Elmo Lincoln Movies

A tribute to Hollywood's Tarzan as played by Johnny Weismuller, Gordon Scott and Ron Ely as well as all the of the accompanying Janes and chimps. ~ All Movie Guide

Set at the beginning of the Civil War, Tap Roots is all about a county in Mississippi which chooses to secede from the state rather than enter the conflict. The county is protected from the Confederacy by an abolitionist (Ward Bond) and a Native American gentleman (Boris Karloff). The abolitionist's daughter (Susan Hayward) is courted by a powerful newspaper publisher (Van Heflin) when her fiance (Whitfield Connor), a confederate officer, elopes with the girl's sister (Julie London). The daughter at first resists the publisher's attentions, but turns to him for aid when her ex-fiance plans to capture the seceding county on behalf of the South. A pocket-edition Gone With the Wind, Tap Roots is way too ambitious for its smallish budget. Modern viewers can have fun spotting such anachronisms as the Southern troops' use of dynamite--several years before it was invented. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a young couple ignores the advice of their elders and get married. Soon afterward, the young groom is inducted into the war. Overseas, he suffers from shell shock and must return home. Much of the drama centers upon his reminiscences as he rides the train homeward. Later the people he thought about on his journey home help him to recover. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Retired frontier postal inspector Dan Clark (George O'Brien) is summoned back to active duty when the stagecoach line owned by heroine Crinnie (Virginia Vale) is targetted by outlaws. The perpetrator of this outrage is Crinnie's own uncle (Carl Stockdale), in cahoots with her principal rival Dude Elliot (Roy Barcroft). Travelling incognito, Clark takes a job as stagecoach driver in hopes of bringing the criminals out in the open. Stage to Chino represented the directorial debut of Edward Killy, one of the most prolific members of RKO Radio's assistant-director staff. At the time of its release, much was made of the fact that the film featured several former silent-film luminaries in the supporting cast, including Elmo "Tarzan" Lincoln, Billy Franey and Bruce Mitchell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Forever keeping apace of current headlines, Republic's "Three Mesquiteers" series came up with the 1939 entry Wyoming Outlaw. The story is based on a true incident, wherein a disgruntled young lawbreaker took refuge in the mountains of Wyoming, successfully eluding a large posse for several days. The press had a field day with the story, labelling the fugitive a "Modern Robin Hood"-at least until he was shot down by a well-armed waiter. The movie version of this incident finds hotheaded Will Parker (Donald Barry), the son of recently fired highway worker Luke Parker (Charles Middleton), thrown into jail for violating the local game laws. Busting out, Parker scurries to the hills, hotly pursued by our heroes Stony Brooke (John Wayne), Tucson Smith (Ray Corrigan) and Rusty Joslin (Raymond Hatton). Not altogether unsympathetic to Parker, the Mesquiteers set about to capture the film's real villain, corrupt politician Balsinger (Leroy Mason), after the fugitive meets his fate at the hands of gun-toting gas-station attendant Newt (David Sharpe). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gene Autry goes up against another "protection" racket in this tuneful series entry, which also features country & western singer Patsy Montana and the CBS-KMBC Texas Rangers. Doc Blair (Robert Barrat), a crooked veterinarian, is doing a good business terrorizing the local dairy farmers into paying for not having their deliveries destroyed -- until, that is, Gene and Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette) move in. Blair, as it turns out, does not even shy away from murdering the local sheriff (William Farnum) and attempts to get his own stooge, Dave Haines (Buster Crabbe), elected in his stead. But Gene takes up the fight and wins the election. Now he only has to win over Haines' innocent sister, radio announcer Carol Haines (June Storey), whom Blair has used to relay coded messages to his henchmen over the air waves. Autry, Burnette, Patsy Montana, and the CBS-KMBC Texas Rangers perform "Colorado Sunset," "On the Merry Way Back Home," "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," "Poor Little Doggie," "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" and "Seven Years with the Wrong Woman," all by Con Conrad and L. Wolfe Gilbert. The Gene Autry debut of producer William Berke, Colorado Sunset was filmed on location at Keen Camp near Hemet, CA. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Too many of Gene Autry's Republic western sacrificed action in favor of music. A notable exception to this syndrome is Blue Montana Skies, directed by a fast-action maestro B. Reeves "Breezy" Eason. The up-to-date plotline finds Autry battling a gang of fur smugglers operating on the Montana-Canada border. When his business partner Steve (Tully Marshall) is murdered by the crooks, cattleman Autry follows the clues to a ranch owned by Dorothy (June Storey). Unbeknownst to the heroine, the murderers, led by Hendricks (Harry Woods), are working as her ranchhands. By the time she finds this out, it looks like she's next in line for extinction-but not if our hero has anything to say about it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Marshall Neilan's fame as a director of quality films was at its peak during the period this romantic melodrama was made. Because he married without the czar's consent, Prince Sergei (Richard Travers) is banished to Siberia. After having a baby girl, Sergei's wife dies. His enemies have ordered his death, so Sergei has to flee Siberia, leaving his child in the care of Vassily (Emmett Corrigan), who raises her as his own. By the time the girl, Vera, has grown to young womanhood (to be played by Lucille Rickson), the revolution has occurred and Godunoff, a Cossack brigand (Elmo Lincoln, best known as cinema's first Tarzan) declares himself governor of the province. Soldiers are sent to Siberia, among them American Walter Stanford (Conrad Nagel), who falls in love with Vera. When he is ordered back to the States, he leaves Vera in the care of his friend, Winkie, a British sergeant (Sydney Chaplin, in a bit of comic relief). Godunoff tosses Vassily in prison and forces Vera to marry him. His brutal treatment of her makes her deaf. Stanford comes back for Vera, and Godunoff heads for the shrine which is their meeting place. Vera innocently locks the door on him, not realizing that this will mean his death. With him out of the way, she is able to sail for America with Stanford. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Based on the popular novel of rural life by Charles Felton Pidgin, this motion picture featured most of the star names that Paramount had in 1922. After meeting a pretty girl in the park, Quincy Adams Sawyer, a young, up-and-coming lawyer, is called to the village of Mason's Corners by his father's friend, Deacon Pettengill (Edward Connelly). An older woman, Mrs. Putnam (Claire McDowell), is being swindled by her lawyer, Obadiah Strout (Lon Chaney, who was a master villain with or without makeup). The woman's daughter, Lindy (Barbara LaMarr), tries to vamp Sawyer, but he discovers that the girl he met, Alice (Blanche Sweet), is Pettengill's niece, and she has gone blind since the time they met. A romance develops between Alice and Sawyer nevertheless. Strout, afraid of being exposed, convinces the village blacksmith, Abner Stiles (Elmo Lincoln), that Sawyer means him no good, so Stiles offers his aid. Lindy leads Alice onto a ferry, and Stiles cuts the rope and sends the little boat adrift. Lindy, however, repents her actions and tells all to Sawyer, who goes to Alice's rescue. He saves her just before the ferry goes over the falls. In the excitement, Alice's eyesight returns. Stiles, discovering that he has been duped, kills Strout. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Yank Barstow (Elmo Lincoln) is the tough captain of a ship headed to South America. On board is Vance Clayton (Harry Van Meter), his wife Helen (Mabel Ballin), and their daughter, Peg (Nancy Caswell). Clayton supposedly has a shipment of pianos, but Barstow discovers that the crates really contain ammunition meant for a band of revolutionaries. There is a mutiny on the ship, and when they arrive at port, Barstow is sentenced to five years in prison. He allows this to happen only to save Helen and her little girl from disgrace. But he escapes and goes to live with a group of beachcombers. He becomes their leader after vanquishing the king beachcomber, Baltimore Bucko (Noble Johnson), in a fist fight. The group comes in handy when Barstow finds out that the revolutionaries are storming the American consulate. He gathers the men together, and they squash the revolutionaries. Clayton is killed when he tries to run away, and Helen finds happiness with Barstow. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Elmo Lincoln, the screen's first Tarzan, plays both the hero and the villain's henchman in this serial released in 18 chapters by Universal. One of those crazed professors so beloved by pulp writers has invented a lens capable of reducing iron and steel to ashes, a contraption coveted by yet another master criminal. Opposing the forces of evil are Secret Service agent Elmo Gray (Lincoln) and the professor's daughter (Louise Lorraine), but the team is frustrated at every turn by the agent's identical twin brother (also Lincoln), who has been hypnotized into doing the villain's bidding. Law and order, however, prevail in the final chapter which, not too surprisingly, is entitled "The End of the Trail." Lee Kohlmar plays the professor, Roy Watson is the master criminal, and the entire concoction is directed with a firm sense of melodrama by newcomer Robert F. Hill. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The first Tarzan starring Elmo Lincoln did so well that, in time-honored cinematic tradition, the studio, First National, made a sequel. This picture covers the last chapters of Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel, Tarzan of the Apes, and brings Tarzan back to civilization -- jungle man or not, Tarzan is still the son of Lord and Lady Greystoke and needs to claim the family fortune. He sets sail for England, along with his ladylove, Jane Porter (Enid Markey) and the villainous Clayton (Colin Kenny), who wants to get his hands on the Greystoke millions. The ship is attacked by natives, and although Tarzan saves everyone else, they sail away without him because Clayton claims he was killed. But this doesn't stop Tarzan -- he swims out and boards another boat. Eventually he lands in California, where Jane and her father (Thomas Jefferson) are entertaining Clayton at their ranch. When Tarzan shows up, Clayton enlists the help of a dance hall girl, La Belle Odine (Cleo Madison). Odine compromises Tarzan and Jane rejects him. So Tarzan returns to the jungle. But Odine, who has fallen for Tarzan herself, goes to Jane and tells her the truth. So Jane goes to Tarzan in the jungle and they reunite. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

In the sentimental world of filmmaker D.W. Griffith, the greatest thing in life is love. Obtaining it and understanding it, however, isn't so easy, as Jeanette Peret (Lillian Gish) learns. While working in her father's Greenwich Village cigar store, she meets an attractive but arrogant Southern youth, Edward Livingston (Robert Harron). She and her father (Adolphe Lestina) visit their country of origin, France, but unbeknownst to Jeanette, Edward has paid for the trip. While in France, Jeanette meets and marries an earthy and rather plodding grocer, Monsieur le Bebe (David Butler). The first World War begins, and both Jeanette's husband and Edward wind up enlisting. In battle, the insolent young Edward learns a lot about humanity while Monsieur le Bebe is killed. Edward returns from the war a changed man and finally finds a permanent place in Jeanette's heart. When The Greatest Thing in Life was released, much ado was made over a new photographic effect used in the film -- the soft-focus close-up. Also, notably, there is a touching scene between Harron's character and an African-American soldier. The soldier saves Edward's life, but is mortally wounded. When the dying man calls out for his mother, Edward pretends to be his mother, cradling him in his arms and even giving him a kiss. This is quite a difference in attitude toward blacks compared to The Birth of a Nation. Griffith was not a racist, he was merely a product of his Southern background. The Greatest Thing in Life, along with Griffith's other Artcraft-distributed features (there were seven), was underappreciated in its time. Other films from this period of Griffith's career (such as A Romance of Happy Valley) have grown in stature. Unfortunately, it is doubtful that the true value of The Greatest Thing in Life will ever be realized, as it remains a lost film. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide