Frank Ellis Movies
Snake-eyed, mustachioed character actor Frank Ellis seldom rose above the "member of the posse" status in "B" westerns. Once in a while, he was allowed to say things like "Now here's my plan" and "Let's get outta here," but generally he stood by waiting for the Big Boss (usually someone like Harry Woods or Wheeler Oakman) to do his thinking for him. Ellis reportedly began making films around 1920; he remained in the business at least until the 1954 Allan Dwan-directed western Silver Lode. Frank Ellis has been erroneously credited with several policeman roles in the films of Laurel and Hardy, due to his resemblance to another bit player named Charles McMurphy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1926
Returning to the old homestead, shell-shocked war veteran Wally Marsh (Wally Wales) is tricked into breaking the law by an unscrupulous villain (William Dunn) in this action-packed silent western written by the prolific Betty Burbridge from a story by genre specialist L.V. Jefferson. Penny-pinching Poverty Row entrepreneur Lester F. Scott, Jr. produced scores of minor oaters like this, all of them geared toward small-town movie theaters where also-ran western heroes such as Wales, Buffalo Bill, Jr. and Buddy Roosevelt were heartily applauded by especially the small fry. If nothing else, an audience could always count on action and picturesque locations in a western produced by Scott's Action Pictures. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1926
Mistaken for a missing heir, cowboy Wally Wales becomes the focal point in a bitter range feud. This well-made little silent western was produced at Fallbrook, California by genre specialist Lester F. Scott, Jr., whose Action Pictures supplied rural theaters with a seemingly endless string of economical westerns starring the likes of Wales, Buddy Roosevelt and Buffalo Bill, Jr. Scott's first western star, Wales was in reality Floyd T. Alperson of Sheridan, Wyoming, a former stage driver. The name "Wally Wales" was chosen by Scott in honor of the Prince of Wales, the British heir apparent. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1925
In one of his better efforts, silent screen cowboy Bill Cody plays Larry O'Donnell, the "Sheriff" of the title, who comes between the Wolf Pack gang and a train loaded with valuable platinum. Sheriff O'Donnell gets conked on the head for his efforts, awakening after a while with the obligatory: "Who am I?" Jeff Bains (Frank Ellis), the leader of the Wolf Pack gang, conveniently accuses O'Donnell of being the brains behind the robbery, convincing the entire town of their sheriff's guilt. But O'Donnell has the proof of Bains' complicity and with the assistance of the pretty and resourceful post mistress (Hazel Holt), manages to capture the gang and unmask the real gang leader. If nothing else, this minor Western entry provided a rare leading role for the grim-looking Frank Ellis, a grim-looking bit part player who usually played unnamed henchmen. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Cody, Frank Ellis, (more)
- 1923
Producer-director-star Leo Maloney spared every expense in putting together this very minor western offering about a Texas Ranger (Maloney) tracking down a young man (Chet Ryan) accused of murder. The youngster's father, (Milton Brown), an ex-officer in the Confederate Army, runs the town of King City Judge Roy Bean-style and is all set to hang his own son when the ranger arrives with the real killer. The old man repents and allows the ranger to wed his daughter (Josephine Hill). Maloney shared directorial duties this time with Bob Williamson, offering plenty of footage to a clever pooch, Beans, who played the murdered man's faithful companion. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Maloney, Horace B. Carpenter, (more)
- 1920
Universal's top serial queen, Grace Cunard was all set to start this sequel to the popular Elmo the Mighty (1919) when felled by illness. The beneficiary of Miss Cunard's misfortune was former comedienne Louise Lorraine, who thus embarked on a lucrative stint in serials that would garner her a faithful following through the 1920s. The male star, of course, was the screen's first Tarzan, Elmo Lincoln, whose popularity as the Jungle King had earned him title billing. Playing the Stranger, a young adventurer, Elmo is shanghaied by Checko the Crimp (V.L. Barnes) and forced to work in a Northwoods lumber camp. Capitalist Robert Stillwell (William Chapman), meanwhile, has in his possession the proof of a murder actually committed by his own attorney (Roy Watson), who will stop at nothing to prevent disclosure. Stillwell's daughter, Edith (Lorraine), is kidnapped and it is up to Elmo to not only free the damsel in distress but quell a mutiny onboard a vessel bound for a secret gold mine. Needless to say, everything is worked out by the 18th and final chapter, "The Fateful Letter." Elmo the Fearless was produced by the Stern brothers, Abe and Julius, relatives of Universal founder Carl Laemmle, and directed by J.P. McGowan, an old hand at this sort of thing. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
