Fern Emmett Movies
Most of character actress Fern Emmett's early appearances were in westerns, where she played scores of maiden aunts, hillbilly wives, town spinsters, ranch owners and stagecoach passengers. When she moved into contemporary films, she was most often seen as a landlady or gossip. She enjoyed a rare breakaway from this established screen persona when she played a screaming murder victim in the 1943 Universal thriller Captive Wild Women. Seldom given more than a few lines in "A" features, Emmett was better-served in programmers and 2-reel comedies. Emmett so closely resembled "Wicked Witch of the West" Margaret Hamilton that some historians have lumped their credits together, even though Emmett began her film career in 1930, three years before Hamilton ever stepped before a camera. Fern Emmett was the wife of actor Henry Rocquemore. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1936
Mary Ellis, Paramount's answer to Columbia's Grace Moore, stars in the title role in this musical melodrama/whodunit. When her fiancé dies under mysterious circumstances, neophyte opera diva Mary Stuart (Ellis) flees to South America, assumes a new identity, and obtains a position with a local opera company. Although promising her new boss, Glinka (Guy Bates Post), to concentrate wholly on her art, Mary, now Maria, spends most of her energy rebuffing several lovesick gentlemen, including Philip Roberts (Norman Foster), whose uptight brother, David (Walter Pidgeon), at first dismisses her as a sordid femme fatale. Another marriage proposal leads to another murder and David finally begins to see a connection. While not fending off would-be suitors, Mary Ellis performs selections from the operas Isabelle and Bad Masque. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Ellis, Walter Pidgeon, (more)
In this comedy, an amnesiac takes off with a young woman. This causes the woman's father to hire a detective to find them. Real mayhem ensues when a nightclub owner/gangster gets involved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Pryor, Wendy Barrie, (more)
- 1936
Scoutmaster Elmer Brown (Buster Keaton) loses his heart to the pretty carhop (Lona Andre) who works in a drive-in diner. Complicating his romantic longings is her policeman fiancé (Harold Goodwin). When he tries to eliminate Elmer by giving him traffic tickets for every conceivable violation, the girl takes pity on the martyred Elmer and they drive off together. She informs him that she is also fending off another suitor, Oscar (Grant Withers); and to make matters worse, her father is backing the cop while her mother promotes Oscar. Eventually all three men wind up competing for her hand at a chaotic wedding ceremony that ends with Elmer winning his beloved. ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buster Keaton
- 1936
In this crime drama a high-school principal's principles are put to the test when he, also a member of a parole board, is given the ultimate power to decide whether his son, a brutal criminal is to be paroled. The others do not know about the inmate's relationship to their colleague and the son tries to use this to his advantage. Sure enough his blackmail works and the heartless crook is freed to go on an unparalleled crime spree with his moll until his father comes forth and gives him final justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Gleason, Bruce Cabot, (more)
The sixth of RKO's Fred Astaire -Ginger Rogers pairings of the 1930s, Swing Time starts off with bandleader Astaire getting cold feet on his wedding day. Astaire's bride-to-be Betty Furness will give him a second chance, providing he proves himself responsible enough to earn $25,000. Astaire naturally tries to avoid earning that amount once he falls in love with dance instructor Ginger Rogers. Numerous complications ensue, leading to the "second time's the charm" climax, with Ginger escaping her own wedding to wealthy Georges Metaxa in order to be reunited with Astaire. The film's most indelible image is that of Fred Astaire, immaculately attired in top hat and tails, hopping a freight car--a perfect encapsulation of the film's Depression-era cheekiness. The Jerome Kern-Dorothy Fields score includes such standards-to-be as "Pick Yourself Up," "A Fine Romance," "The Way You Look Tonight," "Never Gonna Dance" and "Bojangles of Harlem." The peerless supporting cast of Swing Time includes Helen Broderick, Victor Moore, Eric Blore, and Landers Stevens, the actor-father of the film's director, George Stevens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, (more)
Paramount's first outdoor Technicolor feature, Trail of the Lonesome Pine was the third film version of John Fox Jr.'s novel. Inspired by the Hatfield-McCoy feud, the story is set in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. Outsider Fred MacMurray arrives to clear the path for a new railroad. Mountain girl Sylvia Sidney falls in love with MacMurray, which incurs the enmity of Sidney's boyfriend Henry Fonda. It also plunks MacMurray in the middle of a long-standing feud between Sidney's family and another mountain clan. Hostilities alternately erupt and simmer until Sidney's youngest brother (Spanky McFarland) is killed by a feud-inspired dynamite blast. This tragic incident brings virtually everyone to their senses, and the feud is finally buried. Better in its individual setpieces than as a unified whole, Trail of the Lonesome Pine is still a worthwhile experience, especially when a pristine three-strip Technicolor print is available. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Sidney, Henry Fonda, (more)
- 1935
After a burst of creativity in 1933 and 1934, independent Majestic Pictures had settled into the usual "B"-picture rut by 1935. One of the last Majestic efforts was Motive for Revenge, starring Donald Cook as hapless bank teller Barry Webster. Plagued by a domineering mother-in-law (Doris Lloyd), Webster impulsively steals bank funds so that he may properly support his wife Muriel (Irene Hervey). It isn't long before the Law catches up with Webster, and soon he's doing hard time in prison. Holding his mother-in-law responsible for his present sorry state, our anti-hero plots a terrible revenge -- but is he too nice a guy to go through with it? Most of the prison scenes in Motive for Revenge were culled from stock footage, which only served to emphasize the overall cheapness of the whole enterprise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Cook, Irene Hervey, (more)
- 1935
Socialite Pat Reynolds (Ida Lupino) is forced to become the "smart girl" of the title when her wealthy father commits suicide, leaving nothing but a pile of debts. Pat sets up a successful hat-designing business, providing the sole support for herself and her sister Kay (Gail Patrick). So devoted is Pat to Kay's welfare that she stands by in stoic silence as Kay begins romancing Pat's sweetie Nick Graham (Kent Taylor). But a quick glance at the billing order of the stars should be indication enough as to which sister ends up with Nick at the fade-out. Comedy relief is provided in ample doses by old-timer Joseph Cawthorn and bespectacled crooner Pinky Tomlin, cast as father-and-son haberdashers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ida Lupino, Kent Taylor, (more)
- 1935
With a 45-minute running time, or thereabouts, Texas Terror was John Wayne's shortest Lone Star/Monogram Western and far from his best. Believing has accidentally killed his best friend (Frank Ball), the sheriff (Wayne) hands over his badge to George "Gabby" Hayes and retreats to the high country. En route to take over her murdered father's ranch, Beth Matthews (Lucille Browne) is witness to a stage robbery (a typical modern Western, the "stage" in Texas Terror is a Ford T touring car). An unshaven, dirty-looking Wayne comes to her rescue, but she thinks he is part of the gang. Vaguely recognizing his voice but nothing else, Beth later hires the now cleaned-up former sheriff as her new foreman and they quickly fall in love. But during a dance, Joe Dickson (LeRoy Mason), the incognito leader of the stage robbers, informs the girl that Wayne is the man thought to have killed her father. Wayne soon learns of Dickson's own culpability in the killing and summons an entire tribe of Indians to help capture him. The typical Hollywood Indians in this film all speak in broken English, Chief Black Eagle actually saying "Ugh!" on one occasion, an incongruous moment in a Western where the heroine arrives in an automobile. Intentional comedy relief is provided by Fern Emmett, a sort of poor man's Margaret Hamilton, and veteran slapstick comedian Jack Duffy, both of whom engage in a supposedly hilarious milking contest. The climactic chase sequence is rather heavily padded with stock footage from the silent era and Yakima Canutt is spotted quite clearly doubling for Wayne. As always, veteran director Robert North Bradbury has a great eye for composition (the film seems to have been shot on locations in the Sierras), but his handling of actors leaves much to be desired. Tight-lipped LeRoy Mason delivers Texas Terror's only solid performance as the villain. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Lucille Brown, (more)
- 1935
Buster Keaton is on the lam from the law in this Educational two-reeler. He attempts to elope with his fiancée (Dorothea Kent), but they escape her parents by driving off in a car that's actually owned by a wanted gangster. When they hear on the radio that the police are looking for them, they dump the car and hide out near a farmhouse. But the farmer's radio also broadcasts the couple's description, so they run away and start hitchhiking, only to be picked up by two policemen. They manage to flee into a railroad yard and hop a train that turns out to be refrigerated. Finally they decide to turn themselves in -- just as they learn that the real crooks have been apprehended. ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buster Keaton, Dorothea Kent, (more)
- 1935
Two rich and wealthy millionaires who have a lot of money bet that reporter Robert Pryor can't spend $720,000 in twelve hours. If you're asking "Why $720,000?", the answer is: because this Republic programmer is titled $1000 a Minute . Anyway, a couple of cops spot Pryor flashing a roll of bills, and deduce that he's the bank robber they're looking for. For the rest of the film, Pryor must race around to spend his money, while remaining two steps ahead of the Law. The supporting actors in $1000 a Minute are delightfully cast to type, from Edgar Kennedy as a detective to Sterling Holloway as a helpful cabbie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Pryor, Leila Hyams, (more)
- 1935
Though filmed on a tight budget, Universal's Trail Drive has the size and scope of a silent western epic, proof positive of the production acumen of star Ken Maynard. The story concerns (what else) a cattle drive, with Maynard cast as head drover. The villains will stop at nothing to prevent our hero from completing his task, and this includes strapping Maynard to the door of cabin directly in the path of a cattle stampede. He manages to escape this peril in a manner that can conservatively be described as unbelievable. The script for Trail Drive is credited to director Alan James, but one suspects that much of it was improvised by Maynard, whose penchant for bizarre ad-libs was unmatched in Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Maynard, Cecilia Parker, (more)
- 1935
A young John Wayne is charged with building a road into the title valley in this routine Western from Monogram. The building project, however, is constantly interrupted by LeRoy Mason and his gang who wants the valley in general and its rich mines in particular free from outside interference. Wayne, who is aided in his quest by grizzled old mail carrier George Hayes (who had yet to earn his famous nickname of "Gabby"), manages not only to build the road but also capture the nasty Mason, a rival for the affections of bleach blonde postmistress Lucile Browne, and his cohort, paroled convict Buffalo Bill Jr. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, LeRoy Mason, (more)
- 1935
Gene Autry's second starring western for Republic was the well-named Melody Trail. Unlike Autry's inaugural vehicle Tumbling Tumbleweeds, which offered an equal blend of action and music, this second effort is virtually all music, with occasional comedy relief from Smiley Burnette. The story finally takes flight when a baby left in Gene's care is kidnapped, and travelling gypsy Frantz (Willy Castello) is suspected. All turns out okay, albeit with a minimum of fisticuffs and gunplay. The film's mass-wedding finale (an intriguing precursor to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) features several lovely starlets who figure significantly in the storyline, the most prominent of whom is 18-year-old Ann Rutherford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
That deadly demon weed, marijuana, is the subject of this campy exploitation film from the mid-'30s. It is set in a small town and follows the exploits of a group of decadent teen-aged potheads who go one toke over the line and start causing serious trouble. To expose their hedonistic ways, an investigative journalist masquerades as a fountaineer and befriends one particularly troubled young girl and also helps her escape the horrors of her terrifying addiction. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A ranch hand seeking to clear his father's name ventures into the territory of a fearsome outlaw in this B-Western starring genre stalwart Tom Tyler. Upon receiving word that his father has been charged with murder in Cheyenne, ranch hand Tom Lansing (Tyler) heads for home where his father is awaiting trial. Believing his father's claim that local criminal Butcher Wells was the man truly responsible for the murder, Tom throws caution to the wind and makes way for Wells' hideout in the ghost town of Twin Rock Canyon in search of the confession that will save his father's life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1934
A pretty Mexican dancer, Tina Menard, is actually the lead character in this low-budget Western ostensibly starring Jack Perrin. Jack Fenrod (Perrin) and his grizzled sidekick Amos (Frank Rice) are on the trail of a gang of smugglers when they save Lolita Carlos (Menard) from a runaway carriage. Lolita dances in the Casa de Oro Saloon owned by Meeker (William Gould), the leader of the smugglers. Jack is accused of horse-thievery by local rancher Don Carlos (Elias Lazaroff), Lolita's father, but that is only a ruse to lure Meeker into a false sense of security. With the help of a lovesick flower girl (Rosemary Joy) and an equally amorous cook (Fern Emmett) -- both pursuing Amos -- the Meeker gang is finally brought to justice. Amazingly, Menard, a Mexican-born actress, continued working in films until at least 1981, usually playing maids. She died in 1993 at the age of 88. Loser's End was the second of six Jack Perrin Westerns produced by small-scale Reliable Pictures from 1934-1935. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Adapted from a Zane Grey story, Wagon Wheels is a remake of the 1931 Gary Cooper starrer Fighting Caravans. Randolph Scott assumes Cooper's role, playing a trail guide named Clint Belmet. The plot follows the progress of a typical wagon train journey from Missouri to Oregon, with the usual quote of Indian attacks and outlaw treachery. Murdock (Monte Blue), the main villain, foments trouble between the whites and Indians on behalf of a carter of foreign fur traders, adding a bit of international intrigue to the proceeding. Gail Patrick, still in her "ingenue" period, portrays the heroine along more intelligent and self-reliant lines than usual. Generous amounts of stock footage from Fighting Caravans were liberally sprinkled throughout the 57-minute time span of Wagon Wheels. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Gail Patrick, (more)
- 1934
In the final of seven "Bud'n Ben" Western short subjects, Jack Perrin was replaced by Denny Meadows as Bud while Ben Corbett once again played Ben. The two friends this time come to the aid of Jayne Regan, who is in trouble with cattle rustler Franklyn Farnum. Producer Bernard B. Ray also directed Bennett Cohen's commonplace script and the 30 minute short featured Fern Emmett, Jimmy Aubrey, Philo McCullough, and Merrill McCormack. Leading man Denny Meadows later changed his name to Dennis Moore. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1933
This drama, set within a boarding house, centers around a pregnant show girl abandoned by her boyfriend, a married man who conveniently returns to his wife. The despairing young woman considers ending her life, but is talked out of it by an aged couple. They themselves end up committing suicide. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wallace Ford, Dorothy Tree, (more)
- 1933
- NR
In the first of his 16 Westerns for Monogram, John Wayne plays Singin' Sandy Saunders, a drifter who witnesses what he at first believes to be a stage robbery. In reality, the "road agent" is a girl, Fay Denton (Cecilia Parker), and she is "stealing" her own money in order to prevent a phony stage holdup further down the road. As Fay's father, Charlie "Dad" Denton (George Hayes), explains, the culprit behind a rash of pretend stage holdups committed by two bumbling drivers (Al St. John and Heinie Conklin) is James Kincaid (Forrest Taylor), who is also forcing the local farmers off their lands by demanding an outrageous price for his water. When Sandy appears on the horizon, Kincaid engages a notorious gunman, Slip Morgan (Earl Dwire), but Sandy disarms the bandit for good by shooting him through both wrists. Much to Fay's disgust, Kincaid quickly hires the newcomer, now known as "the most notorious outlaw since Billy the Kid," and Saunders suggests that they dynamite Dad Denton's well, the only other available source of water in the area. It is all a ruse, of course, and Sandy soon reveals himself to be a government agent in disguise. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Cecilia Parker, (more)
- 1933
Ken Maynard goes undercover to prove that his father (Horace B. Carpenter), a bank president, did not commit suicide but was murdered in this routine Western from low-budget KBS Productions. Returning to his hometown of Mesa to find his father's death pronounced a suicide, Cal Weston (Maynard) is reunited with old friend Joel Winters (James Marcus) and his daughter, Ruth (Muriel Gordon), both of whom believe in Ken's theory of murder. Investigating, Ken learns that the bank's vice-president, Martin Carter (Niles Welch), has been cooking the books with the help of town bully Burl Adams (Al Bridge). But when his true identity is discovered by one of the gang members (William Norton Bailey), Carter and Adams turn the tables on Ken, who is in grave danger of being lynched by an irate citizenry. Happily, a vigilante committee that includes town rowdies Nip (Edward Brady) and Tuck (Charles King) believes in his innocence and the true culprits are made to confess. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Maynard, Muriel Gordon, (more)
- 1933
A pet monkey saves the day in this otherwise unusually adult Bob Steele Western. The bantam-weight Steele plays Nick, aka "the Kid," a sort of prairie Robin Hood planning to return some jewels he stole from French performer Lola Montaine (Naomi Judge). Nick's partner-in-crime, Sheriff Jake Sharpe (Charles King), has other ideas, and the two are soon at loggerheads. After killing Lola in order to retrieve a confession he had signed in a moment of weakness, Jack blames the killing on Nick. Lola's pet monkey recovers the signed statement and hands it over to the upstanding deputy sheriff (Hank Bell). Chased by Nick, the fleeing Jake is killed falling from a cliff. Back in Grass Valley, Nick, now a hero, is free to continue romancing pretty postal worker Gail Winters (Helen Foster). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Foster, Harry Semels, (more)
- 1933
Reported to have cost a whopping $2 million, this musical was actually made for far less -- and looks it. But unlike She Done Him Wrong (1932), filmed simultaneously next door, Hello, Everybody! made nary a nickel. Both films starred newcomers, but unlike the irrepressible Mae West, hefty Kate Smith, of radio fame, was given very little opportunity to shine. Awarded script and casting approval, the radio star had chosen a Fannie Hurst tearjerker about a goodhearted but plump farm girl who finds solace in music while her boyfriend takes off with her svelte sister. Paramount, however, made the fatal mistake of casting Smith's real-life manager Ted Collins as her on-screen agent as well, and Collins' overbearing presence was of no help whatsoever to the nervous songbird. Adding insult to injury, Sally Blane, the nearly emaciated sister of equally svelte Loretta Young, played Smith's sibling, insuring that Kate's ungainly girth remained steadfastly in focus. A wardrobe consisting of matronly housedresses and an especially atrocious production number entitled &Pickanninnies' Heaven" put the final nail in the coffin. In the end, Hello, Everybody! proved enough of a loser for Kate Smith to stay away from feature films entirely until a brief cameo in the all-star wartime extravaganza This is the Army(1943). Mae West, meanwhile, considered the phrase "Hello, Everybody!" such a jinx that she reportedly prohibited anyone from using it in her presence! ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Smith, Randolph Scott, (more)
- 1933
Despite Shirley Temple's over-the-title billing, the real star of Dora's Dunkin' Doughnuts is Andy Clyde playing Andy Wilson, a small town teacher in love with Dora, the local baker. Dora calls him away from his class one day to let him know that she has created the perfect doughnut -- one that absorbs coffee when dunked and actually floats. Wilson thinks this could make Dora a fortune if she could only advertise it with a radio program. Dora says that would be expensive and they would need a full program of entertainment, as well. Wilson provides the entertainment via his talented class of children and Dora puts up all of her savings to buy the air time, and off Wilson and the kids go to the big city. Things start off well with a song about Dora's doughnuts, but Wilson gets aggravated when little Shirley (Shirley Temple) sneaks on the air and recites a couple of poems. A trio of tap dancing boys perform well, but their act is broken up when their mothers begin arguing very loudly and fighting with the manager of the station. Wilson tries to get back on track with a recitation of Little Red Riding Hood, but Shirley again interferes. Then the women start arguing again and a fight ensues that brings the program to an abrupt end. Wilson returns home dejected, worried that he has ruined Dora -- but it turns out that the disastrous program was a hit with the audience! ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
