Stuart Holmes Movies
It is probably correct to assume that American actor Stuart Holmes never turned down work. In films since 1914's Life's Shop Window, Holmes showed up in roles both large and microscopic until 1962. In his early days (he entered the movie business in 1911), Holmes cut quite a villainous swath with his oily moustache and cold, baleful glare. He played Black Michael in the 1922 version of The Prisoner of Zenda and Alec D'Uberville in Tess of the D'Ubervilles (1923), and also could be seen as wicked land barons in the many westerns of the period. While firmly established in feature films, Holmes had no qualms about accepting bad-guy parts in comedy shorts, notably Stan Laurel's Should Tall Men Marry? (1926) In talkies, Holmes' non-descript voice tended to work against his demonic bearing. Had Tom Mix's My Pal the King (1932) been a silent picture, Holmes would have been ideal as one of the corrupt noblemen plotting the death of boy king Mickey Rooney; instead, Holmes was cast as Rooney's bumbling but honest chamberlain. By the mid '30s, Holmes' hair had turned white, giving him the veneer of a shopkeeper or courtroom bailiff. He signed a contract for bits and extra roles at Warner Bros, spending the next two decades popping up at odd moments in such features as Confession (1937), Each Dawn I Die (1939) and The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944), and in such short subjects as At the Stroke of Twelve (1941). Stuart Holmes remained on call at Central Casting for major films like Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) until his retirement; he died of an abdominal aortic aneurism at the age of 83. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1916
It is nothing short of tragic that none of the elaborate Annette Kellerman vehicles directed by Herbert Brenon exists today. In addition to her legendary swimming skills, Kellerman was a charming and captivating actress, and as a bonus she looked sensational in the revealing costumes chosen for her by the box-office savvy Brenon. Like Kellerman's previous Neptune's Daughter, the "million dollar" Fox production Daughter of the Gods was a lavish fairy tale, set long long ago in a land far far away. The setting was an Atlantis-like kingdom, where the heroine was forced to contend sword-and-sorcery style with various and sundry ghoulies, ghosties and goblins -- as well as a few human villains -- before achieving true happiness with her Prince Charming. Stills exist of Daughter of the Gods showing the shapely Kellerman clad in little more than her long, flowing hair; for this reason alone, moviegoers should mourn the loss of this undoubtedly fascinating film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1916
Desperately tired of playing man-eating "vamps," Theda Bara begged to play Ouida's 1901 Foreign Legion heroine, "Cigarette," in the fourth screen version of this enduring drama. The Legion's mascot, Cigarette falls for an Englishman, Bertie Cecil (Herbert Heyes), and when he is sentenced to a firing squad, she heroically takes the bullet herself. Directed by Bara regular J. Gordon Edwards (the step-grandfather of Blake Edwards), Under Two Flags was a major critical and popular success despite obvious Long Island locations standing in for the North African desert. Making his screen debut in this film, handsome but somewhat stodgy Herbert Heyes embarked on a long career than lasted until the late '50s; he is perhaps best remembered for playing Montgomery Clift's millionaire uncle in A Place in the Sun (1951). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1916
Mary Doone (Theda Bara) is a poor British girl who runs away from her adopted family because the father made a pass at her. She lives at a parish house, and at the outbreak of World War I, she becomes a Red Cross nurse. At the front she meets war correspondent Lloyd Stanley (Stuart Holmes). Stanley tries to have his way with her but she is saved when the hospital tent is bombed. To get away from Stanley, she takes on the clothes and identity of an (apparently) dead girl, Ethel Wardley (Madeleine Le Nard). Ethel was on her way to live with Lady Clifford (Lucia Moore), an aunt she has never seen. So that's where Mary goes. There she meets and falls in love with Ethel's cousin Elliott (A.H. Van Buren). They become engaged. But Ethel is not dead and she recovers from her wounds. She and Stanley head for the Clifford estate to blow Mary's cover. It doesn't matter, however, because Mary has already admitted the ruse, and the family has forgiven and accepted her anyhow. Bara was going through a very un-vampish period in her career during the time this film was made -- it was sandwiched between Under Two Flags and Romeo and Juliet. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1915
This was Theda Bara's third starring film, and the first which she carried all on her own, with no other name actors in the cast. Based on the Alexander Dumas story, The Clemenceau Case involves Iza, a vampire-wife (Bara), whose wicked ways scandalize her husband, Pierre (William E. Shay). She threatens to bring his best friend, Constantin Ritz (Stuart Holmes), to ruin. Ultimately, her husband, fed up with her antics, murders her then calls the police with an unruffled calm. One truly ludicrous aspect of the picture was a snake which supposedly co-starred with Bara. Her character kept the creature as a pet, and much ado was made over how dangerous it was. In reality, it was stuffed, which is all-too apparent in still photographs (no actual print of the film is known to exist). Nevertheless, the film was a huge success with both critics and audiences alike -- perhaps its huge box office was helped along by the vilification it received from social reformers. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1915
The first of 23 Theda Bara films to be directed by J. Gordon Edwards (the step-grandfather of Blake Edwards), this film was also the first to have a happy ending. Bara once again seeks vengeance on a cheating husband (Stuart Holmes), but instead of routinely destroying a series of men, Bara's Francesca Brabaut falls in love with a nice artist and lives happily ever after. The Galley Slave was based on a Victorian stage play and enjoyed less than booming business. As a consequence, Theda's employer, Fox, quickly ordered up the much more lurid Destruction (1915). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1914
World War I (then known as the European War) had only just started in earnest when a small film company put together this drama. America, in fact, hadn't yet taken sides, and in keeping with this neutral stance, both sides are treated fairly, if a bit unrealistically. Germans occupy a small town near the southeastern border of France. A young German lieutenant, Eric von Rodek (Stuart Holmes) wrecks the interior of a chateau while drunk, and is upbraided by Yvonne Granpre (Edith Hallor), a girl who lives there. Later, when he encounters her in an inn, he tries to have his way with her. She resists, and he comes to his senses. But then the innkeeper tries to force himself on her, and von Rodek kills him. Because of his misdeeds, von Rodek is sent on a dangerous and possibly fatal mission, Yvonne, meanwhile, is taken for a spy and sentenced to be executed. Von Rodek returns just in time to save her and the couple anxiously await the war's end so that they can be together -- of course, little do they (or anyone else) realize that peace will take four more years. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1914
Produced and directed by Universal Pictures stalwart Will H. Davis, Thou Shalt Not offered character actor Stuart Holmes one of his biggest and flashiest screen roles. Set in the Frozen North, the film focuses on a romantic triangle involving a prospector, his wife, and the wife's no-good lover. During a showdown with the lover, the husband kills the man, but "pays" for his crime when his wife dies of a long and painful illness. Our hero finds redemption when he falls in love with the sister of the man he killed. Managing to elude the authorities, the now-reformed prospector starts life anew with his lady love. Thou Shalt Not ran four reels, which translated roughly to 60 minutes' screen time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1914
You've probably already deduced that the silent In the Stretch is a racetrack story. Writer/director Phil Scovelle casts himself as an honest jockey surrounded on all sides by dishonesty. After serving time in jail (he wasn't always honest), Scovelle exposes a crooked gambling ring. He simultaneously wins the Big Race and the heart of heroine Courtney Collins. And he does it all in a record 48 minutes (or four reels, whichever comes first). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
