Paulette Duval Movies

Although this was only the second "Lone Wolf" film produced by Columbia, Bert Lytell had already played Louis Joseph Vance's gentleman crook in several prior films, the first dating back to 1917. Michael Lanyard, aka the Lone Wolf, is sailing to America when he meets pretty Eve de Montalais (Lois Wilson). Eve wants to sneak her valuable necklace through U.S. customs so that she can use the money from its sale to help straighten out her brother. The only problem is that there is a gang of jewel thieves on board who are just as determined to steal the necklace. Lanyard uses his wiles to keep the thieves at bay, but they try to ruin his credibility by revealing his past to Eve. Lanyard manages to outwit the gang anyhow, and in the end, he reveals that he has gone straight and become an undercover agent. Of course, he wins the girl, too. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

John Gilbert was one of MGM's top stars when he appeared this melodrama. Playing against his usual matinee idol type, Gilbert plays a tough and restless wanderer. Jerry Fay (Gilbert) and Red McCue (Ernest Torrence) are fierce but not unfriendly rivals who run into each other in various ports. They meet up once again in New York to discover that they have both become bootleggers. Fay has just loaded up his speedboat with rum when he is pursued by the coast guard. He hides out in a home on the seashore, and Jane, the girl living there (Joan Crawford), threatens to call the cops. To prevent her from turning him in, Fay kidnaps her and takes her to his ship. McCue and his men, disguised as revenuers, hijack Fay's boat, and the two men find themselves face to face once again. A drinking contest between the two of them turns into a vicious battle. Fay recaptures the boat and turns it in to save Jane. Jane, who has fallen in love with the wounded Fay, cradles him in her arms. Crawford, whose star was still very much on the ascendant, would appear with Gilbert again in 1928's Four Walls. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Set sometime during the 19th century, Blarney deals with the exploits of Irish prizefighter James Carabine (Ralph Graves). Aspiring to become the greatest bare-knuckle boxer in the world, Carabine stows away on a boat bound for America. On the verge of being discovered, our hero is rescued by another immigrant, Peggy Nolan (Rene Adoree), who pays for his fare. Instead of displaying gratitude, Carabine gives Peggy the heave-ho at the first opportunity, the better to dally with vixenish concert singer Marcalina (Paulette Duval). But when Carabine is defeated in his first bout by champion Blanco Johnson (Malcolm Waite), the fickle Marcalina shifts her loyalties to the champ. With the help and support of the still-loyal Peggy, Carabine gets back on his professional feet and defeats Johnson in a return match, whereupon he realizes that Peggy was the right girl for him from the outset. Based on a true story, Blarney more than lives up to its title by playing fast and loose with the facts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This typically overproduced Marion Davies vehicle casts her in a distaff variation of The Prisoner of Zenda. An American lass, Davies is obliged to impersonate her male cousin (Creighton Hale), heir to the throne of Graustark. Our heroine is quite fetching in male drag, and it's amazing that the Graustarkian courtiers don't tumble to her masquerade earlier than they do. Once she's been revealed to be a girl, Davies is able to move about freely in her efforts to squelch the plans of villainous Roy D'Arcy. The final reel of Beverly of Graustark was filmed in eye-pleasing early Technicolor. The film was based on a popular novel by George Barr McCutcheon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

For this romantic drama, author and Hollywood tastemaker Elinor Glyn began with the premise that a woman does one of three things to a man: she elevates him, degrades him, or bores him to death. Then Glyn does the obvious by introducing three women -- one to represent each possibility -- into the life of her protagonist, Sir Nicholas Thormonde (Lew Cody, who, for once, plays a relatively sympathetic character). Thormonde hires Alathea Bulteel (Harriet Hammond) as his secretary. Although she is an attractive young woman, she purposely makes herself look homely, and while she is attracted to her employer, she is turned off by his womanizing ways. She's especially disgusted by his relationship with Suzette (Renée Adorée). Thormonde comes to love Alathea, but she misunderstands his intentions and quits. Her father (Gerald Grove) gets into trouble with his compulsive gambling, so Alathea agrees to marry Thormonde in name only. Eventually the couple realizes the depth of their feelings for each other. This was definitely one of Glyn's lesser efforts for MGM. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

What would normally have been a standard society drama is brightened up by good direction courtesy of Robert Z. Leonard, and by Theodore Kosloff, who plays Time dressed as a clown, and who comments on the events of the passing years. Nora Dakon (Mae Busch) leaves her husband and runs off with Larry Brundage (Lew Cody in his standard role), who has seduced her. Nora's husband dies and Brundage leaves her. Years pass and Nora becomes a renowned opera singer while her daughter, Ruth (Gertrude Olmstead), has grown up into a beautiful young woman. Brundage comes sniffing around again and decides he wants to get his hands on Ruth. In spite of Nora's attempts to stop him, he almost gets to marry Ruth. But finally, Nora puts herself and Brundage in a compromising situation, just so Ruth can discover them. Now that she finally understands what kind of man Brundage is, Ruth returns to her nice young suitor, Tom Cautley (Creighton Hale). ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Before she became a star, silent screen vamp Barbara LaMarr often wrote screenplays. She still wielded a pen now and again after her name became known, but this domestic tale indicates that perhaps she should have stuck to acting alone. There are a lot of missed opportunities for comedy here, and at this late date it's impossible to tell whether LaMarr or director Maurice Elvey was at fault. It certainly wasn't the fault of star Shirley Mason, who was famed for her comic flare and light touch. When Vale (Mason) weds William Harvey (Bryant Washburn), she refuses to let him tell her about his past. So when she invites Marie Wynn, an old school chum (Evelyn Brent), to come visit, she's shocked to discover that she is Harvey's ex-wife. Once she's made herself at home, Marie promptly goes about trying to win him back. Harvey finally sends Marie packing and the couple kisses and makes up. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

The still photographs of this costume picture, showing Rudolph Valentino wearing foppish 18th century finery, are actually misleading when it comes to Monsieur Beaucaire's actual content. For much of the film, Valentino actually views his wardrobe -- and his matinee idol persona -- with sly humor. This film may have been based on a popular story by Booth Tarkington, but it belongs to Valentino all the way through, and his star quality dominates an impressive cast, which includes the likes of Bebe Daniels, Doris Kenyon, and Lois Wilson, none of them slouches in the star department. Valentino is the Duke of Chartres who can no longer stand the snipes thrown his way by Princess Henriette (Daniels). When King Louis IV (Lowell Sherman) commands that he marry her, the duke runs away. He accompanies the French Ambassador to England, disguised as his barber under the name Monsieur Beaucaire. In Bath, he becomes entranced by Lady Mary (Kenyon). He forces the Duke of Winterset (Ian MacLaren) to introduce him to her as a nobleman, but Winterset exposes him as a barber and Lady Mary snubs him. The French Ambassador arrives and reveals that Beaucaire really is a nobleman, but by then, he is no longer interested in Lady Mary. Instead, he returns to France and to Princess Henriette. Valentino's wife, Natacha Rambova, was responsible for both the art direction and set design of this picture. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide