Edward J. Le Saint Movies
White-maned, saintly American actor Edward LeSaint became a familiar figure in B-westerns of the '30s. He was almost invariably cast as the frail but courageous father of the heroine, who refused to sell his land (water, oil, gold) rights to the villains -- and equally invariably received a bullet in the back for his brave stance. A stage actor since the 19th century and in films since at least 1915, LeSaint was engaged as a staff director by the Fox Studios in 1918, where he was billed as E.J. LeSaint. Switching back to acting in the talkie era, LeSaint showed up in brief roles as college professors, judges, generals, city officials and the like. Edward LeSaint is best known to modern viewers as one of the "yes-men" professors in The Marx Brothers' Horse Feathers, and as judges in both the Three Stooges' Disorder in the Court (1936) and the anti-pot camp classic Reefer Madness (1936). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1913
A typical early silent melodrama, The Dangling Noose starred Harold Lockwood as a cavalry officer whose rival (Guy Oliver) is an unscrupulous Indian. The two come to blows over a question of water rights and the Indian is eventually defeated. Leading lady Stella Razetto, whom the two main characters both love, was the wife of the film's director, Edward J. Le Saint. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1914
The daughter of a professor falls in love with what her father considers an unworthy young man (Harold Lockwood) in this typical silent one-reel melodrama from the Selig Polyscope Company. Dejected, Marjorie (Stella Razetto) enters a convent, but a kind mother superior (Eugenie Besserer) brings the professor (Guy Oliver) to his senses. Leading lady Stella Razetto was the wife of the film's director, Edward J. Le Saint. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1915
Once again, Selig's stable of wild animals is called into play for this story of the African jungle. Englishman James Birch is a farmer in Africa. While on a hunt, he is accidentally killed by the servant of painter Kirke Warren (Guy Oliver). The servant drops the rifle -- bearing the initials of his master -- and runs. Later, at a ball, Warren meets Birch's widow, Elsa (Stella Razeto), and a mutual attraction springs up between them. But when he recognizes his rifle, which Elsa has kept, she is convinced she has found the man who killed her husband. She plots revenge by sending him on a hunt with cartridges that are too large for the gun. The rifle jams when Warren tries to shoot a lion and the animal lunges for him. After a struggle, he manages to escape with only minor wounds. But when he returns to Elsa's home he finds her gone. Feeling guilty over her deed, she has gone to look for him but has been captured by Zulus. A search party, headed by Warren, saves her. Back at Elsa's, Warren's servant admits to the accidental shooting, and Elsa and Warren resume their romance. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1915
In this mystery, Aunt Ray Innes (Eugenie Besserer), an affable old maid, is spending time with her nephew Halsey (Guy Oliver) and niece Gertrude (Stella Razeto) at the home of a banker, Paul Armstrong. On their first night there, Aunt Ray and Gertrude find Paul's relative Arthur dead at the foot of the circular staircase. Gertrude's fiancé, Jack Bailey (William Howard), is a suspect at first, since he quarreled with Armstrong. He's cleared, but things get curiouser when the Armstrong bank fails, over a million dollars' worth of securities are found missing and Louise Armstrong (Edith Johnson), who was supposedly out West with her sick father, Paul, turns up at home. Aunt Ray discovers that the housekeeper was the murderer, and this leads her to a secret room in the house containing the stolen securities. Paul Armstrong appears through a secret doorway, and when he tries to escape he tumbles down the circular staircase and dies. ~ Janiss Garza, 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
- 1916
This picture, based on the play by Paul Potter, has the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny as its backdrop. Although Ralph Seton (Lou Tellegen), a major in the English army, has served honorably, now in Cawnpore he has sunk into a life of decadence. Sir Allan Strathallan (Ernest Joy) comes down to bring Seton the Victoria Cross, and is bringing his daughter Joan (Cleo Ridgley) -Seton's sweetheart -- with him. Because of their arrival, Seton resolves to straighten out, but a native rebel, Azimoolah (Sessue Hayakawa) uses Princess Adala (Mabel Van Buren) to ruin Seton's good intentions. Joan and her father catch Seton after a revel at the Palace and they see he's not the hero they believes him to be. But then Joan is captured by Azimoolah's men and Princess Adala offers to help Seton out. After attempting to escape, both Joan and Seton are sentenced to be put to death, but the executioner is overpowered. Strathallan arrives and recognizes that Seton has redeemed himself and earned both the Cross and his daughter. This picture bears no relation to the 1915 film of the same name. (Hal Erikson's review belongs on a different page than the one it is on now -- the above review matches the credits on the current page where Hal's review now sits.) ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1916
This first of five film versions of Peter B. Kyne's Saturday Evening Post story Three Godfathers came to an eager public by way of Universal's Bluebird division. Harry Carey Sr. stars as the head of a three-man outlaw crew, who while escaping from the authorities come across a dying woman in the desert. After delivering the woman's baby, the trio promise to take care of the child after her death. Despite the subsequent deprivations visited upon them by this pledge, the Three Godfathers are true to their word. For reasons that need not be explained to any true western aficionada, John Ford's 1948 remake of Three Godfathers was dedicated to Harry Carey Sr., the star of the first adaptation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1916
Gladys Brockwell, who often played vamps during the 1910s, does a rare virtuous turn in this drama. Mabel Halloway (Brockwell) is loved by two men -- married editor John Rand (L.C. Shumway) and broker Raymond LeFarge (Charles Clary). When her brother, Dick (William Scott), steals money from the bank where he works, Mabel needs help to keep him out of jail. At first Rand gives her a check to pay back the funds, but this leaves him penniless. So instead, Mabel accepts the sum from LeFarge, who gives it to her under the condition that she marry him. So they wed, while Dick continues to romance his actress girlfriend, Tiny (Betty Schade). But when Tiny hears who Mabel has married, she pays the couple a visit and reveals that she is the abandoned wife of LeFarge. Mabel tries to leave, and when LeFarge goes to stop her, he falls out the window and is killed. In the meantime, Rand's wife has died, so he can now be with Mabel. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1916
Kura San (Tsuru Aoki) is in love with Toyo (Sessue Hayakawa), a poor artist. Her father (Thomas Kurlhara), who owns a tea room, does not approve of the union. So when Toyo's uncle asks him to come to America to help him run his art shop, he goes, hoping that he will make enough money to return and marry Kura San. But while he is gone, Herbert Graham, an American artist (George Webb) dazzles Kura San and whisks her off to the States. When she returns to Japan, she finds Toyo already home and a success. She kills herself in disgrace and as she is dying, she confesses her indiscretion to Toyo. So Toyo returns to America and tracks down Graham, who has wed Anne Willoughby (Myrtle Stedman). Instead of murdering Graham, which was his original plan, he decides to get back at him through Anne and lures her to his home in the country. She sees a portrait of Kura San and is so affected by it that Toyo cannot carry out his scheme. All the Oriental roles in this picture were actually played by Japanese actors, which was a nice touch for this cinematic era. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1916
Charismatic Japanese film star (Sessue Hayakawa and his charming wife Tsuri Aoki were teamed in the complicated melodrama Honorable Friend. The story takes place in an Japanese community in coastal California, where crooked antique dealer Kayosho (Raymond Hatton) holds sway as the richest man in town. Purchasing a "picture bride" from the Old Country, Kayosho sends his faithful assistant Makino (Hayakawa) to Japan to escort the girl back to America. But upon gazing at the beauty of bride-to-be Toki-Ye (Aori), Makino falls in love with her himself. Declaring that she would sooner kill herself than become Kayosho's bride, Toki-Ye apparently plants the seed of a murder plot in Makino's head. When Kayosho turns up dead, Makino and Toki-Ye each assume that the other is the guilty party, and each assumes the blame. It turns out, however, that the actual culprit is the fellow whom one would least suspect (if one were not a member of the movie audience, that is). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1917
When New England schoolmarm Faith Miller (Anita King) comes West to inspect a mine she has bought, she discovers it is a fake. But she finds a savior in the rough cow town in which she has landed -- Jim Ralston (Wallace Reid). With the help of the deputy sheriff, he "salts" the mine to trick the crooked promoter into buying it back from Faith. But there is more trouble afoot -- the sheriff is murdered by two outlaws and Jim is accused of the crime. Jim is set to be hung when the real killer admits to the dirty deed. The posse rounds up all the bad guys including arch villain Henry Slade (Tully Marshall) and all is well with Faith and Jim. This was one of Wallace Reid's lesser programmers. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1917
Japanese film star Sessue Hayakawa carries the dramatic weight of this "Never the Twain Shall Meet" melodrama. Rhandah (Hayakawa), a British-educated Hindu, finds that his education means nothing when he falls in love with bigoted white girl Amy Dawe (Viola Vale). Seething with hatred, Rhandah foments a Hindu uprising in his native India. In the midst of the carnage, he finds time to kidnap the girl who spurned him. Only through the intervention of his true love, Hindu princess Nada (Tsuru Aoki, Hayakawa's wife in real life), is Rhandah prevented from exacting vengeance upon Dawe. Each to His Kind was also released as The Rajah's Amulet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1917
This Jessie L. Lasky production was a sequel to the pioneering feature film The Squaw Man; both properties, in fact, were based on novels written by Edwin Milton Royle. Wallace Reid stars as Lord "Hal" Effington, the grown son of the character played by Dustin Farnum in the original Squaw Man. Abandoning his ancestral British mansion, Hal returns to the dusty Western town of his birth, where he falls in love with college-educated Native American maiden Wah-na-gi (Anita King). Unfortunately, Hal neglects to inform his new sweetheart that he is already married (his wife is played by Reid's real-life missus Dorothy Davenport). Fortunately, Lady Effington is willing to give Hal a divorce, but when he finds out that his wife is hopelessly addicted to prescription drugs, he loyally returns to her side. Feeling abandoned, Wah-na-gi wanders off to commit suicide, only to be prevented from doing so at that last moment by her beloved Hal, whose wife has conveniently kicked the bucket. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1917
Lambert (William Stowell), a doctor and a minister, comes to live in a Western town with his wife (Helen Gibson). But she is enticed away by a gambler named West (Hector Dion). She returns, but dies in childbirth and Lambert loses his faith and any desire to help anyone. He places the baby on a doorstep and leaves town to wander aimlessly. Many years pass and he returns to the town and meets Lily Sawyer (Mildred Davis), who works at a hotel belonging to Smith (Alfred Allen). Because of the young girl's sweet personality, Lambert starts thinking about becoming a member of the human race again. Then West comes to town and lusts after Lily. West's partner, Fanny (Betty Schade), tells Lambert that Lily is his daughter. Lambert kills West before he can lay a hand on Lily, and soon after, his faith in God is restored. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1918
"The Wolf" is the name bestowed upon a rugged woodsman whose ruthlessness in dealing with others is the stuff from which legends are made. When he stakes his claim on a valuable piece of mountain property, The Wolf meets his match in Nolan, who in addition to being a merciless negotiator is also a crook. Nolan manages to hold on to his property, but the Wolf threatens to take it away from him when he returns. In the meantime, Nolan dies, and his property becomes the site of a restaurant managed by his beautiful niece (Louise Lovely). The Wolf reappears and confronts the girl, who stubbornly refuses to leave. Refusing to strike a woman, the Wolf backs down and becomes the laughing stock of the territory. Angrily, he forces the girl to marry him, thereby coming into legal possession of the property. The Wolf contemptuously tells his new bride that she's welcome to leave whenever she likes, but the heroine stands her ground -- and, as expected, she and the Wolf eventually fall in love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1918
Derived from the Broadway hit of the same name, Fox's The Strange Woman starred the versatile Gladys Brockwell as the woman in question. Having spent many years in wicked Paris, Inez de Pierreford (Brockwell) has developed some rather unconventional notions about how a woman should behave in public. Thus, when she marries Ohioan John Hemingway (William Scott) and returns with him to his provincial hometown, Inez arouses the interest -- and the self-righteous ire -- of the local gossips and bluenoses. The limit comes when the tongue-cluckers learn that Inez has written a book about (gasp!) "Free Love." The outraged locals organize a boycott against Inez, but she finds an unlikely champion in the form of John's gray-haired mother (Ruby LaFayette), who can see beyond the glitter and the glamour and has recognized the heroine's essential goodness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1918
The "wife" of the title is Hope Ross, played by Louise Lovely, but never mind her. The real star of the proceedings is former rodeo champ Jack Hoxie, here billed as "Hart Hoxie" in emulation of the actor's idol, William S. Hart. Hoxie plays Jack Darling, a Canadian Mountie who rides into a Tundra village in search of an escaped criminal (Allen Carew). Jack finds out that the fugitive has changed his name and has landed the job of village sheriff. Hoping to expose the villain, Jack pretends to be a crook and joins the duplicitous sheriff in a robbery scheme. As for Hope Ross, she must overcome the stigma of being an unwed mother -- which, as it turns out, she really isn't. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1918
The lovely Louise Lovely played the lovely heroine in the not-so-lovely five-reeler Painted Lips. The daughter of a sea captain, the heroine falls in with a bad crowd and is soon working as a "hostess" (wink! wink!) in a cheap waterfront dive. Rescued from these tawdry surroundings by a wealthy but dissolute young man, the girl is transformed into "a lady" thanks to five months' diligence by a team of cosmeticians, tutors and charm experts. Falling in love with her benefactor, she is disillusioned to discover that his generosity was motivated by his desire to place his hated brother in a compromising situation with the now-ladylike Lovely. Out of revenge, the girl warns the brother of the scheme then disappears into the night, presumably to resume her previous unsavory lifestyle. The girl's ill treatment at the hands of the wealthy man is avenged by her seafaring father, who appears out of nowhere to mete out retribution. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1918
After squandering his money and his ethics on Adele Durant (Gladys Brockwell), the morally bankrupt Dick Brown (L.C. Shumway) shoots himself in her presence. Brown's friend, Robert Bradley (Herbert Heyes) tells Adele that he will denounce her as a murderess unless she does his bidding. Adele has no choice but to agree, and Bradley takes her to Mexico and puts her to work in a dance hall. She winds up flourishing there and not only joins up with a band of smugglers -- she becomes their leader. She finds out that one of her men, Pedro (Willard Louis) is planning to murder a man who's coming to town. Adele goes to warn this stranger, only to discover it's Bradley, whom she hates. Nevertheless, he convinces her to join him in running from the Mexicans. They are captured and held with a group of other Americans who the bandits have hostage. Bradley manages to escape, and once he is gone, Pedro tells Adele he will let the captives starve unless she gives herself to him. She agrees, but halts his advances by stabbing him to death. Just then Bradley arrives with a group of cowboys to save the day. Adele realizes she has come to love Bradley and they wind up together. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1918
According to the story of this highly fictional Fox drama, World War I was started on account of a woman. The Countess Griselda von Arenburg (Gladys Brockwell) is the mistress of the old Emperor Franz Josef (Alfred Fremont). His son, Archduke Ferdinand (Charles Clary), hates her, so a fanatical admirer of hers, Danilo (Nigel de Bruiller), assassinates him. She is protected from being implicated in the crime by Baron von Zeller (Willard Louis), who is also enraptured by her, and who figures that since Danilo is a Serb, Serbia will be held responsible for the crime. Meanwhile, secret agent Rene de Bornay (William Scott) arrives from France and the Countess falls in love with him. War is declared and she saves Rene from being captured. He escapes, but she is shot for protecting him. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
Every now and then, cowboy star Tom Mix would pull a clinker out of his ten-gallon hat, and this picture was one of them. Mix plays Tim, a goodhearted cowpuncher who, while riding down a trail, gets robbed of the money he was carrying for the Belgian Babies' Milk Fund. The bandits, it turns out, are from the rough, tough town of Tarantula. Tim hears the whole story from a minister (B. M. Turner) who has been run out of town for preaching the word of God. The bandits and thieves of Tarantula don't feel they need any religion, but Tim decides to give it to 'em anyhow. In the guise of a new preacher, he pulls into town and sets up a church, which is promptly destroyed. Undaunted, he persists in battling the bad men, and with the help of his ever-trusty horse, defeats the baddest of them all (Jack Curtis). And, of course, there's the girl (Kathleen Connors) to hold in the final frame. No Mix film was ever a complete loss, and this one featured some stellar riding tricks. The rest of it, however, is corny, even for 1919. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
The only thing that made this particular feud picture stand out from any others is that it starred Tom Mix. Two Southern clans, the Lynches and the Summers, have been at odds with each other since long before Civil War times. But that hasn't stopped Jere Lynch (Mix) and Betty Summers (Eva Novak) from falling in love. When their families find out about the romance, they try to put an end to it, resulting in a duel between Betty's brother Ben (Lloyd Bacon) and Jere's father, who is killed. Jere shoots Ben dead and flees to the West, promising to send for Betty. But Jere's sister Mary (Claire McDowell) writes him and says that Betty has married someone else; she then tells Betty that Jere is dead. This breaks up the romance, and Jere marries Ray Saunders (Jean Calhoun), whom he saved from an Indian attack, while Betty weds her cousin, Cal Brown (Joseph Bennett). Jere and Ray die as the result of a massacre, and their son is raised as John Smith (to be played as an adult by Mix). Betty's daughter -- also her namesake (and played by Novak) -- comes west, and she and John fall for each other. Only after they marry do they discover the story of their parents. When the young couple have a child, the feud is finally put to rest. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
It seems like the main purpose of this film was to show that cowboy star Tom Mix could perform stunts that didn't require a horse and saddle. There's a lot of action, but not much plot to speak of. Billy Porter (Mix) sells his ranch and travels to San Francisco to try his hand in the business world. But he's barely off the ferryboat before he gets waylaid by a little newsboy (Georgie Stone) and the boy's pugilist father, "Knockout" McClusky (L.C. Shumway). Porter trains Knockout for his next bout, but the enemy camp drugs the fighter in hopes that the money will be forfeited. But Porter gets in the ring himself and delivers his own knock-out punch. As if that isn't enough, then Porter goes on to meet his own father for the first time and winds up in an auto race. He wins that too. And just so Mix fans aren't disappointed, he does whip up a few horse tricks which save the inevitable love interest (Eva Novak) who somehow fits into the picture. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
Even though Tom Mix forsakes his cowboy hat for a fur cap in this Northwoods tale, the story (adapted from the novel by Frank Williams) sounds very similar to any number of Westerns. When the father of Donald MacTavish (Mix) is appointed commissioner of the Hudson Bay Company, trading post head Angus Fitzpatrick (Frank Clark), who wanted the job, is furious. He takes out his enmity on Donald, who is in love with Fitzpatrick's daughter, Jeanne (Colleen Moore, still a few years off from stardom). He accuses Donald of stealing a large quota of furs, but the culprits are actually a group of dishonest traders, led by Sergius (Sid Jordan). Sergius is also in love with Jeanne, and he kidnaps her. Donald goes to her rescue and in spite of the thieves' best attempts to stop him, he saves her. Donald and Jeanne go back to her father, Fitzpatrick, who has been injured while tussling with the bad guys. Fitzpatrick become friends with Donald, who gathers together a posse and rounds up the thieves. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
Cowboy star Tom Mix plays Jack Kilmeny, an Englishman who owns a gold claim in the U.S. Jack has two problems -- his worthless partner Curly (Jack Nelson), and the British company on the land next to his who hope to jump his claim. Jack finds himself fighting for his property without any help from Curly. Then Lord and Lady Farquar (Robert Dunbar and (Hatty Buskirk) arrive to help jump the claim. Romance blooms when Jack saves their daughter Moya (Teddy Sampson) from a runaway wagon. Curly robs a man and tries to lay the blame on Jack, and Moya's former fiancé, Bobyan Verinder (Harry Lonsdale), tries to take back both Jack's mine and the girl. Jack heroically fights his way through all these troubles and wins Moya's hand. The British spin on this Western likely came about because of producer William Fox's recent trip to England, and his company's attempt to appeal to the English market. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
