George Irving Movies

The Jungle, Upton Sinclair's searing expose of the meat-packing industry, was given a reasonably realistic screen treatment in 1914. The film traces the "progress" of a Lithuanian family as they head for the purportedly greener pastures of the USA. The family ends up in Packingtown (a thinly disguised Chicago), where they go to work at the stockyards and slaughterhouses. The famous scene wherein a man accidentally falls into the rendering vat is vividly realized. Upton Sinclair himself appears at the beginning and end of The Jungle as a form of endorsement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Actress Alice Brady was the star player at the World Film Studios, which was as much due to her versatility as to the fact that her father William Brady ran the studio. In Ballet Girl, she plays a carnival performer who aspires to better things in life. Her big break in the ballet world finally arrives, but it's at the expense of her romance with Robert Frazer. Brady rises to fame as prima ballerina "La Syrena," and it isn't until the very last scene that we know the outcome of her "career vs. love" dilemma. Ballet Girl was based on Compton MacKenzie's novel Carnival; its director was George Irving, later a busy movie character actor of the 1930s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Considering the number of John Barrymore films that have crumbled to dust, it is fortunate indeed that the Barrymore vehicles which have survived are among his best works. One of the earliest Barrymore pictures still extant is Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman, a consistently delightful adaptation of the same-named short stories by E.W. Hornung. "The Great Profile" was in his element as Raffles, the gentleman jewel thief who is the bane of the existence of diligent Scotland Yard inspector Bedford (Frederick Perry). Ostensibly retired, Raffles agrees to one last heist to save his old friend "Bunny" (Frank Morgan) from committing suicide. The action takes place during a weekend party, with the eagle-eyed Bedford awaiting the first opportunity to pounce upon the elusive Raffles. But Bedford has reckoned without the beautiful Gwendolyn (Evelyn Brent), who simultaneously "reforms" Raffles and enables the lovable rogue to escape. Unlike the later adaptations of Raffles starring Ronald Colman and David Niven, the Barrymore version includes a great deal of outdoor action, including the hero's daring dive from a speeding yacht. Featured in the cast as a minor-league safecracker is celebrated baseball star "Turkey" Mike Donlin, reportedly a great pal and boon drinking companion of John Barrymore. The only complaint one could register against Raffles is that it is (by necessity) a silent film, denying viewers the pleasure of hearing as well as seeing the hero match wits against his detective nemesis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Toward the end of the 1910s, it seemed like every star had to do one film in which he or she played a dual role. Mae Marsh got her chance in this one. Peggy Murray (Marsh) works at a newspaper stand until one day, she's spied by Dr. Granville (Alec B. Francis). Peggy, it turns out, is a dead ringer for the daughter of a patient of his, Mrs. Tredway Parke (Florida Kingsley). The girl, Louise (Marsh again), had been lost when the ship she was on sunk. To save Mrs. Parke the pain of losing her child, the doctor asks Peggy to take Louise's place. She does, and during this time she meets and falls in love with George Landis (Rod La Roque). But one day Louise shows up, and Peggy steals away so that Mrs. Parke may never know. But her romance isn't over -- she encounters Landis once again, and they marry. On their honeymoon, they meet up with Louise, her new husband, and Mrs. Parke in an interesting type of reunion. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Schoolteacher Ruth Carroll (Leah Baird) falls under the influence of a group of Bolshevist radicals, headed by Alexis Minski (Jacob Kingsberry). She also becomes romantically involved with Nathan Levison (Edward Langford), a captain recently returned from the war who has been hired by the government to track down the radicals. Minski tells Ruth that Nathan is trying to have her and her grandfather (Harry Bartlett) arrested, and in a panic she agrees that Nathan must be killed. But Davy, Ruth's brother who has also just returned from France (W.H. Gibson), raids the revolutionaries' headquarters with a group of patriots and arrests the whole crew. Ruth and Nathan are reunited, while Davy finds a girlfriend in Olga (Elvira Amazar), who, like his sister, had been temporarily led astray by the Bolsheviks. There was a certain amount of controversy surrounding this anti-Bolshevist propaganda film: Author Augustus Thomas wrote a lot of anti-Semitism into the original story and Franklin Roosevelt (then secretary of the Navy) and New York's Governor Smith both withdrew their endorsements of the film. To fix this, the leading man was given a Jewish surname and at one point, the villain asserts, "I am not a Jew; I am a Bolshevik." ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

The old Henry Arthur Jones stage melodrama The Silver King was taken out and brushed off for the screen in 1918. When British gentleman Wilfred Denver (William Faversham) weds the beautiful Nellie (Barbara Castleton), he earns the undying hatred of Nellie's former sweetheart, Geoffrey Ware (John Sutherland). After several years of cozy matrimonial contentment, Denver finds himself heavily in debt. Sensing an opportunity for revenge, Ware gives Denver a "hot tip" on the upcoming English Derby, but the horse runs dead last. Ware then encourages Denver to drown his troubles in liquor, completing his vengeance by dumping the thoroughly besotted hero on Nellie's doorstep, saying in so many words, "I told you so!" Later that evening, Ware is robbed and murdered by a gang of crooks, but it is Denver who is unable to account for his movements during the murder and is threatened with arrest. He escapes to America, where he strikes it rich with a valuable silver mine. Returning to England as "the Silver King," the thoroughly unrecognizable Denver goes the "Monte Cristo" route to clear himself of the murder charge and to orchestrate a reconciliation with Nellie and his now-grown children. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This independently made mystery features a solid, if not exactly stellar, cast. The Blue Pearl of the title is a priceless piece of jewelry which belongs to a royal Romanian family. However, Frederick Thurston (D.J. Hannegan) and Penrose Kent (Earl Schenk) have managed to get their hands on it. They sell it to Holland Webb (Lumsden Hare), who borrowed the money from his wife, Laura (Edith Hallor). The gem, however, isn't for Laura -- Webb gives it to his mistress, who is Sybil Kent (Florence Billings), the wife of Penrose. Police commissioner Richard Drake (Richard Halliday), who also happens to be an admirer of Laura's, is determined to track down the pearl, and he puts Laura's brother, Wilfred Scott (Corliss Giles), on the case. Scott discovers Webb giving Mrs. Kent the pearl. That night, the Webbs have a party and everyone is there. The featured guest is a Russian hypnotist and Sybil offers to be his subject. The lights go out and when they come back on again, the pearl is missing. Everyone except Laura is searched, and she confesses to Drake that she is the thief -- mainly because her husband engraved the pearl to Sybil, and she wants to use it as grounds for divorce. Webb's affair with Mrs. Kent is revealed, and the pearl is returned to the police. Once Laura is free from her philandering husband, it is obvious she will unite with Drake. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

North of 36 was conceived in the wake of the immensely popular Covered Wagon, right down to the casting of that earlier film's leading lady, Lois Wilson (Covered Wagon director James Cruze was also to have been involved in the project, but dropped out when the budget was reduced from $1 million to $350,000). Jack Holt stars in this adaptation of Emerson Hough's empire-building novel. Much of the film is devoted to "actuality" footage of real-life cattle drive, one of the last such in the United States. Director Irvin Willat chose to hoke up this historical event for dramatic purposes, sacrificing full authenticity in favor of showmanship. Happily, Lois Wilson, an accomplished amateur photographer, recorded the cattle drive in full detail, allowing future generations to revel in this vanished piece of Americana. North of 36 (the title referred to the pre-Civil War slavery line) was remade in 1931 as The Conquering Horde, and again in 1938 as The Texans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on Zane Grey's 1923 novel of two brothers, one an honest cowpoke, the other a gambler, this fine silent melodrama was produced by the Lasky company in two-strip Technicolor, a first for a Western. When Adam Larey (Jack Holt) confronts his younger brother Guerd (James Mason) about his gambling addiction, the latter is accidentally shot. A distraught Adam, believing he has killed his own brother, flees into the desert. He later learns that Guerd was merely wounded and returns to the loving arms of beautiful Billie Dove. Wanderer of the Wasteland was remade by Paramount in 1935 starring Dean Jagger and Monte Blue, and by RKO in 1945 starring James Warren and Harry Woods. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Square-jawed Jack Holt and ornery Noah Beery were the stars of Paramount's popular Zane Grey adaptations. Their best efforts were probably their first two films, the epic Wanderer of the Wasteland and North of 36 (both in 1924). Although lesser in scope, Wild Horse Mesa was filmed on breathtaking locations in Colorado and featured a herd of beautiful wild horses. Holt plays Chayne Weymer, who is obsessed with capturing Panguitch, king of the wild stallions. He is opposed to the local ranchers' use of barbed wire, and an epic fight ensues. Wild Horse Mesa is best known today for featuring a brief performance by Gary Cooper, who also appeared, again very briefly, in Paramount's following Grey Western, The Enchanted Hill (1926). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Even though Clara Bow was close to achieving true stardom, she was still being cast in crass, low-budget fare. In fact, she has little to do in this overwrought melodrama -- Wallace MacDonald has the meaty role, and is billed above her. Bruce Armstrong (MacDonald) is quite wealthy. He is also a drinker, a gambler, and pretty much worthless as a human being. Even after he lames his little brother Jimmy (Pat Moore) in a drunken fit, he does not straighten up. For some reason, Marilyn Merrill (Bow), a successful dancer, sticks by him. In spite of this, he gambles with her boss, Tom Canfield (Stuart Holmes), and when he loses, he writes bad checks. In order to avoid jail, Armstrong gets involved in diamond smuggling and winds up in a brutal fight over the spoils. One of the men, Big Jim Snead (Tom Santschi), attacks Armstrong, who kills him. Jimmy is the only witness, so when Armstrong is put on trial, the boy is forced to testify. To keep him from having to take the stand, Armstrong confesses. But one of the other smugglers, Dude Talbot (Templar Saxe), comes forth and admits that Armstrong killed in self-defense. Armstrong goes free and proposes to the ever-patient Marilyn. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

King of the Turf has more plot twists than a Charles Dickens novel. It begins as no-account horse breeder Martyn Selsby (David Torrence) railroads his ex-partner Colonel Fairfax (George Irving) into prison on a trumped-up charge. Years later, the guilt-ridden Selsby writes a confession but dies before he can deliver the missive to the authorities. The confession is found by Mrs. Selsby (Kathleen Kirkham), who chooses to keep mum, allowing Fairfax to fester in jail. Upon his release, the Colonel joins forces with several Runyonesque prison chums, including handsome safecracker John Doe Smith (Kenneth Harlan), to save Fairfax's daughter Kate (Patsy Ruth Miller) from being forced into marriage with Selsby's snivelling son Tom (Al Roscoe). Of course, this requires John Doe to utilize his "second story" skills to get his hands on that all-important confession -- and we're back in "Jimmy Valentine" territory again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Long thought lost, the silent Three Bad Men is an vital ingredient in the cinematic canon of director John Ford. Often described as a film version of Peter B. Kyne's Three Godfathers (which Ford would direct in 1948), Three Bad Men is actually based on Over the Border, a novel by Herman Whitaker. The plot, which spans several years, is set in motion when three bandits appoint themselves protectors of the heroine, whose settler father is killed early in the proceedings. A subplot involves bandit Tom Santschi's efforts to wreak vengeance on the man who seduced and abandoned his sister. The film was originally supposed to star George O'Brien, Tom Mix and Buck Jones as the title characters, but since the plot required the Three Bad Men to be killed off long before the fadeout, and since all three proposed stars had large and loyal kiddie followings, the roles were recast, with character actors Santschi, Frank Campeau and J. Farrell McDonald. O'Brien was retained, albeit relegated to a less colorful heroic role. Three Bad Men should be seen in its original release form; most commercial prints are chopped up and woefully washed out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide