Julanne Johnston Movies

Of the two 1934 film versions of the life of Russia's Catherine the Great, Josef von Sternberg's The Scarlet Empress was the most opulent and exotic. Marlene Dietrich plays the German-born Catherine, who is required to marry Russia's mad Grand Duke Peter (Sam Jaffe, decked out in a Harpo Marx wig). As if her joke of a marriage isn't torment enough, Catherine must endure the excesses of her new mother-in-law, Empress Elizabeth (Louise Dresser). Eventually, Catherine finds solace -- and romance -- in the form of Count Alexei (John Lodge). But even this balm is denied her when the ambitious Alexei begins wooing the much-older Elizabeth. When the old Empress dies, Catherine ascends to the Russian throne, knowing full well that her addled husband would kill her at the slightest provocation. Soon her power outstrips Peter's, and the opportunistic Alexei now comes back into her life. The finale finds Catherine emerging triumphant over all her enemies -- and, in the film's least subtle sequence (which is saying a lot!), the new Empress is shown astride a horse, to whom she displays far more affection than any of her human compatriots. The Scarlet Empress has even less to do with accuracy than Paul Czinner's Catherine the Great of the same year, which starred Elizabeth Bergner. Watch for Dietrich's real-life daughter Maria Sieber (aka Maria Riva) as the 7-year-old Catherine in the early scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A failure of near epic proportions when first released and an unintentionally funny disaster today, this bizarre operetta almost single-handedly destroyed the musical genre for years to come. Vivienne Segal stars as Dawn, a white girl presumed to be born among the natives in what was once Dutch East Africa. Set in a German prisoner of war camp during World War I, Golden Dawn presents a truce between captors and captives who are facing a common danger: the threat of an uprising among the native African population. The threat becomes almost a certainty when young rubber planter Tom Allen (Walter Woolf King) spends a romantic night with Dawn. That doesn't sit well with Shep Keyes (Noah Beery), a native brute who covets Dawn, despite the fact that she is promised to the god Mulunghu. To quell an almost certain riot among the natives, Tom is sent home to England. The British soon recapture the area and Keyes demands that Dawn be sacrificed to the god Mulunghu to ward off a potentially calamitous drought. Tom, meanwhile, having learned that Dawn is indeed Caucasian, kidnapped by Mooda (Alice Gentle) in childhood and raised as her own, rushes back to the camp just in time to rescue the girl from the evil Keyes. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

When silent star Colleen Moore nervously faced a microphone for her first "sound" test, the results were so positive that virtually every member of the First National executive board shouted unanimously, "Thank God! She can talk!" In the long run, however, it probably wouldn't have mattered if she could have talked or not, since most of her early talkies -- including Smiling Irish Eyes -- were produced by her then-husband John McCormick, who was disinclined to fire his own wife! In her first musical appearance, Moore plays Kathleen O'Connor, an Irish lass in love with would-be songwriter Rory O'More (James Hall). Upon achieving success on Broadway, O'More forgets all about Kathleen and begins dallying with such sophisticated tootsies as Frankie West (Betty Francisco) and Goldie DeVeer (Julanne Johnston). Heading to America herself to be reunited with O'More, Kathleen finds nothing but disappointment and heartache -- not to mention ample opportunities to sing. Adding to the ethnic mix of Smiling Irish Eyes is the presence of two stereotypical Jews, played by William Strauss and Otto Lederer; also on hand is future cowboy sidekick George "Gabby" Hayes, plus teeth and minus beard, as a New York cabbie. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Colleen Moore's starring vehicles were never as "naughty" as their titles suggested. In Synthetic Sin, for example, Moore is cast as virtuous small-town girl Betty. An aspiring actress, Betty scores a huge flop in her local stage debut. Deciding she hasn't "lived" enough to be a good actress, our heroine heads to the Big City, hoping to experience a life of sin and heartbreak. Nothing of the sort happens, of course, and by film's end the girl has managed to find success with her virtue still intact. Based on a play by Frederic and Fanny Hatton (two prolific comedy specialists of the period), Synthetic Sin was released with a synchronized Vitaphone musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This costume drama is the first all dialog film in which Barrymore appeared. He plays a mercenary who will serve anyone who pays him. He is currently working for the Austrian Emperor. His mission is to abscond with the crown of the Holy Roman Empire. En route, the hero marries a gypsy and leaves her to await his return in Vienna. While he is off doing the king's bidding, the Austrian ruler begins dallying with his wife. This enrages the mercenary who upon his return, seeks to dethrone the king. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In his later interviews, director Allan Dwan seldom had anything to say about his 1928 opus Whip Woman -- and who could blame him? Estelle Taylor, whose tabloid fame as the litigious wife of boxer Jack Dempsey tended to overshadow her acting skills, stars as Sari, a whip-wielding Hungarian peasant girl. After saving Count Michael Ferrenzi from killing himself, Sari becomes the bride of the grateful aristocrat. Ferrenzi's snooty mother (Hedda Hopper) does everything she can to break up the union, but Sari is not a girl to be trifled with. Fifteen-year-old Loretta Young showed up in a small role in Whip Woman, which led to much bigger things when she was spotted by director Herbert Brenon and cast in the Lon Chaney Sr. vehicle Laugh, Clown, Laugh. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bubbly comedienne Constance Talmadge plays the title character in Venus of Venice. Talmadge is cast as Carlotta, a clever Italian thief with a heart of gold. Escaping from her latest caper, Carlotta takes refuge in the gondola owned by handsome Kenneth (Antonio Moreno). Taking it upon himself to reform Carlotta, Kenneth invites her to a fancy ball, where jewelry and temptation are aplenty. Apparently Kenneth has done his job well, since when Carlotta's partner-in-crime Marco (Michael Vavitch) swipes a necklace, our heroine swipes it back from him and returns it to its rightful owner. With Marco in hot pursuit, Carlotta dives into the canal and swims to the safety of Kenneth's arms. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Julanne Johnston, Doug Fairbanks' gorgeous vis-a-vis in The Thief of Bagdad, essays the title character in Dame Chance. Johnston is cast as impoverished actress Gail Vernon, who is sponsored into Broadway stardom by wealthy art patron Lloyd Mason (Robert Frazer). At first, Gail is convinced that Lloyd merely wants "certain favors," but soon she is won over by his gallantry and sincerity. Alas, any romance between Gail and Lloyd is impossible; after all, the man is still married, and his wife loves him just as much as Gail does. Conveniently, however, Mrs. Mason expires from an unspecified illness in the final reel, freeing Lloyd to wed his beloved Gail. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Marcin Asher plays Henry "Pushcart" Wilson, who has parlayed his tiny streetcorner operation into a thriving business concern. Hobnobbing with the 400, the widowed Henry falls in love with beautiful but treacherous divorcee Mona Vincent (Hedda Hopper). Meanwhile, Henry's daughter Mary (Helene Chadwick) gets stuck on handsome socialite Frank Clayton (Jack Mulhall), whom the predatory Mona would like to get into the sack. Mona takes Mary aside and promises to dump Henry if Mary will do the same with Frank. Upset by all this, Mary tries to kill herself, whereupon both her father and her sweetheart rush to her rescue, leaving Mona out in the cold. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Gilda Gray, best-known for inventing the shimmy, shows off her talents as a Hawaiian dancer in this South Seas drama, based on the play by John B. Hymer and LeRoy Clemens. Percy Marmont plays his usual role -- a man, who, after having his heart broken, degenerates into a drunken mess. Bob Holden (Marmont) travels to a South Sea island, where he saves Aloma (Gray) from the unwanted attentions of another white man. Aloma is more than grateful -- she falls in love with Holden and spends the better part of the film trying to seduce him. This does not please her native lover Nuitane (Warner Baxter). Just when Holden has succumbed to Aloma's charms and is about to marry her, Sylvia, his old sweetheart (Julanne Johnson), comes to the island with her nasty new husband, Van Templeton (William Powell). Aloma comes to realize that Holden is still deeply in love with Sylvia. Meanwhile, Nuitane drowns Templeton during a storm. Aloma returns to Nuitane, and Holden is reunited with Sylvia. This picture made a fortune for Paramount. A version of the story was filmed again in 1941, with Dorothy Lamour in the role of Aloma. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Douglas Fairbanks is at his most graceful and charismatic in one of the classic silent films of the 1920s. As the thief of Baghdad, his movements are dance-like -- nothing like the athletics he performed in most of his other films. In this Arabian take, the thief ignores the holy teachings and sneaks into the palace of the Caliph (Brandon Hurst). All thoughts of robbery slip away, however, when he sees the beautiful princess (Julanne Johnston). Princes have come from many faraway lands to win the princess' hand (and it's amusing to watch her face growing ever more alarmed at their arrival, because each one is uglier than the last). The thief disguises himself as a prince and the princess falls in love with him. After having a pang of conscience, the thief confesses all to the Holy Man (Charles Belcher), who sends him to find a magic chest. He braves many obstacles to get it, and when he returns he discovers that the Mongol Prince (Sojin) has taken over the city. Using the chest, the reformed thief creates armies of men out of nothingness and recaptures the city. He then uses the cloak of invisibility to spirit the princess away on a magic carpet. Fairbanks stole some of the special effects for his film from Fritz Lang's Der Müde Tod, which he had purchased for American distribution. The Thief of Baghdad, with its look of unrealistic beauty (courtesy of art director William Cameron Menzies), was not fully appreciated in its day. Because of its huge cost (two million dollars -- a real fortune in those days), it made little money. After that, Fairbanks stuck closer to the swashbuckling persona he felt his audience wanted. Available now on DVD, the remastered film features a new score by Carl Davis. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

John Gilbert felt his talents were being wasted at Fox, and he was very vocal about his feelings towards the studio. But this film, made about a year before he moved over to MGM, gave him a rare opportunity to play an interesting character. Jaca Javalie (Gilbert) is a thief and a swindler who robs the rich. For a year he has been planning a major heist of a collection of jewels belonging to millionaire Theodore P. Banning (Wilton Taylor). To make inroads into Banning's world, he pretends to be an evangelist and accumulates a number of converts. His plans go awry, however, when he falls in love with Banning's daughter Nanette (Billie Dove). His relationship with the girl changes him into an honest man, and Banning, realizing the young man intends to go straight, protects him from the law. Featured in a bit part as a dancer is Julanne Johnston, who would make her small mark on cinematic history playing Douglas Fairbanks' leading lady in The Thief of Baghdad. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi