Warren Hymer Movies
Though he appeared to be an illiterate, streetwise plug-ugly, American actor Warren Hymer was actually the son of two affluent stage performers, John B. Hymer and Elsie Hunt. Hymer was also a graduate of Yale University, and a moderately successful Broadway stage actor before coming to Hollywood in 1928. Because of his rough-hewn facial features and his ability to feign incredible stupidity, Hymer was much in demand in gangster parts, from his first talking picture, This Cockeyed World (1929), onward. So popular was Hymer during the early-talkie period that he shared co-starring status with Spencer Tracy in two films, and was billed over Humphrey Bogart in Up the River (1932). Unfortunately, Hymer's love of acting took second place to his love of liquor. Things went from bad to worse as Hymer's condition deteriorated; at one point he began filming a scene, opened his mouth to speak, and collapsed cold on the floor. Producers were willing to overlook this in view of Hymer's talent, but the actor also suffered from an uncontrollable temper. The axe fell on the day that Hymer, arguing with Columbia Pictures chieftan Harry Cohn, punctuated his tirade by urinating on Cohn's desk. After that, Hymer was virtually blackballed from Hollywood, resurfacing from time to time for an unbilled bit or a barely coherent supporting role. Warren Hymer died in 1948, not having worked in two years; he was only 42. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1940
In this drama, a despondent fellow contemplates suicide after he is abandoned by his last girlfriend. To ensure that his poor sister will receive maximum benefits from his life insurance policy, he hires a hitman to assassinate him. Unfortunately, he meets a new girl and changes his mind. Unfortunately, the killer, whom the hero has never met, doesn't know this. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1939
There was no getting around the fact that child star Jane Withers was growing up in a hurry by the time she made The Boy Friend. To its credit, Withers' home studio 20th Century-Fox took into consideration the star's blossoming womanhood by allowing her to have her first on-screen romance. The plot concerns the efforts of police officer Jimmy Murphy (Richard Bond) to get the goods on gangster Ed Boyd (Douglas Fowley). To do this, Jimmy pretends to join Boyd's gang, a subterfuge that causes a great deal of grief for his hero-worshipping kid sister Sally (Withers). With the help of her military-school cadet boyfriend Bill Bradley (George Ernest) and dimwitted patrolman Greenberg (Warren Hymer), Sally tries to save Jimmy from disgracing himself by trapping Boyd and his minions in their lair-and, of course, nearly gets herself killed in the process. The fact that the villains use a nightclub for their hideout is excuse enough for Jane Withers to belt out a few forgettable songs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Withers, Arleen Whelan, (more)
- 1939
Peter Lorre stars as the famous Asian detective Mr. Moto in this remake of Murder in Trinidad, in which Moto is asked to help the United States government crack a smuggling ring bringing in stolen diamonds from Puerto Rico. Moto's deductive powers quickly prove impressive as he matches wits with the slow-minded gangster "Twister" McGurk (Warren B. Hymer). This was Lorre's seventh film as Mr. Moto; he would make one more before the series was retired at the end of 1939. Originally shown as Mr. Moto on Danger Island. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Lorre, Jean Hersholt, (more)
- 1939
In this action film two Coast Guard pilots fall in love with the same woman. She chooses the more macho of the two, but soon tires of his hyper-masculine behavior. She leaves him. He tries to win her back by showing off in a Navy plane, but ends up crashing and losing his pilot's wings. When his buddy is lost in the Arctic, the wingless pilot begs for the chance to redeem himself and find him. He gets his chance and no one is let down by his heroic efforts. Even his estranged wife returns to him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Frances Dee, (more)
- 1939
How could anyone dislike a film with the title Lady and the Mob? Sweet Fay Bainter stars as eccentric dowager Hattie Leonard, who takes it upon herself to smash a dry-cleaning racket. When the crooks and the cops laugh at her efforts, the resourceful Hattie sets about to organize her own mob, consisting of such soft-hearted yeggs as Warren Hymer and Joe Sawyer. With the help of her Runyonesque stooges-not to mention her grandson Jeff (Lee Bowman) and his sweetheart Lila (Ida Lupino)-Hattie manages to strike a blow for The American Way, bringing the villains to their knees. The supporting cast includes the ineffable Henry Armetta and versatile radio actor Tommy Mack, of "I'm not excited! WHO'S excited?" fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fay Bainter, Ida Lupino, (more)
- 1939
In this patriotic spy adventure, a young gangster joins an enemy espionage agency and agrees to enlist in the Marine Corps so he can pilfer the plans for a newly developed aerial torpedo. To get in, the crook steals an innocent young man's papers and forges them for himself. Later, he gets his chance and nabs the plans. Unfortunately, the man whom he pretends to be finds out and gets the crook tossed into jail. Later the enemy agents help him escape. But by this time, the gangster has decided not to betray his beloved country. He puts up a fight and manages to flee the spies and return to the Marines where he works to bring the enemies to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don "Red" Barry, Helen Mack, (more)
Tom Destry (James Stewart), son of a legendary frontier peacekeeper, doesn't believe in gunplay. Thus he becomes the object of widespread ridicule when he rides into the wide-open town of Bottleneck, the personal fiefdom of the crooked Kent (Brian Donlevy). His detractors laugh even louder when Destry signs on as deputy to drunken sheriff Wash Dimsdale (Charles Winninger). But the laughter subsides when Destry casually proves himself a crack shot, despite his abhorrence of firearms. Later, when saloon chanteuse Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich), Kent's gal, takes umbrage at Destry's indifferent reaction to her charms, she vows to make a fool of the new deputy. A huge moneymaker, Destry Rides Again served as a spectacular comeback for Marlene Dietrich, who two years earlier had been written off as "box office poison." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, (more)
- 1939
Having proven their box-office value in such films as A Letter of Introduction, Goldwyn Follies and You Can't Cheat an Honest Man, ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his wise-lipped dummy Charlie McCarthy were awarded with a starring vehicle of their own. While entertaining at the home of magazine publisher Court Aldrich (Samuel S. Hinds), Bergen and his "friends" Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd get mixed up in their host's murder. It seems that Aldrich was working hand in glove with gangster Tony Garcia (Harold Huber), who has kept himself busy knocking off the publisher's enemies. Could Garcia be the murderer this time as well, or was it someone else at the party? Inspector Dailey (Edgar Kennedy) wants to find out-but he doesn't want the unsolicited assistance of Charlie McCarthy, who insists upon playing Sherlock Holmes, replete with deerstalker and magnifying glass. Though essentially a "stunt" film, Charlie McCarthy, Detective pleases the crowd with an abundance of hilarious dialogue and a reasonably good mystery subplot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edgar Bergen, Robert Cummings, (more)
- 1938
This film is one of acclaimed director Fritz Lang's less noted achievements, a mixture of romance, comedy, drama, and satire. It includes three songs by the famed Kurt Weill, including "The Right Guy for Me." George Raft plays Joe Dennis, an ex-convict working in a department store. The store's boss, Mr. Morris (Harry Carey), likes to hire ex-cons. Joe falls in love with Helen (Sylvia Sidney), who hides the fact that she is on parole until after they marry. Since parolees can't wed, the marriage is illegal. Distraught, Joe organizes a gang to rob Morris' store. Helen intervenes and tries to convince the gang members that the potential take isn't worth the risk of returning to prison. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Sidney, George Raft, (more)
- 1938
The great Ernst Lubitsch directed this farce (written by Charles M. Brackett and Billy Wilder) about a free-wheeling millionaire, Michael Brandon (Gary Cooper), who enjoys getting married but has a hard time staying married: he's had seven wives and is looking for number eight. He thinks he may have found her in the person of Nicole de Loiselle (Claudette Colbert), whom he meets in a shop on the French Riviera. Unfortunately for Michael, Nicole doesn't like him very much and keeps rebuffing his advances, even though most women would be only too happy to marry him for his money. For just that reason, Nicole's father (Edward Everett Horton), a financially embarrassed French nobleman, strongly suggests that matrimony with Michael would be a good idea, especially since Michael doesn't want to take no for an answer. Nicole eventually relents and weds Michael, but when she tries to get him to change a few of his habits during the honeymoon, he makes plans to divorce her. But Nicole has finally decided that she loves Michael after all, and, as he tries to flee from her, she gives chase, determined to win his heart once and for all. The same story was previously filmed as a silent picture in 1923. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudette Colbert, Gary Cooper, (more)
- 1938
Set during World War I, Submarine Patrol stars Preston S. Foster as a naval officer demoted for dereliction of duty. He is forced to commandeer a battered old submarine chaser and its ragtag crew. Anxious to redeem himself, Foster transforms his loser underlings into a crack combat team, chalking up numerous enemy sinkings. Richard Greene costars as Foster's junior officer, a rich wastrel who matures into a worthwhile individual during his tour of duty. Deftly directed by John Ford, Submarine Patrol was enthusiastically received by audiences and critics alike in 1938. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Greene, Nancy Kelly, (more)
- 1938
Thanks for Everything is an unjustly forgotten lampoon of media promotional stunts. Jack Haley wins a contest sponsored by an ad agency, which is looking for the perfect "average American." The contest's avaricious promoters (Adolphe Menjou and Jack Oakie) use poor Haley as a merchandising tool by having him endorse all sorts of products. When Haley's girl friend (Arleen Whelan) realizes that the hapless fellow is being exploited as a means of controlling the advertising industry, Haley insists that the promoters cease and desist or he'll blow the whistle. The promoters respond by discrediting Haley as a crackpot, but justice triumphs in the end. Thanks for Everything is capped by a bizarre sequence in which Menjou and Oakie convince Haley that World War II has broken out--a sequence filmed one year before this actually occurred! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adolphe Menjou, Jack Oakie, (more)
- 1938
- NR
Given the talent involved, The Joy of Living should have been far better than it is. Irene Dunne plays Maggie, a popular musical-comedy star saddled with a possessive, spendthrift family. Maggie would like to leave the house once in a while and experience "real life," but her parents (Alice Brady, Guy Kibbee), worried that they'll lose their meal ticket, refuse to allow her to do so. The Prince Charming who rescues Maggie from her folks is ship-owner Dan (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) As a bonus, the footloose and fancy-free Dan teaches the repressed Maggie that "it's fun to be foolish." Apparently director Tay Garnett couldn't keep the production under control, and the cost ballooned to a then-staggering $1.1 million, resulting in a huge loss for RKO Radio. Some of the film's brighter moments are provided by Lucille Ball, Billy Gilbert, Jean Dixon and Franklin Pangborn, who like Dunne and Fairbanks all deserved funnier material than this. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Dunne, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., (more)
- 1938
En route to America, Irish immigrant Arleen Whelan is the victim of shipboard masher Raymond Walburn. Pushed away by the girl, Walburn is slightly injured, whereupon he brings up charges against Whelan and holds up her entry visa at Ellis Island. War correspondent Don Ameche comes to the rescue, but Whelan's problems are far from over thanks to her involvement with another immigrant, gangster Gilbert Roland. Gateway represents perhaps the best screen opportunity for 20th Century-Fox starlet Arleen Whelan, who faded from prominence in the 1940s. Other than that, the film is an intriguing glimpse of immigration procedures in the prewar years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Ameche, Arleen Whelan, (more)
- 1938
Judith Allen stars as Telephone Operator Helen in this Monogram actioner. Most of the story is built around newsreel footage of the recent Ohio and Tennessee Valley floods. As telephone linemen Red (Grant Withers) and Shorty (Warren Hymer) race against time to hook up phone wires to a huge dam, the storm clouds gather and the weather gets really rough. Even so, Red and Shorty pause every so often to romance local telephone gals Helen and Dottie (Alice White). When the inevitable flood arrives, Helen's courage and stamina during the crisis leaves a lasting impression on Red, who gives up his minor flirtations and proposes marriage. Telephone Operator was one of several comeback attempts for onetime silent-screen favorite Alice White, who was still trying to recapture her former glory as late as 1948's Flamingo Road. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judith Allen, Grant Withers, (more)
- 1938
Arson Gang Busters was a slick little Republic programmer highlighted by several well-staged miniature sequences, courtesy of the talented Lydecker Brothers. Robert Livingston plays a firefighter who feels that the police aren't moving fast enough in tracking down an arson ring. Livingston decides to do a little sleuthing himself, ultimately going undercover and joining the crooks. It turns out that the culprits are insurance underwriters, seeking a quick turnover by creating their own "accidents". The 65-minute Arson Gang Busters was later reissued to television as the 54-minute Arson Racket Squad. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Livingston, Rosalind Keith, (more)
- 1937
Previously teamed in six early-1930s films, James Dunn and Sally Eilers bring the total up to seven with their last co-starring vehicle We Have Our Moments. A trio of American crooks board a ship bound for Europe, intending to get rid of $100,000 in stolen dough. With detective John Wade (James Dunn) breathing down their necks, the crooks stash the loot in the trunk belonging to vacationing schoolmarm Mary Smith (Sally Eilers). As the voyage progresses, Wade falls in love with Mary, never dreaming that she's in possession of a hundred grand; in fact, she doesn't know it yet, either. Things get hectic as the villains tip their hand to recover the loot, but heroes and heroines never get killed in a romantic comedy, so rest easy. We Have Our Moments might never have been reshown after its initial 1937 release were it not for the presence in the cast of a young David Niven, billed third despite the slimness of his role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Eilers, James Dunn, (more)
- 1937
This service comedy from the Republic Studio mills was perhaps the most aggressively titled of the "Marine Corps" film cycle of the mid-1930s (Come on Leathernecks, Pride of the Marines et. al.) Paul Kelly plays Phil Donlan, a pugnacious ex-cop and ex-Olympic athlete who is run out of New York in disgrace after falsely being accused of drunkenness. The innocent cause of Donlan's woes is pretty Paula Denbrough (June Travis), daughter of a Marine colonel (Purnell Pratt). To ingratiate himself with Paula -- and incidentally, to restore his reputation -- Donlan joins the Corps, where after a grueling training period he earns a commission. Offered a chance to return to the New York police force, Donlan gives it up to re-enlist, and Paula couldn't be happier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Kelly, June Travis, (more)
- 1937
Weldon Heyburn never did become Republic's answer to Clark Gable, though he always aimed to please. In Sea Racketeers, Heyburn is cast as Jim, a courageous Coast Guard officer whose legions of lady friends includes the pert and perky Pat (Jeanne Madden). Jim leaves the ladies behind when he takes on the challenge of rounding up a gang of seafaring crooks who use a floating casino as a cover for their piratical activities. J. Carroll Naish plays Durant, head of the modern-day buccaneers, and he proves quite a worthy adversary for the plucky Pat. Hoydenish comedy relief is handled by the vivacious Dorothy McNulty, who within a year would change her name to Penny Singleton and headline Columbia's "Blondie" series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Weldon Heyburn, Jeanne Madden, (more)
- 1937
The hyped-up 1930s radio feud between bandleader Ben Bernie and columnist Walter Winchell is all but forgotten today, but that doesn't lessen the entertainment value of the Bernie/Winchell vehicle Wake Up and Live. Amidst the bickering of the two stars, the film traces the progress of mike-shy singer Jack Haley (whose singing voice was dubbed by Buddy Clark). Leading lady Alice Faye tricks Haley into singing on the air with Bernie's orchestra, which results in Winchell doing his best to discredit both Bernie and Haley. Eventually Haley and Alice Faye fall in love, and Ben and Walter patch up their differences. So successful was Wake Up and Live that 20th Century-Fox rushed Bernie and Winchell into a follow-up, Love and Hisses (38), but by that time their feud had taken second place in the hearts of America to the equally contrived "battle" between Jack Benny and Fred Allen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Winchell, Ben Bernie, (more)
- 1937
While drunk at a party, millionaire Stephens Cormack (Neil Hamilton) playfully marries footloose Clarice Andrews (Patricia Farr). Sobering up the next morning, Cormack hurriedly tells his lawyer to arrange for an annulment, then retreats to South America. What Cormack doesn't know is that Clarice was already married, making him a bigamist in the eyes of the law should anyone find out. Clarice's helpful sister Paula (Sally Eilers) offers to pose as her sibling for appearance's sake, moving into Cormack's mansion until the annulment is finalized. Paula's life is made a living hell by Cormack's bratty children (Marice Mae Jones and George Ernest) and snooty servants -- not to mention Clarice's disreputable hubby Michael (Joseph Schildkraut) -- until everything is straightened out in the final footage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neil Hamilton, Joseph Schildkraut, (more)
- 1937
Directed by Edwin L. Marin, Married Before Breakfast follows the hectic life of young inventor Tom Wakefield (Robert Young). After a leading razor company pays Wakefield (Young) $250,000 in order for him not to publicize his latest invention, a hair-removing shaving cream that rendors razors useless, he takes his socialite fiance June Baylin (June Clayworth) on a glamorous world cruise. June (Clayworth) hopes Tom's (Young) newfound wealth will encourage him to settle down, but Tom is determined to improve the lives those around him, including steamship employee Kitty Brent's (Florence Rice) romantic relationship. Informing Kitty (Rice) she'll be married by noon the next morning, Tom throws himself into a heap of trouble, loses June in the process, and nearly ends up in jail. Somewhere within the fiasco, Tom and Kitty realize it's each other they love. Kitty is married by noon the next morning--to Tom. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Young, Florence Rice, (more)
Archetypal depression-era stars Henry Fonda and Sylvia Sidney are felicitously teamed in Fritz Lang's You Only Live Once. Fonda plays an ex-convict who can't get a break on the "outside". He marries Sidney, who like her husband is one of life's losers. Framed on a murder rap, Fonda is forced to take it on the lam, with his wife and baby in tow. In trying to avoid capture, Fonda becomes a murderer for real, condemning himself and Sidney to an early demise. Partly based on the legend of Bonnie and Clyde, the Gene Towne-Graham Baker screenplay stacks the deck against its protagonists to such an extent that the audience is virtually forced to hate their various antagonists. As superb as Henry Fonda is in portraying the foredoomed hero, Sylvia Sidney is even better as his wife; her reading of such lines as "We just call him...baby" are enough to shrivel the heart even after six decades. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Sidney, Henry Fonda, (more)
- 1937
Before he "reinvented" himself as Robert Paige, actor David Carlyle headed the cast of Republic's Meet the Boy Friend. Paige/Carlyle plays radio crooner Tony Page, billed as "America's Boy Friend" (hence the title). Despite all the publicity hype, Tony is a "regular fellow" who despises the phoniness of show business. When predatory actress Vilma Vlare (Gwili Andre) sets her sights on Tony, his sponsor takes out a $300,000 no-marriage insurance policy. Our hero figures incorrectly that the policy was the handiwork of the insurance agent's niece June (Carol Hughes), who has made no secret that she's crazy about the boy. Tony disdainfully challenges the policy by proposing to Vilma but changes his mind when June is kidnapped, rushing to her rescue as a prelude to wedding bells. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carlyle, Carolyn Hughes, (more)
