Robert Emmett Keane Movies

Men Call it Love, but Vincent Lawrence called it Among the Married when he wrote the play upon which this MGM film was based. Adolphe Menjou stars as Tony Minot, a randy bachelor who is so sophisticated that he serves cocktails on a rectangular tray to accommodate all of his lady friends at once. When her husband turns out to be unfaithful, Connie (Leila Hyams) throws herself at Tony, who is already deeply involved with another married woman. Eventually Connie's husband apologizes for his behavior and all is forgiven, while the philosophical Tony moves on to other conquests. Men Call it Love is typical of the sort of white-telephone drama in which everyone wears formal garb even in the boudoir. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Depression-era comedy takes place in the boarding house run by the indomitable Sarah Austin (Edna May Oliver). Sarah's indigent husband Joe (Hugh Herbert), spends most of his time cooking up pie-in-the-sky get-rich-quick schemes, few of which come to fruition. In time-honored "domestic comedy" tradition, one of Joe's wacky inventions is purchased by a major manufacturer, saving the household from bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Sarah and Joe's daughter Alice (Dorothy Lee) experiences an endless series of romantic travails. Director Gregory LaCava reportedly allowed the actors to improvise much of their dialogue during rehearsals; even so, the fine comedic hand of veteran scenarist Ralph Spence is evident throughout the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In his first American film, Peter Lorre portrays egg-bald Dr. Gogol. A brilliant and highly respected surgeon, Gogol would give up everything he has in life for the love of Yvonne Orlac (Frances Drake), star of the Parisian Horror Theatre. But Yvonne is deeply in love with her husband, concert pianist Stephen Orlac (Colin Clive). When Orlac loses his hands in a train accident, Yvonne pleads with Gogol to save her husband. Perversely, he does so by grafting the hands of a recently executed murderer onto Orlac. Not only is Orlac unable to resume his musical career, but he has suddenly developed a peculiar talent for throwing knives; he also has a bad habit of attempting to win arguments by throttling his opponents. Gleefully exploiting his patient's torment, Gogol disguises himself as the executed killer and tries to convince Orlac that he, Orlac, was responsible for a recent murder. In a effort to prove her husband's innocence, Yvonne goes to Gogol's home and switches places with a lifesize replica of herself that the obsessive Gogol keeps in his living room. Only the last-minute intervention of Orlac saves Yvonne from being strangled by the crazed Gogol. The first of several film versions of Maurice Renard's The Hands of Orlac, Mad Love was directed by cinematographer Karl Freund. Its deployment of certain visual elements that would later (consciously or otherwise) be adopted by Orson Welles in Citizen Kane brought Mad Love a surfeit of latter-day attention when Pauline Kael annotated the resemblances in her 1971 New Yorker article on Kane (Ms. Kael's assessment of Mad Love as a "dismal, static horror film" is both unfair and untrue). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jailbreak is a formula Warners "B" with all the attendant stereotypes. Dick Purcell plays a convict accused of murdering a fellow prisoner. Craig Reynolds, a temporarily incarcerated reporter, sets about to prove Purcell's innocence. June Travis is the "girl on the outside," awaiting the release of Reynolds and acting as his conduit to the "free" world. To no one's surprise, prison-flick veteran Barton MacLaine is also in the picture--but to everyone's surprise, he's one of the good guys. Jailbreak was remade in 1942 as Murder in the Big House, which represented one of the earliest screen appearances of Van Johnson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy a sneaky salesman tries to sell an inventor's newest product, a water-based fuel. Before the inventor can finish testing the product he needs cash, so the salesman desperately endeavors to come up with some by creating a phony stock promotion. When he announces that the great invention has finally been perfected, investors begin handing him money hand-over-fist. The salesman then uses the cash to create a phone corporation complete with a fake board of directors. Just as their success seems assured, the inventor is abducted. The salesman must then find him or end up in prison. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Commodore (Fred Stone), an average man in an average small town, is incensed that killers and thieves are able to use legal loopholes to escape punishment. He mounts a civic crusade to bring a local gang of racketeers to justice and is aided in this endeavor by idealistic young reporter Steve (Owen Davis Jr.) -- who, fortuitously, is the sweetheart of the Commodore's granddaughter Edith (Louise Latimer). Steve and the Commodore do their job too well, and as a result end up in the gang's clutches. This 11th-hour injection of melodrama seems out of place in this otherwise leisurely programmer, but in the long run it works to the picture's benefit. Four screenwriters contributed to Grand Jury, including future Casablanca collaborator Philip G. Epstein. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the advantages of holding an MGM stock-company contract in the 1930s was the occasional opportunity to star in one of the studio's "B"-pictures. Maltese character actor Joseph Calleia, hitherto confined to supporting villainy, was permitted to play the hero in MGM's Man of the People. "Drawn from today's headlines," the story dealt with small-town political corruption. Unable to make a living as a lawyer, Italian-born Jack Mareno (Calleia) sells out to a high-pressure political machine. Elevated to the position of assistant District Attorney, Mareno is expected to "play ball" with the local racketeers. Finally rebelling against this set-up, Mareno turns his back on his dirty-handed sponsors and runs for office as an independent. Designed as just another programmer, Man of the People turned out to be something rather special, thanks in no small part to the heartfelt performance by star Joseph Calleia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this detective story, a super sleuth is hired by an insurance company to find a stolen emerald belonging to a rich man's daughter. He soon discovers that the theft was a hoax precipitated by the girl's boyfriend, an aspiring novelist doing research for his forthcoming novel. Real trouble ensues when the gem really is taken. Again the detective begins investigating. He soon discovers that the crook is an official at the insurance company. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Capitalizing on the success of MGM's Thin Man series, virtually every major studio of the 1930s came up with its own husband-and-wife detective team. Columbia's entry was There's Always a Woman, starring Melvyn Douglas and Joan Blondell. Douglas and Blondell are the married proprietors of an unsuccessful private eye. On the verge of quitting the business, Douglas is given a $300 retainer by Mary Astor for a seemingly simple trackdown job. Disinterested, Douglas turns the case over to his wife--but reenters the scene when a murder occurs. Rita Hayworth appears in a 30-second bit, cut down from a full supporting role when the picture threatened to run too long. There's Always a Woman was supposed to be the first of a Douglas/Blondell series, but that notion ended with the comparative failure of their next vehicle, There's That Woman Again (39). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Roy Rogers fans were in for a shock in the opening scenes of Billy the Kid Returns--for there was Rogers, playing the title character, being gunned down in the dark by sheriff Pat Garrett! Within a few minutes, however, things were explained satisfactorally when Rogers showed up again as a young cowpoke who bears a striking resemblance to the late Billy. Mistaken for the the notorious outlaw, Rogers finally clears himself by bringing villains Morgansson (Morgan Wallace) and Matson (Fred Kohler Sr.) to justice. The musical numbers are strategically placed throughout the film as tension-breakers during the more hair-raising moments. Lynne Roberts, who briefly changed her name to Mary Hart before reverting to Lynne Roberts again, made the first of several appearances opposite "The King of the Cowboys". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After several years' faithful service in supporting parts, Frank Jenks and Dorothea Kent were promoted to leading roles in Universal's Strange Faces. Even so, it is fourth-billed Leon Ames who dominates the film, in the dual role of a notorious gangster and a respectable small-town citizen. Taking advantage of a "celebrity lookalike" newspaper series created by reporter Denby (Jenks), the gangster learns the identity of his double, concocting a scheme to kill off the lookalike so that he (the gangster, that is) can continue eluding the law by passing himself off as his "twin". But Denby and his girl Friday Maggie (Kent) tumble to the scheme and head to the villain's hideaway, where they team up with bucolic weekly-newspaper editor Hobbs (Andy Devine) and Hobb's sweetheart Lorry May (Mary Treen). From this point onward, melodrama takes a back seat to comedy, with Jenks, Kent, Devine and Treen going through the repertoire of their tried-and-true laughmaking bits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A sleazy lawyer gains clients by showing up at terrible accidents. His boss is determined to stop him so he hires a pretty girl to cozy up and coerce the truth out of the ambulance-chaser. Unfortunately, the boss doesn't count on the romance factor and sure enough, love blossoms between the girl and the shyster. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This follow-up to MGM's 1932 John Barrymore vehicle Arsene Lupin stars the ineluctable Melvyn Douglas. Reported to be dead, suave gentleman jewel thief Arsene Lupin (Douglas) resurfaces under the assumed name of Rene Farrand. Intending to follow the straight and narrow path, Lupin/Farrand reverts to his old larcenous ways when the opportunity to pilfer $250,000 in gems presents itself. Slowing down our hero somewhat is the presence of hotshot American private eye Steve Emerson (Warren William) and glamorous adventuress Lorraine de Grissac (Virginia Bruce). Ironically, both Melvyn Douglas and Warren William also played thief-turned-sleuth Michael Lanyard, aka "The Lone Wolf", over at Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide