Frank Keenan
- 1926
Alma Rubens, a hauntingly beautiful silent screen actress whose career was cut short by drug addiction, stars in The Gilded Butterfly. Rubens plays Linda Haverhill, who has been raised to be a golddigger by her mercenary father. While vacationing in Monte Carlo, she loses her heart to handsome American Brian Anestry (Bert Lytell). She also loses most of her money, which gets her in a jam when one of her "sugar daddies" demands repayment of past gifts. A bizarre twist of fate saves Linda from having to surrender her virtue, leading to a happy denouement with stalwart Mr. Anestry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alma Rubens, Bert Lytell, (more)
- 1925
This tale of the Northwoods is yet another James Oliver Curwood story brought to the silver screen. Clive Grenfal (Walter McGrail) returns home to Montreal after a month's absence to find his wife (Margaret Livingston) in the arms of Henry Fredericks (Robert Cain). He shoots Fredericks as he is trying to climb out the window and believes he has killed him. Because he is convinced he is a murderer, Grenfal flees into the Canadian woods. He meets Teresa de Fontenac (Jacqueline Logan), the granddaughter of an aristocrat (Frank Keenan), when he saves her from a runaway horse. He is injured in the rescue and is taken back to the chateau. A romance develops between Grenfal and Teresa, in spite of his efforts to keep his distance. But then a stranger shows up who turns out to be Fredericks. Not only is he still alive, he has also wed Grenfal's wife, who divorced him in his absence. With just about all of his problems solved, Grenfal is now able to be with Teresa. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Logan, Walter McGrail, (more)
- 1925
Few leading ladies appeared in as many films in 1926 as the vivacious Clara Bow. In My Lady's Lips, Bow plays the feisty daughter of newspaper magnate Frank Keenan. And that's about all she does, since the bulk of the film concerns the trials and tribulations of female crook Alyce Mills. For the sake of handsome young reporter William Powell, Mills double-crosses her underworld associates and risks being fitted for a cement kimono. Critics in 1926 complained about the casting of William Powell as the hero, suggesting that the actor would be wise to continue playing villains lest he lose his standing in Hollywood! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Keenan, Clara Bow, (more)
- 1924
This drama was based on the novel Cape Cod Folks by Sarah P. McLean Greene. Jonathan Swift (Frank Keenan) is a wealthy fish packer who resides in a New England fishing village with his son, Noah (Eddie Phillips), and daughter, Emily (Barbara Bedford). Noah is in love with Becky (Renee Adoree), the daughter of Captain Bijonah Keeler (Joseph J. Dowling), a lighthouse keeper. Swift does not approve of the match because he feels that the Keelers are below his station. Meanwhile, Emily is being courted by Joe Cradlebow (Robert Frazer), a captain whose attention she spurns. In order to break up the romance between Noah and Emily, Swift has his son shanghaied and taken aboard a ship. Soon a storm blows in and the ship is wrecked. Cradlebow rescues Noah, winning Emily's admiration. When Swift discovers that Becky is pregnant, and that Noah has promised to marry her, he relents and gives the union his approval, while Cradlebow weds Emily. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Bedford, Frank Keenan, (more)
- 1924
This romantic drama only used half the clichés of the typical horse racing story. There's the impoverished Colonel (or in this case, a judge) and his pretty daughter, who may have to marry the bad guy who has the mortgage on the family home. At least the story draws the line at this juncture -- there are no drugged or kidnapped jockeys and the heroine doesn't put on the jockey's outfit to ride the horse to victory, which is the way most racing melodramas end. Judge Roberts (Frank Keenan) is living a life of genteel poverty, but he doesn't let his daughter, Virginia (Claire Windsor), know. He rears her in luxurious circumstances by selling off his land, bit by bit, until all that is left is the old homestead and a racehorse, who is about to have a colt. But the horse gets out of the stable during a rainstorm and dies after giving birth. The colt, Dixie, just barely survives. Johnny Sheridan (Lloyd Hughes) is down on his luck, and Judge Roberts takes him in. The young man works in the stable and when the colt, Dixie, is badly injured, he saves its life. Dexter, a trainer for a neighboring millionaire (John St. Polis), finally tells Virginia the truth about her father's circumstances. Dixie is entered in a big race and wins 50 thousand dollars, saving Virginia from marrying the man who carries the mortgage on the old homestead. It turns out that Sheridan comes from a good family, so he is able to marry Virginia. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claire Windsor, Frank Keenan, (more)
- 1923
Although Moving Picture World claimed that director Sidney A. Franklin's work on this drama earned him a long-term contract with Warner Bros., it wasn't long before he was back directing Constance Talmadge pictures, and beginning a prestigious career at MGM. The story, based on a very popular novel of the day by Charles G. Norris, involves the romance between country boy Philip Baldwin (Monte Blue) and frivolous city girl Marjorie Jones (Marie Prevost). The couple marries, but Marjorie believes that she is being neglected by her husband. She leaves Baldwin and their baby, and, egged on by her mother (Vera Lewis), gets a divorce. The child is left in the care of a trained nurse and widow, Mrs. Grotenberg (Irene Rich), who falls in love with Baldwin. His sister, Lucy (Miss DuPont), tries to find him an suitable mate and encourages Mrs. Grotenberg to leave. During this time, Marjorie has married again and divorced, and she decides she wants Baldwin back. Mrs. Grotenberg, believing that the couple will reconcile, goes away. But Baldwin no longer loves Marjorie, and prefers to wait for Mrs. Grotenberg's return. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Blue, Marie Prevost, (more)
- 1923
The handsome but uninspired Lloyd Hughes plays a young Cajun man in this drama produced by Thomas Ince. Jeff Newland (Edward Burns) is an unruly youth whose aristocratic Southern father, Colonel Newland (Frank Keenan), disowns him. In his place, the colonel adopts Coddy Jakes, a Cajun boy (Hughes), and sets out to educate him. Coddy saves family friend Helen Meanix (Marguerite de la Motte) from a runaway horse. When he finds out about Jeff's dissolute ways, he kidnaps him and takes him to the mountains. Through sheer force of will, Coddy makes Jeff reform, and they become fast friends. Coddy is falsely accused of murdering a revenue officer and thrown in jail. Jeff and his father, who have reconciled, save Coddy from being lynched. Meanwhile, Coddy's fellow Cajuns have set the forests on fire in an attempt to burn the town down. Helen goes after Coddy and reveals that she loves him. They are overcome by the smoke, but a rescuing party finds them still alive. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lloyd Hughes, Frank Keenan, (more)
- 1922
This adaptation of the R.D. Blackmore novel won acclaim for Madge Bellamy, and helped bring her stardom. Sir Charles Ensor (Frank Keenan), leader of the Doones, a notorious gang of bandits, adopts and raises Lorna (Bellamy) as his own. Growing up along with her was John Ridd (John Bowers), and he promises to help her if she ever finds herself in trouble. And Lorna winds up needing his help badly after the death of Sir Ensor. Carver Doone (Donald MacDonald) tries to force her into marriage, and she is saved from this fate by Ridd. She then takes her rightful place at court, and Ridd follows. Anarchists attack during the christening of the King's baby, and Ridd is responsible for saving the infant's life. In spite of this heroic act, he returns home. Lorna renounces her station to marry him, but at the wedding, Doone shoots her. Ridd and the townsfolk wipe out the rest of the Doone clan. Ridd returns home and happily discovers that Lorna, who he thought was dead, has actually survived. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madge Bellamy, John Bowers, (more)
- 1920
Character actor Frank Keenan offers a fine performance in this comedy-drama that he also directed. He's John Conroy, who headed for the wilds of Alaska after his wife Annie (Lucille Ward) left him for another man and took their young son with her. Fifteen years later, he returns as a tramp to discover his wife married to Horace Manners, the mayor of a small town (Hardie Kirkland). The boy, Jack (Jay Belasco), is now grown and Manners is trying to force him into a marriage that is politically beneficial, even though Jack does not love the girl. In addition, Manners is trying to get his hands on property that rightfully belongs to the young man. To save Jack, Conroy does not reveal his identity but instead pretends to be a mere hobo who chooses to befriend him. With his help, Jack is able to win the girl he really loves, and Manning does not get control of the property. His job done and everybody happy, Conroy hits the road once again. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
Jefferson Hunter (Frank Keenan) is a Western mining man. Anne Kepple (Catherine Adams) has inherited the mine next to his, but a loan shark steals it from her. Hunter helps her get it back, and out of gratitude Anne marries him, even though she is half his age. The May-December alliance is happy for a while, until Nathan Hargrave (Donald McDonald), an Eastern financier, comes around. He paints such a vivid picture of New York life that Anne convinces her husband that they should go there. Anne has a wonderful time, but Hunter figures out that Hargrave is trying to steal her away. Always a bit insecure about the relationship, Hunter figures that Anne no longer loves him and insists that he and Hargrave stage a duel. He plans to just let the younger man kill him, but Hargrave is too nervous to shoot straight. Hunter returns West, back to his old life with partner Chuck Wilson (George Hernandez). His son, Richard (Cliff Alexander), comes to visit and not long after, Anne -- who has learned to truly appreciate her husband -- returns. This film was based on a stage play by Edward H. Peple. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
Character actor Frank Keenan directed this picture in addition to playing a dual role. When Tom King (Keenan) is sent to prison for life, he entrusts his son Max to his brother Matthew (Keenan again). Matthew, a ruthless mill owner, tells Max that his father is dead, but about the time Max reaches adulthood (to be played by Wallace MacDonald), Tom's stellar behavior during a prison fire wins him a pardon. When Matthew subsequently suffers a paralytic stroke, Tom takes over his business and right away decides to be up front with the workers and admit that he is an ex-con. The laborers like him because of his honesty, but Max is ashamed of his father's past and can't even bear to face his sweetheart, Ruth Renaud (Ruth Langdon), so Tom gives him money to go away and study music. Matthew is concerned that Tom's softer treatment of the workers will ruin his business, but instead it flourishes. Matthew finally has to admit that his brother's way is better than his own, and Max returns, a proud son, to reunite with his girl. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1918
From all outward appearances, Harvey Deering (John Gilbert) is a fine, upstanding young citizen, and thus his father Lemuel (Frank Keenan) has no reservations about inviting Harvey to join the family business. Unfortunately, no sooner has Harvey launched his career than he begins mounting exorbitant expenses -- and when Lemuel confronts the boy, Harvey can offer no explanation for his uncharacteristic behavior. Only in the last reel is it revealed that Harvey's name has been forged on a series of "bum checks" by his old college roommate Harold Morrowtown (Jack Rollins), a fact that Harvey is honor-bound not to reveal. Eventually, however, everything is straightened out, and Harvey is back in the good graces of his father. More Trouble was written for the screen by Ouida Bergere, who later became the wife of actor Basil Rathbone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1917
Idealistic young lawyer Robert Edeson goes to work for district attorney Frank Keenan, little realizing that his new boss is an unregenerate "letch." Keenan's true nature surfaces when he steals Edeson's pretty but fickle wife Alma Hanlon away from the poor lad. Seeking a divorce, Hanlon names Edeson's innocent stenographer as co-respondent. Hoping to clear the girl's name, Edeson confronts his ex-wife and threatens to commit suicide if she doesn't drop her suit. He is prevented from this rash act by the stenographer, who by now has fallen in love with him. Hoping to put his troubles behind him, Edeson takes a clerical job at a bank, only to discover that his new boss is also squiring his former wife Hanlon. Embezzling thousands of dollars to pay for Hanlon's every whim, the bank president shifts the blame for his chicanery to poor Edeson. Shortly thereafter, the president is killed, and Edeson is charged with murder. Edeson's stenographer sweetheart decides to go to the new Public Defender to plead for the hero's life. Sure enough, that Public Defender turns out to be Keenan, who was responsible for the whole mess. Realizing that he, too, has been taken to the cleaners by Hanlon, the now-repentant Keenan races against time to save Edeson from the electric chair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1917
The racial prejudices of 1800's America died hard; in fact, they were still strong enough in 1916 for this film to be made. It involves Southerner Dr. Duprez (Frank Keenan), whose grandniece kills herself after being betrayed by Paul Crenshaw (Jerome Storm). For revenge he introduces slave Mercedes Mendoza (Margery Wilson) to Crenshaw, telling him that the girl is a Spaniard. The man falls in love with Mercedes and as soon as he marries her, the good doctor denounces him as the husband of a Negro. Crenshaw becomes a drunk and is killed when he wanders into a quarantined part of town and tries to leave. Then the doctor finds out that Mercedes really is Spanish, and she has not one drop of Negro blood in her veins; on top of that, the girl is his own granddaughter. So Mercedes wins the old man's love and amends. Exhibitors in the South were warned that theatergoers in their section of the U.S. could find this story offensive. Its shamefully negative attitude towards AfricanAmericans would be even more offensive to the majority of modern-day filmgoers. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1917
The Crab is sourpuss Frank Keenan, who lives alone and likes it. At least, he thinks he likes it, until cherubic little orphan Thelma Salter enters his life. Slowly but very surely, curly-headed Salter softens Keenan's hard heart. This old-fashioned yarn was done up brown by the florid subtitles of scenarist C. Gardner Sullivan. Thelma Salter managed to enjoy a ten-year career in Shirley Temple-style roles; either she was very short or a victim of arrested development. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1916
A wealthy young man, Lowell Sherman (William Russell, who also directed), has a flighty wife, Alice (Leona Hutton). Alice is having an affair with Sherman's supposed pal, Cyril Carr (Frank Keenan). Her husband is completely unaware of this; in fact, he spends a lot of time with Carr's little boy Tommy. Eventually, though, Sherman finds out about Alice's infidelity and about her checkered past. He resoundingly dumps Alice and ruins Carr financially. Carr commits suicide, and Tommy plays a part in bringing his mother (Charlotte Burton) and Sherman together. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1916
In her third starring film, Mary Boland was cast as Mary Beresford, the wife of unambitious law clerk Al Beresford (Robert McKim). Thanks to Mary's tenacity and carefully calculated social-climbing, Al is promoted to the position of personal secretary of prominent financier Elihu Knowland (Frank Keenan). Unfortunately, success goes to Al's head like a narcotic, and soon he has alienated everyone in New York, including Mary, who runs off for parts unknown. Led to believe that Mary has committed suicide, Knowland engineers Al's downfall, whereupon the young man kills himself. Several years later, Knowland again crosses paths with Mary, who is very much alive and still very much her own woman. Impressed by Mary's survivability, Knowland asks her to marry him. After completing Stepping Stone, Mary Boland returned to Broadway, turning down all film offers for the next two years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1916
At the suggestion of his father, Colonel Slocum Castleton (Frank Keenan), young Rodney Castleton (Charles Ray) leaves his home in the South to expand his mind in New York City. Things don't work out that way, however, as Rodney becomes engaged to a trollop, Viola Bretagne (the vampy Louise Glaum). The Colonel comes up to meet this "sweet young thing" that Rodney holds dear and sees through her immediately. He takes the girl out for a night on the town himself just to show Rodney what she's really like, and this temporarily squelches the relationship. But after the old man leaves, the wily Viola gets Rodney drunk and hustles him into a marriage. Needless to say, the Colonel is less than thrilled when his boy comes home with Viola in tow. He takes her on a carriage ride and offers her money to leave Rodney. When she refuses, he rides the carriage over a cliff, killing them both. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1916
In this silent comedy drama, a grizzled mountain man tries to make the best of a disappointing situation when his wife bears him a girl rather than the much-hoped for son. Rather than be all depressed, the feller names the baby "Bill" and raises her as a boy. That's all fine and dandy until the Bill grows up and Mother Nature asserts herself and the girl begins affecting feminine ways. While this is disconcerting to her father, the town sheriff is delighted and wild-mountain romance blooms. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1915
The Coward is the earliest extant starring vehicle of popular "boy next door" actor Charles Ray, though in fact the film was partially designed as a showcase for venerable stage favorite Frank Keenan. Set during the Civil War, the film focuses on the conflict between a proud old Virginia colonel (Keenan) and his weak-willed son (Ray). When the boy refuses to enlist in the Confederate army, his father forces him to do so literally at gunpoint. Once on the battlefield, the son deserts at the earliest opportunity, whereupon his father, not wishing to sully the family name, takes the boy's place on the roll call. Meanwhile, the son overhears a group of Northern officers planning to stage a raid. Finally able to overcome his cowardice, he mounts a horse and rides to the Southern lines, hoping to relay his information before it is too late. But he is shot from his horse by his own father, who mistakes the boy for a Northern courier. As the wounded son hovers between life and death, his father tearfully tries to make amends, leading to a powerful finale -- made even more so by the subtle underplaying of the two stars. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1915
Movie mogul Thomas H. Ince may well have been the director of The Despoiler as indicated by the credits; but since Ince was known far and wide as a glory-hogger, it's also possible that one of his talented lieutenants wielded the megaphone. A Civil War drama, The Despoiler refuses to take sides, demonstrating that there are heroes and villains in both camps. Capturing a small town, Colonel Charles K. French orders his men to reclaim the funds raised for the enemy by the townsfolk. French's drunken, lacivious second-in-command Frank Keenan intends to extort money from the citizens by threatening the virtue of the town's female population. Enid Markey, the Colonel's daughter, is appalled by the behavior of the soldiers. Enid makes a deal with Keenan; if she'll give herself to him, he'll spare the other women. This done, Enid kills Keenan (shades of the Biblical Judith and Holofernes!) Not knowing the identity of Keenan's murderer, French orders that the girl be shot. Wearing a veil to disguise her identity, Enid bravely faces the firing squad. It seems like heavy, hard-hitting stuff, but remember that Thomas H. Ince's tragic endings were as much a cliché in 1915 as D. W. Griffith's last-minute rescues. Perhaps hoping to avoid a cookie-cutter climax, Ince adds a coda to The Despoiler, indicating that what we've just seen never really happened! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1915
Although he has a reputation for being "the worst man in town," Western gambler Harley Hennage (Frank Keenan) proves his loyalty and selflessness through his love for Marie. When Marie falls in love with a strange prospector, Hennage willingly backs off because he realizes Marie really loves the man. Then, when the man is killed by his crooked partner, he takes in Marie and her daughter, Donna (Stella Razetto). When Donna is grown, Hennage forces the man who murdered her father to make restitution to her. Finally, Hennage's life comes to an end in a duel with a bandit, fought because he had insulted Donna's honor. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
