Edward Hearn Movies

It is a tale known well, filmed many times over the years, but never better than this early black and white version from the MGM Studios, David O. Selznick producing. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"-- Charles Dickens juxtaposes England and France, George and Louis, tradition and revolution. One of the most beloved of Dickens' stories, finding not only countries and conditions compared, but also two individuals thrown up in stark contrast to one another: -- the dissolute barrister Sydney Carton (Ronald Colman) and the young, somewhat callow aristocrat Charles Darnay (Donald Woods), both in love with Lucie (Elizabeth Allan), daughter of a victim of the French Regime. Their lives intertwine until the violent revolution that overtook an entire nation engulfs them all as well.

Dickens' story has stood the test of time; remade frequently since the release of this1935 version. It is this version by director Jack Conway's that is best remembered and to which all others are compared. The settings, cinematography, and direction are all right on the mark, recreating the streets of London and of Paris with great skill and realism. The supporting cast, filled with faces we have grown to cherish-- Reginald Owen, Edna May Oliver, Claude Gillingwater, Walter Catlett, H. B. Warner, Basil Rathbone, and E. E. Clive-comes through with crystalline performances which add substance to the inexorable stream of events. Blanche Yurka's bravura turn as Therese de Farge delights us even as we shudder at her intensity. Second unit directors Jacques Tourneur and Val Lewton, who would both go on to memorable careers as leading directors in their own right, staged the storming of the Bastille and other "revolutionary" scenes brilliantly, managing to combine fervor with panache. It is, however, Colman's portrayal of the lonely man redeemed by love and sacrifice which stands at the center of the story.

Sydney Carton first saves Charles Darnay from a charge of treason, thereby meeting those who care for him: the beautiful Lucie Manette, her father, Doctor Manette (Henry B. Walthall), released from the Bastille after many years of unjust incarceration; Lucie's servant Miss Pross, (Oliver) and Mister Lorry (Claude Gillingwater), an functionary of Tellson's Bank. His relationship with this circle of kind friends grows rocky when Darnay marries Lucie, whom Carton has loved from afar, but even this turn of events cannot change his feelings for them all and he grows to love them even more when daughter Lucie comes along. He reforms, leaving old ways behind and enjoying a familial warmth he has never known. This happy life is shattered when Darnay returns to France during the first revolutionary struggles, intent on saving his old tutor from the guillotine. He soon finds himself behind bars and facing the blade instead. The Revolution does not forget an aristocrat, even one who has recanted and lived life abroad as a commoner. The whole family makes the channel crossing to come to the young man's aid and Carton seeks a way to save him, discovering only one path to free Darnay and return everyone to safety. It is a sacrifice easily promised and quickly made.

Ronald Colman had long wanted to make a film of this story and, when he finally got his chance, he happily shaved off his signature mustache in an appropriate gesture to historical realism. Reviews of his work indicate his portrayal of Sydney Carton surpassed all his previous endeavors; he had been accused of walking through light parts, once he started making "talkies," and not putting his many talents to good use. "A Tale of Two Cities" put rest to those complaints. He dominates completely the scenes he which he does appear, and his skill gives substance to a literary achievement, a melancholy man of intelligence and wit, given to drink and despair, whose life seems to attain meaning only when it is given up for someone else. It is one of the portrayals for which Ronald Colman has come to be remembered.

There are various remake versions of A Tale of Two Cities. Dirk Bogarde played Carton in 1958 and Chris Sarandon starred in a television remake in 1980. While these and other versions have all been good films, none has achieved the stature of the 1935 version and its excellent combination of star power, technical brilliance and great storytelling. ~ All Movie Guide

Gladys Walton is the self-reliant heroine of All Dolled Up. A humble salesgirl, she comes to the rescue of wealthy Florence Turner when the latter is victimized by pickpockets and blackmailers. Literally pummelling the crooks into insensibility, Walton earns a million dollar reward. Though she rises to the top of the social ladder, she remains as likeable and down-to-earth as ever. All Dolled Up was the sort of fare that was eagerly lapped up by all the shopgirls and clerks in the audience, who believed that "There but for the grace of the screenwiter..." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this youthful adventure, a young brother and sister dream of becoming newsreel photographers. They get their chance when they shoot footage of an elusive heiress and help save the foundering career of a cameraman. As an added bonus, they become friends with the wealthy woman. Later they help save her from the criminals who are trying to steal her fortune. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In an attempt to broaden his image, former Fox cowboy Buck Jones both produced and starred in this silent aviation melodrama. Jones plays Buck Bronson, a ranch hand taking to the air as a barnstorming pilot. Lovely June Halloway, in love with Buck, persuades her wealthy father (Charles Clary) to enter the inexperienced aviator in the Honolulu airplane race. Villainous Ben Barnett (Ernest Hilliard), infatuated with June, drugs Buck's pilot friend (Edward Hearn) right before the race, hoping that Buck's inexperience will prove fatal. The novice aviator does crash along the way, but he is rescued and returns to beat the villain and win the girl. The latter was played by Jobyna Ralston, a 1923 WAMPAS Baby Star who was comedian Harold Lloyd's leading lady in no less than six classic comedies. The only film produced by Jones until a series of low-budget Westerns for Universal in the mid 1930s, The Big Hop came complete with sound effects. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In the first of eight Hoot Gibson Westerns produced by poverty row company Allied, The Hooter sets out to avenge the murder of his brother (Edward Hearn), the town banker. Pretending to have no interest in revenge, Gibson is derided for cowardice. Unbeknownst to the townsfolk, however, the young man masquerades as "El Capitan," a notorious Mexican bandit at night, righting the wrongs done by Hooper Atchley, the man he suspects of killing his brother in the first place. Like in Gibson Westerns of yore, none of the derring-do was meant to be taken too seriously. And although cheap-looking compared to The Hooter's silent Universal Westerns, the Allied series at least gave the star more autonomy. Gibson main demand was that his then-wife, Sally Eilers, be cast in the female lead, a decision producer M.H. Hoffman had good reason to celebrate when the beautiful starlet became an overnight sensation in the Fox melodrama Bad Girl (1931). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Celebrated prize fighter Jack Dempsey was a natural for serials, and industry leader Pathé dutifully cast him in this 15-chapter Western adventure co-starring cowgirl Josie Sedgwick and directed by a young W.S. Van Dyke. The story was the usual chapterplay predicament: A dying father gives his young daughter, Glory (Sedgwick), a bracelet with a gem that contains a partial direction to an underground lake of oil. The other half of the secret is in the possession of James Meeney (Frederick Starr), a gangster who may or may not be working with the girl's greedy stepfather (Herschel Mayall) and brother (Albert Cody). Enter Jack Derry (Dempsey), whose father (Carl Stockdale) is wrongfully imprisoned for a crime actually committed by Royce Rivers (Lon Chaney), a desert rat in league with Meeney. Everything, of course, is cleared up in the final chapter, "The Triple Chase," as Jack not only proves his father's innocence but also wins the affection of the newly oil-rich Glory. Promised a bonus if he could complete each chapter within a week, director W.S. Van Dyke earned a lifelong reputation for speed and efficiency (as well as the nickname "One-Shot Van Dyke") by working his cast and crew furiously but without skimping on quality. On the verge of major stardom, Lon Chaney did double duty in Daredevil Jack as a supporting player and as Dempsey's makeup man, and according to Dempsey, performing the latter duties with "a feather-like touch." Daredevil Jack was a major hit for both Pathé and Jack Dempsey, whose fame skyrocketed as a result. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Like many other pictures in the 1920s, Daughters of Today depicted the dangers that could befall those who led a jazz lifestyle -- in graphic detail, of course, which only served to make jazz all the more appealing. Edna Murphy stars as Mabel Vandergrift, a country girl who convinces her old-fashioned parents (George Nichols and Gertrude Claire) that she should attend a fashionable college in the city. There she falls in with a jazz crowd led by Lois Whittall (Patsy Ruth Miller), a motherless rich girl whose father (Phillips Smalley) has his own jazzy sweetheart. In spite of the wild parties she attends, which feature such activities as strip poker and revelers running around in their underwear, Mabel is really a good girl. When Reggy Adams (Philo McCullough) tries to force himself on her, she rebuffs him. But then Adams is found dead and Mabel is accused of his murder. Her friends try to protect her old ma from discovering the trouble she is in, and eventually her name is cleared. The film ends with Mabel, like all good country girls, returning home to marry her country sweetheart, Peter Farnham (Edward Hearn). ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

A remake of Frank Capra's Submarine (1928), Devil's Playground is a snappy Columbia "B plus" picture starring Richard Dix and Chester Morris. Submarine officers Dorgan (Dix) and Mason (Morris) battle on land for the affections of dance-hall girl Carmen (Dolores del Rio). She marries Dorgan but makes a play for Mason when her husband is on duty. The romantic rivalry is forgotten when Dorgan must rescue
Mason and his crew from a sunken sub. Devil's Playground was one of Columbia's bigger moneymakers of 1937. Excerpts from the underwater scenes later found their way into the Three Stooges two-reeler Three Little Sew and Sews (1939). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Any movie that teams Robert Armstrong with Jean Arthur is certainly worth at least one look. Armstrong plays Chester Binney, a small-town rube who hopes to impress local beauty Ethel Simmons (Arthur). Aware that Ethel is ga-ga about "men of the world," Chester invents a shady past for himself and poses as a citified roue. He is forced to prove the veracity of his fabricated past when movie queen Letta Lardo (Lola Lane) shows up in town for a location shoot. Our hero is rescued from making a total fool of himself when it turns out that his rival (Jason Robards Sr.) for Ethel's affections turns out to be an even bigger phoney-baloney than he is. Ex-Bad Boy is based on John Emerson and Anita Loos' stage play The Whole Town's Talking (which ironically served as the title for an unrelated 1935 film, likewise co-starring Jean Arthur). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Frances Farmer plays the daughter of an honest and ethical newspaper publisher (Charlie Ruggles). She wants to become a reporter herself, but when her Dad refuses to give her an easy break, Frances goes to work for a rival "tell all" tabloid. Her irresponsible reporting causes a highly respected citizen to commit suicide, and also loses her the respect of her father. But when Frances gets "over her head" in tracking down a killer, her father comes to the rescue. Taking a bullet meant for his daughter, Ruggles dies in her arms, but not before advising her in how to report this late-breaking event: "Write it simply and clearly and keep the paragraphs short." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This was one of a cycle of faith-healing films of the late teens and early '20s. A Scottish teacher (J. Parks Jones) cures those around him with equal parts faith and common sense. His son (Edward Hearn) is in love with the daughter (Peggy Hyland) of the town's richest man. He opposes his daughter's romance until the teacher saves the girl from the brink of death. Although the Christian Science movement strongly supported films of this nature, they weren't overwhelmingly popular with mass audiences, and the trend died out after Harold Lloyd's Dr. Jack. Director Howard Mitchell later became a busy bit player in talkies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having starred in two earlier Westerns produced by Harry S. Webb, Tom Tyler signed with Webb's new company Reliable, where the former silent star went on to make 18 inexpensive but well-made oaters. The first in the series, Fighting Hero, cast Tyler as Tom Hall, a fugitive from justice rescuing a young Mexican woman, Conchita (Renee Borden), from a murder conviction. He falls in love with the girl, but he then overhears her apparently plotting with the leader of a gang of stage-robbers. As it turns out, Conchita is only looking out for Tom's welfare, and with her help he is soon able to apprehend the gang. When the sheriff (Tom London) arrives, Tom reveals himself to be an undercover agent for the Wells Fargo Company. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide