Howard Russell Movies
The sophomore outing for writer/director/actress Troy Beyer, Love Don't Cost a Thing is a romantic teen comedy based on the screenplay for the 1987 Partick Dempsey film Can't Buy Me Love. Nick Cannon stars as Alvin, a brilliant but awkward teenager -- and budding engineer -- who seizes a golden opportunity when popular cheerleader Paris (Christina Milian) wrecks her parents' SUV and is strapped for cash. They strike an agreement: Alvin will do the repairs for free if Paris pretend to be his girlfriend for two weeks, all in the hopes of elevating his social standing. Little does he know, being popular isn't all its cracked up to be. Kal Penn and Steve Harvey co-star. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Cannon, Christina Milian, (more)
- 1934
In his autobiography, Pat O'Brien described his character in The Personality Kid as a "Cassius Clay" type (this of course, was before Clay metamorphosed into Muhammad Ali). Indeed, arrogant prizefighter Ritzy (Pat O'Brien) is quite a piece of work, wearing a derby hat in the ring and dancing an Irish jig whenever he scores a knockout. Once he's risen to the top of his profession, Ritzy becomes even more insufferable, forsaking his faithful manager-wife Joan (Glenda Farrell) in favor of society artist Patricia (Claire Dodd). Ultimately he discovers that he'd be nowhere without Joan, who's been arranging "bum a month" boxing matches to guide him towards the championship. Only when he's hit the skids, however, does Ritzy return to Joan -- just in time to learn of another surprise in store for him, courtesy of "Mr. Stork." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat O'Brien, Glenda Farrell, (more)
Elmer Rice's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Street Scene was purchased for the screen by producer Samuel Goldwyn in 1931. The entire story takes place on the street in front of a foreboding old New York brownstone, between one evening and the next afternoon. The individual fates of eight neighboring Manhattan families intertwine during this brief stretch of time. Special emphasis is given the Maurrant family: the philandering mother (Estelle Taylor), the drink-sodden husband (David Landau) and long-suffering daughter Rose (Sylvia Sidney). When the husband catches the wife "in the act" with bill-collector Russell Hopton, the resulting tragedy is not shown, but reflecting in the wildly varying reactions of neighbors and passersby. Though resisting the temptation to "open up" the play, director King Vidor nonetheless injects his cinematic know-how into the proceedings, by utilizing an entirely different camera setup or angle for each individual "take." The cast of Street Scene includes several carry-overs from the Broadway original, including David Landau, Max Montor, Matt McHugh (brother of Frank), John Qualen, George Humbert, Tom H. Manning, and Anna Konstant (Sidebar: Shirley Kaplan, the role played by Ms. Konstant, was portrayed in the London production of Street Scene by Greer Garson). Unavailable for TV for many years due to legal tangles, Street Scene was freed up for the small screen when it lapsed into public domain in the early 1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Sidney, William Collier, Jr., (more)
- 1926
This independently produced silent action melodrama starred the husband-and-wife team of John Bowers and Marguerite de la Motte. Bowers played Larry Pond, a young man inheriting an almost bankrupt lumber company. Attempting to save the business, Larry finds himself in trouble with a rival lumberman (Alan Hale), who hires a thug to prevent him from getting his logs to the mill. Fighting back, Larry not only manages to scare off the hired terrorist but ends up marrying his rival's erstwhile fiancee (de la Motte. Director Lloyd Ingraham's young daughter Jean appeared in a supporting role. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
