Dorris Bowdon Movies
After playing minor roles opposite Henry Fonda in both Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) and Drums Along the Mohawk, blonde, hazel-eyed Dorris Bowdon was awarded the choice role of Rosasharn, again opposite Fonda, in John Ford's evocative The Grapes of Wrath (1940). It was by no means a major role but she earned fine reviews and should have gone on to bigger and better things. Instead, she became the third wife of screenwriter Nunnally Johnson and retired. Bowdon was the grandmother of late-'90s child star Jack Johnson. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1941
Virginia Gilmore stars as Jennie, the daughter-in-law of German-born shoe manufacturer Ludwig Stossel. The stubborn manufacturer refuses to grow with the time, continuing to run his business and his household with outmoded and oppressive "old country" methods. Jennie counters this attitude by encouraging Stossel's employees to go on strike--a job action that extends to his family members. The old man stages a fake heart attack to bring his lost sheep back to the fold, then apologizes for his previous bullheadedness and promises to change his ways. Though released by 20th Century-Fox, Jennie is not mentioned in the otherwise thorough Tony Thomas/Aubrey Solomon volume The Films of 20th Century-Fox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia Gilmore, William Henry, (more)
John Ford directed this outdoor adventure set in the American Colonial period. Gilbert and Lana Martin (Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert) are a young couple trying to make a home in New York State's Mohawk Valley, but repeated attacks by Indians drive them, along with other settlers in the valley, into a nearby fort, where they watch helplessly as the natives lay waste to their farms and cabins. A spinster with a large farm, Sarah McKlennar (Edna May Oliver), comes to their rescue when she hires Gilbert to work as a field hand and gives the Martins a place to stay. The rugged life of the farm and frontier doesn't always sit well with Lana, who was raised in wealthy and comfortable circumstances; in time she develops a thicker skin and learns to love their new life in the Mohawk Valley, especially after giving birth to their first son. Gilbert joins the militia, who must do battle both with the local Indian tribes and the British soldiers who are provoking them to battle. Gilbert returns wounded, and as he recuperates, a healthy crop rises in the fields, but their satisfaction is short lived when the Indians once again hit the warpath. 1939 was a stellar year for John Ford; along with this highly successful adventure tale, which was nominated for three Academy Awards, Ford also released the ground-breaking western Stagecoach. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudette Colbert, Henry Fonda, (more)
John Ford's fine direction distinguishes this highly fictionalized account of the early life of Abraham Lincoln. The film shows Lincoln (Henry Fonda) as he rises from a country boy born in a log cabin to a lawyer in Springfield, Illinois defending two young men unjustly accused of murder. The film, produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, received an Academy Award nomination for "Best Original Screenplay" for its screenwriter Lamar Trotti. Henry Fonda perhaps the most American of actors, is at his best playing Lincoln as the quintessential, compassionate American hero. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Fonda, Alice Brady, (more)
- 1938
Former doctor Jim Howard (Herbert Marshall) helps desperate Margot Weston (Barbara Stanwyck), pregnant and unmarried; when her son is born, Jim helps her place the baby with Phil Marshall (Ian Hunter) and his wife, on the condition that neither the Marshalls nor the child ever know Margot is his mother. Five years later, Margot is now a well-paid buyer for the store owned by Harriet Martin (Binnie Barnes); she meets Jim again, and a romance begins to blossom, but she's off to Paris on Harriet's behalf. There, Margot is wooed by the charming but carefree Count Giovanni Corini (Cesar Romero) and she happens to meet her son Roddy (Johnnie Russell), traveling with his aunt, as Mrs. Marshall has died. On the trip back to America, Margot and Roddy become very close, while Corini, on the same ship, continues to pursue Margot. At home, she becomes convinced that Jessica (Lynn Bari), Phil's new fiancee, doesn't love him, and will be a bad mother to Roddy, so she decides to break up the engagement, but Jim, beginning a career as a scientist, reminds her of her earlier promise not to interfere in the boy's life. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Stanwyck, Cesar Romero, (more)
- 1938
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
- Starring:
- Jed Prouty, Spring Byington, (more)
