Alice Lake Movies
American actress Alice Lake starred in a number of silent Hollywood films. She launched her career working in comedy shorts for Mack Sennett and frequently co-starred with Fatty Arbuckle. By the '20s, Lake had begun starring in Metro features as well as those of other studios. Though a hard-working actress, she never did become a major star and during the sound-era was relegated to playing small roles in "B" films. She is said to have had one brown eye and one gray eye, something that never showed up in black-and-white films. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1935
Clearly inspired by the success of Goldwyn's Barbary Coast, Warner Bros.' The Frisco Kid stars James Cagney as turn-of-the-century opportunist Bat Morgan. Heading to the gold fields of California, Bat is almost shanghaied in San Francisco but manages not only to escape his would-be captors but also to kill the infamous crime lord Shanghai Duck (Fred Kohler Sr.). The grateful citizens enable Bat to rise to wealth and power on the Barbary Coast. But he's less lucky in love, and it is his seemingly hopeless fascination with Nob Hill debutante Jean Barrat (Margaret Lindsay) that may well bring about Bat's downfall. The film is a festival of cliches, occasionally enlivened by barroom brawls and rowdy musical numbers. Featured as extras in Frisco Kid were several stars and directors of the silent era, a "generous" gesture made by Warner Bros. partly to stave off the inevitability of unionized actors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Margaret Lindsay, (more)
- 1934
Another of director William Wyler's "apprenticeship" films, Glamour is based on a story by Edna Ferber. The original story covered 24 hours in the life of actress Linda Fayne (Constance Cummings), who is so busy with her career that there's no time left over for her baby. This plotline was used as a small component of Doris Anderson's screenplay, wherein we discover how Linda came to be a mother in the first place. During her climb to the top of the acting profession, our heroine falls in love with aspiring songwriter Victor Banki (Paul Lukas). Having read somewhere that no actress has ever reached greatness until after she became a mother, Linda all but forces Valenti to impregnate her. Sure enough, she becomes an overnight star, whereupon she marries Victor. Later on, Linda leaves her husband in favor of handsome singer Lorenzo Valenti (Philip Reed), but her maternal instincts win out and she returns to Victor and her child. No way that all this could happen within 24 hours! Bobby Watson, foremost Adolph Hitler impersonator of the 1940s, shows up in Glamour as a gay dance director, a characterization he'd previously done in Wheeler and Woolsey's Hips Hips Hooray. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Lukas, Constance Cummings, (more)
- 1934
Wallace Beery plays P.T. Barnum in this comic biography of the renowned showman. As the story opens, Phineas Taylor Barnum is operating a dry goods store in New York City with his friend Bailey Walsh (Adolphe Menjou), and he is looking for a way to boost business. He strikes upon the idea of adding a sideshow of human oddities and curious individuals, much to the annoyance of his wife Nancy (Janet Beecher). But the sideshow brings in a large audience, and soon it begins to overtake the retail store; however, Barnum's venture comes to a halt when it is revealed that Zorro The Bearded Lady (May Boley) has fake facial hair,and that Joyce Heth (Lucille LaVerne) wasn't really George Washington's nursemaid, as she claims. Despite this setback, Barnum has developed a taste for show business, and he brings noted English singer Jenny Lind (Virginia Bruce) to the U.S. for a concert tour, where she becomes the toast of New York. Barnum soon becomes infatuated with Lind, and while his attempts to woo her are often fumblingly inept, they're effective enough to alienate Nancy, who leaves him and New York City for good. Between his attempts to romance Lind and his shameless ballyhoo for performing midget General Tom Thumb (George Brasno), Barnum finds himself on Walsh's bad side, who has taken to drinking to ease his anger. After his budding romance with Lind fails, Barnum suffers an even greater indignity when his museum, featuring his sideshow freaks and other wonders and oddities, is burned to the ground by angry rivals. However, Barnum's performers show their loyalty by offering their savings to Barnum to help him rebuild, and Nancy returns to Barnum's side in his moment of need. Walsh also appears, ready to bury the hatchet and show off his latest acquisition -- an elephant named Jumbo who could be used in a traveling act, or perhaps even a circus.... The Mighty Barnum was based on the play by Gene Fowler and Bess Meredyth, who also wrote the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wallace Beery, Adolphe Menjou, (more)
- 1934
Adapted from an earlier European film, Wharf Angel stars Dorothy Dell as Toy, a golden-hearted prostitute stranded in San Francisco. Toy finds hope for redemption when she falls in love with Como (Preston S. Foster), a sailor on the lam from a murder charge. In Madame Butterfly fashion, the heroine promises to wait for Como until he is able to clear himself. The fly in the ointment is Como's buddy Turk (Victor McLaglen), who has known Toy (in the Biblical sense) for several years. An inexpensive but fairly credible reconstruction of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake (courtesy of legendary art director William Cameron Menzies) caps this intriguing little romantic melodrama. Alas, leading lady Dorothy Dell was killed in a car crash after appearing in only three films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor McLaglen, Dorothy Dell, (more)
- 1934
Originally titled Eadie was a Lady, this Jean Harlow vehicle was slated for release under the title Born to be Kissed, but the new Production Code vetoed this "suggestive" cognomen. After a brief and uncomfortable period as One Hundred Percent Pure, the film was finally shipped to theaters as The Girl From Missouri. Harlow plays Eadie, a sexy gold-digger who promises to remain chaste until she finds a wealthy husband. Travelling to New York in the company of her best friend Kitty (Patsy Kelly), Eadie manages to keep that promise, though for a while it looks as though she'll succumb to the charms of playboy T. R. Paige Jr. (Franchot Tone). Once Paige has proven that his intentions are basically honorable, Eadie must break down the resistance of T. R. Paige Sr. (Lionel Barrymore), who is dead-set against his son's romance and intends to frame the girl in a compromising position. She gets even with Paige Sr. by framing him, but there's still a couple of reels to go before the happy ending. Except for some provocative costuming, Jean Harlow's character is essentially decent, thereby "cleansing" some of the more risque elements of this enjoyable romantic comedy. The film's best line is delivered by Patsy Kelly who, when propositioned by an elderly roue, snarls "Look at this! Death takes a holiday!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Harlow, Lionel Barrymore, (more)
- 1933
Monogram's Skyway stars Ray Walker in his usual role as a brash troublemaker who can't hold down a job. This time he's a hot-shot aviator who loses a bank-clerk job, much to the chagrin of his sweetheart Kathryn Crawford, the bank-president's daughter. Making matters worse, Walker is being held responsible for thousands of dollars in missing funds. Climbing into his trusty plane, our hero chases down the actual miscreant, an embezzling vice president, simultaneously saving his reputation and his romance in the process. The film moves quickly enough for audiences to happily ignore the many plot holes. Elements of both Skyway and the like-vintage Ray Walker vehicle He Couldn't Take It were later reworked into the inaugural Bowery Boys entry Live Wires (1946). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arthur Vinton, Jed Prouty, (more)
- 1931
Wicked stars Elissa Landi as Margot Rande, a basically decent woman led down the path to perdition by her bank-robber husband Tony (Theodore Von Eltz). When Tony is cornered by the police, Margot tries to protect him, shooting a policeman in the process. Sentenced to a 20-year prison term, the ladylike heroine is subjected to all manner of brutality and humiliation behind bars. Scott Burrows (Victor McLaglen), Margot's former sweetheart, hires an attorney to help reduce her sentence, but in the meantime she has given birth to a child, which is promptly snatched from her arms and put up for adoption. Upon her release, Margot desperately kidnaps her own baby, leading to further courtroom entanglements before a happy (or at least satisfactory) ending can be reached. It's positively miraculous that director Alan Dwan was able to squeeze all of Wicked into a mere 57 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elissa Landi, Victor McLaglen, (more)
- 1930
Released in both silent and sound versions, this lurid melodrama from Universal was based on the 1924 play Carnival by William R. Doyle. Mary Nolan, whose demure name hid a rather volatile personality, played Helen Herbert, a sideshow dancer falling for handsome socialite Bobby Spencer (Leon Janney). After a tête-à-tête with Spencer Sr. (George Irving), Helen, like a carnival version of Marguerite Gautier, heroically disappears from young Bobby's life by leaping to her death from a balloon. A former Ziegfeld girl, Mary Nolan kept changing her moniker (from "Bubbles" Wilson to Imogene Robertson to Mary Nolan) in order to escape a series of lurid scandals. Retiring from films in 1932, she later suffered bouts with drug addiction, managed a bungalow court in Hollywood, and died all but forgotten at the young age of 43 in 1948. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Nolan, Ralf Harolde, (more)
- 1929
The 1929 comedy Twin Beds was the second of three versions of the 1914 stage farce by Margaret Mayo and Salisbury Field. The original story of a newlywed bride who is briefly lured from her honeymoon suite by a vainglorious opera singer has been realigned as a traditional "backstage" romance. Elsie Dolan (Patsy Ruth Miller), accidently finding herself in the office of songwriter Danny Brown (Jack Mulhall), achieves Broadway success with Danny's help. Marrying Danny out of gratitude, she is temporarily enchanted by her egotistical leading man Monty Solari (Armand Kaliz), leading to an evening of misunderstandings, door-slammings and hasty retreats under the bed when the very-married Solari wanders drunkenly into Danny and Elsie's apartment. Previously filmed in 1920, Twin Beds was memorably remade in 1942 with George Brent, Joan Bennett and Mischa Auer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Mulhall, Patsy Ruth Miller, (more)
- 1929
Duplicitous businessman Henry Lord (Charles Gerrard) talks Tony Benton (Ray Hallor), the weakling brother of heroine Jean Benton (Helen Foster), into forging a check. The evidence is framed so that innocent clerk Arthur Rowland (Cornelius Keefe) is accused of the crime. When the case comes to court, it appears as though Rowland is going to be railroaded into the Big House for a long term. He is spared this fate when Lord and Benton are exposed by Lord's cast-off mistress Lucy Bishop (Alice Lake). The 1935 Circumstantial Evidence was not a remake, even though both films were produced by Chesterfield Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Foster, Cornelius Keefe, (more)
- 1929
In this melodrama, set in the Far North, a half-Eskimo woman leaves her tribe and her husband to find adventure with a visiting sea captain. Unfortunately, she finds that the big world isn't what she expected. She ends up having to support the lazy sea-captain by singing. She then decides to go back home, but that seems easier said than done. On the way back, she and her captain slip into an icy crevasse. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lenore Ulric, Robert W. Frazer, (more)
- 1928
Runaway Girls was the first directorial credit for Mark Sandrich, who would still have to serve a long apprenticeship in short subjects before regaining his stride at RKO in the mid-1930s. An unabashed exploitationer, this 1928 release was redeemed somewhat by virtue of its professional Columbia Pictures trappings. Shirley Mason stars as Sue Hartley, the mixed-up product of a broken home. Sue heads to the Big City in hopes of finding success as a model; instead, she falls into the clutches of white slavers. Clean-limned Jim Grey (Arthur Rankin) rescues the girl from evil vice lord Varden (Edward Earle), only to be accused of Varden's murder. But the actual killer is a grief-stricken father whose own wayward daughter wasn't quite as lucky as Sue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hedda Hopper, Alice Lake, (more)
- 1927
Spider Webs is one of the few American films directed by British filmmaker Wilfred Noy. Niles Welch stars as Bert Grantland, a young man-about-town who gets mixed up in the problems of heroine Florence Benham (Alice Lake). Hoping to retrieve a packet of incriminating letters, poor Florence finds herself facing a murder rap. Grantland believes in Florence's innocence, and it is he who ultimately tracks down and captures the real miscreants. Spider Webs was lensed entirely on location in New York City, offering tantalizing glimpses of the Big Apple as it looked in 1927. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Lake, Niles Welch, (more)
- 1927
Glamorous Broadway actress Babe (Leatrice Joy) is cast as a Salvation Army lass in her latest musical. For research purposes, she pays a visit to a Lower East Side S. A. Mission, dons a uniform, and goes to work on a street corner, complete with tambourine and contribution pot. This upsets her sweetheart Jerry Wilson (Victor Varconi), who feels that Babe is poking fun at the Army and its good works. But the lovers are reunited when Babe's experiences make her a better and more reverential person. Angel of Broadway was the last silent-film effort of pioneering female director Lois Weber, who unfortunately was unable to finance another film project until 1934. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leatrice Joy, Victor Varconi, (more)
- 1927
The Haunted Ship was adapted from the Jack London story White and Yellow. Villainous schooner captain Montague Love casts his wife and son adrift on a raft, convinced that his wife Alice Lake has been unfaithful with first mate Tom Santschi. For the next fifteen years, Love makes life hell for the imprisoned Santschi, while the abandoned son (Ray Hallor) grows into manhood as a beachcomber. As luck would have it, Hallor is shanghaied and put to work on Love's ship, never dreaming that the sadistic skipper is his own father. Likewise a reluctant guest of the brutish Love is stranded showgirl Dorothy Sebastian, with whom Hallor falls in love. Lusting after Sebastian himself, Love very nearly kills his own son but is prevented from doing so by Santschi, leading to an outsized shipwreck finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Sebastian, Montagu Love, (more)
- 1927
Miles and miles of stock "tenement fire" footage are expended in this inexpensive actioner. Alice Lake stars as a wealthy socialite who turns reformer, aiming her attacks at the city's slum landlords. The more egregious of these crooks turns out to be Lake's own father (Lionel Belmore), who steadfastly refuses to fireproof the tenements within his jurisdiction. Against this backdrop, a romantic subplot is played out involving the heroine and courageous fireman Roy Stewart. Sure enough, Stewart is called upon to rescue both Lake and her larcenous father when they're trapped in an outsized blaze (again courtesy of stock shots from earlier films). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Lake, Roy Stewart, (more)
- 1926
Silent-movie ingenue Alice Lake was well past her prime when she headed the cast of this second-string drama. Lake is cast as the bored wife of American revenue officer Jack Richardson, who leads a lonely existence along the U.S./Canadian border. Hoping to add some spice to her life, Lake deserts her husband to run off with glib city-slicker Stuart Holmes. Inevitably, Holmes turns out to be a smuggler, putting Richardson in the untenable position of having to arrest his own wife. But when Lake kills Holmes to save her husband's life, a tearful reconciliation is next on the docket. But hey -- where's the "hurricane"? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Richardson, Stuart Holmes, (more)
- 1925
This melodrama, the first release from a small-time independent company called Gotham, is an old-fashioned thriller. David Barton (Malcolm McGregor) is the consulting engineer for a railroad company; his father, Big Ed (Ralph Lewis), is the engineer for the Overland Limited. David is in charge of building a bridge over a mountain gorge, but his rival, Bruce Miller (John Miljohn) -- both are in love with the same girl, Ruth Dent (Olive Borden) -- is determined to see the project fail. He and his associates weaken the structure, hoping that the blame will fall on David. Miller doesn't realize that on the Overland Limited's first trip across the bridge, his mother and Ruth are both on board. So is Farrell, a mad pugilist (Charles Buddy Post). Farrell breaks free from his minders and knocks both Big Ed and the fireman unconscious. Big Ed comes to in time to uncouple the engine, which falls into the gorge. The cars are all derailed. Miller's mother is killed, and Miller confesses to his crime. Big Ed recovers to ride the Overland Limited over the rebuilt bridge, and David and Ruth are united. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Malcolm McGregor, Olive Borden, (more)
- 1925
Even though films up until the late '20s were silent, it doesn't mean they were devoid of musical devices. This sentimental drama uses a popular and poignant piece of music as its title and inspiration. You can bet the song was featured prominently in the musical score when the film played in theaters. Arnold Grahme (Dave Powell) is an organist who returns from a trip to discover that his sweetheart, Madeline (Alice Lake), has wed Count Zara (Henry Sedley). The marriage is not a happy one -- the count is a faithless brute who is carrying on an affair with his cousin, Pauline (Dagmar Godowsky). Grahme and the count wind up fighting a duel in Italy and the count is killed. Pauline spirits Madeline's daughter away, while Madeline enters a convent. Through his music, Grahme convinces her to marry him, but she dies shortly afterwards. Years later, Grahme's nephew, Jack Brown (Charles Mack), becomes involved with Joan, a chorus girl (Faire Binney). The couple argues and Jack leaves. Grahme falls in love with Joan, and, after finding out that she is Madeline's daughter, he proposes. When Jack returns, he can see that the young couple are really in love and he sacrifices his own happiness so that they can be together. While playing the organ, Madeline comes to him in spirit and tells him that through this sacrifice he has found the lost chord. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave Powell, Alice Lake, (more)
- 1925
When Alice Lake switched from comedy to dramatic roles, it was not necessarily a wise career move. Today, if Lake is remembered at all, it is because of her roles in Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's films. Her dramas were often humdrum soap operas like this one, and by the mid-'20s, she was relegated to low-budget film companies such as Columbia (very much a Poverty Row studio in the silent era). Here, Lake is Ellen Harden, who learns that her husband, George (Lee C. Shumway), is being distracted by vampy Ardath Courtney (Alma Bennett). Ellen isn't afraid to confront the other woman, who is determined to get her out of the way. Mrs. Moran (Florence Turner), an abused wife, needs help renting an apartment and Ellen finds a place for her. When Ellen goes to visit her new friend, Ardath informs Harden, who follows and believes that his wife is carrying on with Jimmy Moran, Mrs. Moran's drunken mate (Speck O'Donnell). But Ellen's innocence is revealed when Moran shows up and berates her for helping his wife. Harden gives him the thrashing he deserves and is reunited with Ellen. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1924
Herbert Rawlinson and Alice Lake star in this uneven drama taken from the Saturday Evening Post story by Calvin Johnston. Harmon McGregor attempts to provide comedy relief as Moron Mike. Robert Walker, Jim Blackwell, and Edwin J. Bradley co-star in this monotonous melodrama. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Herbert Rawlinson, Alice Lake, (more)
- 1924
This romantic drama of love and revenge is taken from the Spanish ballad by Julio Sabello. David Kent (Kenneth Harlan) travels to San Blas to investigate the circumstances behind his father's murder. He falls in love with Maria Valdez (Dorothy Reiver), who is unaware her father was killed by David's late father. Maria enters into a marriage of convenience with the villainous Ricardo Ruiz (Sam de Grasse) to punish David when she learns about their fighting fathers. Ricardo and David battle each other for Maria when she discovers she loves David after all. Walter Hiers provides comedy relief as the American chewing-gum salesman. Frank Lacteen plays Ricardo's valet, with Rosa Rosanova as the Widow Montez. Alice Lake is the widow's beautiful daughter. Minor roles are played by Nell Clarke Keller, Lois Scott, and J.P. Lockney. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth Harlan, Dorothy Revier, (more)
- 1923
Herbert Rawlinson is the star of this mediocre crime drama from Universal. When his father's business fails, Jimmy Nevins (Herbert Rawlinson) hits the skids. His fiancée, Doris Standish (Edna Murphy), dumps him for a wealthy suitor. Nevins is saved from the streets by Mary Butler (Alice Lake), who turns out to be the member of a gang of crooks. The gang is planning to rob the Standish home during Doris' wedding to her rich sweetheart, and Nevins innocently gets mixed up in the scheme. Practically on her way to the altar, Doris changes her mind about the wedding and flees. Nevins takes her to Mary's home and the crooks take her prisoner. Mary has fallen in love with Nevins, but she sacrifices herself by freeing Doris from her associates. Mary dies for her actions, and the other crooks are rounded up. Doris realizes she loves Nevins and sticks by him. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Herbert Rawlinson, Edna Murphy, (more)
- 1923
This comedy-melodrama, based on the novel by Rupert Hughes (who also directed), blends fiction and reality to tell the story of a young woman's rise in Hollywood; the film uses real stars and productions (even Charles Chaplin filming A Woman of Paris) as its backdrop. Eleanor Boardman plays Remember Steddon, better known as Mem. Mem is a small-town girl who marries slick bad guy Owen Scudder (Lew Cody); Owen insures his brides and then murders them for the money. After the wedding, Mem starts to have her doubts about him and runs away while their train is chugging through the desert. She happens on a film crew and gets work as an extra, later becoming a famous dramatic actress in Hollywood with the help of director Frank Claymore (Richard Dix). Scudder finally tracks her down during a shoot involving a circus tent; when a storm sets the tent on fire, Scudder loses his life saving Mem from a wind machine's propeller. Freed from her marriage, Mem is able to choose between Claymore and her leading man. Boardman, whose first starring role finds her surrounded by a long and impressive supporting cast, wound up at the Goldwyn studios through a "New Faces" contest. Her co-winner, future star William Haines, also had a bit part as the company's assistant director. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eleanor Boardman, Mae Busch, (more)
- 1923
For this tale of old California, producer Benjamin F. Zeidman put together an all-star cast. The governor of California (Joseph J. Dowling) relies on his trusted secretary, Mendoza (Robert McKim), for many of his decisions. But Mendoza uses the governor's faith in him to have him ousted from office. When Mendoza takes over rulership, the Governor's son, Don Marcello (Gaston Glass) joins up with a group of revolutionists. Paula, Don Marcello's sweetheart (Alice Lake), accidentally gives away Marcello's new association and this results in the arrest of many of the revolutionaries. Marcello's comrades believe he is a traitor, and several of them throw him into the sea. He is rescued by a fisherman, and when he discovers the whereabouts of his arrested associates, he helps them to escape. With their help, Mendoza is usurped from power, and the old Governor takes over his old post. In spite of the misunderstanding, Don Marcello and Paula are united. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Lake, Richard Headrick, (more)
