Jetta Goudal Movies
Her publicist at one point claiming her to be the daughter of World War I spy Mata Hari (no one took that statement seriously, though), darkly alluring Jetta Goudal spoke with a French accent in her only full-length, English-language talkie, Business and Pleasure (1932), and persistently named glamorous Versailles, France, as her hometown. In reality, she was a Dutch Jew (born Julie Goudeket) born and raised in Amsterdam. Whatever her parentage, Goudal became one of the late-silent era's great femme fatales and was under personal contract to director (and sometimes star-maker) Cecil B. DeMille. Not merely an exotic presence, Goudal proved to be an actress of no small talent and was ideally cast in the dual role of a frigid wife reincarnated as a fiery Gypsy in DeMille's The Road to Yesterday (1925). She was certainly one of the best things in D.W. Griffith's troubled Lady of the Pavements (1929), which came with hastily added talking sequences. But she lost the plum role of Diane in Seventh Heaven (1927) to Janet Gaynor (who went on to win an Academy Award) because DeMille refused to release her from her contract. ("She is a stupid woman," Goudal would say unkindly of Gaynor, "no wonder Charles Farrell got all the close-ups!") Goudal sued and the ensuing debacle for all intents and purposes finished her in Hollywood. There were a couple of French-language versions of popular melodramas and she returned to chase Will Rogers through Business and Pleasure (1932), but her popularity had effectively ended along with silent films. Enjoying a lifelong marriage to Hollywood art director Harold Grieve, a much-retired Jetta Goudal told an interviewer shortly before her death in 1985: "I don't like being called a silent star. Who was silent? I was never silent!" ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi- 1932
Very loosely based on Booth Tarkington's novel The Plutocrat, Business and Pleasure stars Will Rogers as Earl Tinker, a newly rich Oklahoma razor-blade manufacturer. On the pretext of taking a vacation with his family, Earl journeys to far-off Syria, there to purchase the secret formula for Damascus steel. During the ocean voyage to the middle east, Earl's daughter Olivia (Peggy Ross) falls in love with struggling playwright Lawrence Ogle (Joel McCrea), while a worldly adventuress named Madame Momora (Jetta Goudal) apparently sets her sights on the bashful Earl, much to the dismay of his wife (Dorothy Peterson). In truth, however, Madame Momora is an "industrial spy" in the employ of Tinker's main competitor, and it is her job to prevent Earl from completing his business mission. But our dumb-like-a-fox hero manages to turn the tables with the use of a clever disguise and a few other dexterous diversions. Filmed before the 1931 Will Rogers vehicle Ambassador Bill, Business and Pleasure was released afterward in early 1932, thereby giving audiences the pleasant surprise of seeing Boris Karloff, newly famous thanks to his performance as The Monster in Frankenstein, popping up unbilled as a desert sheik. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Will Rogers, Jetta Goudal, (more)
- 1930
Le Spectre Vert (The Green Spook) is the French-language version of MGM's The Unholy Night. The original English version was directed by Lionel Barrymore, while the French adaptation was helmed by Jacques Feyder. No changes were made in the plot, which concerned the mysterious methodical murders of several retired British military officers. All of the victims had been members of the same regiment in India, a fact which puts terror in the hearts of the surviving officers. These survivors are gathered together in the home of Lord Montague (Andre Luguet, in the role originally played by Roland Young); the next morning, all the officers except Montague are found strangled. Struggling to solve the mystery and stop the killings is Inspector Ramsay of the Yard (Claude Fleming in the English version, Jules Raucourt in the French), who uses a seance to coerce the guilty party into confessing. Boris Karloff, cast in the small role of a Hindu servant in The Unholy Night, repeated this assignment in Le Spectre Vert. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jetta Goudal, Pauline Carton, (more)
- 1929
D.W. Griffith's last silent film, The Lady of the Pavements was based on La Paiva, a story by Karl Gustav Vollmoeller. Set in 19th-century Paris, the story concerns the romantic travails of Prussian aristocrat Count Karl von Arnim (played by future "Hopalong Cassidy" star William Boyd). Feeling betrayed by his flirtatious fiancee, Countess Diane des Granges (Jetta Goudal), Karl misanthropically declares that he'd sooner marry a "lady of the pavements" (Hollywoodese for "prostitute"). Hoping to demonstrate to Karl that appearances are deceiving, Diane engages the services of low-born Spanish cabaret entertainer Nanon del Rayon (Lupe Velez), dressing the girl in gorgeous gowns and passing her off as a noblewoman. Karl is smitten by Nanon and proposes marriage, but during their wedding reception Diane spitefully reveals Nanon's true identity as "proof" that Karl wouldn't know a Girl of the Streets if he actually met one. By this time, however, Karl has genuinely fallen in love with Nanon, whereupon Diane's nasty scheme blows up in her face. For a director who was considered a relic and a has-been, D.W. Griffith invests Lady of the Pavements with all sorts of cinematic nuances, including a remarkable multiple-exposure sequence in which William Boyd appears on screen in 13 different guises at once! Completed as a silent, the film was slightly reshot to qualify as a part-talkie, including two musical numbers and a dialogue sequence in which Griffith experimented with "sound modulation" -- another important (and frequently unheralded) innovation from the Father of American Film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lupe Velez, Jetta Goudal, (more)
- 1928
Very loosely based on the stage play by Jacques Deval, this comedy was largely rewritten to give comedienne Marion Davies a chance to shine, which she does brightly. No one who sees this film can will likely her talent, as tempted as they may be to discount it because of her love affair with newspaper magnate/film producer William Randolph Hearst. Davies plays Sally, a hyperactive co-ed and autograph hunter on a trip to the Riviera. Chasing after any celebrity she can find, she hands her autograph book to a lecherous baritone (Andres de Segurola), who accompanies his signature with a suggestive remark that inspires Sally's haughty indignation. But then she sees Andre, a tennis champ (Nils Asther), and wants his autograph merely because he's "beautiful" (which Asther definitely was). Embroiled in a love affair with the faithless Simone (Jetta Goudal) (one of who's lovers happens to be the lascivious baritone), Andre enlists Sally's help to get him over his infatuation, and she swears to keep him away from Simone even if she has to sock him on the jaw. Although it takes the better part of the film, Sally finally does have to sock Andre on the jaw -- and this winds up cementing their growing romance. Davies had a marvelous talent for mimicry, and in one scene she imitates Goudal's character to a "T." She also has a charming bit in which she disguises herself as a bellhop to separate Andre and Simone. Surprisingly, this delightful film received mixed reviews when it was first released, but its slapstick moments and Davies' unrestrained performance -- both criticized in its day -- help make it entertaining for modern audiences. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marion Davies, Jetta Goudal, (more)
- 1927
Forbidden Woman was the first production by PDC Pictures to be released after the defection of the company's founder Cecil B. DeMille (though DeMille's brother William upheld family tradition by supervising the picture). Threatened by the imperialistic inventions of the French army, an Arab sultan (L. Snegoff) calls upon his half-French granddaughter Zita (Jetta Goudal) for aid. Zita sneaks into the French camp in hopes of getting her hands on vital military information, going so far as to marry French colonel Gautier (Victor Varconi) to maintain her "cover." Complicating her scheme is Gautier's musician brother Jean (Joseph Schildkraut), with whom Zita falls hopelessly in love. Feeling that Jean has betrayed him, Gautier arranges for his brother to be drafted in the army and shipped off to Africa, where the film comes to its operatic conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jetta Goudal, Ivan Lebedeff, (more)
- 1927
Cecil B. DeMille contractees Jetta Goudal, Victor Varconi and H.B. Warner were kept busy in the DeMille-produced programmer Fighting Love. Set in Italy and Africa, the story revolves around Colonel Filippo Novarro (Walthall), a valiant old soldier married to a very young wife, Donna Vittoria (Jetta Goudal). Though Donna is faithful to her husband, she is in love with his handsome young aide, Gabriel Amari (Victor Varconi). While fighting in Tripoli, Novarro's garrison is isolated and surrounded by the minions of the despotic Governor, who wants Donna Vittoria for himself. The finale is a fierce man-to-man between Novarro and the Governor, resulting in the deaths of both men -- but not before the mortally wounded Noverro gallantly gives his blessing to the romance between his wife and Gabriel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jetta Goudal, Victor Varconi, (more)
- 1927
Confined to two basic sets and six characters, White Gold may well be the most claustrophobic western ever made. This sense of stuffiness was a deliberate artistic decision by director William K. Howard, who wanted to visually convey the entrapment experienced by heroine Jetta Goudal. The title refers to wool; the setting is a sheep ranch in Arizona. Kenneth Thompson, the son of the ranch's grim and taciturn owner (George Nichols), marries a Mexican girl, played by Goudal. The father, convinced that Jetta will eventually cheat on his son, verbally lambastes the girl at every opportunity. The old man's attitude seems to be confirmed when itinerant ranch hand George Bancroft, looking for work, harmlessly flirts with Jedda. The rancher hires Bancroft on the spot, hoping that he will forced Jetta into infidelity and thus prove her unworthy of his son. One evening, Bancroft slips into the bunkhouse where Jetta sleeps. The next morning, he is found dead of a gunshot (a startlingly casual disposal of the film's ostensible leading man!) In the film's enigmatic finale, we are never told what has really happened or what will happen thereafter; director Howard wisely assumes that the audience is intelligent enough to draw its own conclusions. Long thought lost, White Gold was slated for a remake in the 1940s, but plans were abandoned when a print could not be located. Howard himself planned to remake the project, but died before his dream could come to fruition. A good print finally resurfaced in the 1970s, and copies are now available to the home video market. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jetta Goudal, Ken Thomson, (more)
- 1926
During WWI, two American doughboys, William Boyd and Jimmie Adams, volunteer to pose as deserters for a top-secret espionage mission. Making their way into enemy territory, our heroes are able to secure jobs at two neighboring farmhouses. Farm girl Jetta Goudal, of French-German parentage, despises Boyd because she believes him to be a traitor to his country but can't help falling in love with him. Trouble brews when aristocratic Grace Darmond also falls for Boyd then betrays him to the local German general when Boyd throws her over in favor of Goudal. Thanks to Goudal's resourcefulness, Boyd's buddies are able to rescue him before he's marched in front of a firing squad. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jimmie Adams, Jetta Goudal, (more)
- 1925
The ambitious and beautiful Sonya Mendel (Jetta Goudal) works her way up from the ghetto and lands a job as a reporter for a Jewish newspaper. She sets out to interview wealthy John Manning (Godfrey Tearle) about his plans for a new settlement, and winds up falling in love with him. Manning invites Sonya to dinner, and she convinces designer Jackey Solomon (Jose Ruben) to loan her some nice clothes, then borrows 150 dollars from Banker Ben (Elihu Tenenholtz) to dress up her shabby apartment. The note she gives Ben promises to pay the money back when she marries Manning. She does marry him, and Manning seeks to shut down Ben's illegal loan activities. To stop him, Ben tells Sonya that he will reveal the note. She refuses to play ball with him. Even though Manning finds out about the note, he forgives Sonya, and shows Ben who is in charge. Godfrey Tearle was the brother of Conway Tearle. This drama is based on the play by Anzia Yezierska and featured a supporting cast made up of actors from New York's Yiddish theater community. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jetta Goudal, Godfrey Tearle, (more)
- 1925
Cecil B. DeMille's century-hopping extravaganza The Road to Yesterday begins in the present (1925, that is). Wealthy Joseph Schildkraut can't understand why his wife Jetta Goudal is so cold to him. Goudal senses that Schildkraut had once done her dirt....in a previous life. Likewise unhappily married are William Boyd and Vera Reynolds. All four principals are on an express train which crashes. While unconscious, the foursome flash back to their previous existences in Elizabethan England. Schildkraut was then a knight, Goudal a gypsy, and Boyd and Reynolds were royal hangers-on. Just as Schildkraut is about to burn Goudal at the stake, the four protagonists return to the present. Armed with the knowledge of their past misdeeds, the lovers all vow to set things right in their current lives. Nobody believed The Road to Yesterday back in 1925 (any more than anyone believes it today), but everybody enjoyed it for what it was: a slam-bang piece of pure entertainment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joseph Schildkraut, Jetta Goudal, (more)
- 1925
Produced but not directed by Cecil B. DeMille, The Coming of Amos nevertheless has many earmarks of a typical DeMille film, including a climax straight out of a gaslit melodrama. Rod LaRocque plays Amos Burden, a handsome Australian who takes a Riviera vacation. Here he falls in love with White Russian princess Jetta Goudal, who is tricked into marriage by lecherous Noah Beery. When Goudal declares her devotion to Amos, Beery spirits her away to his castle by the sea. She spurns his advances, whereupon Beery locks Goudal in the cellar and opens the floodgates, allowing the water to slowly pour in. "My last wife changed her mind down here!" leers Beery as Goudal screams for assistance. Amos comes dashing to Goudal's rescue in a thrilling finale that has since been excerpted in several compilation films (and is seldom taken seriously by modern audiences). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rod La Rocque, Jetta Goudal, (more)
- 1924
Therese Duverne (Viola Dana) is bored with her even-tempered husband, Edmond (Adolphe Menjou). Isabelle Fevre (Gale Henry) suggests that Edmond go to the bicycle races and stay out all night. Then she takes Therese there and introduces her to manly Petit Mathieu, one of the racers (Maurice B. Flynn). Since he has just quarreled with his sweetheart, Lea (Jetta Goudal), he is glad to have Therese's attention and offers to run away with her after he wins the six-day race. Lea, meanwhile, is spending her time with Edmond. Therese eventually decides she doesn't care for brutes like Mathieu, and Edmond gains a temper and wins his wife back. Lea and Mathieu are reunited, while Isabelle goes back to helping her own alcoholic sweetheart, Igor (Raymond Griffith), break into the movies. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi
- Starring:
- Viola Dana, Jetta Goudal, (more)
- 1923
Engine trouble forces an airplane to land with a trio of passengers in the mythical kingdom of Rukh. Major Crespin (Harry T. Morley), his wife Lucille (Alice Joyce), and Dr. Basil Traherne (David Powell) are taken to the Rajah (George Arliss), the educated and satirical ruler of Rukh. The three passengers are held while negotiations take place to release the Rajah's three brothers from an enemy camp. The Major takes solace in his liquor (in a supposedly Moslem country?) as the trio awaits their fate. The story is taken from the successful stage play by William Archer. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Harry T. Morey
- 1923
This drama about Cuba's unsuccessful 1850 revolution was based on the novel by Joseph Hergesheimer. Andres Escobar (André Beranger) convinces his wealthy American friend, Charles Abbott (Richard Barthelmess) to join him in Cuba. When Abbott sees how poorly the Spaniards are treating the Cubans, he is more than happy to join in the battle for independence. He is helped by La Clavel, a Spanish dancer who is on the side of the revolutionaries (Dorothy Gish, in an uncharacteristic role). He manages to gather much valuable information before drawing the suspicion of Captain Cesar Y Santacilla (Anders Randolf), a Spanish officer. Santacilla lays a trap for Abbott and La Clavel and catches them. La Clavel dies in the struggle, but Abbott overpowers the captain. After rescuing several of his friends, Abbott gets involved in a duel with another Spanish officer, who ultimately takes pity on him and puts him on a ship bound for America. On board, Abbott is happy to find Escobar's sister, Narcisa (Mary Astor), with whom he has fallen in love. There are two newcomers to the screen in this First National release -- future silent star Jetta Goudal in a small role, and Edward G. Robinson in his only silent film appearance. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Barthelmess
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