Ivan Linow Movies

Brooklyn tugboat worker Eddie (Eddie Cantor), bullied and cowed by his tough-guy stepfather and stepbrothers (a la Harold Lloyd's The Kid Brother), inherits $77 million from his uncle, an Egyptologist. Con artist Dot (Ethel Merman) wants to get her lunchhooks on the money, and to this end offers herself as Eddie's adopted mother (never mind that she's nearly 20 years younger), intending to have her thuggish brother Louie (Warren Hymer) bump off our hero at the first opportunity. The nonsensical plotline ends up with Eddie, Dot, Louie, pompous Southern colonel Larrabee (Berton Churchill), and nominal romantic leads Jerry (George Murphy in his film debut) and Jane (Ann Sothern) trapped in the palace of Arab potentate Mulhulla (Paul Harvey). The better-than-average comic banter includes some funny bits between Cantor and Eve Sully, of the comedy team of "Block and Sully" (her husband-partner Jesse Block is also in the picture, but just barely). Spotted among the featured players in Kid Millions are such "Our Gang" members as Stymie Beard, Scotty Beckett and Tommy Bond, and there's a specialty by the Nicholas Brothers during Cantor's obligatory "blackface" number; and yes, that's Lucille Ball as a blonde Goldwyn Girl in the harem sequence. PS: According to Ethel Merman, the film's elaborate Technicolor ice-cream factory finale, in which Eddie allows dozens of tenement kids to gorge themselves on his tasty confections, posed censorship problems: while producer Sam Goldwyn was allowed to show the little boys with comically extended stomachs, he was not permitted to do so with the little girls, for fear that the audience might think the female moppets were pregnant! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Harold Lloyd plays Ezekial Cobb, a missionary's son who has spent his entire life in China. Cobb is sent to his father's home church in California, where it is hoped he will find a wife. A true babe in the woods, Cobb is befriended by politician Jake Mayo (George Barbier). Mayo is a cog in a crooked political machine whose bosses plan to set up a "reform" candidate for mayor, so that they can continue their underhanded activities unmolested. The candidate drops dead, so Mayo sets up the innocent Cobb as the mayor-to-be--a "cat's paw" to deflect attention from the system's corruption. But once elected, Cobb takes his duties quite seriously and begins to clean up the town. The machine frames Cobb with planted evidence of wrongdoing, destroying the lad's political career. Undaunted, Cobb remembers the story of an ancient Chinese leader, who, similarly disgraced, took the law in his own hands and executed all known criminals in his last days of power. Cobb orders that every crook in town be rounded up and brought to a dark cellar. He insists that they confess their crimes or face instant death--and backs up his words by "beheading" two of the crooks on the spot! Actually, these executions are cleverly designed magical illusions, and no one is really killed; but the terrified criminals are so hoodwinked by Cobb's apparent cold-bloodedness that they literally climb over one another to confess. Cobb is exonerated, and honesty is restored to his administration. While not Harold Lloyd's best feature film, The Cat's Paw is definitely his most unorthodox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Undoubtedly inspired by Charles Lindbergh's unprecedented sudden fame (but not the ensuing tragedy), Mary McCall's 1932 novel The Goldfish Bowl was turned into a satirical comedy-drama featuring an engaging Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as a navy captain thrust into the limelight after saving his crew during a submarine disaster. With an unsolicited "personal manager" (played to the hilt by Walter Catlett) and a greedy corporation taking care of both ticker tape parades and all kinds of silly public relations stunts, Fairbanks discovers that he no longer has control of his life. He is constantly embarrassed by a novelty song, "Scotty Boy" (vigorously performed by Broadway crooner Clarence Nordstrom), and even wedded bliss to the understanding Mary Brian is turned into a public spectacle. Fortunately, a Danish sailor (Ivan Linow) saves a dog from drowning and instantly takes Fairbanks' place in the public awareness. Afraid of becoming celebrities once again after saving a car from being wrecked by an express train, the reluctant hero and his bride drive away as fast as they can, happy to begin a new, anonymous life in teeming New York City. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Running just under an hour, Sport Parade stars Joel McCrea as a sportwriter who accidently becomes a champion wrestler. In this capacity, he becomes involved with crooked promoters (just as though pro wrestling was a legitimate sport!). Since the main crook is played by comic actor Walter Catlett, it's difficult to take any of this film seriously--if indeed it was meant to be so taken. The best moments belong to Robert Benchley as a sublimely inaccurate radio sportscaster. Sport Parade was cowritten by the prolific Corey Ford, who later cheerfully admitted he knew nothing about the subject of wrestling but was just following studio orders by churning out this indifferent little charade. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Mascot produced their serials fast and furious with little concern for believability, acting prowess, or technical niceties. Shadow of the Eagle is neither the best nor worst of the bunch, but rather typical of the company's hit-and-miss methods. The acting is occasionally downright embarrassing -- and that includes a very young John Wayne in the starring role -- but the fisticuffs are fast and plentiful, and the plot, such as it is, moves forward at a fast clip. The Mascot writers once again turn to trickery in order to conceal the identity of the mystery villain -- including having a different actor providing a voice-over -- but that is just par for the serial course. Comedy is provided by the carnival performers, but it quickly becomes grating, especially a running joke which has the circus midget (Little Billy) constantly mistaken for a child by the typically bone-headed cops, whom the circus performer refers to as "flatfooted palookas." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

A remake of Howard Hawks's 1928 effort A Girl in Every Port, Goldie is the sort of film for which the phrase "Male Chauvinist Pig" was invented. Finding a book of girl's addresses, a sailor named Spike (Warren Hymer) learns to his dismay that every one of the girls has been tattooed by her previous sweetheart. Vowing to beat up the man responsible for this, Spike finally tracks the perpetrator down; he turns out to be another sailor named Bill (Spencer Tracy), who winds up as Spike's closest friend. Later on, the boys find themselves in Calais, where Spike falls in love with carnival girl Goldie (Jean Harlow). Bill considers Goldie to be nothing more nor less than a gold-digger, but Spike refuses to believe him. Goldie shows her true colors when she "comes on" to Bill, whereupon the latter leaves behind another tattoo as a warning for the gullible Spike. Geez, ya just can't trust dem dames! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A boxer and his girl try to dissuade their friend from getting involved with a Mafioso's gal. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

A somewhat primitive early talkie version of Rex Beach's lusty 1909 novel of Alaska salmon fishers, RKO's The Silver Horde was one of Joel McCrea's earliest breaks. Although third-billed to the more established Evelyn Brent and character star Louis Wolheim, McCrea played the leading role of Boyd Emerson, an adventurer finding himself stranded in the Alaskan wilderness along with sidekick Fraser (Raymond Hatton). Saloon hostess turned copper mine proprietress Cherry Malotte (Brent) falls in love with the newcomer and persuades business associate Tom Hilliard (William Davidson) to bankroll a salmon fishing operation for Emerson and the brutish-looking but lovable Balt (Wolheim). Emerson, however, is in love with Seattle debutante Mildred Wayland (Jean Arthur), whose snobbish father (Purnell Pratt) schemes with salmon industry magnate Frederick Marsh (Gavin Gordon) to sabotage the new endeavor. The rival fishing fleets meet in hand-to-hand battle for superiority with the Emerson-Balt crew emerging the winners. In retaliation, Marsh attempts to slander Cherry Malotte, but is killed by an out-of-control Balt. A major star of the late silent era, Evelyn Brent is struggling to convey her trademark toughness before the microphone, but McCrea makes a stalwart hero and Louis Wolheim is watchable doing almost anything. Jean Arthur is merely window dressing this early in her career, but Blanche Sweet, an icon of the early silent era, is completely wasted in a bit part as the villain's former girlfriend. It became her final screen appearance. The Silver Horde had been filmed once before, by Goldwyn in 1916 starring Myrtle Steadman as Cherry and Curtis Cooksey as Emerson. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

A remake of the 1925 Lon Chaney melodrama of the same name, 1930's The Unholy Three makes several concessions to the newly strengthened Hollywood censors, but is still quite entertaining in a macabre sort of way. Chaney reprises his role as Professor Echo, a sideshow ventriloquist who moonlights as a master criminal. Convincingly disguised as a little old lady, Echo stage-manages a series of Park Avenue robberies -- with two of his carnival cohorts, malevolent midget Tweedledee (Harry Earles) and moronic strongman Hercules (Ivan Linow), doing most of the dirty work. Echo's sweetheart Rosie (Lila Lee) plays along with the Unholy Three but changes her mind when their latest burglary, which ended in murder, threatens to send the wholly innocent Hector (Elliot Nugent) to the electric chair. His resolve weakened by Rosie's pleas, Echo contrives to clear Hector in court through a clever vocal trick -- while his two confederates, in true "thieves fall out" fashion, bring about their own gruesome deaths. The Unholy Three creaks a bit at times, and the unintelligibility of Harry Earles often obscures important plot points, but the film is indispensable as the only talkie appearance of Lon Chaney, "The Man of a Thousand Faces," who died only two months after its release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title alone should clue the reader that Numbered Men is a prison picture. Based on the stage play Jail Break, the film is hardly a paragon of credibility: more than one critic noted that the prison depicted herein is more like a country club than a house of corrections. The party-like atmosphere and casual camaraderie between prisoners and guards is spoiled when hard-boiled King Callahan (Ralph Ince) insists upon trying to escape. Before this problem can be resolved, there's the little matter of innocent counterfeiting suspect Bud Leonard (Raymond Hackett), who is finally sprung when the guilty party Bertie Gray (Conrad Nagel) graciously confesses. The film's most (unintentionally) amusing moment finds a prison road gang enjoying a pleasant luncheon in the home of sociable heroine Mary Dane (Bernice Claire). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Made in 1930, this well-known sci-fi musical chronicles the adventures of a lightning-struck man who awakens to find himself in futuristic New York City, circa 1980. He finds it a strange new world where fantastically attired people are ascribed numbers rather than names and all marriages must be government-approved. He also finds a bewildering array of technical gizmos and innovations that include babies grown in test tubes, videophones, and automatic doors (could the filmmakers see into the future or are our innovations the result of self-fulfilling prophecy?). The story centers on his attempts to get the government to sanction his marriage to his modern girl love. Before the feds will approve, the fellow must prove his worth. He does so by boarding a Mars-bound rocket. Upon the red planet he discovers that it is populated by replicas of the people living on Earth. The film's songs are dismal, but of course that is part of the campy fun. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This sequel to the enormously successful silent film What Price Glory reunites director Raoul Walsh with stars Victor McLaglen and Edmund Lowe. As in the earlier film, McLaglen and Lowe are cast respectively as Flagg and Quirt, those ever-brawling U.S. Marine sergeants. With WWI but a dim memory, Flagg and Quirt continue their rowdy escapades in Russia, Nicaragua and Coney Island. And, of course, they vie for the attentions of several eager and willing young ladies, including the sexy Elenita (Lily Damita). Swedish-dialect comedian El Brendel, an inescapable presence in the early-talkie product from Fox Studios, co-stars as Olson, who indulges in his familiar "get me the lay of the land" routine. Scripted by vaudevillian Billy K. Wells, a specialist in vulgar and sometimes downright dirty humor, The Cock-Eyed World worked overtime pushing the envelope of good taste (by 1929 standards, at least), which may be one of the reasons that this dreary exercise was such a huge hit at the box office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide