Virginia Brown Faire Movies
Brooklyn-born Virginia Brown Faire was whisked to Hollywood in 1919 as the winner of Motion Picture Classic magazine's Fame and Fortune Contest. Faire spent the next decade playing fragile heroines and the occasional vamp. Her most fondly remembered silent-screen role was Tinker Bell in the 1924 adaptation of Barrie's Peter Pan. Though she made a successful talkie debut in Frank Capra's The Donovan Affair (1929), Faire's best years were behind her, and she spent the remainder of her career in low-budget crime melodramas and westerns. Virginia Brown Faire was married to actor Jack Daugherty, and later to producer Howard Weine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1923
Edison Marshall's 1922 novel about prospectors in Northern Canada, The Skyline of Spruce, came to the screen the following year courtesy of Universal. Veteran action star William Desmond played "Wolf" Darby, who -- with his father "Pancake" (James O. Barrows) -- is prospecting in Canada when he is enlisted in the war. Wolf returns as a hero but finds his father killed by a gang of claim jumpers that included Jeffrey Neilson (William Welsh), the father of his girlfriend, Beatrice (Virginia Brown Faire). To get revenge, Wolf kidnaps Beatrice only to discover that her father was innocent in the slaying. With his faithful dog, King (Rin-Tin-Tin in his third film appearance), Wolf is able to track down the real culprit, nasty Ray Brent (Fred Kohler). A 1923 WAMPAS Baby Star, Faire is perhaps best remembered for playing Tinker Bell in Peter Pan (1924). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1923
Brothers Wallace and Noah Beery star together in this awkward melodrama. Wallace Beery -- who was known at the time for his villainous roles -- was miscast as the romantic hero, William McCabe, who saves the life of ship captain Shark Moran (Noah Beery). Moran returns the favor when he finds McCabe about to commit suicide. He takes McCabe onto his lightship, where he hints at past misfortune. But as McCabe comes out of his misery, he begins a romance with Ann Reynolds (Virgina Browne Faire), whose father is captain of the supply vessel. After a ferocious storm, Moran finds a woman in a rowboat (Arline Pretty) and rescues her. Only after he has become interested in her is it discovered that she is Helda, the wife of McCabe. This turn of events threatens the friendship between the two men, but it turns out that Helda has already obtained a divorce. McCabe remains loyal to Moran and decides to focus his attention on Ann. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Noah Beery, Sr., Wallace Beery, (more)
- 1922
aka The Count of Monte Cristo Much of John Gilbert's early work as a leading man was done at the Fox Studios. He made nineteen pictures for the company, but only two are still in existence -- this adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel, and 1923's Cameo Kirby. As Edmond Danton, and later as the Count of Monte Cristo, Gilbert at times seems too mannered -- a habit that he would have to watch throughout his career. Danton is dragged away from his wedding feast with Countess Mercedes (Estelle Taylor) and falsely imprisoned in the Chateau d'If. He swears to wreak vengeance on those who wronged him, if he ever escapes. Eventually he is able to dig his way out, and with another prisoner, he goes to the island of Monte Cristo, where he finds an immense treasure. He returns home as the Count of Monte Cristo and, as he promised, proceeds to destroy all his enemies. Featured in a supporting role is Renee Adorée, who would star with Gilbert in several of his pictures, most notably The Big Parade. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Gilbert, Estelle Taylor, (more)
- 1922
This film about Omar Khayyam, author of The Rubaiyat, was adapted from the stage play by Richard Walton Tully with mixed results. It shows Omar (Guy Bates Post, who also played the role on stage) as a student in love with Shireen (Virginia Brown Faire), the daughter of his teacher. The couple marry in secret, but the Shah (Noah Beery) has heard of Shireen's beauty and carries her off to his native land. When she turns down his advances, she is imprisoned. Shireen gives birth while she is locked up and the Shah orders that both she and the baby girl be thrown off a cliff. They are saved, and the child is handed over to Omar, but Shireen is sold into slavery. It takes seventeen years for Omar and Shireen to be reunited. During that time, their daughter grows up (to be played by Patsy Ruth Miller), and falls in love with a Christian slave. Those who bought tickets to this picture hoping for The Rubaiyat were disappointed, as only a few snatches of poetry appeared in the title cards. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Bates Post, Virginia Brown Faire, (more)
- 1922
A beautiful woman is imprisoned when she refuses to join a Shah's harem because she loves another. Shireen (Virginia Brown Faire) is thrown into solitary confinement and has a child in captivity fathered by Omar the tentmaker (Guy Bates Post). The Shah (Noah Beery) orders the Persian henchmen to throw both mother and child off a high cliff. The scheming Persians allow the child to be returned to Omar and throw a dummy off instead, and Shireen's life is spared but she is sold into slavery. Maurice B. Flynn play a Christian crusader, with perennial screen-villain Walter Long as the executioner. Watch for Boris Karloff as the holy man Imam Mowaffak. Patsy Ruth Miller plays Shireen as a young girl in this drama produced by Richard Walton Tully. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- 1921
It is said that every actor wants to play Shakespeare. Will Rogers would seem a likely exception to that rule, but here he is in this silent, taking a stab (albeit comic) at Romeo. Slim (Rogers), of course, begins as a cowpuncher but his boss switches from cattle to sheep, throwing him out of work. In addition his sweetheart, Lulu (Sylvia Breamer), says he should learn to be a real lover, like Douglas Fairbanks. So Slim decides to go work in motion pictures to discover how film folk make love. After he doubles for villains and heroes alike, Lulu changes her mind -- now she thinks Romeo and Juliet is the yardstick by which all lovers should be measured. So Slim obligingly gets his hands on a copy of the play and tries to read it. Naturally he falls asleep, but he dreams the story with himself and his girl in the title roles. When he awakes, however, he throws all technique out the window, grabs Lulu away from his rival (Raymond Hatton) and drags her off to the preache r. His show of force is what she wanted after all and the film ends happily. This was the final picture of Rogers' contract with the Goldwyn Studios. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Rogers, Sylvia Breamer, (more)
- 1921
Manly William Desmond stars in this virile, low-budget Western. When Bud McGraw (Desmond) returns from the Great War, he is bored with living on the ranch belonging to his father (Joseph J. Dowling). He leaves and heads south, where he applies for a job as a ranger at a border camp. When a group of border police start giving him a hard time, McGraw is compelled to fight it out with them. This proves to be a bonding experience for the men, and they become devoted to one another. McGraw runs into Peggy Hughes (Virginia Brown Faire), whom he had met when her hat blew off the observation car of a passing train. When Peggy is kidnapped by bandits, the guys ride into Mexico to rescue her. McGraw almost single-handedly takes care of the bad guys in a rousing climax. Need it be said that he winds up with Peggy? ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Desmond, Virginia Brown Faire, (more)
- 1921
John Holden, an English engineer living in Lahore, India, (Thomas Holding) sees pretty Ameera (Virginia Brown Faire) being mistreated by a money-lender (Otto Lederer). He rescues her and finds out that she and her mother (Evelyn Selbie) are very poor. It seems like the only way for them to keep from starving is for Ameera to marry a repugnant old native. Holden, who is enchanted by Ameera, offers to marry her himself and provide a large dowry to the mother. A native wedding ceremony is performed (with no minister present, hence the picture's title), and Ameera and her mother go to live with Holden. They are happy for six years, until their son, Tota (Philippe DeLacy), dies. Ameera is grief-stricken. Then, while Holden is away overseeing some railroad construction, cholera breaks out and Ameera is taken ill. Holden rushes home, but she dies, leaving the Englishman alone and broken-hearted. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia Brown Faire, Thomas Holding, (more)
- 1920
In this Universal programmer, Mountie Douglas MacLeod (William Buckley, not to be confused with conservative political commentator William F. Buckley, Jr.) has to decide between love and duty. His romance with Suzanne Foucharde (Virginia Faire) is threatened when her brother Jacques (Leonard Clapham) returns to town and kills a man during a card game. MacLeod is compelled to turn him in, thus earning his sweetheart's enmity. But apparently, the man killed by Jacques was quite an evil character, so MacLeod turns his back on him and lets him dash over the border. Another Mountie, however, takes a shot at Jacques and hits MacLeod instead. With the help of the forgiving Suzanne, he quickly recovers from his wound. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
