John Harrington Movies

In this romance, a detective goes undercover as a jewel thief and boards a trans-atlantic cruise ship. There he joins a ring of jewel thieves looking to steal a famed baseball sized diamond. The gumshoe has been hired by the insurance company to protect the gem. The cruise begins, and he soon finds himself in love with a female gang member. Later he captures the gang, but tries to get the woman a lighter sentence. Because she has decided to straighten up and fly right, the judge suspends her sentence, remands her to parole and her new parole officer- the detective. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The owner of a racehorse, the owner's lovely niece and a jockey must deal with a number of travails before the big race in this comedy. The uncle must win so he can afford to keep the bank from foreclosing on his horse farm. Unfortunately, his horse breaks his leg and all seems to be lost. Fortunately the girl finds a clever veterinarian who uses a new technique to repair the leg and therefore save the farm. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The sixth of RKO's Fred Astaire -Ginger Rogers pairings of the 1930s, Swing Time starts off with bandleader Astaire getting cold feet on his wedding day. Astaire's bride-to-be Betty Furness will give him a second chance, providing he proves himself responsible enough to earn $25,000. Astaire naturally tries to avoid earning that amount once he falls in love with dance instructor Ginger Rogers. Numerous complications ensue, leading to the "second time's the charm" climax, with Ginger escaping her own wedding to wealthy Georges Metaxa in order to be reunited with Astaire. The film's most indelible image is that of Fred Astaire, immaculately attired in top hat and tails, hopping a freight car--a perfect encapsulation of the film's Depression-era cheekiness. The Jerome Kern-Dorothy Fields score includes such standards-to-be as "Pick Yourself Up," "A Fine Romance," "The Way You Look Tonight," "Never Gonna Dance" and "Bojangles of Harlem." The peerless supporting cast of Swing Time includes Helen Broderick, Victor Moore, Eric Blore, and Landers Stevens, the actor-father of the film's director, George Stevens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The 1932 publication of Charles Nordhoff and James Norton Hall's Mutiny on the Bounty sparked a revival of interest in the titular 1789 ship mutiny, and this 1935 MGM movie version won the Oscar for Best Picture. Clark Gable stars as Fletcher Christian, first mate of the infamous HMS Bounty, skippered by Captain William Bligh (Charles Laughton), the cruelest taskmaster on the Seven Seas. Bligh's villainy knows no bounds: he is even willing to flog a dead man if it will strengthen his hold over the crew. Christian despises Bligh and is sailing on the Bounty under protest. During the journey back to England, Bligh's cruelties become more than Christian can bear; and after the captain indirectly causes the death of the ship's doctor, the crew stages a mutiny, with Christian in charge. Bligh and a handful of officers loyal to him are set adrift in an open boat. Through sheer force of will, he guides the tiny vessel on a 49-day, 4000-mile journey to the Dutch East Indies without losing a man. Historians differ on whether Captain Bligh was truly such a monster or Christian such a paragon of virtue (some believe that the mutiny was largely inspired by Christian's lust for the Tahitian girls). The movie struck gold at the box office, and, in addition to the Best Picture Oscar, Gable, Laughton, and Franchot Tone as one of the Bounty's crew were all nominated for Best Actor (they all lost to Victor McLaglan in The Informer). The film was remade in 1962 and adapted into the "revisionist" 1984 feature The Bounty with Mel Gibson as Fletcher Christian and Anthony Hopkins as Captain Bligh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With a star-director combination like Tommy Meighan and Allan Dwan, how could Tin Gods not succeed at the box office? After the death of his child in an accident, engineer Roger Drake (Meighan) parts company with his politically ambitious wife Janet (Aileen Pringle). Unable to hold onto a job in the U.S., Drake ends up working on a treacherous bridge project in South America. Stricken with fever, Drake is saved through the tender ministrations of native girl Carita (Renee Adoree). But when he recovers, our hero indicates that he may wish to reconcile with his wife, whereupon the heartbroken Carita jumps off the newly-completed bridge to her death. Profoundly affected by this, Drake elects to remain in South America long enough to build a shrine for his lost love. Among the screenwriters for Tin Gods was actor Paul Dickey, who'd previously played Guy of Gisborne in the Allan Dwan-directed Robin Hood (1922). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This colorful drama of the Bowery of the 1890s was directed by Herbert Brenon. Diamond Mike (Riley Hatch) runs a Bowery saloon where, in a back room, men disguise themselves as cripples so they can beg for money. Their leader is Easy Money Charlie (Percy Marmont), who pretends to have only one arm. His enemy is a pseudo blind man, Bridgeport White-Eye (John Harrington). When street woman Portland Fancy (Juliet Brenon) dies, she convinces Charlie to take care of her four-year-old daughter. Charlie takes surprisingly good care of the girl, Mary, making sure she is raised properly and receives a good education. When she grows up (to be played by Mary Brian), a young lawyer, Philip Peyton (Neil Hamilton), falls in love with her. Mary, however, is in love with Charlie, who she believes to be a successful businessman. Charlie realizes that he's nothing but a sham and a scammer, so he confesses the truth about his line of work to Peyton and disappears. After he is reported drowned, Peyton and Mary become engaged. White-Eye sees a chance to blackmail the young couple, but Charlie reappears and really blinds his adversary in a fight. The last we see of Charlie, he is in his beggar's rags, watching Mary's wedding from outside the church. Although she does not receive billing, this was the screen debut of Louise Brooks, who played a gun moll. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide