Elaine Hammerstein Movies

This early Columbia production stars Elaine Hammerstein as the best friend of Gertrude Short, a predatory society girl who intends to trap wealthy T. Roy Barnes into marriage. Instead, Hammerstein and Barnes fall in love with each other. The nonplused Short persists in trying to force Barnes to the altar, even unto telling all her friends that she's already married to Barnes -- and showing up unannounced in his bedroom as proof. Already somewhat suicidal, Hammerstein resigns herself to losing her sweetheart, but in a last-minute reversal Barnes returns to her. The 1930 Frank Capra production Ladies of Leisure is not a remake, though the plotlines of the two films are somewhat similar. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Not long after their honeymoon, Mr. Randolph and Mrs. Randolph (Herbert Rawlinson and Elaine Hammerstein) begin having a series of arguments. The latest is over a cat: She loves the creatures, he doesn't. One day Randolph is chasing a cat away from his yard and his neighbor, Mrs. Bradin (Dorothy Phillips), informs him that it is hers. The two start talking, bringing on the jealous wrath of Mrs. Randolph. More trouble ensues when Randolph's car breaks down and Mrs. Bradin offers to give him a ride. They are arrested for speeding and Mrs. Randolph is so furious that her husband has to go live at his club. Back home, Mrs. Randolph begins an affair with Mr. Bradin (Robert Cain) to get even, and invites Mrs. Bradin over to catch them. Mrs. Bradin, however, informs her that Bradin is always having affairs. Eventually Mrs. Randolph realizes she's being foolish and she and her husband are reconciled. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Directed with panache by Malcom St. Clair, this film was a real feather in the cap of fledgling Columbia Pictures. Stage luminary Lou Tellegan plays a stingy husband who refuses to entrust his wife Elaine Hammerstein with a cent. The disgruntled Elaine turns to shoplifting, which nearly leads her into a disastrous extramarital affair with John Patrick. Ex-Sennett bathing beauty Phyllis Haver steals the show as a profligate flapper. After Business Hours was the first Columbia production to open in a "prestige" New York theater; two years later, director Frank Capra would further elevate the poverty row studio's stock in the industry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The performance of the up-and-coming Renée Adorée stands out in this routine melodrama. In fact, she overshadows the two stars, Elaine Hammerstein and Lou Tellegen. Adele La Rue, an American sculptress in Paris (Hammerstein), asks Jean Ballard (Tellegen) to pose for her. Ballard is an Apache -- a member of the Parisian underworld -- but no matter. He and Adele fall madly in love, which does not please Marie (Adoree), a girl of the streets who also loves him. Eventually Ballard gets tired of being taunted because he is being supported by Adele, and he returns to the underworld. Adele goes to see him, but she is captured by the Wolves, a gang that are rivals to Ballard's Panthers. Ballard, too, is captured. They are about to be tortured by their captors when the gendarmes open fire. Marie regrets her actions toward Ballard, and she releases both him and Adele. The couple jump from a window into the Seine and make their escape. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This society drama is told in a rather interesting manner, opening with a senator telling the story of a man who came back from the depths. Lawyer John Steadman (Huntly Gordon) has a drinking problem, and his wife (Gertrude Astor) threatens divorce unless he straightens up. He does, but then he comes home to find his wife in the arms of Jerry Hayden (Morgan Wallace). He feigns drunkenness and she asks for a divorce. The depressed Steadman sinks to haunting dives. At a dancehall belonging to Red Bishop (Walter Long), he meets Bobo (Elaine Hammerstein). To give his wife grounds for divorce, he goes to Bobo's home. Bobo, however, turns out to have a heart of gold and nurses him back to health. When the United States enters the World War, he goes off to serve. When he returns, his wife tries to win him back. When she fails, she convinces Bobo to give him up. Bobo accepts the marriage proposal of Bishop, but then she admits she really loves Steadman. Bishop sets out to give Steadman a thrashing, but instead he relents and allows the couple to be together. When the senator finishes his story, the governor walks in -- it's Steadman and Bobo is his wife. The senator is Red Bishop. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This railroad melodrama, featuring fading star Elaine Hammerstein, gave up-and-coming actor William Haines his first notable role (he was on loan to Columbia from Goldwyn). As Jack Oakes, the wastrel son of a railroad magnate, Haines actually has more to do than Hammerstein. Jack's father (George Nichols) becomes frustrated with his son's wild ways. To prove himself, Jack goes to work in the railroad yard as a laborer. An escaped convict, Silent Bill Brachley (Pat Harmon), steals Jack's car, and the chase leads to a meeting between Jack, the engineer of the Midnight Express, and the engineer's pretty daughter, Mary (Hammerstein). As he is led back to jail, Brachley swears revenge. As soon as he is able to escape again, he corners Jack at a dispatch station and the two duke it out. Jack wins the fight just in time to save the Midnight Express from a row of freight cars that have broken from their engine and are headed in its direction. Jack finally wins his father's respect, and Mary's love. After viewing the film, famed femme fatale Peggy Hopkins Joyce told Screenland magazine that the kiss between Haines and Hammerstein was the best she'd ever seen onscreen. As a result, Goldwyn publicists tried -- unsuccessfully -- to create a love match between Haines and Joyce. This is all the more ironic because Haines was one of the most well-known homosexuals of the silent era. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This comedy-melodrama, based on the novel by Rupert Hughes (who also directed), blends fiction and reality to tell the story of a young woman's rise in Hollywood; the film uses real stars and productions (even Charles Chaplin filming A Woman of Paris) as its backdrop. Eleanor Boardman plays Remember Steddon, better known as Mem. Mem is a small-town girl who marries slick bad guy Owen Scudder (Lew Cody); Owen insures his brides and then murders them for the money. After the wedding, Mem starts to have her doubts about him and runs away while their train is chugging through the desert. She happens on a film crew and gets work as an extra, later becoming a famous dramatic actress in Hollywood with the help of director Frank Claymore (Richard Dix). Scudder finally tracks her down during a shoot involving a circus tent; when a storm sets the tent on fire, Scudder loses his life saving Mem from a wind machine's propeller. Freed from her marriage, Mem is able to choose between Claymore and her leading man. Boardman, whose first starring role finds her surrounded by a long and impressive supporting cast, wound up at the Goldwyn studios through a "New Faces" contest. Her co-winner, future star William Haines, also had a bit part as the company's assistant director. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Author Anthony Hope's sequel to The Prisoner of Zenda had been filmed once before, in 1915. But filmgoers were far more likely to compare this production to Rex Ingram's version of Prisoner of Zenda, which was released in 1922. Rupert of Hentzau suffered greatly in comparison; in spite of lavish production values and an all-star cast, it just didn't have the same spark as Zenda. Part of the reason is the casting -- some of those big names just weren't right for their roles. Bert Lytell was a poor replacement for Lewis Stone, Lew Cody was no Ramon Novarro, and Elaine Hammerstein was nothing more than decorative. Although Rupert of Hentzau (Cody) was supposedly killed at the end of Prisoner of Zenda, he actually escaped and is still alive to cause trouble for Queen Flavia (Hammerstein). Tired of the bad treatment she suffers at the hands of the King (Lytell), Flavia sends for his look-alike, Rudolph Rassendyll (also Lytell). But Rupert intercepts her letter and plans to use it so that he can take the throne. He kills the king and it looks like his scheme may be successful, but Rassendyll defeats him in a duel. Flavia winds up abdicating so that she can become Rassendyll's wife. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Producer Lewis J. Selznek showed off his skills as a showman with this flashy Elaine Hammerstein vehicle. While Hammerstein was never one of the biggest film stars of the '20s, he backed her up here with an adventuresome and picturesque tale. Beth Wynn (Hammerstein) is a spoiled society girl. At a fashionable party, she agrees to marry Francis Fraser (Hallam Cooley) if he beats her in an airplane race. But the race ends in disaster -- the wing of Beth's craft breaks and it crashes in the mountains of Mexico. She is rescued by three rough men who cut cards to see who gets her. One of the men, Buck Fearnley (Conway Tearle), feels sorry for her and buys her from the winner. He takes her to his cabin, where she overcomes her loathing for him and helps him to become regenerated. Fearnley agrees to send her back to Fraser, but the train carrying her home is swept over a bridge during a storm. Fearnley heroically saves her, while Fraser, who proves to be a coward, is washed away in the raging river. Beth and Fearnley acknowledge their love for each other and are united. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Although Elaine Hammerstein is top-billed in this heavy-handed drama, Mahlon Hamilton has the more impressive role. "Big Jim" Powers (Hamilton) has worked his way up the ranks to be a major power broker in the business world. He is determined to ruin Chester Marvin (Dwight Chittendon) because of the slights he received from the Marvin family during his rise to the top. On his deathbed, Marvin confesses to his daughter, Shirley (Hammerstein), that he is a thief who has illegally used trust funds. Shirley meets with Powers, who agrees to call off the legal proceedings if she agrees to marry his brother, Steve (Charles Gerrard). Although Shirley is willing to go along with this, Powers decides to stop the wedding at the last moment. Later on, Steve is found dead after the brothers have quarreled and Big Jim is accused of his murder. Eventually, Powers is cleared of the crime, and Shirley breaks up with her district attorney fiancé (Niles Welch) to marry him. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

aka Handcuffs and Kisses The producers of this picture apparently got their inspiration from a magazine story about the mistreatment of girl inmates at New York's Bedford Reformatory. Elaine Hammerstein got stuck with the starring role, Lois Walton. Poor Lois is sent to the reformatory by her wicked stepmother (Julia Swayne Gordon), who wants her inheritance. She spends about three reels in the joint, being subjected to inhuman floggings and ice baths. When she finally gets out, she goes to work as a servant for a doctor. He makes a pass at her and threatens to send her back to the reformatory if she refuses him. She runs away and winds up in a gambling den. The woman proprietor tries to marry her off to a man she hates. Again Lois is threatened with the reformatory but finally she's saved by Peter Madison (Robert Ellis), a young lawyer who had met her while he was investigating the institute. He sweeps her off her feet and spirits her away from her sordid surroundings. This tawdry melodrama did not exactly enhance Miss Hammerstein's career. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Elaine Hammerstein stars in this soap opera-like drama. Mrs. Mynor (Theresa Maxwell) encourages her daughter Virginia (Hammerstein) to become involved with Osber Gault (Norman Trevor), even though he is old enough to be her father. Virginia realizes that her mother's motives are selfish, but she marries Gault anyway, not only to help her financially, but also to help out her crippled sister. Only after the wedding does Virginia find out that Gault himself had ulterior motives -- he was slighted by Mrs. Mynor when they were both young, and now he plans to take it all out on her daughter. Virginia becomes a victim of his cruel treatment, and even though she tries to make the best of it, she has a nervous breakdown. After observing his young wife's bravery, Gault begins to regret his actions and decides to make it up to her. He also calls in a specialist to operate on the sister. Virginia goes to the seaside to recover from her breakdown and she meets a newly rich young man. He befriends her, but secretly plans to compromise her. Virginia's behavior, however, is so above reproach that she manages to get away unscathed. She returns to Gault, who is expecting the worst, but she wants nothing more than to be with him, so they are reconciled. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Margaret Brooke (Elaine Hammerstein) has a lovely voice, and the choirmaster at her church suggests that she travel from her home in Dorchester, Massachusetts, to New York City to pursue a singing career. She does, and while she is taking opera lessons, she is dazzled by the usual temptations offered by the big city. Ultimately she decides that love and happiness lead to a better life than fame does, and she returns home to her sweetheart, who she had secretly married the year before. Greater Than Fame was based on a play by S. Jay Kaufman. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide