Nils Asther Movies
Almost impossibly handsome, Danish-born, Swedish-reared Asther had the misfortune to be tagged the "male Greta Garbo." He did two films with his famous counterpart: The Single Standard and Wild Orchids (both 1929), and what an exotically handsome couple they made. Like Garbo, a protégée of Finnish-born director Mauritz Stiller, Asther had made a name for himself in Swedish theater and films before arriving in Hollywood in 1927 (via London and Sorrell and Son with another Swedish expatriate, Anna Q. Nilsson). He married his co-star in Topsy and Eva (1927), vaudeville headliner Vivian Duncan, and they had a daughter, Evelyn. But rumors of homosexuality would dog him throughout his American career and may in fact have been the reason why top stardom proved so elusive. Asther's talkie career became an up-and-down affair, from starring opposite Barbara Stanwyck in Frank Capra's evocative miscegenation drama The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932) to Poverty Row quickies in the 1940s. But whatever the setting, Asther always delivered a carefully modulated performance. He returned to Scandinavia when even television work dried up and became a fixture at the Great Northern company of Copenhagen in the early '60s. A very honest autobiography, Narren's Väg (The Road of the Jester), was published posthumously in Sweden in 1988. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi- 1967
In this drama, a young woman is pretty enough to draw lovers to her like flies to honey. Among her suitors are her wealthy business-magnate employer and her lesbian landlady. Unfortunately for all of them, the young woman only has eyes for her childhood sweetheart. The would-be lovers prove themselves to be poor sports and mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1953
Venerable Scandinavian leading-man Nils Asther tops the cast of That Man from Tangier. The story concerns foolhardy American heiress Mary Ellen, played by Nancy Coleman, who drunkenly weds the rakish Henri (Asther) after a three-hour courtship. Comes the dawn, and Mary Ellen's new husband is nowhere to be found. As she stalks through Tangier in search of Henri, Mary Ellen learns a great many Horrible Truths about her new hubby -- not least of which is the fact that he is travelling under a stolen passport. Finally catching up with Henri, Mary Ellen demands that he play the role of a respectable, dutiful husband so as not to break the heart of her old-fashioned grandmother (Margaret Wycherly). Mary Ellen's father George (Roland Young), something of a rascal himself, helps the couple keep up appearances. Filmed on location as a possible tax write-off, That Man From Tangier is endearingly anachronistic. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nils Asther, Roland Young, (more)
Samson and Delilah is Cecil B. DeMille's characteristically expansive retelling of the events found in the Old Testament passages of Judges 13-16. Victor Mature plays Samson, the superstrong young Danite. Samson aspires to marry Philistine noblewoman Semadar (Angela Lansbury), but she is killed when her people attack Samson as a blood enemy. Seeking revenge, Semadar's younger sister Delilah (Hedy Lamarr) woos Samson in hopes of discovering the secret of his strength, thus enabling her to destroy him. When she learns that his source of his virility is his long hair, Delilah plies Samson with drink, then does gives him the Old Testament equivalent of a buzzcut while he snores away. She delivers the helpless Samson to the Philistines, ordering that he be put to work as a slave. Blinded and humiliated by his enemies, Samson is a sorry shell of his former self. Ultimately, Samson's hair grows back, thus setting the stage for the rousing climax wherein Samson literally brings down the house upon the wayward Philistines. Hedy Lamarr is pretty hopeless as Delilah, but Victor Mature is surprisingly good as Samson, even when mouthing such idiotic lines as "That's all right. It's only a young lion". Even better is George Sanders as The Saran of Gaza, who wisely opts to underplay his florid villainy. The spectacular climax to Samson and Delilah allows us to forget such dubious highlights as Samson's struggle with a distressing phony lion and the tedious cat-and-mouse romantic scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hedy Lamarr, Victor Mature, (more)
- 1948
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Chan must find out who has been killing people over rare antiques. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Son of Lassie is about a courageous collie named Laddie, played by a dog named "Pal". A sequel to Lassie Come Home, the film stars Peter Lawford and June Lockhart as the grown-up counterparts of the characters played in the earlier film by Roddy McDowall and Elizabeth Taylor. When WW2 breaks out, young Yorkshireman Joe Carraclough (Lawford) signs up with the British air force, bringing Laddie along. The inquisitive canine sneaks aboard the plane which takes Joe on his first mission. Their aircraft hit by enemy fire, Joe and Laddie are forced to parachute into Nazi-occupied Norway. Injured in the landing, Joe lies in a daze while the dog seeks help for his master. Once Laddie ascertains that the Nazis aren't his friends, the film evolves into one long chase, as dog and master try to make their way back to their own lines?while back at home, Joe's sweetheart Priscilla (June Lockhart, who of course would later costar in the Lassie TV series) bites her nails in anticipation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Lawford, Donald Crisp, (more)
- 1945
A bit "artier" than most Republic melodramas, Jealousy was directed by Gustav Machaty, the Czech expatriate famous for the 1933 exercise in erotica Extase. Nils Asther plays failed novelist Peter Urban, who is married to gorgeous Janet Urban (Jane Randolph). While trying to replenish the family coffers by working as a cab driver, Janet meets and befriends handsome physician David Brent (John Loder). Shortly afterward, a murder occurs, which is made to look like a suicide. Without tipping off too much of the plot, it's worth noting that Brent's associate is the bewitching Dr. Monica Anderson (Karen Morley) , and that such mysterious types as Hugo Haas and Mauritz Hugo are also in the picture. Jealousy was based on a story by Dalton Trumbo. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Loder, Jane Randolph, (more)
- 1945
The trouble begins when glamorous Broadway actress Roberta Baxter (Virginia Bruce) signs for her latest play. She proceeds to spend far too much time at rehearsals, and far too little time with her attorney husband William (Edward Ashley). Even so, it is Roberta who eventually walks out on William, claiming that he's been neglecting her! The nonplussed William gives Roberta's room to an unemployed tatoo artist named Terry (Victor McLaglen) and Terry's preteen ward Sally (Jacqueline Moore). Hoping to get grounds for divorce, Roberta returns to her apartment, posing as a French governness for Sally. The fact that William doesn't seem to recognize Roberta when she starts to flirt with him should be indication enough of the film's credibility level. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Virginia Bruce, Edward Ashley, (more)
- 1944
A scientist discovers that he can live forever by receiving gland transplants every ten years. Unfortunately, the unwilling donors must be killed for him to survive, something that doesn't bother the scientist until he falls in love. The girl, innocent of his grisly secret, falls for him too. Unfortunately, he is due for a new transplant and the endocrinologist who has been doing the operation gets a guilty conscience and refuses to help him any more. Desperate to remain young, the scientist finds someone else. This time though, Scotland Yard gets wind and begins investigating. The girl finds out, and remains true to the scientist causing him to abandon his mad quest for eternal youth. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nils Asther, Helen Walker, (more)
- 1944
Jim Hetherton (Franchot Tone), the scion of an aristocratic rural English family, was traumatized from boyhood by a shooting accident and reaches adulthood as a sincere and dedicated pacifist -- like many of his generation in England. He makes his way through life as a schoolteacher with a promising future, and even ponders the possibility of marriage with Dora Bruckmann (Veronica Lake), the governess of his young nephew. But then the Second World War breaks out, which creates a crisis for Jim and his family and household. He decides that he can't a won't fight if it means killing another human being, and is accepted as a conscientious objector by the authorities. But in doing so, he is forced to give up his teaching position and take a job in farming, to contribute to the economic good at home. He soon finds himself being shunned by much of the village for his beliefs, and discovers that even amid a manpower shortage, securing a job to fulfill his service requirement is no easy matter. Meanwhile, his brother (John Sutton) is called up by the RAF, and his father (Henry Stephenson) joins the home guard. And Dora seems headed to an internment camp, until Jim marries her. But what neither he nor anyone else suspects is that Dora is actually an agent planted by the Germans, part of a team of fifth columnists working to undermine the British war effort. And her main concern is finding the location of a secret British airfield in the vicinity of the Hetherton estate. She manages to manipulate Jim by preying on his beliefs, and maneuvers him into potentially betraying his country. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Starring:
- Franchot Tone, Binnie Barnes, (more)
- 1944
Bluebeard casts the saturnine John Carradine as Gaston, a popular painter in 19th century Paris. Unbeknownst to the authorities, Gaston is also the serial killer of beautiful young women who they have been seeking for several months. Whenever a girl fails to come up to Gaston's standards of perfection, she is summarily strangled to death. Gaston's latest model is the gorgeous Lucille (Jean Parker), who once she learns her employer's horrible secret courageously vows to bring him to justice. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Carradine, Jean Parker, (more)
- 1943
The wartime leading-man shortage obliged Republic Pictures to star draft-proof supporting player Frank Albertson in Mystery Broadcast. Albertson plays detective-fiction writer Michael Jerome, who carries on a friendly rivalry with radio scrivener Jan Cornell (Ruth Terry). Jan works for an "unsolved mysteries" series which is in the ratings doldrums. To boost listenership, she begins offering solutions to the unsolved crimes on the air, and this leads to the reopening of a long-dormant murder case-and also to a rash of new murders. Pooling their talents, Michael and Jan try to solve the case at hand, with startling results. Among the suspects in Mystery Broadcast are two former film luminaries, Nils Asther and Wynne Gibson, both on the comeback trail. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ruth Terry, Frank Albertson, (more)
The plot of the Pine-Thomas adventure quickie Submarine Alert is more than a little beholden to Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. Richard Arlen plays FBI radio engineer Lee Deerhold, who turns bitter and vindictive when he is abruptly fired. Actually, his termination was engineered by his FBI superiors, so that Deerhold will be susceptible to a job offer from a gang of Nazi saboteurs. When Deerhold finally gets wise to what's going on, he finds himself being hotly pursued by practically everyone else in the picture. The better-than-average cast includes Wendy Barrie as undercover agent Ann Patterson, Nils Asther as a mysterious doctor, and Abner Biberman, Marc Lawrence and Dwight Frye as various villains. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Arlen, Wendy Barrie, (more)
- 1942
Reclusive Kurt Ingston (Ralph Morgan) finds himself playing host to an extraordinary array of guests at his decaying old mansion. Among the medical guests are psychiatrist Lynn Harper (Irene Hervey), who is there to evaluate Ingston's daughter Margaret (Fay Helm), whose sanity has been called into doubt over her claim that she has seen some sort of inhuman fiend stalking the grounds after dark; and then there are doctors Timmons (Frank Reicher), Phipps (Francis Pierlot), and King (Lionel Atwill), all well known to Ingston -- for the botched operation that left him crippled for life; and then there's the mysterious Agor Singh (Nils Asther), a mystic with a strange hold on Ingston. When these people start dying grisly deaths, hero Dick Baldwin (Don Porter) must figure out how these seemingly impossible killings are being carried out, and by whom, despite clues that appear to lead nowhere. Hovering over the proceedings, in one of his least rewarding roles at Universal, is Bela Lugosi playing Rolf the butler. Needless to say, Rolf -- because he is played by Bela Lugosi -- seems to be hiding some mysterious connection to the strange goings on. And the presence of Lionel Atwill is a similar "clue" put before audiences by the movie's makers, which helps to make Night Monster lots of fun, if not always logical. Additionally, future star Leif Erickson cuts a memorable figure as a menacing chauffeur; and Fay Helm, perhaps best remembered today as the disturbed mystery woman in Robert Siodmak's Phantom Lady (1944), dominates the serious acting with her portrayal of the seemingly insane sister. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, (more)
- 1942
Sweater Girl is an okay remake of 1935's College Scandal, and like its predecessor is that rare bird, a "musical mystery". Someone is stalking a midwestern college campus, murdering students left and right. Among the victims is campus radio personality Miles Tucker (Kenneth Howell) and aspiring composer Johnny Arnold (Johnnie Johnston). If this keeps up, there won't be anyone left to stage the annual college musical-and that would be disastrous! Without giving the game away, it can be noted that solution of the mystery is not unlike that of the first Friday the 13th film of the 1980s (minus the blood and gore, of course). Amidst all this merry mayhem, two choice Frank Loesser song hits are spotlighted: the amusingly provocative "I Said No" and the enduring standard "I Don't Want to Walk Without You." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eddie Bracken, June Preisser, (more)
- 1942
The Night Before the Divorce is when Lynn Thorndike (Lynn Bari) seeks out her ex-husband George (Joseph Allen Jr.), begging for help. Lynn claims she is in trouble with cops, a contingency tied in with the murder of bandleader Victor Roselle (Nils Asther), whom she has been dating. George immediately drops his current girl friend Lola May (Mary Beth Hughes) like a hot potato to come to his former wife's rescue. It turns out, however, that Lynn isn't in any trouble at all; she's just been playing dumb and helpless to win back her husband, who'd always been jealous of her superior intellect. Wonder what the chances are for a screening of The Night Before the Divorce at the next N.O.W. meeting? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lynn Bari, Mary Beth Hughes, (more)
- 1941
In this war drama, a commercial pilot joins the air corps of a South Pacific island, and there he finds that he must contend with a dictator. He also falls quietly in love with the leader's girlfriend. Unfortunately, the evil leader is the head of the air corps, and to get rid of the young man who threatens his relationship, he send the hero on a suicide mission. The two rivals end up in a dogfight. Fortunately, the hero wins the fight and gets the girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1941
When MGM decided to move up-and-coming star Laraine Day out of the "Dr. Kildare" series, the studio did so in a startlingly dramatic fashion. In Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day, Dr. Jim Kildare (Lew Ayres) and nurse Mary Lamont (Laraine Day) are finally able to exchange their marital vows. Alas, the honeymoon ends abruptly when poor Mary is struck down and killed by a speeding truck (hopefully, it is safe to give away this plot twist at this late date). Numbed by grief, Kildare is snapped out of his doldrums by his crusty mentor Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore), who urges the young medico to honor Mary's memory by continuing to help others. The grimmer aspects of Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day are offset by several comic subplots, one of which involves an orchestra leader (Nils Asther) who suffers buzzing in his ears due to his eating habits! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lew Ayres, Lionel Barrymore, (more)
- 1941
Ayn Rand's Broadway stage hit The Night of January 16th was distinguished by a clever gimmick, wherein members of the audience sat in the jury box while a fictional murder trial was conducted: the outcome of the play was thus totally in the hands of the spectators, and accordingly Rand penned two different endings, depending on whether the jury voted "guilty" or "not guilty". This marvelous theatrical device was unfortunately absent in the film version of Night of January 16th, which was also hampered by a B-grade budget. Even so, the story, concerning the murder trial of stenographer Kit Lane (Ellen Drew), moves along swiftly and entertainingly. Accused of killing her employer, financier Bjorn Faulkner (Nils Asther), Kit is championed by wisecracking sailor-on-leave Steve Van Ruyle (Robert Preston), who has a vested interest in the outcome of the trial. As was typical of the Paramount B product of the time, Night of January 16th spotlights several established contract players (Drew, Preston et.al.), along with a number of actors on the way up (Rod Cameron, Margaret Hayes) and the way down (Nils Asther, Alice White). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Preston, Ellen Drew, (more)
- 1941
Flying Blind was the third of William Pine and William Thomas' independent productions for Paramount release. The cast includes such Pine-Thomas "regulars" as Richard Arlen and Jean Parker, and like its two predecessors dealt with the more dramatic aspects of aviation. Arlen plays Jim Clark, operator of a honeymoon air service which shuttles between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The plot shifts into melodramatic gear when Clark is forced to deal with a gang of foreign spies, determined to steal a new transformer designed for American fighter planes. A wild and largely impossible airborne chase brings this one to a rousing conclusion. For the record, Jean Parker plays Clark's secretary Shirley Brooks, who not-so-secretly hopes that her boss will fly her to Vegas for matrimonial purposes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Arlen, Jean Parker, (more)
- 1941
In this humorous adventure, a Puerto Rican explorer shares a drink with his oddball millionaire double. For a lark, they decide to pull a switcheroo and exchange places. Unfortunately, the millionaire is killed in a car accident. His poor grieving wife, doesn't realize that the dead man is the explorer. Meanwhile the real rich man endeavors to prove his true identity. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brian Aherne, Kay Francis, (more)
- 1938
In this drama, set in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), a pretty niece visits her uncle's plantation. There she finds the drunken sot on the brink of financial ruin by the crooks that are quietly victimizing him. Meanwhile the young woman falls in love. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1937
In this drama, a doctor disguises himself as a circus clown and starts a new life. When a wealthy young woman is knocked out by an elephant, he reaches into his medical bag of tricks and saves her. The two then fall in love. Unfortunately Dr. Clown's foster child does not approve of the match until the socialite proves her innocence after the girl is accused of killing the lion tamer. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nils Asther, June Clyde, (more)
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