Bess Flowers Movies
The faces of most movie extras are unmemorable blurs in the public's memory. Not so the elegant, statuesque Bess Flowers, who was crowned by appreciative film buffs as "Queen of the Hollywood Dress Extras." After studying drama (against her father's wishes) at the Carnegie Inst of Technology, Flowers intended to head to New York, but at the last moment opted for Hollywood. She made her first film in 1922, subsequently appearing prominently in such productions as Hollywood (1922) and Chaplin's Woman of Paris (1923). Too tall for most leading men, Flowers found her true niche as a supporting actress. By the time talkies came around, Flowers was mostly playing bits in features, though her roles were more sizeable in two-reel comedies; she was a special favorite of popular short-subject star Charley Chase. Major directors like Frank Lloyd always found work for Flowers because of her elegant bearing and her luminescent gift for making the people around her look good. While generally an extra, Flowers enjoyed substantial roles in such films as Frank Capra's It Happened One Night (1934), Gregory La Cava's Private Worlds and Leo McCarey's The Awful Truth (1937). In 1947's Song of the Thin Man, the usually unheralded Flowers was afforded screen billing. Her fans particularly cherish Flowers' bit as a well-wisher in All About Eve (1950), in which she breaks her customary screen silence to utter "I'm so happy for you, Eve." Flowers was married twice, first to Cecil B. DeMille's legendary "right hand man" Cullen Tate, then to Columbia studio manager William S. Holman. After her retirement, Bess Flowers made one last on-camera appearance in 1974 when she was interviewed by NBC's Tom Snyder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1932
Based on a story by Robert Andrews, If I Had a Million is a multipart comedy-drama employing Paramount's top directorial and acting talents. Refusing to leave his fortune to his grasping relatives, dying millionaire Richard Bennett selects several people at random from the phone book and bestows upon each of them a check for one million dollars. The first recipient is henpecked husband Charlie Ruggles, who cheerily enters his former place of employment, a china shop, and smashes every bit of crockery in the place. Prostitute Wynne Gibson uses her money to escape from her sordid lifestyle and finally sleep in a bed all by herself. Forger George Raft finds that he can't convince anyone that his check is genuine, and ends up handing the check to a flophouse manager--who promptly burns it. Husband and wife W.C. Fields and Alison Skipworth, dismayed that their new car has been destroyed by a "road hog," utilize part of their million dollars to purchase a fleet of cars and then smash up every road hog in sight! Convicted murderer Gene Raymond hopes that his million will help finance a new trial, but the execution is carried out on schedule. Newly rich clerk Charles Laughton calmly makes his way through a series of offices, reaches his boss' desk, and delivers a loud Bronx cheer. Gary Cooper, Roscoe Karns and Jack Oakie play three brawling marines who think the check's a joke and sign it over to an illiterate lunch-counter owner. The last million-dollar recipient is May Robson, an elderly woman confined to a dismal nursing home. She spends her money to turn the home into a joyful resort for old people, forcing the formerly repressive nursing-home staffers to earn their paychecks by sitting all day in rocking chairs. The millionaire who started the plot rolling is given a new lease on life by May Robson's example, and he recovers from his "fatal" illness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Charles Laughton, (more)
- 1932
Defense attorney Forrest Stanley insists upon hiring himself out to gangsters, much to the dismay of his wife Dorothy Revier. She walks out on Stanley, whereupon he goes into a personal and professional slump. Our hero is given a new lease on life when he adopts orphan Mickey McGuire (later known as Mickey Rooney), only to be plunged into the depths of despair again when the boy is killed in the crossfire of a mob shootout. Immediately switching gears, Stanley becomes a crusading prosecutor, sending his former criminal clients to the pen -- and wining back the love of Revier in the process. Sin's Payday is among the first films in which a criminal's recorded confession is entered into evidence -- and never mind the questionable circumstances through which the confession is obtained! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Forrest Stanley, Harry Semels, (more)
- 1931
In this Academy Award-winning film, Stephen Ashe (Lionel Barrymore) is a hotshot Californian lawyer from a well-to-do family, whose main failing is his indulgence in alcohol. After winning a case for mobster Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable), Stephen brings his client along to a party at his parents' house for a little celebrating. However, when they arrive at their destination, Ace manages to steal the heart of Stephen's wild daughter, Jan (Norma Shearer), and the two run off together, much to the family's dismay. Stephen struggles to win his foolhardy daughter back from the clutches of her lowlife boyfriend, as she defies her father at every turn. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, (more)
- 1931
A typical pre-code era comedy, Bachelor Apartment was the creation of its leading man, silent screen matinee-idol Lowell Sherman. He plays Wayne Carter, a Park Avenue roué, whose dalliances with a series of women are beginning to catch up with him. Enter a brunette and rather drab Irene Dunne searching for her wayward sister (Claudia Dell). Sherman falls like a ton of bricks for the no-nonsense and seemingly unresponsive Dunne, whom he hires as his executive secretary. For unexplained reasons, Dunne falls in love with her whimsical boss as well and after Sherman shows signs of shaping up, they embrace for a happy ending. Daring in its day, Bachelor Apartment is not really worth a second look except for a next-to-final glimpse of silent screen femme fatale Mae Murray. Playing Sherman's most ardent conquest -- who, as the suave playboy explains, "might commit a sin but never a faux pas" -- Murray has to be seen to be believed. Valiantly attempting to display her trademark bee-stung countenance while at the same time deliver a series of hoary lines, the still svelte Murray -- who is introduced to the strains of an ersatz Merry Widow Waltz lest we forgot -- offers an overripe performance that all but ended her screen career. Sherman used her once more -- in High Stakes, another frothy comedy -- but the aging Murray was obviously not talkie material. Bachelor Apartment offers a glimpse of yet another faded silent screen star, the mustachioed Norman Kerry of Phantom of the Opera fame, here playing the minor role of a theatrical wolf. Like Murray (and Lowell Sherman himself), Kerry's looks and mannerisms belonged to a bygone era. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lowell Sherman, Irene Dunne, (more)
- 1931
Ten cents a dance, that's what they pay her -- "her" being downtrodden taxi dancer Barbara (Barbara Stanwyck). The only thing Barbara sells is her time, or at least that's the story she gives her jellyfish husband Eddie (Monroe Owsley). But when wealthy Carlton (Ricardo Cortez) starts making goo-goo eyes at Barbara, Eddie accuses his wife of infidelity. This, in Eddie's mind, provides him with an adequate excuse to steal money from Carlton, which action leads to the no-good husband's downfall. Barbara's fate is more merciful: she ends up with Carlton, with whom she has fallen in love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Stanwyck, Ricardo Cortez, (more)
- 1931
Norma Shearer stars in this pre-Code melodrama as Lisbeth Corbin, who is in love with Alan (Neil Hamilton), a globe-trotting newspaper reporter, but also strings along Steve (Robert Montgomery), a well-mannered local boy who is good friends with Lisbeth, even though she doesn't love him. When Alan is sent to Mexico to cover a story, love-struck Lisbeth goes with him, but when he's next sent to China, Alan leaves Lisbeth behind. Heartbroken, she heads for Europe, where she tries to forget Alan with a series of short-term love affairs. Try as she might, Lisebth can't forget Alan, but when she returns home, lonely and desperate, she finally agrees to marry Steve. Alan picks this moment to return, but just as she's thrown over Steve for her true love, Alan learns of Lisbeth's escapades in Europe and breaks off the engagement, sending her to the brink of suicide. Keep an eye peeled for an early appearance by Ray Milland as one of Lisbeth's suitors. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Shearer, Robert Montgomery, (more)
- 1930
Poor but honest district attorney Fredric March, sick of the "one law for rich, one law for poor" imbalance, sentences selfish society girl Claudette Colbert to ten years in prison for vehicular manslaughter. The sentence is reduced to two years due to political pressure; nonetheless, Claudette feels humiliated by March and vows revenge. While incarcerated, the girl learns a few lessons in humility, and by the time she has completed her sentence she has become most popular and kindhearted inmate in the joint. Upon her release, Claudette seeks out March and declares her love for him. Based on a story by Alice Duer Miller, Manslaughter had been previously filmed by Cecil B. DeMille in 1922; the great director used the plotline as an excuse for an extended (and gloriously pointless) flashback to Ancient Rome. This 1930 talkie remake is infinitely more tasteful and restrained than the DeMille version--but not quite as much fun to watch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudette Colbert, Fredric March, (more)
- 1930
Lightnin' is based on the 1918 stage play by Winchell Smith and Frank Bacon, in which Bacon (the father of director Lloyd Bacon) had starred for years on Broadway and "the road." Will Rogers steps into the leading role as "Lightnin'" Bill Jones, the slow-moving husband of Mary Jones (Louise Dresser). Mr. and Mrs. Jones are co-owners of a hotel built right on the borderline between California and Nevada, used as the temporary home of divorcing wives so that they may pretend to be in the "California" half of the hotel while establishing residency in the "Nevada" half. Lightnin' befriends lawyer John Marvin (Joel McCrea), at present residing in the California half to avoid arrest on a trumped-charge. When Lightnin' refuses to sell his share of the hotel to a gang of stock crooks headed by Raymond Thomas (Jason Robards Sr.), Mary is coerced into divorcing her husband so that she can sign over the deed herself. In the semi-serious courtroom finale, Lightnin' not only convinces Mary that she's still in love with him but also manages to clear John Marvin's name. Director Henry King clearly exercised no control over Will Rogers, whose incessant ad-libbing, amusing though it is, slows the film to a crawl. Still, Lightnin' proved to be just as successful as any other Rogers talkie vehicle, proving that audiences came to see the star and not the story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Rogers, Louise Dresser, (more)
- 1929
Linda was the final silent directorial effort of Mrs. Wallace Reid (formerly Dorothy Davenport). The title character, played by Helen Foster, is a young mountain girl forced into marriage with the much-older Decker (Noah Beery Sr.) Though outwardly a slovenly brute, Decker is actually a decent sort who will do anything to make his young bride happy. But Linda can't stand her husband, falling in love instead with handsome doctor Paul Randall (Warner Baxter). At long last realizing that her duty lies with her husband, Linda dutifully returns to Decker, remaining a good and faithful spouse until the old guy's death. Long presumed lost, Linda was restored in the early 1990s (albeit minus its original Vitaphone musical score) and made available to collectors by Grapevine Video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Baxter, Helen Foster, (more)
- 1929
The Ghost Talks was based on Badges, a theatrical comedy-melodrama by Max Marcin and Edward Hammond. Broadway expatriate Charles Eaton stars as Franklin Green, who by guess and by gosh manages to graduate at the head of his class in Private Detective School. For his first case, Eaton ventures into the traditional "old dark house," where a malevolent ghost is supposedly running amok. In true "Scooby Doo" fashion, our hero proves that the villain is of the Live Human variety, but not until the audience has been treated to an abundance of "scare" comedy. Helen Twelvetrees, who fared better in tear-stained soap operas, bravely barges her way through the role of the imperiled heroine, while additional comedy relief was provided by black performers Stepin Fetchit and Baby Mack (whose material, need we say it, was racist in the extreme). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Twelvetrees, Charles Eaton, (more)
- 1928
Laurel and Hardy want to slip out of the house and play poker. Their wives want them to stay home, so they make up a story about having to meet their "boss" at the Orpheum Theatre. On the way to the poker game, they run into two women who have lost a hat under an automobile. While they attempt to retrieve the lady's hat, a street-sprinkler soaks them with water. Soaking wet, they go to the girls' apartment while their clothes dry out, and while waiting, the girls flirt with them. Unfortunately, boxer "One-Round Kelly" is the boyfriend of one of the girls. He bursts in on the two couples and chases the boys from the apartment. Meanwhile, a fire has burned down the theatre that day, and Laurel and Hardy have a lot of explaining to do when they return home. While this film is only an average comedy, it is still worth a look. Laurel and Hardy's explanation of the "show" and why they didn't know about the fire, is priceless. ~ Bruce Calvert, All Movie Guide
- 1927
Small time mores were satirized in this low-budget comedy-drama from poverty row company Gotham Productions. Claire Windsor played Bonnie Clinton, an enterprising girl who opens a beauty parlor in the village of Clinton Harbor. In an effort to drum up business, the girl bleaches her hair, much to the dismay of the Ladies' Aid Society. But when society hostess Caroline Bennett (Bodil Rosing) includes Bonnie on her guest-list, business starts to pick up, much to the chagrin of crooked businessman Benjamin Flint (Leigh Willard) and his snobbish daughter Olga (Bess Flowers). The Danish-born Bodil Rosing usually played rather dowdy-looking mothers and immigrant women. Her role as society leader in this film was reportedly much closer to the real-life Miss Rosing, the mother-in-law of Hollywood star Monte Blue and a former socialite in her own right. The on-screen credits for Blonde's By Choice included the unusual occupation of "comedy constructor"! ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claire Windsor, Allan Simpson, (more)
- 1926
Even minus the original musical score, this silent-film adaptation of the Broadway hit Irene is a delight. Colleen Moore stars as Irene O'Dare, an Irish colleen who comes to New York in search of a job. She lands a position at the fancy fashion salon owned by one Mme. Lucy, a male couturier campily portrayed by George K. Arthur. Becoming the establishment's top fashion model, Irene is a huge success, though it takes her a bit longer to find romantic happiness in the arms of wealthy Donald Marshall (Lloyd Hughes), thanks to the strenuous efforts by Donald's snooty mother (Ida Darling) to break up the relationship. The highlight of the film is a Technicolor fashion sequence, which remains a visual feast even though the colors have faded in most available prints. Irene was remade in 1940 with Anna Neagle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colleen Moore, Lloyd Hughes, (more)
- 1926
Laddie was the first of three film versions of the classic rural novel by Gene Stratton-Porter. John Bowers stars as Indiana farm boy Laddie Stanton, who falls in love with Pamela Pryor (Bess Flowers), the daughter of wealthy English squire Mahlon Pryor (Arthur Clayton). Their romance is aided and abetted by the precocious antics of Laddie's kid sister, played by Gene Stratton (reportedly a relative of novelist Porter). It takes some doing, but Pamela's snobbish dad is eventually won over by the ingenuous Laddie. Produced by FBO, Laddie was remade in 1935 and 1941 by FBO's successor, RKO Radio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Torrence
- 1926
The most interesting aspect of this Fred Thomson western is the supporting cast. Playing the Spanish heroine is a very young Bess Flowers, who, as every film buff knows, became Queen of the Hollywood Dress Extras. (Flowers is the handsome and beautifully coifed, grey-haired dowager seen in nearly every party scene from the 1930s to the 1950s.) Thomson's father is in the film played by veteran stage star Tyrone Power, whose son Tyrone, Jr. would become a leading matinee-idol of the 1930s and 1940s. And then there is the villain Tom Santschi, a tough-looking screen veteran whose terrifically staged brawl (or was it staged?) with William Farnum in The Spoilers (1914) became part of Hollywood lore. Hands Across the Border itself was a pleasant if unremarkable story of a millionaire's son whose infatuation with a beautiful below-the-border belle brings him on a collision course with a gang of drug smugglers. He masquerades as a bandit to infiltrate the gang but is discovered and captured along with the girl and her father (Clarence Geldert). Aided by Silver King the Wonder Horse, Thomson escapes to alert both the U.S. and Mexican armies. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred C. Thompson
- 1923
The premise is clichéd -- it's the usual tale of a pretty girl from the sticks trying to break into movies -- but this satire gives it a number of unexpected turns. In addition, just about every star in Hollywood -- not just those at Paramount, the releasing studio -- has a cameo at one point or another during the film's eight reels. Ironically, nearly all of the lead actors are unknowns (although George K. Arthur would become a noted character comedian). Angela Whitaker (Hope Brown) of Centreville is convinced she has a chance in Hollywood -- all her friends tell her so. So she heads West with her Uncle Joel (Luke Cosgrave) in tow. But Angela has no luck in Tinseltown, while her uncle starts landing roles left and right because of his curious image. Eventually the rest of the family, including Angela's sweetheart Lem Lefferts (Arthur), her grandmother (Ruby Lafayette), and her aunt (Eleanor Lawson) come to Hollywood. All Angela's relatives get movie work because they're character types. Finally a screenwriter tries to help Angela out, but Lem winds up landing a role instead. He becomes a star, which suits Angela just fine because she has married him. The couple have twins, and the babies -- not to mention the couple's pet parrot -- wind up in films, while Angela remains at home. The most notable cameo in this picture is Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who had been shunned in motion pictures since the 1921 scandal surrounding a Labor Day party that allegedly resulted in the death of starlet Virginia Rappe. Here he returns as a man standing in a casting line. When it's his turn to come up to the window, it is shut in his face and a "closed" sign put out. Unfortunately this gag turned out to be all too true; Arbuckle was not seen in front of a camera again until 1932. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luke Cosgrave, George K. Arthur, (more)
- 1923
Leatrice Joy outshines the trite material and the rest of the cast in this Paramount release. Although it was adapted from Maximillian Foster's Saturday Evening Post serial, it's hard to tell how the author dragged the story on for more than a couple of installments (it was certainly a stretch to get it to run a scant six reels). Lisa Coburn (Joy) is thrilled, but cautious when wealth comes to her and her husband, George (Owen Moore, a wonderful silent farceur who is wasted here). Coburn has made a killing on Wall Street and as the money rolls in, he showers Lisa with extravagant gifts. Lisa is concerned that he's not saving anything for the future, so for her birthday, she convinces him to give her 50 thousand dollars; she says it's for a necklace, but she actually puts the money aside. This is a smart move, because Coburn's enemy, Ralph Coombes (Robert Edeson), is determined to ruin him and steal Lisa away while he's at it. Although he fails with Lisa, he manages to put Coburn in a tough financial bind. Lisa comes up with the 50 thousand and saves the day. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leatrice Joy, Owen Moore, (more)
