Ivor McFadden Movies
- 1935
Riff-Raff begins riff-raffing when boastful fisherman Dutch (Spencer Tracy) marries down-to-earth cannery worker Hattie (Jean Harlow). Their happiness is marred by Dutch's egomania, which results in the loss of his job and the alienation of his friends. Eventually he deserts Hattie, but she remains in love with him, even going to jail on a theft charge after trying to supply him with money. Reels and reels later, Dutch makes up for his past misdeeds by foiling a plot to sabotage a huge fishing vessel. Unfortunately, his reunion with Hattie is delayed when she tries to break out of prison, earning her an extended sentence, but he magnanimously promises to wait for her. Hard to believe that so sensible a heroine would put up with so much from a guy who's frankly not worth the trouble, but the chemistry between Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow compensates for the film's Grand Canyon-sized logic holes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, (more)
- 1933
In this unusual Western, Buck Jones is not only branded for being a "squaw stealer" (i.e. rapist) but his prey is a woman vigilante attempting to establish a republic in Kansas. The woman, Joan Randall (Shirley Grey), is determined to reclaim land she believes was stolen by the U.S. government. Unbeknownst to Joan, however, her second-in-command, one Colonel Jedcott (Robert Ellis), is an unscrupulous charlatan merely out to enrich himself. When a town is ruthlessly pillaged by a gang of the colonel's henchmen, U.S. Army commander Frank Hawthorne (Charles Hill Mailes) assigns the case to his best operative, Jeff Connors (Jones). When Jeff discovers that outlaw Chet Dawson (Frank Lackteen) is scheduled to meet with Joan, our hero arranges to appear in his stead, and although he doesn't agree with the girl's position, he develops a fondness for her that ultimately turns to love. Dawson unhappily turns up at the absolute worst moment and Jeff and Joan are forced to flee. She is eventually put on trial and sentenced to hang but Jeff manages to obtain a last minute pardon from the governor. But will he arrive in time to save the woman he loves? ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1926
Throughout the '20s and '30s westerns were, for the most part, made cheaply and tossed out to the masses. Rare was the western star who made it to the big, major city movie houses. Those who made the leap were William S. Hart, Tom Mix, and with The Two-Gun Man, Fred Thomson. Thomson earned his stripes; he and his highly-trained horse, Silver King, had been working in the lower-budget field since the early '20s and had built an impressive fan base. In this feature, Thomson plays Dean Randall, a hero of the Great War who comes home to his horse and his father's ranch. He saves a family in a wagon train -- a father (William Courtwright), daughter Grace (Olive Hasbrough), and three orphan children. Back at the ranch, Dean discovers that his father (Joe Dowling) has been conned out of his cattle by rustlers. In addition, the rustlers have gotten a mortgage on the ranch and are threatening to evict the old man. The strain kills Dad Randall, but Grace convinces Dean not to take violent revenge. So he uses his wits instead (plus a lot of impressive stunts with Silver King) to get back the cattle and see that justice is served against the rustlers. This film, and the ones that followed it, showed a lot of promise for Thomson's future; sadly, his death in 1928 kept that promise from being fully realized.
~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Thomson, Spottiswood Aitken, (more)
- 1925
While living in a Nova Scotia fishing village, soldier William Pennland (Ben Hendricks) marries pretty Chastity (Mae Marsh). Then he goes off to serve and forgets about her. While Chastity patiently waits for him, Pennland becomes embroiled in a number of romances. The last one is with Hagar (Laska Winter), and he commits bigamy by marrying her. When he tries to leave, Hagar maroons him on an island where he suffers from exposure and starvation. Guilt-ridden, she goes back for him, but it is too late and he dies. Chastity discovers his whereabouts and shows up for a last good-bye. She takes Hagar to her home, where the young woman has a baby. Hagar feels badly about what she's done (even though Pennland was a cad), and decides to commit suicide. Chastity, however, saves her. The two women eventually go on to find new mates. Film pioneer J. Stuart Blackton was near the end of his Hollywood career when he made this melodrama, and Mae Marsh, the star, was showing less and less enthusiasm for motion pictures. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mae Marsh, Ben Hendricks, Sr., (more)
- 1921
Based on a novel by the prolific B.M. Bower (pseudonym for novelist Bertha "Muzzy" Sinclair), The Wolverine starred former serial queen and stunt-woman Helen Gibson as a rancher who stands up for an employee (Jack Connolly) unjustly accused of cattle rustling. Ward Warren (Connolly) had come West after serving a prison sentence for a crime he didn't commit. History repeats itself for Ward when a couple of bandits he had chased off the land, accuses him of being a rustler himself. The former common-law wife of Hoot Gibson, Gibson (née Rose Wenger) had gained stardom replacing Helen Holmes in the long-running The Hazards of Helen. By no means a traditional screen beauty -- but spirited -- Gibson's starring career was brief, and she returned to stunt-doubling in talkies. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
