Victor Jory Movies
After a rough-and-tumble adolescence, Victor Jory attended high school in California, studying acting with Gilmor Brown at the Pasadena Playhouse. Jory's subsequent tenure at the University of California lasted all of one year before he was bitten by wanderlust; he joined the coast guard, where he distinguished himself as a champion in several contact sports. Sharp-featured, muscular, and possessed of a rich theatrical voice, Jory made his New York stage bow in 1929, and one year later co-starred in the original Broadway production of Berkeley Square. Inaugurating his film career with Renegades (1930), Jory spent the next five decades in roles ranging from romantic leads to black-hearted villains. Highlights in his screen career include a sinister but strangely beautiful performance as Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935); the vicious Injun Joe in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938); white-trash carpetbagger Jonas Wilkerson in Gone With the Wind (1939); Texas patriot William Travis in Man of Conquest (1939); the hissable, crippled patriarch in The Fugitive Kind (1960); the taciturn father of Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker (1962); and the ancient South American Indian chief in Papillon (1973). In 1940, Jory starred in the Columbia serial The Shadow (1940), essaying the dual role of the mind-clouding Shadow and his alter ego Lamont Cranston (with several disguise sequences along the way).The outspoken Jory was supremely confident of his talents, remarking on several occasions that he was "damn good" -- though he was tougher than any movie critic in assessing his lesser performances. He was also more than generous with young up-and-coming actors (except for self-involved "method" performers), and was a veritable fountain of Broadway and Hollywood anecdotes, some of which were actually true. An occasional theatrical director and playwright, Jory wrote the Broadway production Five Who Were Mad. On TV, Jory starred in the popular syndicated detective series Manhunt (1959-1960) and guested on dozens of other programs. Long married to actress Jean Innes, Victor Jory was the father of Jon Jory, who for many years was artistic director of the Actors Theatre of Louisville. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1933
While U.S. sailor Jimmy Harrigan (James Dunn) is on leave in San Pedro, he unexpectedly falls in love with the beautiful Sally Brent (Sally Eilers. Though Sally (Eilers) promises to be faithful after Jimmy (Dunn) ships out to San Francisco, Jimmy becomes jealous. Furious at the news that Sally has entered a marathon dance contest sponsored by the lecherous Baron Portola (Victor Jory) , Jimmy and several of his Navy buddies go to the ballroom on the night of the dance marathon in an attempt to change Sally's mind and win her back. Directed by Raoul Walsh, this movie also features actors Sammy Cohen and Frank Moran. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Dunn, Sally Eilers, (more)
- 1933
Sally Eilers plays Sandra, a secretary who falls for her boss in this passable marital drama from Fox. The attraction is mutual and when Carter Cavendish (Ralph Bellamy) learns that his wife, Betty (Helen Vinson), is having an affair, he divorces her and marries Sandra. But Betty wants sole custody of their young daughter, Patsy (Karol Kay), a potentially wealthy child prodigy, and does what she can to embarrass her former husband. Sandra, however, calls her bluff and the greedy Betty is eventually forced to relinquish custody of the child. Second Hand Wife was based on a serialized novel by Kathleen Norris. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sally Eilers, Ralph Bellamy, (more)
- 1941
Michael Lanyard, the reformed criminal known as the Lone Wolf, is played in this Columbia B picture by the suave Warren William. The script contrives to have Lanyard's faithful butler Jamison (Eric Blore) to be mistaken for his boss by a gang of jewel robbers. They force poor Jamison to participate in the theft of the valuable "Napoleon gems" which Lanyard has been hired to protect. Most of the action takes place during a steamship voyage, allowing Columbia to trot out its standard (but impressive) shipboard sets and to cloud the budget limitations with heavy fog. Secrets of the Lone Wolf was the eighth in Columbia's series based on the mystery stories of Louis Joseph Vance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Warren William, Ruth Ford, (more)
- 1942
The best of Joe E. Brown's Columbia starring vehicles, Shut My Big Mouth is also one of Joe's funniest efforts since his heyday at Warner Bros. Brown is cast as wealthy easterner Wellington Holmes, who heads to the Wild West in search of peace and quiet (!) When Wellington's stagecoach is held up by masked bandit Buckskin Bill (Victor Jory), our hero accidentally fires off a lucky shot that sends the villain and his minions scurrying off into the hills. The local townsfolk appoint Wellington sheriff, failing to inform him that this "honor" is tantamount to a death sentence in these here parts. Several unbelievable complications and coincidences later, Wellington dresses up as a Mexican senorita in order to rescue heroine Conchita Montoya (Adele Mara) from Buckskin Bill's clutches. Incredibly, the villain falls madly in love with the disguised Wellington, resulting in the film's biggest bellylaughs. Though pushing fifty, Joe E. Brown could still pull off his "babe in the woods" act, which he does with finesse in Shut My Big Mouth. The film also served as stepping stones in the careers of up-and-coming Columbia contractees Lloyd Bridges and Forrest Tucker, billed eleventh and twelfth respectively. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joe E. Brown, Adele Mara, (more)
- 1933
The 1933 Fox production Smoky was the first of three film adaptations of the classic Will James novel. James himself served as off-screen narrator for this story of bronco buster Clint's (Victor Jory) undying devotion to his horse, and vice versa. Separated early on from Clint, Smoky is sold to a notions dealer, undergoing the humiliation of hauling a junk wagon until he grows too old for this sort of work. Slated for the glue factory, Smoky is rescued in the nick of time by Clint, who has never given up hope of someday reclaiming his beloved steed. Though not as effectively cast as Fred MacMurray in the first of the remakes, Victor Jory is quite convincing in his offbeat (for him) role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Victor Jory, Irene Bentley, (more)
- 1952
In this swashbuckling adventure-satire, Kashma Baba's famous father Ali, sends the reluctant youth to military school to prepare him for the troubles ahead. Meanwhile, an evil Caliph kidnaps and enslaves an Arabian princess as part of his plan to steal Ali Baba's fabulous treasure. He then sends his new "slave' to Kashma's home. The Caliph tells the Shah, to whom the princess is betrothed, that Kashma has stolen her and that he will get her back. While staying with Kashma, the princess finds herself falling in love. When Kashma learns of the plot he and his buddies pick up their swords and begin trying to save her and retrieve his father's stolen treasure. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Piper Laurie, (more)
- 1948
Produced by Milton Sperling's United States Pictures, South of St. Louis was given a widespread release by Warner Bros. The story begins in the last days of the Civil War. Chased off their property by guerillas, ranching partners Kip Davis (Joel McCrea), Charlie Burns (Zachary Scott) and Lee Prince (Douglas Kennedy) head southward to seek out a new life. Davis and Burns go into the gun-running business, while Prince joins the Confederate Army. Kip and Charlie battle over the affections of saloon gal Rouge de Lisle (Alexis Smith), a turn of events that falls into the plans of rival gunrunner Luke Cottrell (Victor Jory). The three former friends soon find themselves enemies, and thereby hangs the plotline. Curiously, Dorothy Malone, cast as the "good" heroine, seems to be more worldly and cunning than hard-boiled temptress Alexis Smith. Originally filmed in Technicolor, South of St. Louis was for many years available only in its black-and-white, TV-print form. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joel McCrea, Alexis Smith, (more)
- 1933
The 1933 State Fair was the first of three film versions of the Phillip Stong bestseller. Some consider it the best of the three because of its stricter adherence to the source material and the presence of star Will Rogers. Rogers plays Abel Frake, patriarch of a family whose individual members are affected by the upcoming Iowa State Fair in various fascinating ways. Abel hopes to enter his prize hog Blue Boy and win the blue ribbon. His wife Melissa (Louise Dresser) wants to enter her mincemeat in a food competition, his son Wayne (Norman Foster) wants to get even with a carnival sharpster who'd outsmarted him during the last state fair, and daughter Margery (Janet Gaynor) just wants to get out of the house for a little fun. The parents win their prizes (though it looks for a while that Blue Boy will succumb to a serious illness) the children have brief romances (one happy, one cautionary), and everyone goes home a little wiser for the experience. Footnote: Fox studios offered to butcher Blue Boy and sell his meat to Will Rogers, but Rogers declined, noting that he wouldn't feel right eating his costar. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Will Rogers, Janet Gaynor, (more)
- 1935
Grand Hotel meets Twentieth Century in this Mascot feature. Evelyn Venable stars as Patricia Wells, a tempestuous stage actress who impulsively elopes on opening night of her newest play. Wells and her new fiancée Fred Arnold (Ralph Forbes) book adjoining compartments on the Streamline Express, while her conniving producer Jimmy Hart (Victor Jory) tags along, disguised as a waiter. This is but one of several interconnecting subplots (including a menage a trois and the impending birth of twins), but it's the most entertaining of the batch. Also on board are Sidney Blackmer, Esther Ralston, and a host of other familiar faces. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Evelyn Venable, Victor Jory, (more)
The sole survivor of an Indian attack, orphan girl Susannah Sheldon (Shirley Temple) becomes the mascot of the Canadian Mountie outpost headed by Superintendent Standing (Moroni Olsen). Mountie Angus "Monty" Montague (Randolph Scott) and his sweetheart (and Standing's daughter), Vicky (Margaret Lockwood), appoint themselves as Susannah's unofficial parents, doing their best to help the girl overcome her terrible ordeal. Eventually, it is "little miss fix-it"Susannah who brings peace between the Mounties and the Blackfeet, but not before Monty is nearly burned at the stake by the renegade Indian responsible for fomenting all the trouble. This is the film in which Shirley Temple not only teaches Randolph Scott how to tap dance, but also shares a peace pipe with a Blackfoot youngster (and gets good and nauseated in the process). Based on a novel by Muriel Denison, Susannah of the Mounties was originally released in sepiatone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Shirley Temple, Randolph Scott, (more)
- 1938
The 1938 version of Adventures of Tom Sawyer appears to be producer David O. Selznick's dry run for Gone with the Wind, what with its similarities in period, costumes, color scheme and production design (both films shared the services of the great Hollywood art director William Cameron Menzies). Selected from hundreds of applicants (a precursor to Selznick's upcoming search for Wind's Scarlet O'Hara), Tommy Kelly is visually perfect as Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer though his acting varies from scene to scene. Better cast is Jackie Moran as the laconic, pipe-smoking Huck Finn (Moran would show up in Wind as Dr. Meade's son). Never forcing its pace, the film manages to include most of Twain's classic sequences, including the fence-whitewashing episode, Tom's rescue of Becky Thatcher (Anne Gillis) from the wrath of their schoolmaster (Olin Howlin), Tom and Huck's "death and resurrection" after the boys briefly skipped town for an idyll on a remote island, the murder trial of town drunk Muff Potter (Walter Brennan) and ultimately unmasking of the vicious Injun Joe (Victor Jory) as the real killer, and of course the chilling climax in the cave, wherein Tom protects Becky from the fugitive Injun Joe. Originally released at 93 minutes, Adventures of Tom Sawyer was trimmed to 77 minutes for a 1959 reissue; it has since been restored to its full length on videotape. In 1960, Tom Sawyer was syndicated to television by Selznick, with accompanying commentary by the film's now-grown-up "Becky Thatcher", Anne Gillis. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tommy Kelly, Jackie Moran, (more)
- 1964
City dweller Keith Hollands (Arthur Kennedy) rents a dilapidated beach house, much to the dismay of his wife, Elsa (Phyllis Thaxter), who is both disgusted and frightened by the place. Rather than attempt to mollify his wife, Keith helps matters not at all by ardently pursuing a local beach bunny named Rachel (Tisha Sterling). When she finally puts her foot down and refuses to allow Keith to purchase the beach house outright, Elsa signs her own death warrant. But if Keith figured he'd get away with murder, he hadn't reckoned on a little "souvenir" left in the house by the previous owner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Arthur Kennedy, Phyllis Thaxter, (more)
- 1963
Victor Jory stars as veteran police officer Paul Reardon, who vows to avenge the murder of his rookie-cop son, Philip (Peter Brown). Although ordered by the higher-ups to lay off, Paul is determined to bring drug kingpin Herbie Lane (Lawrence Tierney), the man responsible for Peter's death in a shoot-out, to justice. In fact, Paul will go to any length to settle accounts with Herbie -- even if his efforts kill both men. This 300th episode of Alfred Hitchcock's popular TV anthology is also the final episode of the series' eighth season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Victor Jory, Peter Brown, (more)
- 1933
Mascot Films, the feisty precursor to Republic Pictures, was responsible for 1933's The Big Payoff. In a rare top-billed role, chameleon-like character-actor Lucien Littlefield plays an innocent man who has been railroaded to the electric chair. Coming to the rescue is Victor Jory, a disgraced police officer who redeems himself by locating the guilty party. More than one reviewer caught on that The Big Payoff resembled a western in modern garb. And small wonder, since the film was based on a short story by Peter B. Kyne. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lucien Littlefield, Ralph Ince, (more)
Virtually ignored at the time of its release, Capture has built up a small but enthusiastic following since its lapse into public domain. American oil man Lew Ayres kills a coworker whom he suspects of robbery. Thinking it over, Ayres wonders whether or not the man was innocent. He seeks out his victim's widow, played by Teresa Wright. They fall in love and marry, which does nothing to soothe Ayres' guilty conscience. When he discovers who was actually behind the robbery, Ayres goes after the real culprit, who is accidentally killed before justice can be done. Falsely accused of murder, Ayres now fully understands the untenable position of the man he'd killed so long before. The Capture was produced by Niven Busch, the then-husband of Teresa Wright. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lew Ayres, Teresa Wright, (more)
- 1950
Set in British Columbia but filmed in Colorado, Cariboo Trail stars Randolph Scott as a cattle-drive boss from Montana. Crooked Victor Jory and his minions stampede the cattle, causing Scott's partner Bill Williams to lose an arm. Out of a job, Scott gives gold mining a try, but even here he is tormented by Jory. The villain is hoist on his own petard when he tries to stir up the local Indian tribes. Proving that the good guys don't always win, Scott gives up mining and turns to cattle ranching. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Bill Williams, (more)
- 1933
The French Foreign Legion is the setting for this episodic adventure yarn. Victor Jory plays a Legion doctor falsely accused of murdering his commander over the love of Loretta Young. Jory escapes prosecution by heading for parts unknown, but when a deadly illness strikes his old fort, he returns to aid his comrades. He is arrested, but clears himself of the murder charge and ends up with Young. Devil's in Love is distinguished by the surprise appearance of Bela Lugosi, who shows up unbilled as a relentless prosecuting attorney in the courtroom scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Victor Jory, Loretta Young, (more)
Fugitive Kind began life as Battle of Angels, a never-produced 1939 play by a young Tennessee Williams. Nearly 20 years later, Williams refined this rough-hewn theatrical effort into Orpheus Descending, which enjoyed a respectable Broadway run. The renamed film version stars Marlon Brando as Valentine "Snakeskin" Xavier, a trouble-prone drifter who wanders into a deliciously Williamsesque Mississippi town. Here he becomes involved in the problems of alcoholic Carole Cutrere (Joanne Woodward) and unhappily married Lady Torrence (Anna Magnani) and also runs afoul of Torrence's vicious husband (Victor Jory). Sexual symbolism abounds in this tempestuous drama, which offers Brando at his most inscrutable and Magnani at her earthiest. Maureen Stapleton, in real life one of Brando's best friends and severest critics, plays an avant-garde artist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, (more)
- 1948
Columbia kept insisting upon placing its hottest new star Larry Parks in swashbucklers, and though Parks wasn't really suited to the genre, he always strived to please. Set in 17th-century France, the film stars Parks as Lt. David Picard, a peace-loving officer who is nevertheless handy with his sword when the need arises. Hoping to crush the burgeoning pacifistic movement in France, warmongering Marshall Mordore (Victor Jory) plots to abduct popular "people's general" Cadeau (George Macready, in a rare sympathetic role). Picard, Cadeau's adjutant, spends the balance of the film trying to shield the general from harm -- and to romantically pursue beautiful spy Nanton de Lartigues (Marguerite Chapman). The antiwar philosophies of The Gallant Blade would return to haunt Larry Parks when he was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Larry Parks, Marguerite Chapman, (more)
In this 15-episode serial, Detective Spike Holland must solve the mystery of Garr Castle. He does so after he is hired to look into the disappearance of Valerie Howett's sister Elaine. Within the haunted walls of the castle he finds a maze of secret passages, tunnels, trapdoors, and the enigmatic masked man, the Green Archer. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1951
The Highwayman is based on the famous narrative poem by Alfred Noyes. The title character, played by Philip Friend, is a bold masked bandit of 18th-century England, who robs from the rich and gives (a little) to the poor. He is loved by Bess (Wanda Hendrix), the lovely daughter of an innkeeper. The film doesn't pick up the plotline of the Noyes poem until some ten minutes before the end. Everyone who read The Highwayman in high school will recall that King George's men camp themselves in the inn awaiting the Highwayman's appearance--and so that Bess won't tip off her lover, they tie her up with a musket aimed at her heart. Bess courageously manages to fire the musket just as the Highwayman approaches, saving his life at the cost of her own. Upon the subsequent death of the Highwayman, he and Bess are reunited in the Hereafter. Fairly pedestrian for the most part, The Highwayman comes to a poignant climax, but it still pales beside the Alfred Noyes original. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Coburn, Wanda Hendrix, (more)
Like several other Harry Sherman Productions of the 1942-43 season, The Kansan was originally slated for a Paramount release, then redirected to United Artists. Richard Dix and Jane Wyatt, stars of the previous Sherman effort Buckskin Frontier, are reunited herein as western lawman John Bonniwell and rancher's daughter Eleanor Sager. After chasing the James Gang out of town, Bonniwell is appointed marshal by local bigwig Steve Barat (Albert Dekker). It turns out, however, that Barat is a crook with delusions of grandeur, hoping to use Bonniwell as a glorified henchman in his rise to power. Meanwhile, an unorthodox romantic triangle develops between Bonniwell, Eleanor as Barat's brother Jeff (Victor Jory). A powerhouse cast makes this modestly-budgeted western seem more expensive than it really was. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Dix, Jane Wyatt, (more)
- 1936
Josef Von Sternberg, past directorial master of movie exotica, came down to earth with The King Steps Out, a major studio musical. Set in 19th century Vienna, the plot concerns a sprightly young lady (opera star Grace Moore) who wishes to rescue her sister from marrying their cousin, the "wicked" Emperor Franz Josef (Franchot Tone). Disguised as a dressmaker, the girl instantly falls in love with the young monarch herself, and sings her way into his heart. The film is a compendium of every mittel-European operetta ever made, right down to the supporting appearance of Hermann Bing as an innkeeper named Pretzelberger. The King Steps Out was adapted from the Fritz Kreisler stage musical Cissy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Grace Moore, Franchot Tone, (more)
- 1940
The notoriously temperamental Miriam Hopkins is ideally cast as equally contentious theatrical prima donna Mrs. Leslie Carter in The Lady With Red Hair. As rapidly paced as any Warner Bros. gangster picture, the film charts Caroline Carter's rise to fame on Broadway through the auspices of impresario David Belasco (Claude Rains). The screenwriters take great pains to cast Carter in a sympathetic light, suggesting that she turned to the lucrative world of the theater to regain custody of her son (Johnnie Russell), won by her husband in their acrimonious 1889 divorce settlement. Though at first she meets with nothing but failure, our heroine perseveres, and by 1904 she is the idol of millions throughout the world. Along the way, she marries visionary producer Lou Payne (Richard Ainley), but by film's end she is reunited with her mentor Belasco. A young Cornel Wilde makes his screen debut as an aspiring actor in a boarding-house sequence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Miriam Hopkins, Claude Rains, (more)
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