Howard Hickman Movies
Stately stage leading man Howard C. Hickman entered films through the auspices of producer Thomas H. Ince. Hickman starred as Count Ferdinand, the Messianic protagonist of Ince's Civilization (1916). He co-starred with his actress wife Bessie Barriscale in several productions before returning to the theatre. In the talkie era, he accepted innumerable featured and bit roles as doctors, judges, ministers, senators, and executives. Generations of filmgoers will remember Howard Hickman for his brief appearance as John Wilkes, father of Ashley Wilkes and father-in-law of Melanie Hamilton, in Gone with the Wind (1939). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1920
Leatrice Joy hadn't yet become one of Cecil B. DeMille's stars when she appeared in this eternal triangle drama. Businesswoman Eleanor Lathrop (Kathlyn Williams) becomes an advisor to Richard Emerson (Roy Stewart), an ambitious young engineer. He becomes very successful with her help, and to avoid the talk that surrounds their relationship, she suggests that he marry Mary Virginia Lee (Joy), a Southern girl from an aristocratic but impoverished family. Mary is happy to wed Emerson since she is tired of being poor. On their honeymoon, she reveals that she got married only to have luxuries, and Emerson admits that he was looking for social standing. After their confessions, they decide it's best to lead separate lives. Emerson stays at his club in New York, while Mary lives at his country home. Eleanor becomes jealous of Mary's position, even though she's the one who spends her time with Emerson. Eventually, Mary realizes she wants to be in her husband's life, and he shows up on their third anniversary. Mary's brother, Robert (Albert Van), has been urging her to get a divorce, but the couple start considering that perhaps they should give their marriage a chance. First, however, there's a showdown between Eleanor and Mary -- Mary wins. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
Not surprisingly, the story to this episodic drama ran as a serial entitled The Call of Life in Redbook magazine. After growing up on a Canadian farm, Marquita Shay (Bessie Barriscale) travels to St. Louis with her foster father. There she meets and marries Humphrey Wells (Niles Welsh), only to discover that he is completely dominated by his authoritarian father, a crooked stockbroker (Emmett King). When Marquita can no longer stand being dictated to by her in-laws, she leaves for the home of the man who raised her. But she discovers that he has killed himself after being cheated by Wells Sr. She them shrewdly becomes secretary to Baron Brinker (Joseph J. Dowling), a player in the market who also owns a gambling den; through what she learns at work, she is able to completely wipe out the corrupt Wells. Her husband finally renounces his father, and Marquita reunites with him. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
Bessie Barriscale and Nigel Barrie play Ellen and Gibbs Josselyn, a young married couple who have spent several years in Europe while Gibbs, an artist, developed his talent. When they return to the States, they stay with Gibbs' father (Tom Guise) and stepmother (Kathleen Kirkham). Gibbs had never cared much for his stepmother, Lillian, but now he warms up to her -- a lot. Lillian is much younger than her husband and begins spending a suspicious amount of time with her stepson. The family is scandalized by her behavior, and Mr. Josselyn turns out his son and wife -- regretfully so, since he is quite fond of Ellen and enjoys playing "soldier" with his grandson, Tommy (Ben Alexander, who apparently had the market on kid roles cornered during the late teens and early twenties). One day Mr. Josselyn is found shot to death, and, since there was an estrangement between father and son, Gibbs is held responsible. In spite of what happened with the stepmother, Ellen still loves her husband and has faith that he is innocent. She's right -- eventually it comes out that Tommy, who was over at his grandpa's playing "war" had accidentally shot the old man. Gibbs is released from prison and Ellen helps him heal from the psychic wounds he incurred during his incarceration. This film was based on a Kathleen Norris novel of the same name. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
Bessie Barriscale takes a break from her usual suffering wife roles and plays a white girl who is raised as an Arab. As an infant, Sheka (Barriscale) was snatched from her aristocratic parents during a raid, and the Arab who took her in has raised her to put her on the slave market. As a young woman, she is discovered by Sir Derek Anstruthers (Albert Roscoe), who is traveling through Cairo. They fall in love and meet secretly, but their relationship is quickly discovered. The Arab immediately tries to auction her off, and Anstruthers disguises himself as a native so he can buy her. The couple marries and return to Anstruthers' home in England, but Sheka finds she has a lot of changes to make -- English life and dress are far different from what she is used to. Then her husband falls on hard financial times and she tries to figure out a way to save him. Anstruthers thinks she is following old Arab customs by selling herself off to a man to come up with the money. He goes after her in a panic, but it turns out that the man she has approached is her uncle, and he is making her a loan on her inheritance. The misunderstanding winds up bringing Anstruthers and Sheka even closer together than before. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
It's easy to tell what this drama is about just by seeing the names of the female stars: Bessie Barriscale (the eternally wronged wife) and Rosemary Theby (who, as a young woman, was known for playing vamps). Margaret Wayne (Barriscale) is neglected by her husband, John (Nigel Barrie) in favor of Rita Kosloff, a Russian cabaret singer (Theby). When Margaret tries to stir her husband's jealousy with the help of family friend Philip Northrop (Thomas Holding), it backfires. Northrop purposely puts her in a compromising position and Wayne uses it as grounds for divorce. He also gets custody of the couple's little boy, Sonny (Ben Alexander). Wayne marries Rita and Margaret becomes a nurse in a children's hospital. Later on Margaret hears that her son is seriously ill and she rushes to his side. Wayne has realized that his second marriage was a big mistake and, luckily for him, Rita is killed in a car accident. After her death, Margaret and Wayne happily reconcile. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
Kitty Kelly (Bessie Barriscale) has just graduated from medical school and she decides to set up business in a Western mining camp. Because she is pretty, all the miners come up with various ailments just so they have a chance to spend time with her. The one that wins her heart is ranch foreman Bob Lang (Jack Holt), but a wrench is thrown into the romance when Kitty comes to the conclusion that he drinks too much. She refuses to see him, but he comes to her rescue when she is attacked by saloon keeper Jerry Williams (Wedgewood Nowell). Williams' common-law wife, Lola (Mildred Manning), is jealous of the attention he has paid to Kitty, and she kills him. Circumstantial evidence, however, points to Lang. Kitty does some of her own investigating and discovers the guilty party. Once Lang is cleared, she agrees to become his wife. Bessie Barriscale's forte was playing weepy wives, and she was woefully miscast in this light comedy. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
Upon the death of her father Hamilton Brisbane (Joseph J. Dowling), society girl Norma Brisbane (Bessie Barriscale) finds that the family fortune has been decimated. But she refuses to accept a life of drudgery as her lot and convinces Cuthbert Van Zelt (Albert Cody), her childhood sweetheart and the idle son of a rich man, to pose as her husband. This is how she is able to attend the weekend party held by some wealthy friends. Attending the party is the Duke of Duffield (Frank Leigh), who is engaged to the hostess's daughter. Norma discovers that the family jewels are fake and thus wins a bet with the Duke. The Duke, knowing that she tricked him, suggests that she use her talents to help him obtain some incriminating letters that he wrote, which are now in the possession of Emerson Trent (Melbourne McDowell). She agrees and not only gets the letters but discovers that Trent is the man responsible for her father's downfall. At first she is determined to turn him in, but when she discovers that he is the uncle of the Duke -- whom she has grown to love -- she forgives him. Nancy and the Duke wind up together, while the useless Cuthbert is set adrift. This picture, a vehicle for silent star Bessie Barriscale, was directed by her husband Howard Hickman. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
Mother Hawkins (Anna Dodge) is the proud head of a ring of successful crooks. Her only failure is Nancy (Bessie Barriscale), who insists on earning an honest living as a scrubwoman. When Gentleman "Chi" (Henry Woodward) comes around, looking for some help in a theft, Mother Hawkins sells him Nancy for a hundred dollars. Nancy runs away from the thief and seeks aid from her only friend, John Lewis (Frank Whitson), who lives in the building where she works. Lewis offers her protection, and recalls an argument he had with his pal Andrew Calvert (Tom Guise). Lewis claimed ladies are made, not born, and Calvert disagreed. Lewis sees Nancy as an opportunity to prove his point, and he sends her to school. Nancy flourishes under "Uncle" John's treatment, and she becomes a close friend of Calvert's daughter, Virginia (Vola Vale). But Chi, a Raffles-type character, reappears and courts Virginia. It would be simple for Nancy to keep quiet about her past, but the goodness of her nature inspires her to tell the truth and save her friend from Chi. The film ends on a romantic note, with Nancy and Lewis becoming a couple. Bessie Barriscale's own company produced this film. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1918
Betty Craig (Bessie Barriscale) makes a bet with a girlfriend that she can pass as a man. So she goes to the ranch of her friend's brother, Jack Kennedy (L.C. Shumway), dressed like a cowboy and calling herself Bob. Jack and his ranch hands see right through her, but decide to go along with the ruse for a while. They put her through the ropes, just like any other guy and, while she handles herself fairly well, it all is a little too much for her. At the local saloon, Jack and his pal, Irish Dave (Richard Wayne) disguise themselves as bandits and proceed to shoot up the place (with blanks, of course). Betty, believing it all, sticks a gun in Jack's back, and then the joke is revealed. The next morning, they all discover 100 head of steer missing, but Betty thinks it's still a joke on her. It isn't -- it's the work of rustler Miguel Carballo (George Routh). She finds Miguel, his men and the rustled steer, and brings the infamous bandit back at gunpoint. When she finds out that this was the real thing, and no joke, she faints. She comes to with Jack declaring his love for her. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1918
Rachael (Bessie Barriscale) marries Clarence Breckenridge (Hershel Mayall) a widower much older than herself. Although she tries to be a good wife, he ignores her for the bottle. In addition, his daughter, Billy (Ella Hall), who is not much younger than Rachael, is spoiled. When Rachael meets the family doctor, Warren Gregory (Herbert Heyes), they fall in love. She and Breckenridge divorce, and she marries Gregory. They are happy enough for a few years and have a couple of children (one of them, typically, is Ben Alexander). But Gregory has a wanderlust he didn't show up before he was married and he gets involved with an actress, Magsie Clay (Gloria Hope). Rachael finds out about the liaison and leaves, giving Gregory his freedom. But he goes to Europe instead of going off with Magsie. After he has returned, his little boy falls and is hurt. Rachael realizes her husband is the only man who can save him, so she brings the child to him. Because of this accident, Rachael and Gregory are finally brought back together. This story was originally a best-selling novel by Kathleen Norris. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1917
Gorgeous Broadway star Marvis Marberry (Dorothy Dalton) yearns to be taken seriously as an actress. Marvis sets her sights on a new play, based on a novel by Everett Hale (Charles Gunn). But Hale wants nothing to do with Marvis; besides, he's convinced that she could never convincingly portray a wisecracking, gum-chewing café girl. To prove him wrong, Marvis assumes the identity of "Chicken Casey", just the sort of girl depicted in Hale's novel. It's an old story, with a thoroughly predictable ending, but Dorothy Dalton was irresistable in both her on-screen guises. Chicken Casey was based on Doorsteps, a play by Christine Silver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1917
Just in case there was any doubt, the plot of Wooden Shoes begins in Holland, where we are introduced to heroine Pampy (Bessie Barriscale). Emigrating to the U.S. to find her wealthy grandfather, Pampy discovers that she has been replaced by an impostor who has already assumed control of grandpa's mansion. Unable to prove her identity, our heroine drifts to an artist's colony in New York's Lower East Side, where she is "adopted" by a group of fellow Dutch expatriates. She also falls in love with artist Donald Luther (Jack Livingston), and it is he who kicks the impostor out of the grandfather's house and restores Pampy to her rightful place in the scheme of things. Not unexpectedly, this pre-PC effort contains several ethnic jokes about "typical" Dutch customs and conventions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1917
Hoping to win back her now-married lover Carleton Condon (Howard Hickman), vampish Gloria Marley (Dorothy Dalton) gets her chance when she accidentally meets Condon on a train. Shortly thereafter, the train is wrecked, resulting in several casualties. Throwing her coat over the body of one of the victims, Marley convinces Condon, who's been rendered an amnesiac by a blow on the head, that the dead man is him, and that he, Condon, is a different person entirely. Marley and Condon move to another town and are married under an assumed name. And then, Condon's "widow" Marcia Dorn (Enid Markey) shows up....Years later, during the television era, Female of the Species co-star Enid Markey specialized in such dithering "old biddy" roles as Don Knotts' landlady on The Andy Griffith Show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1916
With American opinion divided over the European war in 1915, no fewer than three major motion pictures were conceived with anti-war messages in mind: J. Stuart Blackton's The Battle Cry of Peace, D.W. Griffith's Intolerance and Thomas Ince's Civilization. Set in the mythical kingdom of Wredpryd, Civilization begins with war spreading through the land. Inventor Count Ferdinand (Howard Hickman), against the wishes of his pacifist fiancee (Enid Markey), agrees to commandeer a submarine against the enemy. When his sub blows up, the Count is rescued from eternal damnation by the spirit of Jesus Christ, whose soul enters Ferdinand's body. Ferdinand returns to life, convincing the King of Wredpryd (Herchel Mayal) that he, the king, has divine powers. But Jesus, using Ferdinand as his vessel, shows the king that no man is above the laws of God--and also gives him an up-close-and-personal tour of the bloody battlefield. The King realizes the error of his ways, and declares an end to the battle. Extremely popular during its first year of release (1916), Civilization disappeared from view the moment that the US declared war against Germany. Though its direction is often credited to producer Thomas Ince, Civilization was actually directed by committee: among its helmsmen were Walter Edwards, Raymond B. West, Jay Hunt, Reginald Barker, J. Park Read and David M. Hartford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Howard Hickman, Enid Markey, (more)
- 1916
In this early jungle adventure, a young Spanish girl is orphaned in the Amazon jungle and later taken in by kindly natives. She grows up and becomes the consummate wild woman. One day a lost explorer happens upon her remote village. A rather unethical fellow and very curious as to her origins, he sneaks into her hut and begins rifling around. Much to his surprise, he learns that she is an heiress with an enormous fortune awaiting her return in the U.S. He successfully courts her, and after the wedding he takes her to New York. There, they immerse themselves in decadent living and find happiness until she learns his true motives for marrying her. Flying into a terrible rage, she rips off her fancy clothing and reemerges in full jungle garb. She then races to her loutish spouse and with her strong hands, sees that he never fools anyone again. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1915
Howard Hickman, best known to modern viewers for his brief appearance as Leslie Howard's father in Gone with the Wind, played the title character in the Mutual production The Man From Oregon. Hickman is cast as Honest John Martin, elected to the U.S. Senate by his fellow Oregonians on the basis of his promise to fight for their rights in Washington. Utterly incorruptible, Martin cannot be swayed by lobbyists, who out of desperation engage the services of a "loose woman" named Harriet Lane Clara Williams to seduce, compromise and disgrace the hero. Instead, Harriet falls in love with Martin, and helps him in his efforts to "throw the rascals out." A product of a simpler time, The Man From Oregon was filmed in an era when a man's political career could actually be destroyed by a sex scandal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1914
Almost the entire Jesse L. Lasky stock company was trotted out for this minor offering starring stage actor Edward Abeles and Theodore Roberts as a couple of prospectors who get involved with greedy city types on a business trip to New York. The film was the first to be shot entirely on Lasky's new ranch at Wilson Canyon in the San Fernando Valley. The ranch, managed by one Hosea Steelman who also played bit parts, included "varied scenery such as streams, woods, mountain peaks, abandoned mines, ore dumps, miners' huts, and an Indian camp of 35 tepees." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
