Corinne Griffith Movies
The Orchid Lady of the silent screen, Corinne Griffith (born Griffin) became a star with First National in the 1920s, her films more noted for their protagonist's much lauded beauty than any dramatic claims. Her later court testimony to the contrary, the former dancer had made her screen debut with Vitagraph as far back as 1915, when she was considered a replacement for the defecting Anita Stewart. Top stardom, however, eluded her until signing with First National in 1924. Tagged The Orchid Lady of the Screen, Griffith played a series of beautiful yet suffering women in dramas whose focal points became the star's ever-changing wardrobe. She made up for a lack of thespian talent by sheer beauty, however, much like the later Billie Dove and Hedy Lamarr. As a personality rather than an actress, Griffith was ill-equipped to tackle talkies, and is considered one of the more notorious casualties of sound.The studio did everything they could for her, however, and the expensively mounted The Divine Lady (1929), a silent with talkie sequences, for which she earned an Academy Award nomination for playing Lady Hamilton, was vastly popular and so was Saturday's Children (1939), from Maxwell Anderson's stage hit. Griffith's voice, unfortunately, was not distinct and she retired in 1932, after a notorious string of flops. A wealthy woman due to shrewd real-estate investments, the outspoken, politically conservative Griffith proved a fine author, whose childhood memoirs were turned into Papa's Delicate Condition, a pleasantly nostalgic family comedy that featured the Academy Award-winning song "Call Me Irresponsible."
Despite her literary triumphs, Griffith remained a controversial figure and never more so than during the divorce proceedings from one of her four husbands. On the witness stand, Griffith issued the startling claim that she wasn't the real Corinne Griffith at all, but her much -- MUCH! -- younger sister and stand-in, the original silent star having died years before. A parade of former coworkers, including actress Lois Wilson, then took the stand, all testifying that the plaintiff was unmistakably the one and only Corinne Griffith.
Earning a bit of renewed notoriety when her memoirs were sold to Paramount, Griffith herself returned to the screen briefly in 1957, when she accepted a supporting role in something called Stars in the Back Yard, a cheap Hugo Haas production about former film actors making their own home movie. Retitled Paradise Alley, the film was finally released to stony silence in 1961.
~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
This charming tale is about a young girl's father and his slightly erratic behavior after sampling a refreshing alcoholic beverage. Although Papa Jack Griffith (Jackie Gleason) never appears to be drunk, his "delicate condition" is well known to his family. His wife is definitely unhappy over his penchant but loves him just the same. He is adored by his youngest daughter, six year old Corinne (Linda Bruhl). When he tries to buy a pony for Corinne, he not only gets the pony but the entire broken down, debt ridden circus as well. This is too much for wife Ambolyn (Glynis Johns), who packs up the kids and heads for her father's house in Texarkana. Jack follows with the entire circus in pursuit to take his loving family back home. He also hoodwinks some local investors to put money into a proposed drug store, thereby circumventing a blue law that forbids the sale of alcohol. Gleason's performance contain many fine moments that run the full spectrum of human emotions and clearly illustrates why he has deservedly been referred to as "The Great One." ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Gleason, Glynis Johns, (more)
Stars in the Back Yard is an alternate title for filmmaker Hugo Haas' valedictory feature Paradise Alley. Taking a breather from his usual plot (a dirty old man victimized by a sluttish young wife), Haas casts himself as a washed-up Hollywood director. Hoping to prove that people are basically decent at heart, he pretends to film the comings and goings of the residents of a run-down boarding house. Though he has no film in his camera, his subjects don't know that, and their behavior bears out his thesis. A happy ending is brought about when a major movie studio offers to finance Haas' project-and, incidentally, to give him some film to work with. Among the participants in Haas' faux production are veterans Corinne Griffith, Margaret Hamilton, Billy Gilbert, Chester Conklin and Almira Sessions. Completed in 1958, Paradise Alley didn't attain a release until 1962, when it went directly to television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Corinne Griffith, the stunningly attractive "orchid lady" of the silent screen, originally intended to retire when talkies came in. The wisdom of this decision was demonstrated in her handful of sound-picture appearances, of which Lily Christine is among the least memorable. While driving along in her touring car, Lily Christine (Griffith) breaks her glasses. Since her travelling companion Rupert Harvey (Colin Clive) can't drive at all, he and Lily are forced to spend the evening at Harvey's home. It's all quite innocent, but Harvey's wife Muriel (Anne Grey) suspects that her husband and Lily have been canoodling around, an opinion also held by Lily's own husband Ivor (Jack Trevor), an inveterate philanderer who has been looking for an excuse to divorce his wife. Disgraced in the eyes of the world, Lily attempts to kill herself, but there's a happy ending in the offing for herself and Harvey -- who, as it turns out, has loved her all along. Lily Christine was based on a considerably racier novel by Michael Arlen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Colin Clive, (more)
In this melodramatic early sound-film an innocent country gal tires of her dull pastoral life and equally boring beau so she heads for the big city in search of adventure. Instead she finds herself the kept woman of a rich war profiteer. Deep down, she still loves the country boy who has been seriously injured while fighting WW I. He returns home blind and dying. When the girl hears about this, she pleads with her wealthy benefactor to be allowed to see him one last time. She returns to the lad, marries him, and then after he passes on, leaves her sugar daddy to lead life as a sadder but wiser girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Grant Withers, (more)
Silent screen sweetheart Corinne Griffith, who originally wanted to retire when talkies came in, proved the wisdom of her earlier decision when she starred in the clunky musical drama Lilies of the Field. Griffith is cast as Mildred Harker, who loses custody of her child in a messy divorce settlement. Leaving her hometown in disgrace, Mildred heads to New York, where after a crash course in the school of hard knocks she joins the chorus of a Ziegfeld-like musical revue. Now a full-fledged gold-digger, she enjoys the favors of backstage johnnies and elderly sugar daddies, but finally finds true love in the form of Park Avenue socialite Ted Willing (Ralph Forbes). Alas, Mildred is damaged goods, and soon she's back in the gutter whence she came. A remake of a 1924 silent film which also starred Corinne Griffith, Lilies of the Field is distinguished by a bizarre musical number in which the star is dressed (just barely) as an art-deco automobile hood ornament! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Ralph Forbes, (more)
Playwright Maxwell Anderson's domestic comedy drama Saturday's Children was adapted for the screen three times between 1929 and 1940, each time by Warner Bros. The first version, a part-talkie, starred Corinne Griffith and Grant Withers as youthful sweethearts Bobby Halevy and Jim O'Neill. A self-styled "ladies' man" with big plans for his financial future, Jim balks when Bobby suggests that they marry and settle down in their sleepy hometown. Eventually, Jim walks out on Bobby, whereupon our heroine resorts to "women's tricks" -- the selfsame stratagems that she's condemned all her life -- to win her sweetheart back. Despite the directorial dexterity of Gregory LaCava, not much could be done to hide the fact that Corinne Griffith's voice did not match her screen image. Incidentally, the "Charles Lane" who plays the heroine's plot-resolving father is not the same Charles Lane who later played Homer Bedloe on TV's Petticoat Junction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Grant Withers, (more)
Frank Lloyd both produced and directed The Divine Lady, a Hollywood slant on the 19th century romance of Lord Horatio Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton. American film star Corinne Griffith, decked out in a blonde wig, is decorative but otherwise unconvincing as Lady Emma, while Hungarian-born Victor Varconi brings an inappropriate continental air to the veddy British Lord Nelson. Both stars found themselves playing second fiddle to Marie Dressler, mugging to her heart's content as Lady Emma's ambitious mother. The scandal surrounding the leading characters' illicit affair is secondary to the film's exciting reconstructions of Nelson's celebrated sea battles. Technically a silent, Divine Lady was released with a Vitaphone musical score and sound effects. Lost in the shuffle during the switch over to talkies in 1929, Divine Lady is forgotten today, totally eclipsed by the immensely successful 1941 film Lady Hamilton, starring Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Victor Varconi, (more)
In this early talkie that contains very little talking, an Austrian showgirl working in a cabaret moonlights as a thief. When she is caught in the act, a young lawyer offers to defend her. Unfortunately, he isn't very good and loses the case, causing her to spend several months in jail. Fortunately, the two have fallen in love, and he promises to wait for her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, James Ford, (more)
Having worn out his welcome in country-bumpkin roles, silent film star Charles Ray made an effort to re-establish himself in sophisticated parts. The Garden of Eden finds the dinner-jacketed Ray as a urbane Parisian bachelor, with Corinne Griffith co-starring as a wide-eyed rural lass. While visiting Paris, the nonplused Corinne is transformed into an elegant fashion plate by a mysterious "fairy godmother." Directed by Lewis Milestone, The Garden of Eden featurs art-direction courtesy of William Cameron Menzies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Louise Dresser, (more)
Corinne Griffith stars in this 1928 remake of the 1922 melodrama Outcast. Both films were based on a play by Hubert Henry Davies, originally written as a vehicle for Elsie Ferguson (who starred in the 1922 version). Worn-out prostitute Miriam (Griffith) links up with dissolute playboy Geoffrey (Edmund Lowe). Their relationship has a positive, redemptive effect on both hero and heroine. Miriam forsakes her sinful ways, promising to dedicate her life to Geoffrey's health and happiness. Alas, his fickle ex-fiancee Valentine (Kathryn Carver), who callously dumped him to marry another, now wants Geoffrey back. But Miriam outfoxes the fox by proving that she herself is far more virtuous than the "respectable" Valentine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, James Ford, (more)
The Lady in Ermine was based on the Rudolph Schanzer-Ernest Wellisch operetta of the same name. Corinne Griffith stars as Mariana, the wife of Italian aristocrat Adrian (Einar Hansen). When her husband marches off to war, Mariana is left in charge of the ancestral castle and is thus on hand when an invading Austrian regiment makes the castle its headquarters. Among the invaders is General Dostal (Francis X. Bushman) and Archduke Stephen (Ward Crane), both of whom set their caps for the beauteous Mariana. Central to the plotline is a portrait, hanging on the wall of the castle, of Mariana's great-grandmother, "The Lady in Ermine," who sacrificed her virtue to save her husband in a previous war. Fascinated by the family legend, Dostal informs Mariana that he will have her husband executed unless she comes to Dostal's boudoir, dressed in her great-grandma's ermine wrap. Fortunately, our heroine is saved from compromising himself when Dostal falls asleep and dreams that he's enjoyed the favors of the Lady in Ermine -- or was it merely a dream? The film was remade by Ernst Lubitsch as That Lady in Ermine (1948) with Betty Grable as the star. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Einar Hansen, (more)
Three Hours was based on the short story Purple and Fine Linen. Corinne Griffith stars as Madeline, the freshly-divorced wife of elderly Jonathan Durkin (Hobart Bosworth). Left penniless by her vengeful husband, Madeline is forced to become a pickpocket to pay for a new wardrobe. One of her victims is a Mr. Finlay (John Bowers), who threatens to turn her over to the police -- until he hears Madeline's woeful tale of her cruel, possessive husband. Touched by her sincerity, Finlay pulls strings to wrest Madeline's baby from the clutches of Durkin, then marries the girl himself. Like most of Corinne Griffith's silent vehicles, Three Hours has apparently vanished from the face of the earth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, John Bowers, (more)
Corinne Griffith is Syncopating Sue in this jazz-age romp. Hoping to become a famous musical comedy star, Sue Adams takes a job as a pianist in a Broadway music score. She soon finds a kindred spirit in the form of aspiring jazz drummer Eddie Murphy (Tom Moore). The usual misunderstandings separate the couple, but in the final reel Eddie proves his devotion to Sue by jumping off the side of a ship and swimming to shore -- and her waiting arms. Veteran Broadway actress Marjorie Rambeau makes a guest appearance as "herself." Syncopating Sue was originally filmed under the title Tin Pan Alley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Tom Moore, (more)
Mademoiselle Modiste is based on the Victor Herbert-Henry Blossom operetta of the same name -- minus the music, of course. The incredibly gorgeous Corinne Griffith stars as Fifi, a personable salesgirl in a fancy Parisian dress shop. Impressed by Fifi's business skills, wealthy American tourist Hiram Bent (Willard Louis) offers to buy the shop and install the girl as the manager. No, he doesn't want to put the moves on our heroine -- he simply wants to set up a moneymaking business that will recoup the cost of his expensive vacation. Fancying himself a hot-shot promoter, Hiram decides to attract potential backers by promoting "Mademoiselle Modiste" (actually Fifi) as a woman of mystery, refusing to introduce her to the backers until the shop is opened. All of this is quite confusing to Fifi's sweetheart Etienne, who is certain that the girl has become a high-priced prostitute -- an assumption seemingly confirmed when Fifi is discovered in a state of undress in Mr. Bent's hotel room. Mademoiselle Modiste was remade in 1931 as Kiss Me Again with Bernice Claire and Walter Pidgeon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Norman Kerry, (more)
Corinne Griffith had pretty much limited herself to lugubrious romantic melodramas by the time Into Her Kingdom came along. The star is cast as the Grand Duchess Tatiana of Russia, who is worshipped from afar by peasant-boy Stepan Mamovich (Einar Hansen). Thrown into prison by the minions of the Czar, Stepan is released just in time to participate in the 1917 revolution. Meanwhile, Tatiana and the rest of the royal family is condemned to death, but the girl is spared when a loyal servant takes her place before the firing squad. Found wandering in the streets, Tatiana is arrested and brought before the local Commissar -- who, of course, is Stepan. Harboring a deep hatred for the toppled Czarist regime, Stepan intends to force Tatiana to become his wife and subject her to the same abuse which he endured in prison. But he relents, and together they escape to America. Upon relocating in a New Jersey mill town, Stepan, feeling responsible for Tatiana's current shabby existence, intends to tell everyone that he is married to a Grand Duchess, thereby allowing her to regain her rightful place in the world. But Tatiana, now a contented wife and mother, denies her previous existence, preferring to remain with her headstrong but basically decent husband. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Claude Gillingwater, (more)
This comedy was based on a novel by author Edna Ferber. Although she is merely a classified ads employee, Babs Comet (Corinne Griffith) is determined to have the finer things in life. She spends all her money on clothes and eschews the subway, preferring instead to entice wealthy young men into driving her home -- of course, if any of them get fresh, she lets them have it. One man, however, won't play her game and he turns out to be garage mechanic Lloyd Whiting (Jack Mulhall). Naturally, Babs falls for him. But first she lands herself in trouble when a wealthy man puts her in a compromising position. His car "breaks down" and she is forced to spend the night walking home. Her parents (Edythe Chapman and Charles Murray) are scandalized, but the man offers to marry her. Babs turns down his offer, preferring to wed Whiting instead. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Jack Mulhall, (more)
Corinne Griffith stars in this jazz-age drama, which contains a seemingly endless round of wild parties and bootleg gin. Marian Hale (Griffith) is a refined young lady who has a good friend in Tom Carol (Harrison Ford). She meets Arthur Carrolton (Kenneth Harlan), who has a passion for parties and booze. Even though Marian disapproves of his lifestyle, she comes to love him anyway, and when he promises to reform, they marry. Before long, however, his old pals start coming around and he convinces Marian to have a drink with him. She winds up having several, and when her father (Charles Lane) finds her drunk, the shock kills him. Marian and Carrolton travel to Paris, where they become part of the fast set, and he becomes involved with Toinette, a dancer (Nita Naldi). It all comes to a head when Marian is ill and Carrolton brings Toinette to their apartment. Marian drives the illicit pair from her home and accidentally swallows poison. Carol rescues her and she recovers. When Carrolton and Toinette are conveniently killed in a auto wreck, Marian is able to settle down with Carol. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Kenneth Harlan, (more)
Corinne Griffith is Lady Helen Haden, who is unhappily married to the brutish Sir Bruce Haden (Rockliffe Fellowes). Lady Helen finds true love with Ned Thayer (Lloyd Hughes), the American brother-in-law of her friend, Mrs. Leslie (Lilyan Tashman). Because of her marriage, she writes him a letter urging him to leave. Mrs. Leslie gets her hand on the note and uses it to force Thayer to help her cheat at cards. In spite of Mrs. Leslie's threats, Lady Helen exposes the both of them. As a result, Thayer goes to Africa and Sir Bruce discovers the affair. He divorces Lady Helen, who travels to America. Rudolph Solomon (Clive Brook) wants to make her his mistress and presses his suit as her funds are running dangerously low. Thayer hears of Helen's scandalous divorce and comes to America in search of her. He finds out that she is at Solomon's, finally about to give in to his offer. At the last moment, she dashes out of Solomon's home and throws herself in front of a car, but Thayer saves her. Solomon at last behaves like a gentleman and steps aside so the couple can reunite. This picture was based on the Zoƫ Akins play, which starred Ethel Barrymore on Broadway. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Lloyd Hughes, (more)
Not a remake of the 1915 Margarita Fischer vehicle of the same name, Infatuation is based on Caesar's Wife, a story by Somerset Maugham. The dazzlingly beautiful Corinne Griffith plays British socialite Viola Morgan, who falls madly in love with professional soldier Sir Arthur Little (Percy Marmont) at a dinner party. The two marry, and before long Viola has relocated to Egypt with her husband. Soon bored by her hothouse existence, Viola succumbs to the attentions of young British attache Ronald Perry (Malcolm McGregor). But when her husband is wounded in an assassination attempt, Viola realizes that she still loves him after all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Percy Marmont, (more)
As the year anniversary of her marriage nears, Betty Jordan (Corinne Griffith) realizes that her husband, Perry (Milton Sills), has grown indifferent to her. After numerous unsuccessful tries to put a spark back in their relationship, she decides to renew her friendship with Martin Prayle, a former suitor (Lou Tellegen). Then Betty's mother, Dorothy Van Clark (Kathlyn Williams), who has grown tired of the womanizing of her husband, Tom (perennial onscreen womanizer Phillips Smalley), takes up with an old admirer herself, Franklin Dexter (Henry Walthall). Dorothy and Dexter run off together, but she falls ill at the hotel. Betty doesn't want to wind up in the same position as her mother, and she decides to ask Jordan for a divorce. Jordan is seriously hurt when he saves a child from being hit by a car. He believes he won't recover so he sends word to Betty that she can have her freedom. Betty, however, has thought better of the idea and instead sends Prayle over to tell him good-bye. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Milton Sills, (more)
Linda Lou Heath (Corinne Griffith) is raised in a small Louisiana town by her two maiden aunts (Emily Fitzroy and Anne Schaefer). The aunts keep her ignorant of real life, so when physician David Terman (Holmes Herbert) treats her like a child, he may have good reason but it angers her anyhow. Before he leaves for Africa to work at a French penal colony, they promise to marry. While he is gone, Linda Lou falls prey to the flattery of wanderer Paul L'Estrange (Ian Keith), and she marries him instead. They travel to Canada, but L'Estrange soon grows tired of domestic life and fakes his death so he can run away on an expedition with Moreau (Adolph Milar). The two men wind up being sent to the penal colony where Terman was working. Terman, however, has returned home and married Linda Lou. When he brings her back to the penal colony she gets lost in a rainstorm and is found by L'Estrange, who was part of a big prison escape. Terman sees them together and believes that she is still in love with him. He is ready to obtain clemency for L'Estrange, but Moreau kills him. Linda Lou admits that she has loved Terman all along and the tale ends happily. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Holmes Herbert, (more)
When Madame Zatianny appears, seemingly from nowhere on the social scene, everyone is taken by her beauty. The older ones say she is the mirror image of Mary Ogden, who they had known 30 years before. Lee Clavering, a budding playwright (Conway Tearle), manages to meet Madame Zatianny and they fall very much in love. He proposes, and she confesses to be the same Mary Ogden of 30 years prior, her youth restored through a gland operation. But Prince Hohenhauer, an old admirer (Alan Hale), convinces her to leave Clavering by pointing out that she prefers power over love. So she returns to Europe to continue her relief work, while Clavering consoles himself with Janet Oglethorpe, a pretty young flapper (Clara Bow). Future superstar Bow really stood out in this supporting role -- she received great notices all around -- and not long after the film's release she would become a WAMPAS Baby Star, which helped promote her fledgling career. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith
Elinor Glyn, author of the notorious Three Weeks, wrote this story on which this drama was based, so the film was bound to draw interest. Glyn's books may seem tame today but they were scandalous (and delightfully so) to 1920s audiences, and the producers had to tame her material down a bit. This is emphasized by the trade paper Motion Picture News, which affirms, "there is nothing suggestive in this picture. The screen version has been pasteurized as far as this goes and no one will find anything objectionable." After the death of her husband, Olive Kingston (Myrtle Stedman) wants to see her daughter Laline (Corinne Griffith) married off to the wealthy and distinguished Lord Charles Chetwyn (Claude King). Laline accepts her fate and travels to Paris where she meets Dion Leslie (Frank Mayo), a friend of her brother's. Her brother died in battle (the story taking place in post-World War I Europe), so the two visit his grave. They also go to the dugouts, but the entrance caves in, trapping them. Entombed for six days, Laline and Leslie fall in love and are married by a priest , who conveniently has been trapped with them and who then dies in another landslide. Eventually both Laline and Leslie escape. It turns out that Leslie is Chetwyn's son from a former marriage, so Chetwyn not only gives the couple his blessings, but also names the young man heir to his estate. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Frank Mayo, (more)
A remake of a 1916 Clara Kimball Young vehicle, Common Law stars Corinne Griffith as a woman more sinned against than necessary. Forced to support herself after the death of her wealthy mother, Griffith becomes an artist's model in Paris. While being kept by wealthy Conway Tearle (reprising his role from the 1916 film), she falls in love with tempestuous artist Elliot Dexter. A tragedy results, but don't worry, Griffith ends up with the man she truly loves all the same. Common Law was remade a second time in 1931, with Constance Bennett in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Conway Tearle, (more)
This was not one of Corinne Griffith's better vehicles. It's one of a seemingly endless procession of Northwoods melodramas, usually released in the summer to (at least visually) cool off theater patrons who did not yet have the benefit of air conditioning. Griffith plays Althea Sherrill, who convinces a stranger, Tom Merwin (Curtis Cooksey), to marry her in name only so that he can help her with some mysterious mission. It turns out that the project involves the evil Sam Bellows (George MacQuarrie), who raped Althea's mother (Louise Prussing). Mrs. Sherrill bore a daughter, which Althea has claimed as her own so that her father (David Torrence) will not discover the truth. With the help of an Indian, Jacques (Nick Thompson), and several wolf-dogs, Merwin braves a number of death-defying situations to save Althea from Bellows, and he makes sure the villain gets his due. After Merwin has proven his devotion to her, Althea decides to stick with him. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, George MacQuarrie, (more)












