Wynne Gibson Movies

In this musical comedy, a Jewish songwriter pursues and conquers a society blonde. Unfortunately, the indecisive fellow realizes that he really loves his female partner and dumps the blonde on their wedding day. Songs include "Leave It That Way," "Dust," "Girl Trouble," "A Couple of Birds with the Same Thought in Mind," and "The Whole Darned Thing's for You." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A well-meaning but dimwitted electrical worker-turned-lyricist Frederick Martin Stevens (Jack Oakie) arrives in New York determined to become a successful songwriter. He meets a nice girl , Edna Baker (Frances Dee), and a couple of bad ones, one of whom, Eileen Fletcher (June MacCloy), nearly marries him to snag the couple of thousand dollars he's come into. All the while, he tries to make songs out of some of the worst lyrics to be heard in many a year, to the exasperation of pianist/song-plugger Maxie (Harry Akst), who actually ends up feeling sympathy for the poor dope. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a bumbling rube from a small town manages to get involved in a gang war. The trouble really begins when one mob boss orders him to kidnap a young woman. The naive simpleton protests, telling him that he cannot because it is against the law. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Still in his "sophisticated cad" period, William Powell essays the title role in Man of the World. Powell plays a smooth extortionist who preys upon wayfaring Americans in Paris. He woos lonely wives and wives-to-be, then threatens them with blackmail unless they sustain his lifestyle. One of his potential victims is Carole Lombard, with whom Powell (much against his better judgment) falls in love. Powell's vituperative mistress (Wynne Gibson) won't let her lover off the hook, and heads for the police. To avoid arrest, Powell reluctantly sends Lombard back to her fiancee--and then presumably picks up his racket where he left off. In real life, William Powell and Carole Lombard became husband and wife shortly after filming Man of the World. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

One of four films directed by Stephen Roberts in 1932, just four years before the filmmaker passed away prematurely, Lady and Gent stars George Bancroft as aging prizefighter Stag Bailey. After Stag loses his last match to hotshot up-and-comer Buzz Kinney (a 25-year-old John Wayne in an early role), his manager Pin Streaver (James Gleason) is killed during a hold-up. Whether they like it or not, Stag and his speakeasy-owning lady friend Puff (Wynne Gibson) find themselves responsible for Pin's parentless son Ted. As Ted grows up and the three of them form a strong familiar bond, Stag and Puff attempt to disuade Ted from following in the boxing footsteps of his adopted father. Also known as The Challenger, Lady and Gent was nominated for the 1932 Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

In one of his first starring roles, George Raft plays Joe Anton, a tough but basically decent speakeasy owner who falls in love with Park Avenue socialite Miss Healy (Constance Cummings). Hoping to come up to the girl's social level, Joe starts taking lessons in speech and behavior from haughty dowager Mrs. Jellyman (Alison Skipworth). What he doesn't know is that Miss Healy pays attention to him only because he's living in the posh apartment where her family had resided before the Stock Market crash. Even so, the girl genuine falls in love with Joe when it appears as though he's about to desert her in favor of his ex-flame Iris Dawn (Wynne Gibson). A dreary retread of stock movie-drama themes, Night After Night would be utterly forgotten today were it not for the presence of Mae West, making her film debut. A scant few seconds after her first appearance, the generously bejeweled West is accosted by a hatcheck girl who coos "Goodness, what lovely diamonds." Swivelling those famous hips, La West replies expansively "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie." Commenting years later on Night After Night, George Raft, who suggested that Mae West be cast in the film, ruefully recalled "She stole everything but the cameras." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When her tough boyfriend Red Branahan (William Gargan) is sent to jail, Aggie Appleby (Wynne Gibson) meets mild-mannered Adoniram Schlump (Charles Farrell), and decides to turn him into a real man. She teaches him how to talk tough, changes his name to Red Branahan, and gets him a construction job -- unaware that the real Red has been released from prison. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide

When the actress girlfriend of a rich man is pursued by a producer, the rich man hires bodyguard Lowe to protect her, but Lowe falls in love with her, too. ~ All Movie Guide

In this melodrama, a woman must spend a decade in prison after murdering her spouse. Upon entering jail, she had to give up her son who is told that his mother is dead. The boy grows up to become an artist. Upon her release from prison, she becomes an artist's model. She winds up posing for her own son who does not recognize her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

For all his Broadway success, George M. Cohan was never able to "make it" in motion pictures. In 1934, he made another try at movie success with Gambling, a self-produced adaptation of his own stage play. Cohan stars as Al Draper a high-rolling casino operator whose beloved ward Dorothy Kane (Dorothy Burgess) is murdered. With his usual sang-froid smoothness, he dedicates the rest of the picture to tracking down the girl's killer, even though the police have officially closed the case. Cheaply filmed in an abandoned New York warehouse, Gambling disappeared from view not long after its release. Though not technically a "lost" film (copies reportedly exist in the hands of private collectors), it might as well be. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide