Helen Jerome Eddy Movies

Set within the steamy Louisiana bayous, this melodrama chronicles the reconciliation between an embittered bereaved mother and the daughter she always blamed for her husband's demise. The woman lost her spouse just before her daughter was born. Though she was very pregnant, she and her husband decided to go for a walk through the swamp one day. Unfortunately, he got trapped in quicksand. Encumbered by the baby within, the woman could do nothing but watch him slowly die. Upon her daughter's birth, the angry mother refused to care for the infant and later refused to allow her schooling. Finally, the caring neighbors intervene and take charge of the child. Eventually, the mother sees the light and begins loving the child when she discovers that her beloved spouse had been having an affair. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A rare "prestige" item from low-budget Allied Pictures, Parisian Romance boasts a screenplay by F. Hugh Herbert, of The Moon is Blue fame. Lew Cody stars as a libidinous French baron whose love-'em-and-leave-'em philosophy is seriously challenged when he falls for the beautiful Claudette (Marion Shilling). Realizing that Claudette would be happier with someone else, the Baron has the wisdom to do the wrong thing at the right time. Our hero's sang froid is never more pronounced than when he stoically accepts two socks on the chin from his rival Victor (Gilbert Roland). Joyce Compton, a specialist in "dumb Southern belle" roles, is incongruously cast as Parisian coquette Marcelle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The "love" alluded to in the film's title is twofold. First, we have a man's love for his wife: in this case, the Mister is played by J.W. Johnston, and the Missus by Myrtle Stedman. Second, we have the platonic love between two male friends: specifically, Johnston and his best pal House Peters. When Stedman threatens to break up the friendship between Johnston and Peters, it is she who ends up the loser. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Better known for her work in talkie "weepers," Helen Twelvetrees made a few preliminary appearances in such late silent films as Fox's Blue Skies. The audience was expected to believe that the twentysomething Twelvetrees and Frank Albertson are teenagers living together platonically in an orphan asylum. A wealthy old man comes calling to adopt Albertson -- who, feeling sorry for Twelvetrees, trades places with the girl. Thus it is that the heroine is carted off to a luxurious mansion, while Albertson remains behind. One year later, the old man discovers Albertson's deception, whereupon he invites the boy to live with him as well. By this time, Twelvetrees and Albertson are of marriageable age, thus the film ends with a wedding in the offing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This was the most popular of the many silent adaptations of Alexandre Dumas' famous story of a courtesan who finds true love too late. In this version, a man who has been suffering from a bout of depression buys a painting of a beautiful women and discovers that her diary is included in the deal. As he reads her words, the ghost of the woman, who is named Camille (Norma Talmadge), appears before him to tell her sad story. Camille began her life under poor circumstances, but with determination she went from a humble shop girl to the most elegant and wealthy courtesan in Paris. However, selling her affections has not brought her real love. She meets a student named Armand (Gilbert Roland), who soon falls in love with the mysterious beauty. However, even though Camille has fallen in love with him, she resists his advances; Armand's father (Maurice Costello) has learned of his son's desire for her, and he has begged her to stay away from Armand, as an affair between them would bring scandal and shame to the young man. Before long, Camille contracts tuberculosis, and Armand encounters his would-be love as she bravely tries to hide her soon-to-be fatal condition from him. This is thought to be the ninth film based on the Dumas story (including adaptations under other names), and like several others, this film is currently lost, barring a future discovery of a print by film scholars. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Milly West (a miscast Ethel Clayton) is a dancer who has her heart bent on stardom. She has an admirer in country boy Tim Ennis (Walter Hiers), who lives in the same boarding house as she does, but she turns down his marriage proposal. During a performance, Milly is injured and can't get her strength back to get another gig. Hughie Ray (William Boyd), a pal of Tim's, comes to town and offers to take Milly back to the country to recuperate. She takes him up on his offer and after she has been there a while he proposes. But Milly has been told that her injury makes it impossible for her to bear children; since she knows that Ray loves kids she tries to leave him. Ray catches up with her and when he finds out why she ran away, he says he would be happy to adopt. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This gripping crime drama is based on the true story of the events surrounding the destruction of New York City's Knickerbocker bank, the results of which caused a major panic in 1907. The trouble began when the institution's banker president is arrested for embezzling and manipulating the money, thereby causing the bank to fold. His good wife tries to find bail, but suddenly all of her friends snub her. She becomes so desperate that she hocks her jewels and then goes to a lawyer who posts bond. The attorney, who has loved the wife for years, then uses all of his own money to get her jewelry back. Planning to escape to South America with his wife, the husband returns home, but when he sees that the lawyer is there he goes berserk with rage and forces his wife to choose between himself and the lawyer. The wife rips up one of the tickets and the banker jumps bail. Though he knows that the banker will ruin him financially by fleeing, the lawyer refuses to rat on the banker because he doesn't want his beloved to suffer further ostracism and embarrassment. Later, the banker gets his at the hands of a bankrupted depositor. Learning that she is a widow, the lawyer is free to marry the good wife and romantic bliss ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The second of three Kay Francis films in which the star was cast as a dedicated lady physician, Doctor Monica was adapted from a Polish play by Marja Morozowicz Szezepkowska. Francis plays obstetrician Dr. Monica, whose husband John (Warren William) cheats on her with young Mary (Jean Muir). When Mary becomes pregnant, the selfless Monica befriends her, provides her with advice, and delivers the baby. The good doctor even offers to give up John so that the child will have a father. But after giving birth, Mary calmly tells John to go back to Monica -- even though there's every indication that he'll never give up his philandering ways! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Even though most of the actors are Caucasian, with the exception of star Sessue Hayakawa, this tragic romantic drama tries to remain true to the spirit of the Orient (or at least what white folks assumed it was like). Loey Tsing (Helen Jerome Eddy), the first love of Chan Wang (Hayakawa), is sold into slavery by her father. Although Chan marries another, he still loves Loey; only the birth of a son relieves his unhappiness. He adores little Chan Toy ("Sonny Boy" Warde) even though he finds nothing to like about his wife. Through his job running a lumber yard in San Francisco, Chan comes to the home of a wealthy Chinaman, Man Low Yek (Goro Kino). It turns out that he is Loey Tsing's master. When Man Low Yek sees the two together, he angrily swears revenge and invites Chan's unfaithful wife up to the house. She brings Chan Toy, and the frightened little boy falls out a window. Chan finds him crumbled and dead and is overcome with grief. Through the use of his wiles, he causes the death of both Man Low Yek and his wife. Then he and Loey Tsing return home to China together. This drama was based on the turn-of-the-century stage play by Francis Powers. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

No relation to the 1935 Mascot programmer of the same name, Girls Demand Excitement offers an early starring appearance by John Wayne. The Duke is cast as college basketball player Peter Brooks, who's in love with sports-happy Joan Madison (Virginia Cherrill). Their hot-and-cold relationship culminates in a boys-against-the-girls basketball match, a scene only slightly less ridiculous than an early sequence in which a bunch of sexually integrated psychology students are assigned to test the "emotional reaction" to a group necking session! Evidently designed as a musical, Girls Demand Excitement contains no songs whatsoever, robbing future generations of the spectacle of John Wayne serenading his lady love. With films like these, it's no wonder that Wayne had to start his career all over again in cheap westerns. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, an impoverished dreamer saves a group of people during a terrible storm by leading them to shelter in a ghost town containing but one ancient resident. The stranded travelers are surprised by the high-style in which the codger lives. Soon they learn that the man and the drifter's grandfather co-owned a gold-mine. Unfortunately, the old resident cannot find it. The young dreamer finds it for him, and then marries an heiress who was among the travelers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Abstaining from his usual "Italian" characterization, George Beban played a roistering French Canadian in Paramount's Jules of the Strong Heart. Outwardly a brutish bully, lumberjack Jules Lemaire (Jules Lemaire) is actually a big bowl of porrage and proves it by adopting the orphaned child of an old friend. He also nearly lays down his own life to rescue the father of heroine Joy Farnsworth (Helen Jerome Eddy) from a lynch mob. While many a previous Beban vehicle ended tragically, Jules of the Strong Heart concludes on an upbeat note, as Jules proudly claims Joy for his bride. This was one of the better directorial efforts of Donald Crisp, whose films were generally pale imitations of Griffith or DeMille. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide