Billy Elmer Movies

Orson Welles' followup to Citizen Kane (1941) was utterly different from Kane in style and texture, but just as brilliant in its own way. Writer/director Welles does not appear on camera, but his voiceover narration superbly sets the stage for the movie's action, which fades in valentine fashion on Amberson Mansion, the most ostentatious dwelling in all of turn-of-century Indianapolis. Its mistress is the haughtily beautiful Isabel Amberson (Dolores Costello). When Isabel's beau, erstwhile inventor Eugene Morgan (Joseph Cotten), inadvertently humiliates her in public, she breaks off the relationship and marries colorless Wilbur Minafer (Donald Dillaway). The neighbors are certain that, since Isabel can't possibly love Wilbur, she will spoil her children rotten. As it turns out, she has one child, George Minafer (Tim Holt), and that one is enough as far as the rest of Indianapolis is concerned. There are those who live for the day that the arrogant, insufferable George will get his comeuppance. When George returns home from college, his mother and grandfather (Richard Bennett) hold a gala reception in his honor. Among the guests is the older-and-wiser Eugene, now a prosperous automobile manufacturer, and his pretty daughter Lucy (Anne Baxter). George takes to Lucy immediately, but can't warm up to Eugene, especially after learning from his uncle Jack Amberson (Ray Collins) and his maiden aunt Fanny (Agnes Moorehead) that Eugene and Isabel had once been sweethearts. After the death of Wilbur Minafer, the widowed Eugene feels emboldened enough to propose to Isabel again. This time she is willing, but the obstreperous George refuses to allow his mother to see Eugene. His imperious bullheadedness will lead to tragedy for all concerned--and, at long last, a chastened George Minafer will indeed receive his comeuppance. The film's real villain is not George but that old intangible bugaboo called "Progress." As the automobile age comes to fruition, the elegant, cloistered lifestyle of the Ambersons fades from view, finally disappearing altogether. This is superbly foreshadowed in the "winter outing" sequence (filmed in an L.A. icehouse) in which George's two-horse sleigh is abandoned in favor of Eugene's clunky horseless carriage. Welles evokes performances that his actors seldom (if ever) matched in later years; even the very limited Tim Holt is wholly believable-and even a bit pitiable-as the blinkered George Amberson Minafer. The current version, however, is but a pale shadow of Welles' original concept. Out of time and overbudget, the movie previewed badly and was eventually sliced down to an abrupt 88 minutes (by, among others, editor Robert Wise, who would go on to direct such films as West Side Story and The Sound of Music). Even though the film therefore must be regarded as a marred masterpiece, the remaining two-thirds of Welles' original concept is still a thrilling cinematic experience, especially whenever Agnes Moorehead is on the screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though Ginger Rogers' starring vehicles always turned a profit for RKO Radio, many filmgoers thought of Rogers only in terms of "Fred Astaire's partner." Others considered her a delightful comedienne, but no great shakes as a dramatic actress. Thus it was both a personal and professional triumph when Ms. Rogers walked home with an Oscar for her performance in Kitty Foyle. Based on Christopher Morley's Story of an American Girl, the film, told in flashback, relates the progress of working-girl Kitty Foyle (Ginger Rogers) as she pursues her Cinderella dreams. While employed at a department store, Kitty is wooed by Dennis Morgan, scion of a wealthy Philadelphia family. She flirts with the notion of marrying Morgan for his money, but decides that he's a bit too weak-willed for her tastes. Kitty enters into a romance with poor-but-dedicated doctor James Craig, then does an about-face by accepting Morgan's proposal. She quickly runs afoul of Morgan's snobbish family, who are so tightly bound by centuries-old tradition that Kitty is moved to exclaim "You mean to say you let all those dead people tell you what do?" She walks out on Morgan, then discovers that she's pregnant. Even after the trauma of delivering a stillborn child, Kitty is too proud to go back to Morgan. When true-blue Craig comes back into her life, Kitty, repeating her favorite phrase "By Judas Priest!", decides to forego money for love. Though successful to the tune of an $860,000 profit in 1940, Kitty Foyle seems stilted and over-rehearsed when seen today, save for the refreshing spontaneity of Ginger Rogers' performance. The film's best scene is the opening montage of the American Woman's "progress" once she enters the workplace (an uncredited Heather Angel is the central character in this delightful pantomimic vignette). Featured in the cast of Kitty Foyle is director Sam Wood's daughter Katherine Stevens, better known as K.T. Stevens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Two popular genres converged in this enjoyable silent Western: the boxing melodrama and the sagebrush romance. Frank Merrill starred as a former boxer visiting his family's Western ranch. When a crooked politician (Dick Sutherland) attempts to discredit Merrill's uncle (Milburn Morante), the onetime pugilist gets a chance to strut his stuff once again. Produced by a minor firm called Hercules Productions and distributed by poverty row entrepreneur Bud Barsky, Battling Mason played the hinterlands only. Hercules' only star, the muscular Frank Merrill, is best remembered for portraying Tarzan twice, in the serials Tarzan the Mighty (1918) and Tarzan the Tiger (1919). The former stunt-man had earlier played an Arab in The Adventures of Tarzan (1921). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Director Lynn F. Reynolds, Western star Tom Mix, and cameraman Benjamin Kline travelled to San Francisco for this average Mix oater based on a story by William McLeod Raine. Mix played Larry McBride, a cowboy who, according to the film's press-book, "goes to city, dresses up to date and gets into thrilling and humorous adventures." Most of these "thrilling and humorous adventures" centered on Ora Carew, whom Mix saves from both a rattlesnake and a wild steer. Veteran sagebrush comic Gilbert "Pee Wee" Holmes was along for the ride, but his humorous antics were a definite matter of taste. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Paramount's silent matinee idol Wallace Reid plays John Craig, a struggling young contractor who falls into a crooked business scheme. A trio of unsavory partners on the verge of dissolving their company have hired him for a job, assuming that he will fail -- but of course they don't realize that any character played by Reid is going to be loaded with fresh American ingenuity. He undertakes the project with all his brains and throws his brawn into the picture when it's needed too. Not only is Craig's undertaking massively successful, making far more money than anyone ever expected, he also lands a wealthy wife (Nina Byron). ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

One of the great stars of the early silent era, Charles Ray, starred in this mild oater about an Eastern wastrel taking a job on a Western ranch. There are a couple of ruffians to take care of and a pretty girl (Doris Lee) to romance for the youngster, who, in accordance with Hollywood rules, quickly proves his manhood and true worth. Largely forgotten today, Ray excelled in playing bashful hicks who overcome all odds to win the girl. Stardom, unfortunately, went to his head. When producer Thomas Ince refused to go along with Ray's increasing demands, the young star went out on his own, crash landing with an unsuccessful version of Longfellow's The Courtship of Miles Standish (1922). Once a top box-office attraction, Charles Ray ended his career in bit parts and walk-ons. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

We Can't Have Everything was at once a typical Cecil B. DeMille marital comedy and also a satire of the whole genre. Aware that her wealthy husband Peter (Thurston Hall) is cheating on her, socialite Charity Cheever (Kathlyn Williams) nonetheless remains faithful to him, spurning the affections of her former suitor Jim Dyckman (Elliot Dexter). Advised by Charity to find a "nice girl" for himself, Jim ignores her and goes ga-ga over mercenary movie starlet Kedzie Thropp (Wanda Hawley). Meanwhile, Charity finally divorces her husband, only to discover that Jim is now beyond her reach. Fortunately for Charity, Kedzie grows weary of her marriage to Jim and sets her sights for a British nobleman (Raymond Hatton). Kedzie sues Jim for divorce, citing Charity as co-respondent. The result is a happy ending for Charity and Jim, and a deliciously ironic denouement for the scheming Kedzie. The highlight of We Can't Have Everything was the scene in which Kedzie's movie studio catches fire, an episode reportedly inspired by a real-life blaze which occurred on the Paramount lot. Also worth noting was the performance of Tully Marshall as a pompous movie director -- a sly takeoff of the film's actual director, C.B. DeMille. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Played by Raymond Hatton, the "Firefly of France" is an elusive master criminal of uncertain loyalties. When the Firefly disappears from view with a satchel of important government documents in his possession, his sister Esme Falconer (Ann Little) is suspected of beings in cahoots with him. Dashing aviator Devereaux Bayne (Wallace Reid) believes in Esme's innocence and accordingly dons civilian garb and heads to Paris' Latin Quarter to get the low-down on the Firefly's whereabouts. The final scene finds Bayne, armed with a machine gun and a seemingly limitless supply of ammo, single-handedly holding off a battalion of Germans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Heiress Helen Ainsworth (Myrtle Stedman) is interested in prison reform; Norman Morris (William Conklin), who administrates the Ainsworth estate, is interested in getting his hands on the Ainsworth fortune. He also deals drugs to inmates every time he visits the prison with the innocent Helen. One of the prisoners is called Conroy, but he is, in reality, Huntington Babbs (Wallace Reid), who has been hired by the governor to do prison research from within. Helen meets him on one of her visits and, as unaware of his identity as she is of Morris's illicit activities, promises him work upon his release. Morris schemes with Helen's ex-convict maid Felice to frame Conroy/Babbs, and then to murder him. They set up a burglary at the Ainsworth home and make it look like Babbs did it. But several of Morris's accomplices come clean, and Felice, having been betrayed by Morris, shoots him dead. Babbs reveals his true identity and he and Helen wind up together. There's a certain irony to the drug-dealing angle of this film, as Wallace Reid tragically died six years later from drug addiction. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

A sweeping chronicle of the life and death of Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orlean, this epic stands as one of director Cecil B. DeMille's finest works and offers film buffs a fascinating look into the early years of one of Hollywood's greats. The story of the valiant French martyr is framed by the modern tale of a British soldier who, while fighting WW I, digs up a rusted 15th century sword. Soon afterward he falls asleep and begins dreaming that he is a soldier in Joan's army. With a cast of 1,400 extras, full-sized sets, spectacular battle scenes and hand-tinted prints, DeMille spared no expense with his epic and though the $300,000 seems paltry by today's filmmaking standards, it was a fortune in 1916. It was money well spent for Joan the Woman stand's times test as an exceptional example of the epic film. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The hoary old David Belasco stage operetta is given the full DeMille treatment in this classic silent western starring Mabel Van Buren as the saloon hostess who loses her heart to a notorious highwayman (House Peters). The Lasky Company's wonderful character man Theodore Roberts played sheriff Jack Rance, who loves the girl and instigates the climactic card game that will determine the fate of all three of them. If she wins, the girl's lover will go free; if she loses, she belongs to Rance. DeMille was called the Belasco of moving pictures, and the story was a natural for his flamboyant talent. It was also an enduring success, and there were three remakes: in 1923 (starring Sylvia Breamer), 1930 (starring a miscast Ann Harding) and, finally, the lavish 1938 musical starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

This Cecil B. DeMille picture (adapted from the novel by Eleanor M. Ingram) was the screen debut for French actress Rita Jolivet. Two brothers, Stefan and Michael Balsic (real-life acting brothers House Peters and Page Peters) are on opposite ends of the Montenegrin political spectrum. Stefan is loyal to the king, while the dissolute Michael is trying to start a revolution with the help of the secret agent of the Empire (Theodore Roberts). When he squanders the money needed by the revolutionaries, Michael decides to court Delight Warren (Jolivet), a New York heiress, and use her money. Delight naively falls for Michael and goes to Montenegro, but Stefan, who knows of the plot, kidnaps her and forces her to marry him. Even though Stefan treats her courteously, Delight continues to believe in Michael until he tries to have his brother poisoned. Since Michael still needs Delight's money, he kidnaps her, along with Danilo Lesendra, Stefan's right-hand man (Lewrence Peyton). He threatens to blind Lesendra unless Delight pays him off. She agrees, but Stefan arrives with his men. Michael kills himself in lieu of the disgrace he faces, and Stefan offers to let Delight return to America. Delight, however, prefers to stay in Montenegro with her husband. This picture also marked the screen debut of another actress in a bit part -- Marjorie Daw. She was said to be 14, but judging from photos, she was probably closer to 12. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Cecil B. DeMille's The Arab was based on the stage play by Edgar Selwyn, who plays the title role. The headstrong son of powerful sheik Horace B. Carpenter, Selwyn is punished for his foolish pride. The old shiek sells his son's favorite horse, which passes through many hands before ending up in the possession of pretty missionary Gertrude Robinson. Imperiously, Selwyn steals the horse from Robinson, forcing the poor girl to walk through the scorching desert sands. Eventually, he changes his ways, saving her and her father from a massacre. Though now in love with Robinson, Selwyn must reluctantly bid her farewell when he is forced to assume his late father's duties as shiek. Humorist Irvin S. Cobb appears briefly as a bumptuous American tourist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide