Heather Angel Movies

The Informer, Liam O'Flaherty's novel of the the Irish "troubles" of the early 1920s, was first filmed in England in 1929, with Cyril McLaglen in the lead. When director John Ford remade The Informer in 1935, the role of the tragic Irish roisterer Gypo Nolan went to Cyril's brother Victor McLaglen. The scene is Dublin, during the Sinn Fein rebellion. Gypo has tried to join the IRA, but has been bounced because he lacked full commitment to the cause. Gypo's best friend is Frankie McPhillip (Wallace Ford) a fugitive from the British "Black and Tans" with a price on his head. Hoping to start a new life with his streetwalker girlfriend Katie Madden (Margot Grahame), Gypo informs on Frankie, collecting the twenty-pound reward. Frankie is cornered and killed by the British troops; Gypo briefly suffers the pangs of conscience, but is too simple-minded to grasp the full impact of his betrayal. Suspecting that Gypo has turned in Frankie, IRA commander Gallegher (Preston Foster) orders his men to keep tabs on the big lout. As Gypo stupidly squanders his money on food, drink and entertainment, Gallegher's lieutenants keep tab of every penny spent. Finally dragged before the rebel court, Gypo tries to bluff his way out of trouble, fingering another man (Donald Meek) as the informer, but this subterfuge quickly falls apart. Sobbingly, Gypo confesses his treachery. Before his execution can be carried out, he escapes, but his hiding place is given away inadvertently by Katie. Regretfully, because they realize Gypo is too childish to be fully responsible for his actions, the IRA members shoot the man down. With his last ounce of strength, Gypo drags himself into the church where Frankie's mother (Una O'Connor) prays for his son's soul. "Twas I informed on your son, Mrs. McPhillip," Gypo weeps, "Forgive me." "Ah, Gypo, I forgive you," the grieving mother replies. "You didn't know what you were doing." Exultantly, Gypo looks heavenward, and, just before succumbing to his wounds, bellows "Frankie! Frankie! Your mother forgives me!" The Informer earned Victor McLaglen an Oscar, as well as several other nominations; the film did poorly at the box office, but John Ford had anticipated this reaction, reportedly waiving his considerable salary just to make certain that picture--a labor of love for the director, who was himself a native of Ireland--would be completed. The film was remade in 1968, relocated to the black ghetto of Los Angeles and retitled Uptight!. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This first talkie version of Dumas' The Three Musketeers had been planned by RKO Radio as a John Ford production, with Francis Lederer as D'Artagnan. By the time the film emerged on screen, Rowland V. Lee was in the director's chair, with the talented but uncharismatic Walter Abel in the D'Artagnan role. Equally unengaging were Paul Lukas, Moroni Olsen and Onslow Stevens as Athos, Porthos and Aramis, while Margot Grahame was more petulant than menacing as Milady De Winter. Like most filmed adaptations of the Dumas novel, this Three Musketeers concentrates on the episode of the Queen's purloined necklace; the story ends on a misleadingly happy note, with heroine Constance (Heather Angel) alive and kicking at film's end (which she certainly wasn't in the novel). Except for some excellent swordplay -- especially during the opening credits -- this is considered the dreariest of the many versions of The Three Musketeers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This typically lightning-paced Mascot Studios production stars Heather Angel as the title character, a thrill-seeking socialite named Myrna Van Buren. During a raid on a gambling joint, Myrna witnesses the murder of gambler Johnny Corinti (Theodore Von Eltz). Hoping to get an exclusive story, hotshot reporter Bob Grayson (Roger Pryor) kidnaps Myrna, only to recall a bit too late that she's the daughter of his boss! Bob then dedicates himself to keeping the girl out of the headlines, which proves almost as difficult as protecting her from the murderer. Curiously, though Robert Gleckler is prominently cast as Grayson's city editor, Gleckler's name does not appear in the cast list; however, former Keystone Kop Ford Sterling does receive billing in his last important screen assignment before a leg amputation forced him to retire from films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The 1934 Fox melodrama Orient Express was based on a Graham Greene novel. In true "Grand Hotel" fashion, an awful lot happens during the Constantinople-to-Ostend run of the titular express. The dramatis personae includes covetous dancer Coral Musker (Heather Angel), naïve date merchant Carlton Myatt (Norman Foster), erudite anarchist Dr. Czinner (Ralph Morgan), a homicidal sneak thief (Roy D'Arcy), and an abrasive blue-collar couple (Herbert Mundin and Una O'Connor, who previously co-starred in Cavalcade and were later reteamed in The Adventures of Robin Hood). When the intrigues become too thick for comprehension, the solution is provided by girl reporter Mabel Warren (Dorothy Burgess), justifying her heretofore unexplained presence in the picture. The plot goes off on too many directions at once, suggesting a plethora of rewrites. Despite its confusing storyline, critics admired the "continental" look of Orient Express, remarking that one would never imagine that it was a mere Hollywood programmer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this romantic comedy, a rakish fellow involves himself with a married woman. Later his secretary endeavors to win him away with the promise of a more stable relationship. The rake is tempted, but then decides he prefers the married woman, which is fine with her husband who has an eye for the secretary. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This musical tells the love story of a manicurist and a night waiter who discover that they are sharing the same apartment. ~ All Movie Guide

Adapted from John Balderston's successful stage fantasy (itself based on a story by Henry James), Berkeley Square is the story of a modern-day London scientist (Leslie Howard), who is romantically fascinated by the 18th century. A freak accident propels Howard back to 1784, where he assumes the identity of one of his own ancestors. Howard falls in love with his distant cousin Helen (Heather Angel), while his other relatives regard the time-traveller as a "sorcerer" due to his disturbing knowledge of future events. Gradually, Howard is disillusioned by the squalor and bigotry of the 18th century. He bids farewell to Helen, explaining that he will actually be born years after her death but that they will be reunited "in God's time". Returning to the present, Howard discovers that Helen died young without ever marrying. He renounces his own fiancee and determines to live out his life as a bachelor, to be united with his true love in death. Long considered a lost film, Berkeley Square was rediscovered in the mid 1970s. The film had already been remade in 1951 as the Tyrone Power vehicle I'll Never Forget You. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Ford directed this emotional drama, which was a considerable change of pace from the westerns and war pictures for which he was best known. Hannah Jessop (Henrietta Crosman) fears being abandoned by her son Jim (Norman Foster), and she doesn't approve of his romance with Mary Saunders (Marian Nixon). When Hannah discovers that Jim and Mary plan to wed, she sends her son off to fight in WWI, unaware that Mary is carrying his child. Jim is killed in combat just as Mary is giving birth, and while Hannah is crushed by the loss of her son, she cannot forgive Mary or abide her grandson, Jim, Jr. (Jay Ward). Years later, Hannah is prodded into joining a group of women who lost their sons in the war on a visit to the battlefields of Europe; en route, she meets Mrs. Hatfield (Lucille La Verne), whose warmth and gracious acceptance of her misfortune forces Hannah to take a look at herself and her attitudes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

When steel mill foreman Stuart becomes the head of the company he does not make the necessary changes in unsafe machinery until his secretary is nearly killed. ~ All Movie Guide

Frank Lawton is in love with Heather Angel, so secretary Viola Lyel, who is older and more experienced in such matters, takes it upon herself to help scheme up a plan to help him receive the affections of Angel, also a secretary. ~ All Movie Guide

In this drama, a restaurant owner moonlights as a blackmailer to beef up his earnings. The trouble begins when he is found stabbed to death and an innocent man is charged with the crime. Fortunately, the accused's aged father is a former detective who begins working to clear his name. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide