Robert Edeson Movies
Dignified-looking silent character star Robert Edeson is best remembered for stepping into the role of the American envoy when Rudolph Christians succumbed to pneumonia and died during the protracted filming of Erich von Stroheim's Foolish Wives (1922). Edeson had begun his screen career with Cecil B. DeMille in The Call of the North (1914) but then spent the remainder of the decade mostly at Vitagraph. He returned to DeMille in the 1920s and became the director's first choice whenever a script called for an imposing, well-heeled man-of-the-world. Edeson, who was married to actress Mary Newcomb (1893-1966), died of heart failure. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1931
In the South Seas, half-caste Ilanu (Raquel Torres) refuses to marry Kahea (Donald Reed), as she loves Jimmy Bradford (Ben Lyon), heir to an American fortune; her grandfather warns her that her own mother's marriage to a white man was so unhappy that she'd leaped into a volcano. Despite misgivings over her race, and lingering feelings for his previous fiancee Elaine (Marian Douglas), Jimmy does marry Ilanu and takes her to San Francisco with him. His father (Robert Edeson) and sister Winnie (Thelma Todd) are shocked by Ilanu's apparent vulgarity, but Jimmy remains loyal to Ilanu, even though this means they return to her island, penniless. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Lyon, Raquel Torres, (more)
- 1930
Breezy comic actor Eddie Quillan starred in several amiable Pathe programmers in 1929, 30' and '31. Big Money finds Quillan cast as a go-getting bank messenger, who falls in with unsuccessful gambler Jimmy Gleason. Entering a high-stakes card game, Quillan bets the bank's money, and is promptly cleaned out. Soft-hearted professional gambler Robert Armstrong rescues the pair from the hoosegow. Big Money was among a handful of talking features directed by Russell Mack, who was no mean gambler himself (especially with other people's money). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Quillan, Miriam Seegar, (more)
- 1930
This part-talkie is one of those strange hybrids so prevalent during the changeover to sound: part silent western, part variety show featuring Abe Lyman and His Orchestra, vaudeville comedienne Mona Ray, yodeling, and a barn dance. The silent western section of the film is actually more romantic comedy than action, what with handsome young George Duryea and bad guy Harry Woods fighting over Sally Starr. Duryea actually did achieve recognition as a western star in the 1930s but under the name Tom Keene. He later played character parts, usually villainous, under yet another moniker: Richard Powers. Pardon My Gun did not make a lasting impression upon film history, however. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1930
Filmed in 1929 and released early in 1930, Dynamite was Cecil B. DeMille's first all-talking feature. As one observer has noted, this 128-minute opus has enough plots for seven pictures. The basic storyline here involves spoiled heiress Cynthia Crothers (Kay Johnson) who will lose her fortune if she isn't married right away. Her love Roger Towne (Conrad Nagel) isn't interested in marriage, so Crothers decides to wed convicted murderer Hagon Derk (Charles Bickford). Her plan: Derk will die, then she'll be a millionaire, free to chase after Towne without benefit of clergy. Unfortunately for Crothers, Derk is pardoned at the last minute when the real killer (Leslie Fenton) confesses. Crothers tries to drive Derk out of her life by humiliating him at a fancy party, only to discover that the conditions of her inheritance require that she live with her husband for a set period of time. She swallows her pride and heads for Derk's home town, a grimy mining village. Touched by Crother's inept efforts to keep house and cook dinner, Derk eventually falls in love with her--though he makes it clear that he wants no part of her money. Crothers, in turn, falls genuinely in love with her brutish but basically decent husband. It must needs be that fortune-hunting Towne arrives in the mining village, leading to a powerful climax wherein Derk, Crothers and Towne are trapped in a mine cave-in. Though the dialogue is occasionally quite silly (after the killer commits suicide in a crowded restaurant, one of the patrons is heard to complain "It's ruined my dinner!") and the performances overripe at times, Dynamite actually holds up better than you'd expect. DeMilles' utilization of sound is both innovative and imaginative, especially during the noisy climactic sequences. The film was a success, paving the way for DeMilles' camp classic Madame Satan (1930). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Conrad Nagel, Kay Johnson, (more)
- 1930
Advertised as an "all star" film, Swing High is hardly that: The biggest name in the picture, both in terms of popularity and sheer marquee space, was Helen Twelvetrees. A variation of the 1926 German classic Variety, the film casts Twelvetrees and Dorothy Burgess as sisters Maryan and Trixie, a team of circus aerialists. When the two girls have a falling out over the affections of handsome Gerry (Fred Scott), it looks as though one of them will be taking a fall for real. This does eventually happen, but it ends up an act of fate rather than malice. It's amazing that the dramatic portion of the film is given any space at all, what with five musical numbers and the interminable comic antics of diminutive Daphne Pollard and phlegmatic Stepin Fetchit. Mack Sennett-graduates Chester Conklin and Ben Turpin make fleeting appearances, as do several genuine circus performers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Twelvetrees, Fred Scott, (more)
- 1930
A Devil with Women is the best way to describe soldier-of-fortune Jerry Maxton (Victor McLaglen). At large in South America, Maxton romances anything in skirts, though he seems most attached to fair senorita Rosita (Mona Maris). Unfortunately for his libido, Maxton must contend with a band of Mexican bandits who, as capper to their other misdeeds, kidnap the heroine. Racing to the rescue are Maxton and his new pal, wastrelly rich man's son Tom Standish (a surprisingly clean-cut Humphrey Bogart, in his third film). Legend has it that A Devil with Women was supposed to be the opening volley in a McLaglen-Bogart series; thank heaven this didn't happen, else Casablanca would have starred Ronald Reagan after all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor McLaglen, Mona Maris, (more)
- 1930
In this western adventure, set in California just after the Spanish-American War, a Mexican rancher becomes a populist avenger battling injustice and corruption. Among his targets is the wicked gringo land commissioner. He also preserves the honor of a beautiful senorita. In addition to fighting for good, he must also deliver his cattle to the bad-guy American bureaucrat. He does so by stampeding them into his office. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Barthelmess, James Rennie, (more)
- 1930
In this drama, an older railroad supervisor is engaged to a lovely young woman. Unfortunately, she falls in love with the handsome hobo her husband befriended and employed as an engineer. A rivalry ensues, but when a life is endangered the two team up and save the day. The film may be most interesting for its detailed look into the railroads of the past. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Wolheim, Robert Armstrong, (more)
- 1930
In this corny disaster drama, patrons of an underground speakeasy in New Orleans attend a victory party and end up terrified when a Mississippi flood threatens to break through a levee and drown them all. Fortunately, the owner is a quick thinker and closes the airtight doors of the establishment. The trapped patrons come from all walks of life. Their reactions to their sudden subterranean confinement comprise the bulk of the story. Though not all of them are good souls, a slightly insane former preacher encourages them all to make their peace with God. They do, and good will flows like Mississippi mud until at last a man demands they open the doors and meet their fate. The doors swing open to reveal a brightly shining sun and a strong levee. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Revier, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., (more)
- 1930
George M. Cohan's 1904 musical came to the screen a second time in 1930 courtesy of Warner Bros., who cast light leading man Edward Buzzell as the small-town jockey whose impromptu renditions of "Yankee Doodle Boy" lead to all kinds of theatrical offers. Johnny, however, is in New York to race Yankee to victory and has no time for such foolishness. Especially because he is also busy dallying with actress Vivian Dale (Edna Murphy). Arriving to watch her horse compete, Mary Dale (Alice Day) takes umbrage at Vivian's presence, particularly because the Broadway vamp is trying to convince Johnny to throw the race. The jockey refuses but loses anyway and an incriminating letter from Vivian causes him to be unjustly accused. Fleeing to England, Johnny slaves away in a Limehouse dive until given a chance to ride Yankee at Epsom Downs. This time, our hero wins both the race and Mary's love. Featuring Cohan numbers like "Yankee Doodle Boy", "Give My Regards to Broadway" and {&"Painting the Clouds With Sunshine") (the latter written by Al Dubin and Joe Burke), Little Johnny Jonson's flag-waving sentiments proved an anachronism in the last days of the Roaring Twenties and the film was a major box-office disaster. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Day, Edna Murphy, (more)
- 1930
This early talkie is the third version of the popular Booth Tarkington play. It is set in the mid 19th-century and centers upon a good-hearted riverboat gambler who takes on a group of criminals in New Orleans during Mardis Gras when he rushes in to save a young woman from ruination. But she is a tough cookie and doesn't even thank him. Instead, she runs away. Later he meets her again after he wins her daddy's cotton plantation in a card game. None of the locals are pleased by the gambler's presence and he is nearly lynched. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Terris, Douglas Gilmore, (more)
- 1929
Fox's immediate follow-up to its successful early-talkie western In Old Arizona was 1929's Romance of the Rio Grande. As Pablo Wharton Cameron, Warner Baxter essentially repeats his "Cisco Kid" characterization from the earlier picture. The story focuses on the Alvarez family of Mexico, specifically fabulously wealthy Don Fernando (Robert Edeson). Intending to bequeath his vast fortune and estate to his long-estranged grandson Pancho, Don Fernando must contend with his ne'er-do-well nephew Juan (Antonio Moreno). But Pancho saves the family's name and as an extra added attraction wins the hand of fair senorita Manuelita (Mona Maris). Romance of the Rio Grande was based on the Kathleen Norris novel Conquistador; it was refilmed in 1941 as one of Cesar Romero's "Cisco Kid" series entries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Baxter, Mary Duncan, (more)
- 1929
Marion Davies made her talkie debut in this early musical romance set during World War I. Marianne (Davies is a beautiful French girl who is engaged to marry a soldier fighting on the front. However, she soon attracts the attentions of Pvt. Stagg (Lawrence Gray), an American soldier fighting in France. Marianne is infatuated with the dashing Yank, yet remains faithful to her intended. But when her fiancé returns from the war blind and embittered, Marianne wonders if she might have been better off with Stagg. Marianne also features Cliff Edwards (also known as Ukulele Ike), Benny Rubin, and George Baxter; Arthur Freed, later a top producer of musicals at MGM, co-wrote the song "Blondy" that is sung by Lawrence Gray in the film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marion Davies, Cliff Edwards, (more)
- 1929
The Doctor's Secret was adapted by director William C. DeMille from James M. Barrie's play Half an Hour. After marrying wealthy Richard Garson (H.B. Warner) for his money and prestige, Lillian Garson (Ruth Chatterton) grows weary of her stuffed-shirt husband and decides to run off with another man. While disembarking from a cab to meet Lillian, her lover is struck down and killed by a hit-and-run driver. On the scene of the accident is Dr. Brodie (Robert Edeson), who happens to be an old friend of Garson's. That evening, at a cocktail party held by Garson, Dr. Brodie begins relating the story of the unfortunate accident victim and his beautiful paramour. As the story unfolds, Garson begins to suspect that Lillian, who is late for the party, is the "woman in the case." When Lillian finally shows up, her husband confronts her with his suspicions. But Dr. Brodie saves the day by lying like a gentlemen, denying that he and the errant wife have ever met before. Doctor's Secret was one of the first Hollywood talkies to be simultaneously filmed in foreign-language versions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruth Chatterton, H.B. Warner, (more)
- 1928
Known as The Caviar of Poverty Row, brunette Dorothy Revier was Columbia Pictures' first female star. In Beware of Blondes, a lurid melodrama typical of the studio at this early stage, Revier played a girl falsely suspected of being Blonde Mary, a notorious thief. In reality, she is a detective on her way to Honolulu to bring the real Blonde Mary (Hazel Howell) to justice. Matt Moore, formerly Mr. Mary Pickford, co-starred as a jewelry store clerk who at first suspects Revier of being a criminal, then grows to love her. A WAMPAS Baby Star of 1925, Dorothy Revier is best remembered for playing Milady de Winter in Douglas Fairbanks' The Iron Mask (1929), and for her on-again, off-again relationship with Columbia chief Harry Cohn. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Revier, Matt Moore, (more)
- 1928
Released in both silent and part-talkie versions, The Little Wildcat starred James Murray, late of The Crowd, as barnstorming pilot Conrad Burton. While touring the provinces, Burton finds time to romance both Audrey (Audrey Ferris) and Sue (Doris Dawson). Hoping to force Burton into marriage, Sue sets up a rendezvous that will put him in a compromising situation. Given the fact that Audrey Ferris receives top billing, the outcome of Little Wildcat was a surprise to no one. James Murray gave a good account of himself in his role, but a combination of poor career choices and heavy drinking eventually doomed him to obscurity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Fawcett, Robert Edeson, (more)
- 1928
Marriage by Contract was produced and directed by John M. Stahl for his own Tiffany-Stahl Studio. Although only a part-talkie, the film represented the sound debut of Patsy Ruth Miller, here cast as Margaret, one of the longest-suffering heroines in screen history. Having entered into a contract to marry a young man named Don (Lawrence Grey), Margaret storms out of the honeymoon suite when Don shows up drunk and disheveled, bragging about his various sexual conquests. Despite this appalling experience, Margaret goes through three more contracted marriages, each union leaving her a bit worse off than the previous one. On the verge of committing suicide, an aged and infirm Margaret suddenly wakes up to find herself young and beautiful again. Realizing that she's been just been having a horrible dream, our heroine hastily dons her wedding gown and rushes off to find faithful Don still waiting at the chapel. Marriage by Contract represents an acting tour de force for Patsy Ruth Miller, who in 1928 was better known for her light comedy roles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patsy Ruth Miller, Lawrence Gray, (more)
- 1928
His Lower-East-side accent unheard, George Jessel is still able to convincingly portray the Hebraic title character in George Washington Cohen. Hoping to live up to his presidential moniker, Cohen tries to live by the same creed which guided the Father of His Country. Unfortunately, his determination to never tell a lie gets him into plenty of trouble with his friends and family. Things get worse when he's called upon to act as a material witness in a divorce case involving his two best friends. Forced at last to tell a lie, George finds that he can't stop lying -- yet somehow this turns out to his advantage, winning him a hefty annual income and the love of heroine Florence Allen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Jessel, Robert Edeson, (more)
- 1928
Presently unavailable for public reappraisal, the biting and cynical melodrama Power of the Press would seem to be a precursor to such Frank Capra talkies as Platinum Blonde and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Cub reporter Clem Rogers (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) wants a "big scoop" more than anything else in life. Alas, he stumbles onto a hot news story that implicates his sweetheart Jane Atwill (Jobyna Ralston), daughter of mayor candidate Atwill (Edwards Davis), in a murder. Putting his job and his future on the line, Clem endeavors to help Jane prove her innocence, and together they begin to see a connection between the murder of the district attorney and the political ambitions of her father's political rival. Curiously, Capra never mentions Power of the Press in his autobiography. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Jobyna Ralston, (more)
- 1928
A wealthy man hits the half-century mark and promptly suffers a mid-life crisis in this silent romantic comedy. Like countless fellows before and after him, he ends up falling for a beautiful young woman. Trouble comes when the besotted gent's best friend begins suspecting that the girl only wants her beau's considerable fortune. Wanting only to protect him, the best buddy begins trying to beak up the affair. This is an early sound film and is one of the first to utilize dialog, not as a novelty, but as a serious way to advance the plot. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Bennett, Doris Kenyon, (more)
- 1927
Based on a real-life incident, Maurine Watkins' semi-satirical novel and play Chicago was first brought to the screen in 1927. Phyllis Haver was ideally cast as gum-chewing dance-hall girl Roxie Hart, who shoots her lover full of holes and then is forgiven by her faithful -- if not entirely honest -- husband Amos (Victor Varconi). Put on trial for murder, Roxie comes to enjoy the publicity, and soon willingly becomes the darling of the media (it helps that she's convinced herself that no jury in their right mind will condemn a "celebrity"). Feeding upon this, Roxie's flamboyant defense attorney Flynn (Robert Edeson) likewise revels in the hoopla stirred up by enterprising reporter T. Roy Barnes. The only person who doesn't enjoy the spectacle is Amos Hart, who becomes so fed up that he tosses Roxie out of their house, finding comfort in the arms of housemaid Katie (Virginia Bradford), who has loved him all along. A cleaned-up but no less rowdy version of Chicago was filmed by William Wellman in 1943 under the title Roxie Hart; three decades later, the property was revived as a Broadway musical, which has flourished on the road-show circuit ever since. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phyllis Haver, Victor Varconi, (more)
Having scored big-time box office with his first Biblical epic, The Ten Commandments (1923), Cecil B. DeMille hoped to top this success with his 1927 The King of Kings. Inasmuch as he was now dealing with the life of Christ, DeMille had to be careful to serve up equal amounts of showmanship and reverence. The first creative challenge: how to "introduce" Christ in a tasteful manner? The answer: as a blind child is cured through Jesus' intervention, DeMille cuts to the child's point-of-view, slowly fading in on the kindly countenance of H.B. Warner as the Son of Man. Still, DeMille remained DeMille, especially in his handling of the character of Mary Magdalene (Jacqueline Logan). No longer a tattered streetwalker, Mary Magdalene is now a glamorous courtesan, replete with legions of gorgeous slave girls (one of whom is "bubble dancer" Sally Rand) and dressed in revealing Hollywood-style gowns. In fact, the film opens on this character, as she ruminates over the defection of her favorite customer, Judas Iscariot (Joseph Schildkraut), who is spending far too much time with Jesus of Nazareth. Upon visiting Jesus herself, she immediately repents, casting off all her prior sins. Once again, the efficacy of the Cecil B. DeMille formula is proven: redemption has no dramatic value unless the film shows viewers why the sinner needs to be redeemed. Once he's gotten his box-office considerations out of the way, DeMille adheres faithfully to the particulars of Jesus' life, betrayal, trial, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. (Again, however, the director improves a bit upon his source material: the storm that follows the Crucifixion is of the same spectacular dimensions as the parting of the Red Sea in Ten Commandments, while the Resurrection is filmed in vibrant Technicolor). To back up the authenticity of his images, DeMille -- with an assist from scenarist Jeannie Macpherson -- utilizes Scriptural quotes in his subtitles. And to avoid any untoward publicity while filming, DeMille required all of his actors to sign legal documents preventing them from indulging in any sort of "sinful" activity; this meant that poor old H.B. Warner had to steer clear of alcoholic beverages for nearly a year, though he more than made up for lost time after his contract ran out. Prepared to mercilessly lambaste The King of Kings, DeMille's critics were disarmed by his reverent, tasteful approach to the subject. Years after the film's release, a specially prepared 60-minute version of the 18-reel King of Kings was making the rounds of religious groups, church basements, and Easter-weekend telecasts. The film was remade in 1961 by producer Samuel Bronston and director Nicholas Ray, with Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- H.B. Warner, Dorothy Cumming, (more)
- 1927
Former D.W. Griffith cameraman Karl Brown held the directorial reins for His Dog. Joseph Schildkraut stars as a roughneck gardener who squanders his monthly pay at the local tavern. While weaving his way home one night, Schildkraut rescues a wounded collie then takes the dog home with him, despite the protestations of his daughter, who is deathly afraid of all animals. Dog and master become inseparable companions, but the friendship is sorely threatened on the inevitable day that Schildkraut must choose between his beloved pet and his equally beloved liquor. He chooses the dog, who ultimately proves his true worth by rescuing Schildkraut's daughter from a reckless driver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Schildkraut, Julia Faye, (more)
