Otto Lederer Movies

The second of Robert Youngson's compilations of the silent comedies of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, The Further Perils of Laurel & Hardy suffers a bit from too much repetition and gee-whiz obvious narration. Still, the vignettes offered herein are first-rate, as fresh and funny as they were when first released seven decades ago. Among the L&H shorts represented in this collection are Do Detectives Think and Sugar Daddies, two 1927 releases made before Stan and Ollie were an official team. We are also treated to generous portions of such rib-tickling 2-reelers as Should Married Men Go Home? (1928), Early to Bed (1928), That's My Wife (1929) and Angora Love (1929). The film is rounded out with choice selections from the work of such Hal Roach contractees as Charley Chase, Jean Harlow and Snub Pollard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When silent star Colleen Moore nervously faced a microphone for her first "sound" test, the results were so positive that virtually every member of the First National executive board shouted unanimously, "Thank God! She can talk!" In the long run, however, it probably wouldn't have mattered if she could have talked or not, since most of her early talkies -- including Smiling Irish Eyes -- were produced by her then-husband John McCormick, who was disinclined to fire his own wife! In her first musical appearance, Moore plays Kathleen O'Connor, an Irish lass in love with would-be songwriter Rory O'More (James Hall). Upon achieving success on Broadway, O'More forgets all about Kathleen and begins dallying with such sophisticated tootsies as Frankie West (Betty Francisco) and Goldie DeVeer (Julanne Johnston). Heading to America herself to be reunited with O'More, Kathleen finds nothing but disappointment and heartache -- not to mention ample opportunities to sing. Adding to the ethnic mix of Smiling Irish Eyes is the presence of two stereotypical Jews, played by William Strauss and Otto Lederer; also on hand is future cowboy sidekick George "Gabby" Hayes, plus teeth and minus beard, as a New York cabbie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this adventure, a remake of 1923's The Arab, a British cavalry soldier stationed in the Sudan takes the rap for his brother, who had been accused of stealing; the soldier subsequently joins a vaudeville troupe. There he falls in love with a lovely woman only to lose her when she is purchased by a sheik. When the sheik learns she is a white woman, he throws her out. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This classic Laurel and Hardy comedy is famous for the pants-ripping scene at the end, but the other parts of it are just as funny. Laurel plays the clarinet, and Hardy plays the French horn in a band. During a concert, they destroy a musical performance and drive the conductor crazy. Fired from their job, they return to their boarding house for dinner where the landlady reminds them, "In the excitement of having a job, you have overlooked 14 weeks board bill," and she evicts them when she discovers that they are no longer employed. They have little success working as street musicians, and in frustration, they break each other's instruments, kick each other, and rip off each other's clothing. This grows into a huge street battle where many men are kicking each other and ripping each other's pants. The final pants-ripping scene is not funny just because so many men lose their pants, but because Laurel and Hardy come up with inventive ways to pull more innocent bystanders into the fray. ~ Bruce Calvert, All Movie Guide

This sequel to the 1927 George Jessel vehicle Private Izzy Murphy finds Jessel reprising the role of Lower East Side entrepreneur Izzy Goldberg. That's right, "Goldberg" -- Izzy doesn't adopt the name of "Murphy" until he abandons the perfume business to pose as an underworld thug. It's all for the sake of heroine Marie (Audrey Ferris), the daughter of French perfume manufacturer Jules de Gondelaurier. Marie and her father have been kidnapped by Orchid Joe (John Miljan), a flower-loving lunatic who despises all perfume merchants. Any resemblance between Sailor Izzy Murphy and real life was purely coincidental. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having scored big-time box office with his first Biblical epic, The Ten Commandments (1923), Cecil B. DeMille hoped to top this success with his 1927 The King of Kings. Inasmuch as he was now dealing with the life of Christ, DeMille had to be careful to serve up equal amounts of showmanship and reverence. The first creative challenge: how to "introduce" Christ in a tasteful manner? The answer: as a blind child is cured through Jesus' intervention, DeMille cuts to the child's point-of-view, slowly fading in on the kindly countenance of H.B. Warner as the Son of Man. Still, DeMille remained DeMille, especially in his handling of the character of Mary Magdalene (Jacqueline Logan). No longer a tattered streetwalker, Mary Magdalene is now a glamorous courtesan, replete with legions of gorgeous slave girls (one of whom is "bubble dancer" Sally Rand) and dressed in revealing Hollywood-style gowns. In fact, the film opens on this character, as she ruminates over the defection of her favorite customer, Judas Iscariot (Joseph Schildkraut), who is spending far too much time with Jesus of Nazareth. Upon visiting Jesus herself, she immediately repents, casting off all her prior sins. Once again, the efficacy of the Cecil B. DeMille formula is proven: redemption has no dramatic value unless the film shows viewers why the sinner needs to be redeemed. Once he's gotten his box-office considerations out of the way, DeMille adheres faithfully to the particulars of Jesus' life, betrayal, trial, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. (Again, however, the director improves a bit upon his source material: the storm that follows the Crucifixion is of the same spectacular dimensions as the parting of the Red Sea in Ten Commandments, while the Resurrection is filmed in vibrant Technicolor). To back up the authenticity of his images, DeMille -- with an assist from scenarist Jeannie Macpherson -- utilizes Scriptural quotes in his subtitles. And to avoid any untoward publicity while filming, DeMille required all of his actors to sign legal documents preventing them from indulging in any sort of "sinful" activity; this meant that poor old H.B. Warner had to steer clear of alcoholic beverages for nearly a year, though he more than made up for lost time after his contract ran out. Prepared to mercilessly lambaste The King of Kings, DeMille's critics were disarmed by his reverent, tasteful approach to the subject. Years after the film's release, a specially prepared 60-minute version of the 18-reel King of Kings was making the rounds of religious groups, church basements, and Easter-weekend telecasts. The film was remade in 1961 by producer Samuel Bronston and director Nicholas Ray, with Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Directed in the manner of a lamp-lighted melodrama by Louis J. Gasnier, That Model From Paris was based on the old Goveneur Morris play The Right to Live. Heroine Marceline Day lands a job as a model at a fancy dress shoppe, through the auspices of wealthy rake Craufurd Kent. Coincidentally, Day's arrival at the shop occurs the same day that a famous French model is expected to arrive. Mistaken for the Frenchwoman, our heroine becomes the toast of the town, pursued by every wealthy bachelor in town -- including Kent, who's been trying to bed the girl from the beginning of the picture. But Day retains her virtue, finally finding true love in the form of solid and upright Bert Lytell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Louise Lorraine stars as a fashion model who takes a job with government agent Lou Tellegen. At least, he says he's with the government; actually, he's a jewel thief who hopes to utilize Lorraine's charm to gain access to a valuable gem. Meanwhile, another crook, Ward Crane, has his eyes on the jewels. At least, he says he's a crook....yeh, that's right. He isn't. Borrowed Finery was directed byOscar Apfel, who in 1914 collaborated with Cecil B. DeMille on the direction of The Squaw Man, the first feature film made in Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Don Guzman de Ruis y Montejo (Otto Leder) is a Spanish nobleman who wants his daughter Ynez (Dorothy Reiver) to marry a wealthy man in this romantic adventure drama. When she falls in love with the American sailor Captain Crooks (Rex "Snowy" Baker), her father hustles her off to the French Riviera. Ismid Matrouli (Edwin Cecil) asks for her hand in marriage. Crooks arrives to save her from marrying a man she does not love and rescues her when she is kidnaped by a deranged gypsy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Before he became a producer at MGM, Paul Bern showed a flair for directing, adding a sophisticated touch to this comedy-drama. Salesman Fred Hopper (Pat O'Malley) gets by on bluff and he uses his skills to win Eleanor Lawson (Agnes Ayers) over his rival, department store head Clifford Ramsey (Victor Varconi). But once they are wed, Eleanor discovers the truth -- that all of Hopper's flash was bought on loan and now the couple is heavily in debt. Things get so bad that Eleanor goes to work and Hopper asks Ramsey for a job. When he overhears Ramsey discussing the purchase of a new site, he gets an option on the property with the help of a rich widow. Eleanor smells perfume on his sleeve when he returns from the transaction and she suspects he has been unfaithful. She leaves him and Ramsey uses this opportunity to woo her once again. She ultimately decides she wants to stick with Hopper and they are reunited. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

When Madame Zatianny appears, seemingly from nowhere on the social scene, everyone is taken by her beauty. The older ones say she is the mirror image of Mary Ogden, who they had known 30 years before. Lee Clavering, a budding playwright (Conway Tearle), manages to meet Madame Zatianny and they fall very much in love. He proposes, and she confesses to be the same Mary Ogden of 30 years prior, her youth restored through a gland operation. But Prince Hohenhauer, an old admirer (Alan Hale), convinces her to leave Clavering by pointing out that she prefers power over love. So she returns to Europe to continue her relief work, while Clavering consoles himself with Janet Oglethorpe, a pretty young flapper (Clara Bow). Future superstar Bow really stood out in this supporting role -- she received great notices all around -- and not long after the film's release she would become a WAMPAS Baby Star, which helped promote her fledgling career. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Although this drama tugged a little too insistently at the heartstrings, Billie Dove -- still a fresh star -- stands out as the crippled young orphan girl. She is left in an asylum by her mother (Irene Hunt), who can't afford to keep her. As the years pass, the girl forms a friendship with another orphan, a boy (Gareth Hughes), which grows into love as they become teens. By then, the mother is living a life of luxury (just how this happens is never explained), and she returns to the asylum. But she doesn't recognize her own daughter, so she adopts the boy instead. Later, the girl is taken in by an old street musician (Otto Lederer), who teaches her how to play the violin. One day she is hired to play a wedding, which turns out to be the wedding of her former sweetheart from the asylum. The girl eventually becomes a concert violinist and the boy, whose wife (Myrtle Lind) has died, finds her once again. Not only are the couple reunited, but the girl finds out the identity of her mother and is reunited with her, too. This picture was efficiently directed by W.S. Van Dyke -- he was still pretty new to the craft, but he would one day earn the nickname "One-Take Woody" for his speed in shooting films. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Film pioneer Colonel William N. Selig had watched his once-powerful organization, the Selig Polyscope Company, dissolve in 1918 because of his own aversion to multi-reel feature films. The colonel stayed in the business, however, and in the early 1920s produced a series of low-budget westerns starring Franklyn Farnum. The old Selig films were remembered for their fast-paced, no-nonsense style, and Selig had not lost his touch. In The Struggle, Farnum plays a war veteran defending a woman millworker in a fight with a notorious gang leader. Assuming he killed the brute, Farnum's Dick Storm flees out West, hiding out with a gang of outlaws. The gang plans to rob a ranch belonging to lovely Norma Day (Genevieve Bert), and Storm blows his cover to aid the defenseless woman. The gang, as it turns out, is led by the brute from back East, very much alive and ready for revenge. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide