Jack Holt Movies

In this adventure, trouble ensues when two American French Legionnaires fall for the same girl and begin fighting over her when one of them announces that he plans to marry her. The argument is quite heated and in the ensuing scuffle one of them is shot and wounded. He believes the other did it. It was actually their sergeant who did it, and when he refuses to help out, the accused man punches him out. For hitting an officer, the pugilist is sentenced to Devil's Island. In order to be near her true love, the woman convinces the other to marry her. She then has him get a job as a guard at the notorious prison. It is there that the man realizes his buddy did not shoot him. He then helps him escape with the woman. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this crime melodrama, a bootlegger orders the death of his rival. Meanwhile the bootlegger's wife dallies with his best friend. Following the hit, the gangster is arrested. Believing that his best pal ratted on him, he busts out of jail and goes looking for revenge. It is then he discovers that the real stoolie is his own wife who was trying to keep him from being rubbed out by a rival gang. Upon learning the truth, the repentant bootlegger decides to sacrifice himself to the coppers so his son can be raised by his upright best friend. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Filmed at glorious locations on the Navajo reservation at Tuba City and in Flagstaff, AZ, this Zane Grey adaptation stars square-jawed Jack Holt as a lawman going undercover to ferret out a notorious cattle rustler. In his second American film, aristocratic British actor John Loder plays the villain, a foppish rancher-turned-cattle rustler. Sunset Pass was remade in 1933 as a vehicle for Randolph Scott, and again in 1946, starring James Warren. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

This early Frank Capra talkie stars popular screen action team Jack Holt and Ralph Graves as US marines stationed in Nicaragua. The "two guys fighting over one gal" throughline is there because the audience expected it -- and besides, leading lady Lila Lee is awfully cute. But the meat of the story lies in the fact that Holt and Graves are pilots, required to fly their Curtis fighter-bomber on dangerous missions. The flight scenes, shot without the benefit of special effects or back projection, are truly awe-inspiring, and served as stock footage for countless Columbia films in future years. Released in both silent and sound versions, Flight was a major success for the tiny Columbia studios. Its effectiveness is all the more remarkable when one realizes that star Jack Holt had a lifelong fear of flying! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Having played an egotistical baseball player in Slide, Kelly, Slide, an egotistical golfer in Spring Fever, and an egotistical football star in West Point, can it be any surprise that William Haines was cast as a you-know-what polo player in The Smart Set? While touring Europe, Tommy van Buren (Haines) is expelled from the U.S. polo team because of his obnoxiousness and lack of team spirit. Since even his sweetheart Polly (Alice Day) has turned her back on him, the headstrong Tommy decides to just sit back and sulk during the championship match. But when Polly is injured in a riding accident, our hero returns to the team just in time to trounce the British polo squad -- and, lest we forget, he also wins the heroine. As usual, critics gnashed their teeth over the sameness of the Bill Haines vehicles, but the public turned out in droves. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on Zane Grey's Collier's short story, this fine Paramount Western starred the underrated Nancy Carroll as an Eastern socialite vamping Arizona rancher Philip Randolph Jack Holt, in town to discuss business with her father (C. Montague Shaw). When the smitten young man proposes, he discovers that Judith Endicott has been kidding him all along. With her father's permission, the Arizonian "kidnaps" the spoiled girl to teach her a much needed lesson. A jealous suitor (John Boles) is trailing them, however, and has an Indian accomplice steal their horses. They survive a trek through the desert and after reaching safety, a grateful Judith "kidnaps" Philip for good. A former director of 2-reel comedies, F. Richard Jones graduated to features in the 1920s but left the screen during the changeover to sound. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

This silent Paramount Zane Grey Western marked the screen debut of the then 7-year-old Tim Holt. Young Tim's father, Jack Holt, starred as John Ballard, a courageous rancher who leads his neighbors in their righteous fight against corrupt politician John Murdock (William Powell) and his even nastier brother, the local sheriff (Fred Kohler). The brothers are attempting to acquire the valley's water rights by force. In the scuffle, John Murdock shoots and kills a rancher but manages to shift the blame onto Ballard. Banished from the settlement, Ballard returns with renewed fervor and extracts a confession from Murdock. Young Tim appeared in a flashback sequence playing his father as a child. In the '40s, Tim Holt became a B-Western star for RKO, but is today best remembered for playing George Amberson Minafer in Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons and one of the three prospectors in the Humphrey Bogart classic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). Tim's sister, Jennifer Holt, appeared in 38 B-Westerns in the '40s. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

This typically hard-nosed Jack Holt vehicle casts the star as opium smuggler Tom Fellows. While in Shanghai on "business," Tom rescues Mary Blake (Dorothy Revier) from the clutches of his deadly rival London Charlie (Pat Harmon). But Mary can't stay out of trouble, obliging Tom to rescue her a second time. Several hairbreadth escapes later, Mary reveals herself to be "Secret Agent 63" -- whereupon Tom identifies himself as British Intelligence Officer Robert Wellesley, Mary's boss! Blessed with one fast-action scene after another, The Warning can perhaps be forgiven for its nonsensical storyline. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Produced by Columbia Pictures, The Tigress is set in Spain, where a band of gypsies help themselves to the livestock on a lavish estate. The villain murders the head gypsy then places the blame on the master of the estate, Jack Holt. The gypsy's chieftain's daughter Dorothy Revier vows revenge, but before she can sneak into Holt's room to do him dirt, she is rendered unconscious in an accident. Revier is brought into Holt's home for recuperation, whereupon Holt, discovering Revier's true intent, poses as his own valet, not out of cowardice but in hopes that the girl will fall in love with him. Jack Holt's later vehicles for Columbia weren't a whole lot more believable than The Tigress. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Like most Westerns of the era, this Jack Holt vehicle from Paramount includes automobiles and even airplanes. But Holt went his rivals one better by incorporating a machine gun into a fight against a neighboring rancher who is out to ruin him. Based on a Peter B. Kyne novel, The Enchanted Hill also featured a triangle romance between Holt, rancher's daughter Mary Brian and jealous foreman Richard Arlen. The latter, a promising newcomer, basically took Holt's place in the Paramount hierarchy when the square-jawed star moved over to upstart Columbia. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Although she made an unforgettable impression in Charles Chaplin's The Gold Rush, Georgia Hale spent the rest of her short acting career appearing in undistinguished films. She has good company in this one, a Western -- her co-stars are Jack Holt and Warner Oland. Nancy Raynor (Hale) is arriving from the East to see her dying uncle. Clint Beasley (Oland) and his gang are determined to kidnap her before she reaches him. Milt Dale (Holt) finds out about the plot and derails it by kidnapping Nancy himself. But Nancy proves to be a tough character -- she wounds Dale with his own gun and has the sheriff (Tom Kennedy) arrest him. While he is on trial for the kidnapping, Nancy goes to the ranch and is furious to discover that her uncle has already died. She becomes easy prey for the attentions of Beasley, but soon enough she realizes that he has ulterior motives. He still manages to have her abducted and taken to his ranch. Dale wants to get out of jail to help her, so he has his pet cougar -- who has followed him to the jail -- attack the sheriff. While they are struggling, Dale is able to reach through the bars and take the sheriff's keys and gun. He locks the sheriff up and heads for the outlaws. He and Beasley wind up in a dual. Beasley is killed and Dale unites with Nancy who (not so surprisingly) has decided that she loves him. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Filmed in majestic Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon, Utah, this Paramount Zane Grey Western starred Jack Holt as Nevada, a fugitive from justice left to die in the desert by his treacherous partner Bill Hall (Tom Santschi). Nevada is rescued by Ben Ide (Edmund Burns), a young rancher engaged to Ina Blaine (Arlette Marchal). Ina falls in love with the newcomer, but Nevada, out of gratitude to Ben, spurns her advances. Dejected, the girl falls into the clutches of Bill Hall, now an infamous rustler. Learning of Ina's plight, Nevada charges into Hall's stronghold, killing an associate of the villain (Christian J. Frank) along the way. Cornered by the rustlers, Nevada and Ina seek refuge on a mountain ledge where they are rescued by Ben and his posse. Nevada is cleared of all wrongdoings and, with Ben's blessings, proposes to Ina. Forlorn River, which author Grey published as a novel in 1927, was remade by Paramount in 1936 starring Larry "Buster" Crabbe. The characters of Nevada and Ben Ide also appeared in Nevada (1927) -- again directed by Waters -- and two remakes. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Veteran Western director William K. Howard does a solid job with this routine Zane Grey story. Jack Holt, Billie Dove, and Noah Beery Sr., who starred together in Wanderers of the Wasteland, appear together again. Madeline Hammond (Dove), the sister of ranchman Al Hammond (William Scott), arrives from the East. Gene Stewart, a rough and rowdy cowboy (Holt), convinces Madeline to marry him while he is on a drunken spree. Madeline sets out to reform him, and he sets out to rid their little section of the West of a band of outlaws. Stewart finds a formidable opponent in Brand, the bandit leader (Beery), who torments him, Madeline, and Hammond. Eventually the trio are rescued by a group of cowpunchers and Brand meets his end. This story was filmed twice more, in 1930 and 1940. Beery's son, Noah Beery Jr., had a supporting role in the 1940 version. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi