Armand Cortez Movies
A former violinist and a leading man for such diverse Broadway luminaries as musical comedy star Fritzi Scheff and tragedienne Lenore Ulric, dark and swarthy-looking French actor Armand Cortez (or, as it was sometimes spelled, Cortes) played numerous villains in the silent era, from the 1916 serial The Yellow Menace to the 1927 farce Rubber Heels. Mostly playing bit parts in sound films, Cortez is perhaps best remembered as Hamid, the wise man in the 1941 serial Adventures of Captain Marvel. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1942
An innocent man is put on trial, but is he really as innocent as he claims? Diplomat David Talbot (William Powell) and his bride Lucienne (Hedy Lamarr) are enjoying a honeymoon in Paris when David is confronted by extortionists who demand money in exchange for not turning him in to the police. David has no idea what the men are talking about and ignores their threats, but the men prove good to their word, and David finds himself on trial for a series of thefts. At the trial, David's name is cleared when Henri Sarrow (Basil Rathbone) testifies that he knew the man who committed the crimes, a friend of his who recently died. However, after the trial, David meets Sarrow, who informs David that he lied under oath; according to Sarrow, David did indeed commit the robberies while suffering from amnesia after a severe blow to the head, and if he wants to keep the facts quiet, he'll do whatever Sarrow says. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Powell, Hedy Lamarr, (more)
- 1939
- Add The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle to QueueAdd The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle to top of Queue
The last of RKO's Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers vehicles, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle is also the least typical. At their best playing carefree characters in gossamer-thin musical comedy plotlines, Fred and Ginger seem slightly ill at ease cast as the real-life dancing team of Vernon and Irene Castle. The stripped-to-essentials storyline boils down to novice dancer Irene (Rogers) convincing vaudeville comic Vernon (Astaire) to give up slapstick in favor of "classy" ballroom dancing. With the help of agent Edna May Oliver, the Castles hit their peak of fame and fortune in the immediate pre-World War I years. When Vernon is called to arms, Irene stays behind in the US, making patriotic movie serials to aid the war effort. Vernon is killed in a training accident, leaving a tearful Irene to carry on alone. To soften the shock of Astaire's on-screen death (it still packs a jolt when seen today), RKO inserted a closing "dream" dancing sequence, with a spectral Vernon and Irene waltzing off into the heavens. The film's production was hampered by the on-set presence of the real Irene Castle, whose insistence upon accuracy at all costs drove everyone to distraction--especially Ginger Rogers, who felt as though she was being treated like a marionette rather than an actress. In one respect, Mrs. Castle had good reason to be so autocratic. Walter, the "severest critic servant" character played by Walter Brennan, was in reality a black man. RKO was nervous about depicting a strong, equal-footing friendship between the white Castles and their black retainer, so a Caucasian actor was hired for the role. Mrs. Castle was understandably incensed by this alteration, and for the rest of her days chastised RKO for its cowardice. As it turned out, it probably wouldn't have mattered if Walter had been black, white, Chicano or Siamese; The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle was a financial bust, losing $50,000 at the box office. Perhaps as a result, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers would not team up again for another ten years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, (more)
- 1925
When Billy Laidlaw (Kenneth Harlan) sees Peggy Laurence (Bebe Daniels) and her partner, Matt Wilde (T. Roy Barnes), performing at a Bowery amateur night, he resolves to help them. They do well on Broadway, thanks to Laidlaw, who begins falling in love with Peggy, even though he already has a wife, Grace (Helen Lee Worthing). World War I breaks out and Laidlaw enlists. Peggy becomes a "Y" entertainer so she can be near him, while Grace becomes a Red Cross nurse. There is an enemy attack, and Peggy has to choose between saving Laidlaw and saving an entire battalion. She chooses the battalion and becomes temporarily blinded in the fray. Grace nurses her back to health and they both assume that Laidlaw has been lost. When he shows up, Peggy does the right
thing and sends him back to Grace. This drama was based on the play by Channing Pollock and Edgar Selwyn. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
thing and sends him back to Grace. This drama was based on the play by Channing Pollock and Edgar Selwyn. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bebe Daniels, Kenneth Harlan, (more)
- 1921
Alice Joyce stars in this routine mystery melodrama. On his deathbed, bank president John Randall (Fuller Mellish) confesses to his oldest daughter, Constance (Joyce), that he embezzled money and is making a series of payments to a cashier to assume the guilt. After his death, Constance continues to pay off the cashier. Blackmailer Hugh Martin (Claude King) gets his hands on some letters that Randall and Constance wrote to the cashier. He threatens to reveal all unless he can marry Constance's younger sister, Muriel (Maude Malcolm). Before he can make the letters public, Martin is found dead with a scarab torn from Constance's rare and valuable ring by his side. Because of this circumstantial evidence, Constance is put on trial. Her fiancé, attorney Ward Locke (Joe King), defends her and the case is dismissed. After she gets off, Constance admits that she really did kill Martin, but in self-defense. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Joyce, Joe King, (more)
