porter's Freckles Comes Home stars Johnny Downs as the title character, who returns from college to his sedentary home town. Freckles' efforts to bring the community kicking and screaming into the 20th century somehow require him to tackle a group of gangsters who've taken up residence for the purpose of knocking off the town's bank. Every so often, the story stops dead in its tracks to permit black comedian Mantan Moreland to indulge in one of his famous "interrupted conversation" routines; they're the highlight of the picture. Seen as Johnny Downs' hometown sweetheart is Gale Storm, who does some of her best acting to date as the bank president's daughter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though the peak productivity of Monogram's "rural romance" films was the mid-1930s, the studio continued to put together films like Tomboy well into the early 1940s. Marcia Mae Jones plays the title character, a rambunctious city girl named Pat. Sent to the country to temper her hoydenish behavior, Pat falls in love with farm boy Steve (Jackie Moran), who lives under the thumb of his tyrannical Uncle Matt (Grant Withers). The couple's budding romance is helped along by Kelly (Grant Withers), Pat's ne'er-do-well father. The film's best performance is delivered by Clara Blandick, the immortal "Auntie Em" in The Wizard of Oz. Tomboy was directed by Robert McGowan, formerly the guiding light of Hal Roach's "Our Gang" films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Unlike Shirley Temple, Jane Withers was permitted to "grow up" in her 20th Century-Fox vehicles. Since Withers was 13 going on 14 in 1940, it was only natural that she should star in a film titled High School. Fresh from her family's Texas cattle ranch, rambunctious Jane Wallace (Wither) is sent to a fancy-schmantsy San Antonio high school, where her unbridled behavior earns her the scorn of her more reserved classmates. The limit comes when she inadvertently causes football hero Slats Roberts (Joe Brown Jr.) to miss his opportunity to play in the Big Game. Ultimately, Jane learns to comport herself in a proper fashion, graduating with the highest honors and with popularity to spare. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Jones family goes to Tinseltown in this entry in the series. They go so Father can attend an American Legion meeting. While there, the daughter has a terrible screen test. Later the family visits a movie studio and chaos ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this entry in the "Jones Family" comedy series, the Jones have just arrived from a Hollywood vacation when they receive a telegram informing them that a recently deceased and very wealthy uncle has left them a gold mine near the Grand Canyon. Happily the family packs up and heads for Arizona; there, they contract a guide who takes them high up a mountain to an isolated cabin, which turns out to be a robbers' lair. Mayhem ensues until the children catch the crooks and collect a handsome reward. The film was written by former silent film great Buster Keaton. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this entry in the Jones Family series of domestic comedies, the trouble begins when con artists attempt to convince Mayor Jones that the local swamp is chock full of valuable minerals. Mayhem ensues, and just as the crooks think they will be able to pull off their scam, some of Jones' children fall into the muck and the truth is revealed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Down on the Farm was yet another entry in the seemingly endless saga of the Jones Family. The plot is set in motion when the Joneses' Aunt Ida (Louise Fazenda) invites the family to spend the summer on her farm while their house is undergoing repairs (thanks to an unfortunate encouter with a fire hose). Patriarch John Jones wins a cornhusking contest, whereupon he is invited to run for a local political office. The usual complications ensue, culminating in a ribtickling "drunk" scene and the ultimate exposure of the community's crooked politicians. Many of the biggest laughs are provided by Eddie Collins as Aunt Ida's moon-faced husband. Elements of several earlier Will Rogers vehicles managed to work their way into the screenplay of Down on the Farm. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Jones Family heads to Gay Paree in celebration of the 25th wedding anniversary of Pa (Jed Prouty) and Ma (Spring Byington). It doesn't take long for the Joneses to be victimized by clever Parisian con artists. Nor do Jones kids Jack (Ken Howell) and Lucy (June Carlson) have time to unpack before they're both pursued by amorous predators. Somehow or other, everyone gets involved in an espionage plot, much to the dismay of apoplectic hotel detective Emile (Leonid Kinskey). All things considered, the Joneses' married daughter Bonnie (Shirley Deane) is probably grateful that she elected to stay home with her husband Herb (Russell Gleason). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The owner of a racehorse, the owner's lovely niece and a jockey must deal with a number of travails before the big race in this comedy. The uncle must win so he can afford to keep the bank from foreclosing on his horse farm. Unfortunately, his horse breaks his leg and all seems to be lost. Fortunately the girl finds a clever veterinarian who uses a new technique to repair the leg and therefore save the farm. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Director Ernst Lubitsch gained international acclaim for his sophisticated romantic comedies, but he also had a talent for more serious themes, as evidenced by this 1932 drama. French musician Paul (Phillips Holmes) joined the Army at the height of WWI. On the field of battle, Paul shot and killed his German friend Walter Holderlin (Tom Douglas), another musician enlisted in his country's army. One year after the Armistice, Paul is still haunted by the memory of Walter's death, and he travels to Germany to locate Walter's father, Dr. Holderlin (Lionel Barrymore). Holderlin, his wife (Louise Carter), and Walter's fiancee, Elsa (Nancy Carroll are still shattered by the death of their loved one. Paul informs them of his friendship with their son, but cannot bring himself to unveil his responsibility for Walter's death. The Holderlins welcome Paul in friendship, and gradually, he settles into the household, bringing to both parents a new lease on life. Because of his lingering guilt, he feels tempted to run away, but Elsa discovers the truth about Paul and refuses to let him leave. Meanwhile, the presence of a Frenchman drums up hostilities in the Holderlins' village and the local women gossip continually about the developing relationship between Paul and Elsa. Perhaps because moviegoers completely snubbed The Man I Killed (also released as Broken Lullaby) and turned it into a financial detriment for Paramount, Lubitsch returned to lighter themes after this anti-war drama, and it was the last "serious" picture he would make before his death in 1948. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide