Joe King Movies

Alan Curtis plays a hired Union agent who's been dispatched to capture a Confederate gal who's the leader of some ravaging rebels. ~ All Movie Guide

Escaped gangster Steve McBirney (Marc Lawrence), vowing to get even with Oriental sleuth Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler), lies in wait at a spooky wax museum run by demented plastic surgeon Dr. Cream (Henry Gordon). Chan is lured to the museum's opening day ceremonies on a ruse, along with a variety of strange characters ranging from a girl reporter (Joan Valerie) to a radio announcer (played by real-life announcer Ted Osborn). The subsequent murder spree is complicated by the fact that no one-not even the wily Chan--can tell the wax effigies from real thing. The explanation of the film's events-and the revelation of the killer-are quite a surprise. With Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum, 20th Century-Fox's "Chan" series reached its peak: from here, it could only go downhill. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Danger on Wheels is one of the 14 Richard Arlen-Andy Devine adventure films ground out by Universal Pictures between 1939 and 1941. Arlen is cast as daredevil test-car driver Larry Taylor, while Devine brings up the rear as Larry's mechanic. A rivalry develops between Larry and hotshot motorist Bruce Cowley (Jack Arnold), culminating in Bruce losing his job before an important race. Larry takes Bruce's place in the contest, whereupon he accidentally kills the brother of his sweetheart Pat (Peggy Moran). Our hero redeems himself in everyone's eyes by proving the efficiency of a new oil-burning motor invented by Pat's father (Herbert Cothrell). Danger on Wheels is allegedly based on the exploits of real-life stunt driver Lucky Teeter, who is represented throughout via stock footage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

His Aunt Sophie (Helen Westley) and his teacher Professor Heinrich (Jean Hersholt) are sure that Roger Grant (Tyrone Power) will be a famous classical violinist, but Roger's more interested in popular music. He and his friend, pianist Charlie (Don Ameche), audition at a saloon in San Francisco's Barbary Coast, using sheet music left by singer Stella Kirby (Alice Faye), which had been sent to her by a friend in New York, Irving Berlin. The number, "Alexander's Ragtime Band," proves to be a sensation, and Stella goes along with Charlie's plea to sing with the band, which soon becomes famous for its ragtime numbers. Charlie has fallen in love with Stella by the time they open at the Cliff House, but he soon realizes that she and Roger are in love. Stella is invited to New York by a famous producer, but Roger's against this, and angrily fires her, so Charlie quits, too. When Roger returns from World War I, he meets Stella, only to learn she and Charlie have been married for a year. Another year passes, and Charlie and Davey have formed a new band with Jerry Allen (Ethel Merman) as their lead singer. Charlie knows Stella still loves Roger, so he divorces her, but Roger sails for Europe with the new band. Back in New York, Roger is set for a major concert in swing at Carnegie Hall. Charlie tells Roger about the divorce, and that Stella still loves him. Unable to get a ticket, Stella listens to the concert in a cab. Explaining that he is playing it for one particular person, Roger and his band perform "Alexander's Ragtime Band" as their encore, bringing Stella into the theater, where she's reconciled with Roger. He brings her onstage to perform the number with his band. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide

Warner Bros' Road Gang is a retread of themes first explored (and stock footage first seen) in the studio's earlier I Am Fugitive From a Chain Gang. The story takes place in an unnamed Southern state, where prisoners are forced to work on chain gangs under appallingly brutal conditions. The local newspapermen try to expose this shameful situation to the world, but are prevented from doing so by fat-cat corrupt politicians who are benefitting financially from the enforced-labor policy. It takes the intervention of a crusading Chicago journalist (Henry O'Neill) to start the wheels of justice in motion. Most of the story is told through the eyes of hapless prison laborers Jim Larrabee (Donald Woods) and Bob Gordon (Carlyle Moore Jr.), only one of whom survives until the fade-out. Road Gang was scripted by future blacklistee Dalton Trumbo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The great British stage star Gertrude Lawrence was seldom seen to her best advantage in films. In Paramount's Battle of Paris, Lawrence stars as Georgie, a British singer stranded in not-so-gay Paree during WWI. To keep food on the table, Georgie teams up with amiable pickpocket Zizi (Charlie Ruggles). Among the pockets picked are those of handsome artist Tony (Walter Petrie), with whom Georgie falls in love. Hired as Tony's model, our heroine soon becomes the "poster girl" for the French and British armies, which somehow leads to a barrage of musical numbers by Cole Porter (his first direct-to-screen score). Gertrude Lawrence tries hard, but is defeated by a so-so script and surprisingly tepid music. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Paramount drama was based on the novel Face, by Lucy Stone Terrill. It was a change of pace for light comedienne Bebe Daniels. In a battle during the World War, Douglas Albright (Richard Dix) has a moment of cowardice which causes the death of his friend, Captain Banning (Joe King). When Albright comes back from the war, his fiancée, Helen Castle (Mary Astor), and her father, George (Frank Losee), can see that something is bothering him. So Castle sends him to take care of business in China -- and to pull himself together. While in China, Albright runs across Bannings' widow, Breta (Daniels), who has buried her sorrows behind a mask of revelry and fast living. Because he feels responsible for what she has become, Albright attempts to regenerate her and proposes marriage. When Breta discovers that he is sacrificing his relationship with Helen on her behalf, she kills herself so that the couple can reunite. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Although Richard Barthelmess was one of the bigger stars of the silent era, not all his films were worthy of his talents. This society drama was decidedly mediocre fare. The wealthy McCulloughs (Joe King and Dorothy Cumming) separate when their son, Julian, is seven. Mrs. McCullough convinces her estranged husband to let her raise the boy without his interference and she brings him up to be a weakling. When he reaches the age of 20, Julian (Barthelmess, who was actually 28 at the time) falls in love with Lynnie Willis (Dorothy Mackaill), who is far below him socially. When they are returning from a dance, the car breaks down and they are forced to find shelter at an inn, where they register as brother and sister. This causes a scandalous situation and Julian is more than willing to marry Lynnie, but his father insists that he will have the marriage annulled, since his boy is not yet 21. Julian goes away to work as a cab driver, while Mr. McCullough makes an effort to find someone else to marry Lynnie. Mr. McCullough is attacked in a garage by thugs and Julian comes to his rescue. He is injured in the fight, but it enables him to reconcile with his father. Once he has recovered Julian is able to marry Lynnie, since he has just turned 21. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This Albert Capellani-directed drama was based on the novel by Kathleen Norris. When Dr. Strickland (Tom Guise) dies, he divides his estate in thirds between his two daughters, Alix (Seena Owen) and Cherry (Gladys Leslie), and his niece, Anne Little (Mildred Arden). But Anne's husband Justin (Robert Schable) figures out a way to get more of the estate. This helps fuel unhappiness between Cherry and her own husband, lumberman Martin Lloyd (Joe King). Peter Joyce (Matt Moore), meanwhile, has returned from a cruise, and proposes to Alix, who accepts. She's unaware that Peter left town out of disappointment after her sister married Martin. When things get too tense between Martin and Cherry, she moves in with Alix and Peter. An attraction rekindles between the two, and they plan to run off together. But the long-suffering Alix has observed it all, and she dissuades Cherry, telling her that it's for her own sake. Martin is injured in a lumber accident, and Cherry, realizing finally that she really cares, returns to him. Peter, too, realizes what he has in Alix and remains with her. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Alice Joyce stars in this routine mystery melodrama. On his deathbed, bank president John Randall (Fuller Mellish) confesses to his oldest daughter, Constance (Joyce), that he embezzled money and is making a series of payments to a cashier to assume the guilt. After his death, Constance continues to pay off the cashier. Blackmailer Hugh Martin (Claude King) gets his hands on some letters that Randall and Constance wrote to the cashier. He threatens to reveal all unless he can marry Constance's younger sister, Muriel (Maude Malcolm). Before he can make the letters public, Martin is found dead with a scarab torn from Constance's rare and valuable ring by his side. Because of this circumstantial evidence, Constance is put on trial. Her fiancé, attorney Ward Locke (Joe King), defends her and the case is dismissed. After she gets off, Constance admits that she really did kill Martin, but in self-defense. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Dorothy Dalton stars in this tale of the Canadian Northwest. New Yorker Lucky Folsom (E.J. Ratcliffe) strikes it rich up in the North, and when he hits the town of Totem City, he meets dance hall girl Colette Brissac (Dalton), who takes money from the miners but remains aloof to them. Since Folsom has no better luck with her, he returns to New York where he marries Gloria Waldron (Marguerite Marsh). Gloria is actually in love with Martin Bates, an engineer (Edwin August), but she wants the luxuries Folsom's newfound riches can offer her. The rejected Bates becomes an alcoholic and drifts into Totem City. By now the miners have gotten fed up with Colette's cool ways, and they force her to marry the drunken Bates. Instead of running away, Colette decides to make the best of the situation and brings about Bates' regeneration. The two remain happy together until Folsom and Gloria come to town. Bates has just made a fortune from a mine he has bought, so Gloria is willing to dump her husband to be with him. Bates mistakenly believes that Folsom is after Colette and the two men come to blows at the dance hall. Colette shoots Folsom and wounds him. He comes to his senses and takes Gloria away, determined to teach her a lesson or two. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide