William Demarest Movies
Famed for his ratchety voice and cold-fish stare, William Demarest was an "old pro" even when he was a young pro. He began his stage career at age 13, holding down a variety of colorful jobs (including professional boxer) during the off-season. After years in carnivals and as a vaudeville headliner, Demarest starred in such Broadway long-runners as Earl Carroll's Sketch Book. He was signed with Warner Bros. pictures in 1926, where he was briefly paired with Clyde Cook as a "Mutt and Jeff"-style comedy team. Demarest's late-silent and early-talkie roles varied in size, becoming more consistently substantial in the late 1930s. His specialty during this period was a bone-crushing pratfall, a physical feat he was able to perform into his 60s. While at Paramount in the 1940s, Demarest was a special favorite of writer/director Preston Sturges, who cast Demarest in virtually all his films: The Great McGinty (1940); Christmas in July (1940); The Lady Eve (1941); Sullivan's Travels (1942); The Palm Beach Story (1942); Hail the Conquering Hero (1944); Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944), wherein Demarest was at his bombastic best as Officer Kockenlocker; and The Great Moment (1944). For his role as Al Jolson's fictional mentor Steve Martin in The Jolson Story (1946), Demarest was Oscar-nominated (the actor had, incidentally, appeared with Jolie in 1927's The Jazz Singer). Demarest continued appearing in films until 1975, whenever his increasingly heavy TV schedule would allow. Many Demarest fans assumed that his role as Uncle Charlie in My Three Sons (66-72) was his first regular TV work: in truth, Demarest had previously starred in the short-lived 1960 sitcom Love and Marriage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1926
To impress his wealthy uncle Hiram (Tom Ricketts), Billy Winthrop (George K. Arthur) and his wife Ethel (Dorothy Revier) overextend their bank account and rent a posh apartment. Knowing full well that he will inherit Uncle's fortune provided he has become a success in life, Billy puts on quite a show for the old man's benefit, even unto posing as his own butler -- and maid. While dressed in female drag, Billy falls into the clutches of a gang of crooks, one of whom, Joe Carter (Harry Depp), is likewise disguised in women's clothing. Uncle Hiram flirts outrageously with both "ladies," leading to the film's uproarious conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George K. Arthur, Dorothy Revier, (more)
- 1927
Long before he was established as screendom's Charlie Chan, Warner Oland was Warner Bros.' "all-purpose" character actor, playing everything from kindly rabbis to evil Chinese warlords. In What Happened to Father, Oland was afforded the opportunity to display his comedy prowess as henpecked scientist W. Bradberry. Unbeknownst to his nagging wife (Vera Lewis), Bradberry has written a musical comedy, replete with a line of scantily clad dancing girls. While trying to sneak a peak at the opening night of his masterpiece, Bradberry gets innocently mixed up with leggy chorines Violet (Cathleen Calhoun) and Gloria (Jean Lefferty). Barely escaping his wife's wrath, our hero manages to secure his daughter Betty's (Florbelle Fairbanks) happiness by arranging the girl's marriage with her true love Tommy Dawson (Hugh Allen) -- whose father, by a wild coincidence, is the man who bankrolled Bradberry's play. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Oland, Flobelle Fairbanks, (more)
- 1927
It would seem that Warner Bros. was trying to develop hoydenish Louise Fazenda and diminutive Clyde Cook into a screen team, which would explain the existence of such trifles as A Sailor's Sweetheart. Upon inheriting a fortune, old-maid schoolmarm Cynthia Botts (Fazenda) takes a trip to Hawaii in search of a handsome hubby. She ends up the bride of Mark Krisel (John Miljan), who turns out to be not only a fortune-hunter but a bigamist as well. Standing on the sidelines is woebegone sailor MacTavish (Clyde Cook), who, unaware of Cynthia's millions, worships her from afar. Cynthia realizes that MacTavish is the man for her when he rescues her from a vicious bootlegging gang. Myrna Loy has virtually nothing to do in the third-billed role of Claudette Ralston. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louise Fazenda, Clyde Cook, (more)
- 1927
May McAvoy stars as Sallie Smith, a nightclub cigarette girl who falls in love with Bob Ward (Malcolm McGregor), who's working his way through college as a paid escort. Alas, Sally's head is turned by wealthy cad Tom Mannion (Richard Tucker), who lures the girl to a wild weekend party at his Long Island estate. Once he gets her alone on his yacht, Mannion does his best (or worst) to seduce Sally. A convenient storm capsizes the yacht, whereupon Sally is rescued by her ever-loving Bob. Matinee Ladies was among the first directorial efforts of cinematographer Byron Haskin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- May McAvoy, Malcolm McGregor, (more)
- 1927
Legendary racecar driver Barney Oldfield plays himself in the engaging little period piece The First Auto. Russell Simpson plays livery-stable owner Hank Armstrong, who is appalled beyond words when his son Bob (Charles E. Mack) comes home with one of those newfangled "horseless carriages." Throwing Bob out of the house, Hank stubbornly sticks to his stable business, only to be driven into bankruptcy by the ever-growing popularity of the automobile. When Bob returns to his hometown to participate in an auto race, his father, having temporarily gone off the beam, agrees to sabotage the boy's car to make certain that he loses. Only when he attends the race does Hank realize that he's booby-trapped his own son's vehicle. On cue, the car blows up, but Bob emerges unscathed, setting the stage for an emotional reunion between father and son. Long believed lost, The First Auto has been restored to nearly its original length and has frequently been telecast over the Turner Classic Movies cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barney Oldfield, Patsy Ruth Miller, (more)
- 1927
The screenplay for Warner Bros.' Black Diamond Express was credited to "Mark Canfield," one of the many pseudonyms of Warner workhorse Darryl F. Zanuck. Monte Blue heads the cast as a muscular railroad worker, in love with heroine Edna Murphy. Several obstacles are placed in the path of true happiness for Blue and Murphy, not least of which is a train holdup in which the hero's boss is killed. Taking on the villains single-handedly, Blue ends up struggling to bring a runaway Pullman car under control, as the car and its passengers careen down a steep slope. Critics who enjoyed Monte Blue but were unhappy with his choice of vehicles were gratified to find this screen stalwart back in the sort of action fare he did best. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Blue, Edna Murphy, (more)
On the verge of receivership in 1926, Warner Bros. studio decides to risk its future by investing in the Vitaphone sound system. Warners' first Vitaphone release, Don Juan, was a silent film accompanied by music and sound effects. The studio took the Vitaphone process one step farther in its 1927 adaptation of the Samson Raphaelson Broadway hit The Jazz Singer, incorporating vocal musical numbers in what was essentially a non-talking film. Al Jolson stars as Jakie Rabinowitz, the son of Jewish cantor Warner Oland. Turning his back on family tradition, Jakie transforms himself into cabaret-entertainer Jack Robin. When Jack comes home to visit his parents, he is warmly greeted by his mother (Eugenie Besserer), but is cold-shouldered by his father, who feels that Jack is a traitor to his heritage by singing jazz music. Several subsequent opportunities for a reconciliation are muffed by the stubborn Jack and his equally stubborn father. On the eve of his biggest show-business triumph, Jack receives word that his father is dying. Out of respect, Jack foregoes his opening night to attend Atonement services at the temple and sing the Kol Nidre in his father's place. Through a superimposed image, we are assured that the spirit of Jack's father has at long last forgiven his son. Only twenty minutes or so of Jazz Singer is in any way a "talkie;" all of the Vitaphone sequences are built around Jolson's musical numbers. What thrilled the opening night crowds attending Jazz Singer were not so much the songs themselves but Jolson's adlibbed comments, notably in the scene where he sings "Blue Skies" to his mother. Previous short-subject experiments with sound had failed because the on-screen talent had come off stilted and unnatural; but when Jolson began chattering away in a naturalistic, conversational fashion, the delighted audiences suddenly realized that talking pictures did indeed have the capacity to entertain. Despite its many shortcomings (the storyline goes beyond mawkish, while Jolson's acting in the silent scenes is downright amateurish), The Jazz Singer was a box-office success the like of which no one had previously witnessed. The film did turn-away business for months, propelling Warner Bros. from a shoestring operation into Hollywood's leading film factory. Proof that The Jazz Singer is best viewed within its historical context is provided by the 1953 and 1980 remakes, both interminable wallows in sentimental goo. Worse still, neither one of those films had Al Jolson--who, in spite of his inadequacies as an actor, was inarguably the greatest musical entertainer of his era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Jolson, May McAvoy, (more)
- 1927
The Gay Old Bird in this silent Warner Bros. programmer is Louise Fazenda, cast as ugly-duckling maidservant Sisseretta Simpkins. Our heroine is in the employ of the unhappily married Cluneys (John T. Murray, Jane Winton). Mr. Cluney's wealthy uncle (John Stepping) has promised to bequeath a fortune to the family, provided Cluney remains married. When Mrs. Cluney walks out on her husband, he desperately cajoles Sisseretta into posing as his wife. No surprises here, just a tip-top comic performance by Louise Fazenda, a proven film favorite since 1913. John T. Murray, who plays Cluney, would later become a member in good standing of the Columbia Pictures short subject "stock company." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John T. Murray, Jane Winton, (more)
- 1927
The Carters (Irene Rich and Huntley Gordon), a nouveau riche couple from Peoria, Illinois, decide to take a trip to Europe in the company of John Carter's best friend Henry (William Demarest). While in Paris, Henry begins squiring the coquettish Suzanne (Lilyan Tashman), who throws him over in favor of Carter. Mrs. Carter gets wise to her husband's philandering and arranges to catch John and Suzanne together as grounds for divorce. John agrees to break up the marriage, but only on the proviso that his pal Henry become Mrs. Carter's second husband. A sagacious justice of the peace decides to solve everyone's problems by tricking Mr. and Mrs. Carter into remarrying each other and by arranging a quick wedding for Henry and the now-chastened Suzanne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Rich, Huntly Gordon, (more)
- 1927
The popularity of MGM's Slide, Kelly, Slide led to a brief cycle of baseball pictures in 1927. Warner Bros.' contribution was The Bush Leaguer, starring Monte Blue as small-town garage owner and would-be inventor Specs White. Though he's the local ball team's star pitcher, Specs is more interested in puttering on his latest invention, a high-tech gas pump. When Lefty Murphy (William Wilson), a scout for the Los Angeles Angels, offers Specs a contract, our hero accepts, hoping to use his salary to finance his invention. Terrified of large crowds, Specs overcomes his phobia with the help of the Angels' pretty owner Alice Hobbs (Leila Hyams). Alice nearly drops Specs like a bad habit when she is led to believe that he's accepted a bribe to throw the Big Game, but Specs comes through with a winning homer in the last reel. The Bush Leaguer was unofficially remade in 1932 as the Joe E. Brown starrer Fireman Save My Child. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leila Hyams, Clyde Cook, (more)
- 1927
Hardly an important film, Finger Prints pleased the crowd with its heady combination of slapstick comedy and old-dark-house melodrama. A professional crook is collared by the law, but not before squirreling away a fortune in hidden money in a crumbling country mansion. The crook's sister is kidnapped by his accomplices, who take the girl to the mansion, hoping to force her to reveal the whereabouts of the loot. What they don't know is that the house has been fitted with all sorts of modern, push-button devices, which thoroughly flummox the bad guys while delighting their unterrified captive. The day is saved by the timely intervention of comic-relief servant Louise Fazenda (who certainly deserves the top billing bestowed upon her). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louise Fazenda, Warner P. Richmond, (more)
- 1927
The title refers to ugly-duckling heroine Louise Fazenda, who sweats and strains at a hand laundry. One fine day, shy truckdriver Clyde Cook shows up at the establishment with a load of grimy clothes. He takes one look at Fazenda, and it's love at first sight. That's about all there is to the story, save for the Mutt-and-Jeff slapstick antics of Cook and his brawny partner William Demarest (evidently, Warner Bros. was hoping to promote Cook and Demarest as a comedy team, a la MGM's Karl Dane and George K. Arthur). Critics chose not to laugh at Simple Sis, though they admitted to being impressed by juvenile actor Billy Kent Schaffer, cast as Fazenda's troublesome kid brother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Demarest, Myrna Loy, (more)
- 1927
Actor-director Ralph Graves, the "auteur" of Columbia Pictures, paid a brief visit to Warner Bros. to put together Reno Divorce. While driving around in her car, wealthy but inattentive heroine May McAvoy knocks down aspiring artist Graves. She takes him to her home to recuperate, whereupon the two fall in love. Alas, recent divorcee Hedda Hopper sets her cap for Graves, who is interested only in painting a portrait of the woman. McAvoy misunderstands Graves' intentions towards Hopper, but all is forgiven by film's end. Those are but the bare bones of the storyline: Reno Divorce has enough subplots for three films of its kind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- May McAvoy, Ralph Graves, (more)
- 1927
A Million Bid came about because Warner Bros. promised a film of that title to exhibitors in early 1927. Unable to deliver at that time, Warners offered theaters its annual Dolores Costello "special" Old San Francisco instead. Exhibitors were so pleased with this money-maker that they were willing to forgive the studio for reneging on A Million Bid, though it was made clear that Warners would have to "make good" with this title before the year was out or else face legal action. As a result, the studio slapped together this minor melodrama about an imperiled heroine (Dolores Costello again), forced into a marriage of convenience, whose fate hinges upon the delivery of an intercepted letter. For most of the proceedings, the girl is separated from her true love, a brilliant surgeon (Malcolm McGregor), only to be brought together in the closing reel despite strenuous intervention from the villain (Warner Oland). A Million Bid may not have been worth the wait, but Warners fulfilled its contract, and everyone was happy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolores Costello, Warner Oland, (more)
- 1928
Comedy specialist Edward F. Cline was a curious choice to direct the typically two-fisted Milton Sills vehicle The Crash. Sills plays the head guy of a wrecking crew who, while out on the town, is smitten by burlesque dancer Thelma Todd. At first, Sills' intentions toward Todd are strictly dishonorable, but by and by he learns to love her and ultimately asks her to be his wife. The local gossips loudly disapprove of the match, and pretty soon Sills begins to wonder if he's made a mistake, but after a spectacular train-wreck finale (hence the film's title), hero and heroine are reunited. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milton Sills, Thelma Todd, (more)
- 1928
George S. Kaufman's satirical 1926 play about a small-town clerk who becomes a top Broadway producer was filmed by First National two years later as a vehicle for mustachioed Jack Mulhall. Mulhall played Peter Jones, a lowly clerk conned into buying a supposedly worthless play by a shady operator (William Demarest, repeating his Broadway role). Falling in love with his blond leading lady (Greta Nissen) along the way, Peter manages to produce a sell-out hit play but finds that fame on the Great White Way is not what it was cracked up to be. Although both Mulhall and Nissen, whom First National had borrowed from Paramount, did fine according to the reviews of the day, The Butter and Egg Man belonged squarely to the caustic William Demarest, a former vaudeville headliner who would go on to win an Academy Award for Jolson Sings Again (1946) and everlasting popularity as "Uncle Charley" in the hit television series My Three Sons. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1928
A poor street cleaner inherits a fortune in this farce, which came complete with a music score and sound effects. According to a provision in his uncle's will, Elmer, the street cleaner (Clyde Cook), must marry or forfeit the inheritance to Briggs (William Demarest), the deceased man's faithful retainer. The latter kidnaps poor Elmer on his way to the altar, but the intended bride, plucky salesgirl Annie (Louise Fazenda), eventually comes to the rescue with assistance from the Coast Guard. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gertrude Astor, Tom Ricketts, (more)
- 1928
In this broad comedy, Clyde Jones (Clyde Cook) and "Terrible Bill" McGovern (William Demarest) are a pair of streetcar conductors who are rivals for the affections of waitress Mary Jones (Louise Fazenda). Myrna Loy appears in a typically exotic supporting role as Yvonne De Russo. Like many early talkies, Pay As You Enter was released in both sound and silent editions, and also like many films of its era, no prints are currently known to exist. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clyde Cook, Louise Fazenda, (more)
- 1928
George O'Brien stars as George, a footloose sailor who adheres to a philosophy of "love 'em and leave 'em." While on leave in Morocco, George makes the acquaintance of fiery French dancer Lorette (Lois Moran), who of course falls madly in love with him. Regarding Lorette as just another diversion, George soon discovers that he can't get rid of the girl -- in fact, she follows him all the way back to America. Amused by George's predicament, his two best buddies Tom (Noah Young) and Jerry (Tom Dugan) fix it so that our hero will never be able to avoid Lorette. As a result, the hero surrenders to the inevitable and marries the girl -- to the surprise of absolutely no one. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George O'Brien, Lois Moran, (more)
- 1928
This second filmization of Paul Armstrong's play Escape is a bleak study of slum life. Virginia Valli plays May Joyce, the daughter of a scummy bootlegger who falls in love with medical intern Jerry Magee (William Russell). When May is forced to go to work in a sleazy nightclub, Jerry becomes so disconsolate that he loses his job and takes to bootlegging himself. Only when forced to confront himself does Jerry straighten up and seek out a new life, with May at his side. William Demarest provides comic relief as a minor gangster. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Russell, Virginia Valli, (more)
- 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)
- 1934
In this thriller, a young woman marries a dashing young man who, unbeknownst to her, is a jewel thief. After his latest job, he takes off and leaves her to take the rap. In court she is found guilty. She is riding a train en route to prison when the train crashes. Her identity is confused with that of a wealthy young man's fiancee. The two soon fall in love. They are later confronted by the real fiancee, her thieving husband, the fiancee's brother and the police. Somehow the girl is extricated from the mess with her name and reputation intact. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neil Hamilton, Florence Rice, (more)
- 1934
Department-store owner Horatio Allen's (George Barbier) biggest mistake is to name his scatterbrained daughter Gracie (Gracie Allen) as his sole heir. Suddenly Gracie becomes obsessed with the notion of converting her dad's store into a bird sanctuary. Psychologist Dr. Otto von Strudel (Egon Brecher) suggests that the best way to dissuade Gracie is to marry her off to Burns (George Burns). Burns vetoes the idea until Allen Sr. offers to pay him 10 dollars for every mile he travels with Gracie away from the store. This leads to a series of zany "on the road" complications, with Gracie's foolishness causing no end of trouble for the long-suffering George. Much ado about nothing, Many Happy Returns is recommended for Burns and Allen's staunchest admirers, though music fans will enjoy Larry Adler's harmonica solo and the dulcet sounds of Guy Lombardo's Orchestra (incidentally, some of Lombardo's numbers are actually performed sans screen credit by the Duke Ellington band). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Lombardo, Gracie Allen, (more)
- 1934
Cited by film historian William K. Everson as one of the fastest-moving crime melodramas of the 1930s (if not the fastest) Fog Over Frisco still manages to leave viewers breathless. Top-billed Bette Davis plays giddy heiress Arlene Bradford, whose perverse fascination with gangsters gets her mixed up in a stolen-securities scheme. Arlene's more sensible sister Val (Margaret Lindsay) tries to keep her out of trouble, but this proves impossible. Entering into the fray are hotshot society reporter Tony (Donald Woods) and goofy photojournalist Izzy (Hugh Herbert), who like Val get in over their heads when they stumble upon the body of the murdered Arlene. The identity of the killer remains a well-concealed secret until Izzy, of all people, stumbles across a vital clue. Things really begin to accelerate when Val is kidnapped by Arlene's gangster cohorts (who, interestingly enough, are very reluctant to take her prisoner and do so only when there's no other option!), leading to a mile-a-minute rescue and hasty plot wrap-up. Among the many good guys, bad guys and red herrings are Alan Hale as an Irish cop, Robert H. Barrat as a butler who isn't a butler, and Henry O'Neill as a gosh-knows-what who may be the murderer. Though physical action is at a minimum, Fog Over Frisco is kept constantly on the move by director William Dieterle, using every cinematic trick and optical effect (wipe dissolves, iris-outs, swish-pans etc.) at his disposal. The film was less effectively remade as Spy Ship in 1942. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bette Davis, Donald Woods, (more)
- 1934
Joe E. Brown plays a dual role in Circus Clown, as would-be circus entertainer Happy Howard and his rustic old father. When dad, a former circus man himself, disapproves of Happy hitting the sawdust trail, the boy does so anyway, smitten by a beautiful female bareback rider. So naïve is our hero that he doesn't realize that the "girl" is actually female impersonator Jack (Don Dillaway), who strings Happy along just for laughs. Once this plotline is straightened out, Happy becomes the hero of the day by substituting for a drunken aerialist -- and there is no more proud or enthusiast spectator than Happy's happy dad. If Joe E. Brown looks genuinely frightened in his scene in the lion's cage, he should; the lion affectionately pawed Brown during one take, resulting in six stitches in the comedian's arm. More serious than most Brown vehicles, Circus Clown is distinguished by the star's spectacular acrobatics (the real thing -- no doubles), and by some excellent split-screen work during the "father/son" scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe E. Brown, Patricia Ellis, (more)
