Harlan Knight Movies
- 1934
There were very few laughs in this phlegmatic film adaptation of the Oliver LaFarge's Pulitzer Prize winning novel Laughing Boy. The title character is a young and impressionable Native American, played by Ramon Novarro. Laughing Boy marries Slim Girl (Lupe Velez), a fellow tribesperson who had previously been led into a life of sin and debauchery by libidinous white men. She persuades her husband to leave his tribe and move to the big city, ostensibly to improve his chances of selling his hand-made silver jewelry. In truth, however, Slim Girl is interested only in staying close to her white lover. When Laughing Boy realizes he's being cuckolded, he grabs his bow and arrow to seek revenge, but finds only tragedy instead. Despite the eminently censurable elements in Laughing Boy, including one scene that was hastily edited out just before its general release, the Hays Office found fault only with the film's negative depiction of government Indian agents! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ramon Novarro, Lupe Velez, (more)
Previously filmed in 1923, Zane Grey's To the Last Man manages to pack plenty of A-level production values into what was essentially a B-picture budget. In the years following the Civil War, Kentucky man Lynn Hayden (Randolph Scott) moves his family to Nevada, partly to start life anew, but mostly to leave behind the bloody family feud between the Haydens and the Colbys. This, alas, is not to be: once in Nevada, Hayden lands in the middle of a war between cattlemen and sheepherders -- a war involving the same two families. The film's title is grimly accurate: virtually no one is left standing at the end of the film. The superb supporting cast includes Esther Ralston as heroine Ellen Colby (seen to excellent advantage in a semi-nude swimming sequence!), Jack LaRue and Noah Beery Sr. as the slimy villains, and Shirley Temple in a small part. In addition to its many other plusses, To the Last Man introduces a novel method of billing the actors: each player is introduced by name as he or she appears on-screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Esther Ralston, (more)
- 1933
William Faulkner's bestseller Sanctuary was so taboo in some circles that Hollywood couldn't even use the title when making the first film version. Thus, Paramount's adaptation of Sanctuary went out as The Story of Temple Drake, fooling no one who could read. Miriam Hopkins plays the title role, the promiscuous daughter of a Southern judge. Temple will do anything for a thrill, which plays right into the hands of a gang of kidnappers. Coerced into a pickup date at a roadhouse, Temple is held for ransom by the lascivious Trigger (Jack LaRue) and his mob. She is raped by Trigger, whereupon she kills him. One of Trigger's earlier murders is pinned on a hapless half-wit (Irving Pichel). Called to testify in the murder trial by her former boyfriend (William Gargan), the prosecuting attorney, Temple not only confesses to Trigger's killing, but proclaims to one and all that she secretly enjoyed the rape. Even though this hot material was considerably toned down from the novel (where the villain raped Temple with a corncob!), The Story of Temple Drake was one of many films responsible for incurring the wrath of the "clean up Hollywood" brigades--resulting in the restrictive Production Code of 1934. Sanctuary was remade under its original title in 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Miriam Hopkins, Jack LaRue, (more)
Cowboy star Ken Maynard trots out one of his favorite plot devices in Whistlin' Dan. Once again, Maynard poses as a crook in order to infiltrate an outlaw gang. It's all for the purpose of getting even with the men responsible for his partner's murder. The most surprising aspect of the film is its leading lady, exotic dancer Joyzelle Joyner, best remembered for her performance as a leering lesbian in DeMille's Sign of the Cross. Director Phil Rosen, presumably following Ken Maynard's instructions, invests Whistlin' Dan with an abundance of offbeat camera angles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Maynard
- 1931
Buck Jones falls in love with the sister of the outlaw he has just killed in this superior B-Western from independent producer Sol Lesser. Jones plays Bob Terry, the sheriff of Red River, a town bedeviled by a series of holdups. Bob suspects that the local saloon proprietor, Flash Halloway (Robert Ellis), is behind the crimes but doesn't have enough evidence to arrest him. Instead, he corners gang member Jack Smight (Paul Fix) in a shootout, but Smight dies before he can reveal the identity of his boss. Jack's sister Mary (Loretta Sayers) arrives the very next day and Bob immediately falls in love with the pretty girl, who is unaware of her brother's criminal lifestyle. When circumstantial evidence found at yet another holdup implicates Flash, the latter tells Mary that Bob killed her brother. Angered at this betrayal, Mary agrees to marry the smooth-talking saloon owner. In retaliation, the fiery Tiana (Nena Quartero), Flash's former girlfriend, informs Bob of a scheme to steal a shipment of gold bullion and after hunting down Flash and his gang, Bob finally tells Mary the truth about her brother and they embrace. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Jones, Loretta Sayers, (more)
- 1931
While on a riverboat traveling on the Mississippi River, Ayres finds out that his father is an impostor and that man actually killed his real father. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lew Ayres, Anita Louise, (more)
- 1930
This simple tale of peace-loving hillbillies defeating a gang of outlaws was based on a story by Joseph Hergesheimer and was a huge box-office hit when it was first released as a silent film in 1921. This 1930 sound remake closely follows the original story. The Kinemon family, who live in a mountain village, have a long-running feud with the Hatburn clan. The Hatburns are a marauding band of thieves and convicts led by Esther (Joan Peers) and Amos (Henry B. Walthall). The youngest member of the Kinemon clan is David (Richard Cromwell), who dreams of becoming a mailman. The Hatburns begin stealing from the village's mail. David, defying the wishes of his parents, goes off on his own to get back a stolen mailbag, directly confronting the Hatburns and ultimately outsmarting and defeating them. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Cromwell, Noah Beery, Sr., (more)
- 1926
William Powell, who spent much of his early silent career playing villains, got to play a hero in this romantic adventure, based on the novel by Richard Harding Davis. The picturesque exterior locations were shot in Cuba, but poor editing undermines the film as a whole. Roddy Forrester (Powell) has formed the White Mice club with a pal. The purpose of the club is to help those in trouble. When Roddy's father (Bigelow Cooper) sends him to the South American republic of Montebello, he gets his chance to be of service. General Rojas, the former president (Lucuis Henderson), is locked away in a prison and slowly dying. Roddy decides to rescue him, especially since he has been inspired by the general's pretty daughter, Inez (Jacqueline Logan). Colonel Vega (Ernest Hilliard), who is responsible for imprisoning Rojas, wants to marry the girl himself. Roddy is able to overpower Vega and get Inez's father released. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1925
When he tears a ligament in his arm, light heavyweight champion Sandy Donlin (Milton Sills) is forced to take a break from the ring. His friend Parker, a lumber magnate (Claude King) sends him to the North woods to battle against a rival lumber boss. The rival turns out to be Farot (Harlan Knight) and his fetching daughter, Jean (Lorna Duveen), and Parker's schemes are anything but on the up-and-up. Donlin changes alliances and tries to stop his former friend's plans. Parker's men still manage to dynamite the dam, which ties up the Farot lumber for a year. It looks like Jean won't be able to make the mortgage unless Donlin goes back into the ring. The only problem is that Jean has already said she hates fighting and will have nothing to do with pugilists. At the last minute, she has a change of heart, and Donlin wins the bout and makes the payment. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milton Sills, Jed Prouty, (more)
- 1924
This was the second time that William C. DeMille's stage play was brought to the screen (DeMille's younger brother, Cecil B. DeMille, directed the 1915 version). Director Elmer Clifton downplayed the romantic angle of this Civil War story, not out of choice but necessity -- former Follies star Martha Mansfield, who played Agatha Warren, died from burn injuries she suffered in a tragic accident during filming. Ned Burton (Wilfred Lytell) and Agatha Warren have been sweethearts since childhood, but when the War Between the States breaks out, Burton joins the Union forces while the Warren family sides with the Confederacy. Burton is assigned the task of being arrested at Agatha's home so he can trick the Confederates and obtain information from them. As a result, supplies don't reach the Southern army in time. Burton is taken out to be hanged as a spy. But Agatha hears that Lee has surrendered and she enlists the help of Union soldiers to save Burton. After the war, Burton and Agatha reconcile their differences and marry. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1924
Newspaper magnate and movie producer William Randolph Hearst created this massive epic about the American Revolution to showcase the talents of his mistress Marion Davies. The results were far better than anyone could have imagined, given these circumstances; both film content and Marion were artistic successes. The story literally covers the whole Revolution and has Davies' character, Janice Meredith, playing a key part -- in Hearst's world, Marion/Janice is the one ultimately responsible for sending Paul Revere on his famous ride! However, America's fight for freedom (including the Boston tea party, Valley Forge, etc.) shares space with the picture's love story: Janice, who comes from a family of wealthy Tory sympathizers is in love with a servant named Charles Fownes (Harrison Ford). Fownes, of course, is a rebel and joins George Washington's (Joseph Kilgour) staff. Their love survives through many political and war intrigues until the day Fownes insists that Janice cut ties with all British associates, including her father (Maclyn Arbuckle). She refuses and goes home to marry Philemon Hennion (Olin Howland), but Fownes leads a rebel raid that thwarts the wedding. The Meredith lands are taken by the rebels and Hennion is arrested for his work with the British. Finally, as the Revolution nears its triumphant end, Janice and Fownes wind up together. W.C. Fields, as a British sergeant, provides a small bit of comic relief from all this drama. While Janice Meredith received honestly enthusiastic reviews (not just from the Hearst papers), its negative cost of nearly a million dollars -- a fortune in those days -- prohibited it from making a profit. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marion Davies, Harrison Ford, (more)
- 1923
This Horatio Alger-type drama stars John Striker. Titus Burke (Walter Lewis) is a thief, and the sheriff gathers up a posse to capture him. Burke's wife Martha (Mary Alden) convinces their son Angus (Joseph Drew) that their lives are in danger and, as a result of his fear, Angus shoots the sheriff dead. The mother is also killed in the fray. Although he's only a boy, and an orphan, Angus is tried for murder. He is found not guilty and a kind-hearted man gets him a job on the local newspaper. The small-minded townsfolk don't want him around, however, and he is sent away. Twelve years later he returns (played by Striker) and takes over the paper. In spite of opposition, he proves his worth and helps to save the town from a group of swindlers. Now firmly established in the town that once shunned him, he is able to settle down with his childhood sweetheart Lydia (Margaret Courtot). ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marguerite Courtot, Miriam Battista, (more)
- 1923
After being eased out of the Paramount studios that he helped create, W.W. Hodkinson returned to independent production. Hodkinson's The Critical Age top-bills James Harrison as a young toughie with a heart of gold. Harrison falls in love with Pauline Garon, but evidently doesn't stand a chance with her because of the intervention of a snotty senator's son. Our Hero proves his mettle during a heart-stopping canoe rescue sequence. The Critical Age ran 4 reels, qualifying it as a long short subject or short feature. The film was based on Ralph Connor's novel Glengarry School Days. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harlan Knight, Jimmy Harrison, (more)
- 1923
While Warner P. Richmond didn't exactly have matinee idol looks -- he was usually cast as a brutal villain -- he was well-suited for the role of lumberjack in this sprawling drama. Based on the novel by Ralph Connor, it took a realistic view of life at a lumber camp. MacDonald, or Big Mac (Anders Randolf), runs a lumber camp in the north. Louis Lenoir (E.L. Fernandez) has the reputation of being the camp's most dangerous man, and he proves it when he kills Big Mac during a brawl in a café. Mac's son, Ranald (Richmond), swears vengeance on Lenoir and the two men come to blows on the logs in the middle of the river. Ranald's sweetheart, Kate Murray (Marian Swayne), tries to stop him from killing Lenoir, and she almost dies herself when she falls into the rapids. Ranald comes to her rescue, and Lenoir is grateful for her intervention. He proves to be of service to Ranald later on, when he rescues him from a scheming, jealous woman. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anders Randolph, Warner P. Richmond, (more)
- 1922
Although Dorothy Gish was perfectly capable of playing a flapper, the title to this comedy -- her first independent production -- is really a misnomer. It's a silly rural love story, suggested (however vaguely) by Malbro Bartley's book, Cynic Effect. Director F. Richard Jones worked his way up through the Keystone Studios and it shows in the picture's almost slapstick approach. Jolanda (Gish) has to work hard to keep the affections of her sweetheart, Nathaniel Huggins (Glenn Hunter, in the most unattractive country bumpkin outfits imaginable). For one thing she has to deal with a rival, Marguerite (Mildred Marsh), and on top of that, Nathaniel's father Ezra, the town druggist (Harlan Knight), does not approve of her. The tide turns in Jolanda's favor, however, when she discovers that old Ezra has a still in his barn. She blackmails him into approving the match. But then Huggins sets his barn on fire to destroy the evidence, and Nathaniel goes off with Marguerite. Nevertheless Jolanda doesn't wind up alone -- there's still Lemuell Philpotts (Tom Douglas), the shy, worshipful boy who's been hanging around her the whole time. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Gish, Glenn Hunter, (more)
- 1922
This tale of the Canadian logging industry is compromised by a confusing plot, a lack of action -- and a scene that shows a Long Island billboard in the background. Harry T. Morey plays Robert Fisher Clarke, a promoter who comes to a small Canadian town. He harnesses the power of the rapids and builds a pulp mill. One of his employees, Jim Belding (Walter Miller), has a fiancée, Elsie Worden (Mary Astor), with whom Clarke falls in love. Behind the scenes, there is much intrigue going on amongst Clarke's backers. They order the factory closed, and the workers revolt. Belding is shoved into the rapids and has to fight for his life. The militia is called in and Clarke, who is at the mercy of the mob, is rescued. The bad guys are finally removed from the company, and Elsie comes to realize that she loves Belding after all. Clarke's job in this neck of the woods is done, and he leaves, taking with him a little girl he has adopted. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1921
Hugo Ballin directed his wife Mabel Ballin in this slow and unmoving adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's oft-filmed novel. Jane Eyre (Mabel Ballin) is sent to an orphanage because her aunt hates her willful nature. Now that she is a young woman, she is sent to the home of Fairfax Rochester (Norman Trevor) to become governess to his ward, Adele (June Ellen Terry). At first the moody Rochester is cool towards Jane, but eventually he falls deeply in love with her. They plan to marry, but at the church, Mason (John Webb Dillon) appears and reveals that Rochester is already married to his sister (Elizabeth Meriens). Because Mrs. Rochester has become hopelessly insane, she has been hidden away for many years. Jane leaves Rochester, and not long after, his wife burns down the house. Mrs. Rochester dies in the fire, and Rochester is blinded. When Jane hears the news, she goes to him. The couple make up and are reunited. Eventually Rochester's sight returns. This silent film doesn't come close to the 1944 Orson Wells/Joan Fontaine version of the novel. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1921
Things were touch-and-go the first few years that United Artists was in existence, and the studio couldn't totally depend on the output by its founders -- Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith. Not so much attention, however, has been paid to those other early productions that the studio released in an attempt to break even. Perhaps this subpar, poorly-acted drama, based on a manly Rex Beach novel, goes a long way to explain why. Two men, honest engineer Murray O'Neil (Wyndham Standing) and corrupt promoter Curtis Gordon (Thurston Hall), are fighting for the right to run a railroad through Alaska's gold country. Gordon has hired a newspaper reporter, Eliza Appleton (Alma Tell), to make O'Neil look bad in the press, but instead of lambasting O'Neil she falls in love with him. Although Gordon uses crooked means to edge ahead, O'Neil manages to emerge victorious, along with winning the girl. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wyndham Standing, Thurston Hall, (more)
