Edwin August Movies

Orson Welles' followup to Citizen Kane (1941) was utterly different from Kane in style and texture, but just as brilliant in its own way. Writer/director Welles does not appear on camera, but his voiceover narration superbly sets the stage for the movie's action, which fades in valentine fashion on Amberson Mansion, the most ostentatious dwelling in all of turn-of-century Indianapolis. Its mistress is the haughtily beautiful Isabel Amberson (Dolores Costello). When Isabel's beau, erstwhile inventor Eugene Morgan (Joseph Cotten), inadvertently humiliates her in public, she breaks off the relationship and marries colorless Wilbur Minafer (Donald Dillaway). The neighbors are certain that, since Isabel can't possibly love Wilbur, she will spoil her children rotten. As it turns out, she has one child, George Minafer (Tim Holt), and that one is enough as far as the rest of Indianapolis is concerned. There are those who live for the day that the arrogant, insufferable George will get his comeuppance. When George returns home from college, his mother and grandfather (Richard Bennett) hold a gala reception in his honor. Among the guests is the older-and-wiser Eugene, now a prosperous automobile manufacturer, and his pretty daughter Lucy (Anne Baxter). George takes to Lucy immediately, but can't warm up to Eugene, especially after learning from his uncle Jack Amberson (Ray Collins) and his maiden aunt Fanny (Agnes Moorehead) that Eugene and Isabel had once been sweethearts. After the death of Wilbur Minafer, the widowed Eugene feels emboldened enough to propose to Isabel again. This time she is willing, but the obstreperous George refuses to allow his mother to see Eugene. His imperious bullheadedness will lead to tragedy for all concerned--and, at long last, a chastened George Minafer will indeed receive his comeuppance. The film's real villain is not George but that old intangible bugaboo called "Progress." As the automobile age comes to fruition, the elegant, cloistered lifestyle of the Ambersons fades from view, finally disappearing altogether. This is superbly foreshadowed in the "winter outing" sequence (filmed in an L.A. icehouse) in which George's two-horse sleigh is abandoned in favor of Eugene's clunky horseless carriage. Welles evokes performances that his actors seldom (if ever) matched in later years; even the very limited Tim Holt is wholly believable-and even a bit pitiable-as the blinkered George Amberson Minafer. The current version, however, is but a pale shadow of Welles' original concept. Out of time and overbudget, the movie previewed badly and was eventually sliced down to an abrupt 88 minutes (by, among others, editor Robert Wise, who would go on to direct such films as West Side Story and The Sound of Music). Even though the film therefore must be regarded as a marred masterpiece, the remaining two-thirds of Welles' original concept is still a thrilling cinematic experience, especially whenever Agnes Moorehead is on the screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Madge Kennedy's spirited personality is wasted in this heavy-handed drama. She plays Sheila Kane, the actress wife of film star Neil Keeley (Niles Welch). Keeley, a womanizer and heavy drinker, severely neglects both his wife and his work. Along comes Harrison Halliday (Welch, in a dual role), looking for a job as an extra. Producer O'Malley (J. Moy Bennett), seeing Halliday's resemblance to Keeley, hires the young man to double for the star. Harrison is much needed -- during Keeley's frequent absences from the studio, the double is used for long shots. Ultimately, Keeley is killed in a car wreck, and the studio convinces Halliday to take over his identity. He falls in love with Sheila, but must overcome blackmail by a former girlfriend of Keeley's and a lawyer who knows his true identity. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Dorothy Dalton stars in this tale of the Canadian Northwest. New Yorker Lucky Folsom (E.J. Ratcliffe) strikes it rich up in the North, and when he hits the town of Totem City, he meets dance hall girl Colette Brissac (Dalton), who takes money from the miners but remains aloof to them. Since Folsom has no better luck with her, he returns to New York where he marries Gloria Waldron (Marguerite Marsh). Gloria is actually in love with Martin Bates, an engineer (Edwin August), but she wants the luxuries Folsom's newfound riches can offer her. The rejected Bates becomes an alcoholic and drifts into Totem City. By now the miners have gotten fed up with Colette's cool ways, and they force her to marry the drunken Bates. Instead of running away, Colette decides to make the best of the situation and brings about Bates' regeneration. The two remain happy together until Folsom and Gloria come to town. Bates has just made a fortune from a mine he has bought, so Gloria is willing to dump her husband to be with him. Bates mistakenly believes that Folsom is after Colette and the two men come to blows at the dance hall. Colette shoots Folsom and wounds him. He comes to his senses and takes Gloria away, determined to teach her a lesson or two. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Having been misinformed that all French girls are morally suspect, American soldier David Kendall (Edwin August) is in for quite a shock when he's shipped Over There. After meeting several "nice" Frenchwomen, David returns to the states with a whole new perspective on things. It isn't long before he falls in love with Nenette (Carmel Myers), the daughter of French-born restaurateur Armande Bisson (Andrew Robson). But when Nenette is implicated in a murder, the disillusioned David instantly repudiates her -- and by extension, all Daughters of France. By film's end, however, David learns the folly of sweeping generalizations. If a print could be found of Broadway Scandal, chances are that supporting player Lon Chaney Sr., here cast as gangster "Kink" Colby, would emerge as the picture's best actor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Old Actor was produced by the Eclipse Company, one of the lesser film firms of the pre-1910 years. Unable to find work or to provide for his family, an elderly thespian decides to end it all. He heads to the river, where he is prevented from jumping in by the superimposed image of his wife and children. Given a new lease on life, the actor decides to create his own work by delivering Shakespearean recitations at a fancy restaurant. Noticed by a theatrical manager, the old actor is not only hired for a long-running show, but also given a huge cash advance, which he immediately turns over to his starving loved ones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide