Dorothy Gulliver Movies
With four starring serials (and two in supporting roles) to her credit, as well as a string of B-Westerns with the likes of Hoot Gibson and Jack Hoxie, brunette Dorothy Gulliver was an action heroine of some stature in the early days of sound. Yet she is remembered solely for The Collegians, a series of two-reel comedies produced by Universal (who also cast her in a 1929 feature version entitled College Love and voted her a 1928 WAMPAS Baby Star) and as a blowsy harridan in John Cassavetes' Faces (released 1968). This last comeback stunned Hollywood and there were whispers of a possible Academy Award. Alas, it was to be her final film. Gulliver is often credited with appearing as an old lady on a bus in the ill-fated Won Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976), but always vehemently denied any participation in the film.A former Miss Salt Lake City, Dorothy Gulliver was ready to sign with Paramount when she won another contest, this time conducted by Universal, who sent her to Hollywood. She starred opposite George J. Lewis and Eddie Phillips in all 44 installments of The Collegians (1926-1929), set at imaginary Calford College and did yeoman duty opposite the established serial team of William Desmond and Eileen Sedgwick in both The Winking Idol (1926) and Strings of Steel (1926). She became a serial star in her own right five years later but not at Universal, who had dismissed her along with most of their B-Western units at the changeover to sound.
Picked up by low-budget Mascot Pictures, Gulliver played Tom Tyler's leading lady in the ten-chapter Phantom of the West (1931) and immediately established her potential as a latter-day serial queen. The Galloping Ghost (1931) with sports hero Harold "Red" Grange and The Shadow of the Eagle (1932), with John Wayne, followed and she co-starred opposite Lon Chaney Jr. (known at the time as Creighton Chaney) in RKO's sole attempt at serial making, The Last Frontier (1932).
A non-movie-involved accident curtailed this long string of action successes and when she returned it was in independently produced fare, such as Fighting Caballero (1935) with Rex Lease and Custer's Last Stand (1935), from ultra low-budget Stage and Screen, and her final chapterplay. She would do the odd B-movie until 1942, but then concentrated on her marriage to publicist Jack Proctor. (A previous union, with assistant director Chester De Vito, had ended in divorce.) Gulliver reportedly appeared in summer stock in Laguna, CA, but she was all but forgotten when Cassavetes surprisingly chose her to play a middle-aged woman picking up young hustlers in Faces. Cassavates' slow, methodic way of filming astonished the veteran B-movie performer, who also got a kick out of appearing opposite such modern method actors as Gena Rowlands and John Marley. "They were all such fine actors," she told the Los Angeles Times, "but I admit I was amazed when this actress asked 'What is my motivation for going to the phone?'" ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1927
Shield of Honor is predicated on the fact that, in 1927, several big-city police departments were contemplating formation of their own "airborne" units. Neil Hamilton stars as Jack MacDowell, the L.A. Police Department's very first "fly cop." He gets a golden opportunity to display his aviation skills when the father of his sweetheart Gwen O'Day (Dorothy Gulliver) is the victim of a jewel robbery. Climbing into the cockpit with his police officer father Dan McDowell (Ralph Lewis), Jack chases down the thieves in a thrilling nocturnal air chase. The film was directed by Emory Johnson, a longtime specialist in "working man" pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neil Hamilton, Dorothy Gulliver, (more)
- 1927
This silent drama presents a fictional biography of the courageous canine Rin-Tin-Tin. The tale begins as an American lawyer arrives in Germany to help prevent his client from being cheated out of her estate by a German shyster. When the Yankee wins the case, the girl and her dog Rinty are filled with gratitude. Shortly after WW I erupts, the American returns to Europe as a pilot. He is shot down over Germany and crashes. As luck would have it, he is rescued by brave Rin-Tin-Tin and his mistress who works as a Red Cross volunteer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rin Tin Tin, Tom Gallery, (more)
- 1927
A crooked rancher (George B. French) and his nasty son (Cuyler Supplee) buy up the area's water rights to drive out the local farmers. Enter Fred Humes, the stalwart cowboy hero of the Francis Ford Ranch, who manages to lure the villains into a trap. The prize for ridding the community of outlaws is the old rancher's peppy daughter (Dorothy Gulliver). Edgar Lewis replaced William Wyler as director of the Humes series. Wyler, of course, went straight to the top, while the pedestrian Lewis, a former house director at Fox (who earlier helmed such "socially relevant" melodramas as 1915's Nigger), retired shortly after the changeover to sound. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Humes, Francis Ford, (more)
- 1927
A typical Jack Hoxie Blue Streak Western from the assembly lines at Universal, The Rambling Ranger featured the stalwart Hoxie as Hank Kinney, a ranger who adopts an orphaned child (Monte Montague Jr.), whom everybody soon knows as "His Royal Highness." Later, nasty claim jumper Sam Bruce (Captain C.E. Anderson), Hanks' rival for the attention of Ruth Buxley (Dorothy Gulliver), spreads the rumor that Hank is mistreating the child. With the sheriff (Monte Montague) bearing down on them, Hank and "His Royal Highness" manage to escape on the former's handsome steed, Scout. They return with proper adoption papers and Sam Bruce is defeated. Child actor Monte Montague Jr. was the son of the prolific B-Western supporting player. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Hoxie
- 1928
The audience got two Universal stars for the price of one with this rousing Western: Hoot Gibson and Fred Gilman. The two popular celluloid cowboys played brothers, one a lawman Gibson, the other a rancher Gilman fighting a gang of horse thieves hired by greedy neighbor Captain C.E. Anderson. Arriving from the East, Gibson goes undercover as a ranch hand, deliberately earning a reputation as a coward. Under this convenient guise, the lawman manages to bring the villain and his men to justice, helped in no small way by brother Gilman, Anderson's innocent niece (Dorothy Gulliver) and a local judge (Andrew Waldron). A vivacious WAMPAS Baby Star of 1928, Dorothy Gulliver gave up her screen career in the early 1940s only to make a spectacular comeback as a bored hausfrau picking up young lovers in John Cassavetes' fascinating Faces (1968). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, Dorothy Gulliver, (more)
- 1928
Honeymoon Flats was based on a story by Earl Derr Biggers, of Charlie Chan fame. Haughty Mrs. Garland (Kathlyn Williams) is unhappy that daughter Lila (Dorothy Gulliver) has married junior executive Jim Clayton (George Lewis). Putting on the old "But dear, I'm only trying to help you" act, Mrs. G. does everything she can to break up Lila's marriage. The old busybody is finally put in her place by long-suffering Mr. Garland (Phillips Smalley). In the tradition of such stage pieces as 45 Minutes From Broadway and Too Many Cooks, Honeymoon Flats has a lot of fun at the expense of the new phenomenon of "suburbia." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Gulliver, Bryant Washburn, (more)
A circus clown creates trouble when he serves on a jury and refuses to convict an innocent young woman for murder. His vote causes a hung jury for five long days. In the end, it is discovered why he is so sure the girl is innocent---it was he who killed the man for abusing his adopted daughter. When the court and new jury hear this, the render him innocent and all is well. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1929
A young boxer on his way to the top is scheduled for an important championship fight in this sports melodrama. He meets a beautiful woman and, wanting to impress her but not having any money, finds himself being pressured to throw the fight for a huge bribe. What he doesn't know, though, is that the woman and a racketeer have planned this all along so the gangster can place a large bet against him and they can both make a fortune. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Trevor, Lloyd Ingraham, (more)
- 1929
A spin-off of the popular two-reel comedy series The Collegians, this early talkie once again featured George J. Lewis and Eddie Phillips as rivals for the affection of Dorothy Gulliver, the prettiest co-ed of imaginary Calford College, an institution of higher learning where academics take a decided back seat to romance and sporting activities. When "Flash" Thomas (Phillips), captain of the football team, finds Dorothy May (Gulliver) in the arms of his best buddy, Bob Wilson (Lewis), the dejected youth tries to forget his defeat by crashing a forbidden road house party. Bob tries valiantly to cover for his missing friend but Coach Jones (Hayden Stevenson) smells a rat and bans both from participating in the Big Game. Does Coach Jones come to regret his harsh decision and is Bob allowed back in to score the winning touchdown? Why, yes! Pert leading lady Dorothy Gulliver always retained fond memories of both the series and College Love, which she considered "the happiest time of my professional career." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Gulliver, Eddie Phillips, (more)
- 1930
Rex Lease, Tiffany Studios' all-purpose leading man, heads the cast of Troopers Three. Eddie Haskins (Lease) and his buddies Bugs (Roscoe Karns) and Sunny (Slim Summerville) are washed-up vaudevillians who decide to join the Cavalry, if only for three square meals a day. Once they've filled their bellies, they attempt to bid farewell to the Army, only to learn that they've signed up for a three-year hitch -- and this contract is non-negotiable. For the rest of the film, Eddie romances Dorothy (Dorothy Gulliver), the daughter of his bombastic sergeant, while his pals get mixed up in the usual slapstick situations. Our hero finally proves he is a hero through his courageous behavior during a devastating fire. Troopers Three is distinguished by Rex Lease's expert horsemanship, which would serve him well when he briefly became a cowboy star in the mid-1930s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rex Lease, Dorothy Gulliver, (more)
- 1930
Journeyman director Richard Thorpe (who later helmed Elvis Presley features) directed this bizarre early talkie western which incorporated comedy musical numbers (vampish Nita Martan sings Crying Blues and A Man Like That) into a standard western plot dealing with rustlers and revenge. Joining up with a travelling medicine show, Westerner Clay Conning (Kenneth Harlan) tries to help his fellow troupers protect themselves against the villains. He also champions the cause of heroine Mary (Dorothy Gulliver), who is likewise being victimized by the baddies. Thrown into jail on a trumped-up charge, Conning escapes to see that justice is done. Screenwriters Bennett Cohen and James Aubrey threw in a stranded theatrical troupe to provide the vaudeville routines. Leading man Kenneth Harlan was the husband of actress Marie Prevost. Harlan's days as a star were numbered, but he continued in character roles for another decade and a half. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth Harlan, Dorothy Gulliver, (more)
- 1931
The star of the 12-episode Mascot serial The Galloping Ghost can be only one man: legendary college football star (Red Grange). Cast as the star gridiron attraction at mythical Clay College, Red is thrown off the team in disgrace when he attempts to cover for his pal Buddy (Francis X. Bushman Jr.), who has accepted a bribe to throw the Big Game. Thus, Grange is obliged to spend the serial's remaining 11 episodes to clear himself and to find out who is the "brains" of the gambling ring. Can there be any doubt as to the outcome? Evidently, there was some doubt in 1931, since Galloping Ghost proved to be one of Mascot's most profitable chapter plays. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1931
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Mascot Pictures' second all-talkie sound serial, Phantom of the West starred Tom Tyler as Jim Lester, a young man attempting to prove the innocence of the father of Mona Cortez (Dorothy Gulliver) in the murder of his own paterfamilias. Cortez (Frank Lanning) escapes from prison but leaves a note for Jim proclaiming his innocence and pointing to seven men in town who can reveal the identity of the real culprit, a villain known only as the Phantom. Every time Jim gets close to the truth, the mystery killer's notorious League of the Lawless swoops in to silence whomever is about to spill the beans. The true identity of the killer is revealed in the tenth and final chapter, his identity being a surprise only to new viewers of Mascot serials. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tyler, Dorothy Gulliver, (more)
- 1931
A cowpoke is duped and made to appear drunk by an unscrupulous foreman in this Western from small-scale Sono Art-World Widewhich benefited from location filming in the Mojave Desert. Losing his job at the Sutter ranch as a result, Jim (Rex Lease) vows to catch the true culprits, foreman Winslow (Harry Woods) and his gang of horse thieves. Disguised as one of Winslow's henchmen, Jim discovers that the gang is employing a specially trained white stallion to round up Sutter's mares and herd them into a secret mountain pass. Along with his sidekick Ben (Harry Todd), Jim follows the stallion and catches the gang red-handed, earning the love and respect of lovely Helen Sutter (Dorothy Gulliver). In all likelihood the opener of a proposed series, In Old Cheyenne failed to garner much interest. More a general purpose actor than a classic hero, Rex Lease would have to wait until 1935 to star in his own series, and then it was for Superior Talking Pictures, which, despite its name, was even lower on the Hollywood totem-pole than Sono Art-World Wide. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rex Lease, Dorothy Gulliver, (more)
A serial remake of a 1926 Western feature starring William Boyd, The Last Frontier became an early opportunity for young Lon Chaney, Jr. -- still billed Creighton Chaney -- to prove himself worthy of the Chaney name. But young Creighton, handicapped as he was by stilted dialogue and sub-par action sequences -- did not quite live up to the task and would be reduced to supporting roles until his true breakthrough as Lennie in Of Mice and Men (1939). In The Last Frontier, Chaney played Tom Kirby, a crusading newspaper editor opposed to "Tiger" Morris (Richard Neill, an outlaw whose reign of terror is meant to drive the settlers off their valuable land. Kirby dons the disguise of a masked avenger and together with such noted historical personages as General Custer (William Desmond) and Wild Bill Hickock (Yakima Canutt), the crusading reporter manages to curtail Morris' evil schemes. Dorothy Gulliver, of the silent screen, and Judith Barrie were added to the cast to lend a bit of feminine appeal under Spencer Gordon Bennet and Thomas Storey's direction. The Last Frontier was an independent serial produced by Van Buren for RKO release. The 1948 Sam Katzman serial Tex Granger was a very unofficial remake. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1932
Tim McCoy is falsely accused of killing his own father in this typical low-budget oater directed by the generally efficient but unexciting D. Ross Lederman. Framed in the killing of his own father, Tim Benton (McCoy) escapes from prison along with brutish Red Larkin (Matthew Betz). The fugitives head for the former Benton mine now operated by the villainous John Sebastian (Ethan Laidlaw), where Tim plans to rob the payroll. En route, they are discovered by Bob Dinsmore (William A. Howell), the new marshal of Silver City, who is killed by Red. Tim, who believes the marshal to be merely knocked unconscious, decides to impersonate him in order to get the goods of the two men, Stevens and Ainsley, who framed him on behalf of Sebastian. Accepted by the townspeople in general and the sheriff's daughter Alice (Gulliver) in particular, Tim's scheme is endangered by the arrival of both Stevens (Bob Perry) and Ainsley (Dick Dickinson). After quickly arresting the two henchmen, Tim tells Red that he no longer wishes to go through with the planned payroll robbery. Red, in anger, frames his former partner for Dinsmore's murder. In the ensuing shootout, Red is mortally wounded, but manages to clear Tim's name before he expires. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim McCoy, Dorothy Gulliver, (more)
- 1932
Silent screen cowboy Jack Hoxie returned to the celluloid range after a five year absence with this low-budget Western, the first of six produced by poverty row company Majestic Pictures Corp.. Hoxie, who actually handled dialogue with less difficulty than legend has it, played Panamint Jack, an outlaw suspected of killing Sheriff Rankin (Walter Shumway. Jack saves a ranch belonging to June Taggert (Dorothy Gulliver) from gang leader Faro Black (Jack Trent), earning Faro's enmity. A Mexican outlaw (Chris-Pin Martin) reveals that Sheriff Rankin isn't dead after all but held hostage at the gang's hideout. Jack rescues Rankin, captures the gang, and is revealed to be none other than the brother of Sheriff Rankin and is only pretending to be an outlaw. Hoxie and leading lady Dorothy Gulliver) had appeared together in the silent era, in The Rambling Ranger (1927). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Hoxie, Dorothy Gulliver, (more)
- 1932
In this newspaper drama, a cub reporter is puzzled when he is consistently scooped out of big crime stories by a rival. His nose for news tells him something is amiss, so he and his gal begin investigating. When he witnesses a bank-robbery that was reported before it happened, he figures out that the rival publisher and his ace reporter are part of a major crime ring. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Nugent, Rita La Roy, (more)
Mascot produced their serials fast and furious with little concern for believability, acting prowess, or technical niceties. Shadow of the Eagle is neither the best nor worst of the bunch, but rather typical of the company's hit-and-miss methods. The acting is occasionally downright embarrassing -- and that includes a very young John Wayne in the starring role -- but the fisticuffs are fast and plentiful, and the plot, such as it is, moves forward at a fast clip. The Mascot writers once again turn to trickery in order to conceal the identity of the mystery villain -- including having a different actor providing a voice-over -- but that is just par for the serial course. Comedy is provided by the carnival performers, but it quickly becomes grating, especially a running joke which has the circus midget (Little Billy) constantly mistaken for a child by the typically bone-headed cops, whom the circus performer refers to as "flatfooted palookas." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1933
A notorious crook and a Parisian ballet dancer get involved with international intrigue in this low-budget action-adventure from Poverty Row company Mayfair Pictures Corp. It is all about an important manifesto that may re-establish President Alarcon as the ruler of the Republic of Luvania. The manifesto ends up in the hands of Boris Krinsky (José Crespo), and, to trap him, dancer Landra (June Collyer) sets up a meeting with the Luvanian conspirators at her castle above Monte Carlo. After quite a bit of derring-do, Krinsky is brought to the castle's torture chamber, where he is whipped by Alba (Lloyd Whitlock), his former captain in the Luvania Foreign Legion, but is rescued in the nick of time by New York gangster Spike Maguire (Wheeler Oakman), an old friend. In love with Landra, Krinsky removes a signature that may incriminate her and hands over the manifesto to the Luvanian delegation. Revenge at Monte Carlo was also released in a Spanish language version, Dos Noche, with Conchita Montenegro replacing June Collier and Antonio Cumellas standing in for Lloyd Whitlock. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- June Collyer, José Crespo, (more)
"How would you like to star opposite the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood?" Enticed by these words, brunette leading lady Fay Wray dyed her hair blonde and accepted the role of Ann Darrow in King Kong -- and stayed with the project even after learning that her "leading man" was a 50-foot ape. The film introduces us to flamboyant, foolhardy documentary filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), who sails off to parts unknown to film his latest epic with leading lady Darrow in tow. Disembarking at Skull Island, they stumble on a ceremony in which the native dancers circle around a terrified-looking young girl, chanting, "Kong! Kong!" The chief (Noble Johnson) and witch doctor (Steve Clemente) spot Denham and company and order them to leave. But upon seeing Ann, the chief offers to buy the "golden woman" to serve as the "bride of Kong." Denham refuses, and he and the others beat a hasty retreat to their ship. Late that night, a party of native warriors sneak on board the ship and kidnap Ann. They strap her to a huge sacrificial altar just outside the gate, then summon Kong, who winds up saving Ann instead of devouring her. Kong is eventually taken back to New York, where he breaks loose on the night of his Broadway premiere, thinking that his beloved Ann is being hurt by the reporters' flash bulbs. Now at large in New York, Kong searches high and low for Ann (in another long-censored scene, he plucks a woman from her high-rise apartment, then drops her to her death when he realizes she isn't the girl he's looking for). After proving his devotion by wrecking an elevated train, Kong winds up at the top of the Empire State Building, facing off against a fleet of World War I fighter planes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, (more)
- 1933
A typically pedestrian whodunit from low-budget entrepreneur Larry Darmour, Cheating Blondes delivered a lot less than the titillating title promised. Thelma Todd played a dual role, twin sisters Anne and Elaine. When the former is caught with the dead body of her lecherous next-door neighbor (Brooks Benedict), she switches places with her look-alike twin, a burlesque dancer. Why the switch would help protect her from a murder rap is never explained, but after a bit of confusion, the real killer is made to confess and both Anne and sister Elaine settle down with their respective spouses (Milton Wallis and Earl McCarthy). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thelma Todd, Ralf Harolde, (more)
- 1934
Perhaps the lowest point in the career of producer/director/actor Victor Adamson's career -- which is saying quite a lot -- The Pecos Dandy, according to one reviewer, was "so badly mutilated in the cutting that it is only with difficulty that the plot can be followed." The hard-to-follow plot of this obscure Western was something about a carefree cowboy who suddenly finds himself falsely accused of cattle rustling. The real rustler, it turns out, is the hero's romantic rival. Handsome George J. Lewis, spirited Dorothy Gulliver, and hissable Robert Walker played the three leads, but Horace B. Carpenter's direction was so inept that even these seasoned pros earned the worst reviews of their careers. Despite being credited in contemporary pressbooks, Carpenter, who also played the girl's father, might not have directed the film at all; The Pecos Dandy, in fact, was probably helmed by producer Adamson (aka Denver Dixon), an almost legendary bad filmmaker who released it as an "Art Mix Production." Leading players Lewis and Gulliver had earlier co-starred in Universal's popular Collegians series of the late '20s. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Based on an idea by Will Rogers, the story concerns the efforts by the President of the United States to get the public's mind off the Depression. To this end, he appoints Broadway impresario Lawrence Cromwell (Warner Baxter) to the new cabinet position of "Secretary of Amusement." Wasting no time, Cromwell sets about to nationalize the entertainment industry, organizing singers, dancers, actors and other variety artists into batallion-like touring units. Cromwell is fought at every turn by a cartel of wealthy industrialists, who've been profiting from the Depression and have no desire to see America pull itself upward. Happily, every effort to bribe or cajole Cromwell into giving up his mission is thwarted and the Department of Amusement goes on to help the the country at a time when its citizens most needed it. Among the highlights are an energetic "revival-meeting" musical number by Aunt Jemima (Theresa Gardella), and 6-year-old Shirley Temple's rendition of "Baby Take a Bow." Originally released at 80 minutes, Stand Up and Cheer was edited to 69 minutes for reissue, then to 65 minutes (removing most of Stepin Fetchit's scenes) for television: it was this last version which was computer-colorized in 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Baxter, Madge Evans, (more)
