Henry Barrows Movies
- 1932
The first film version of Philip Barry's Broadway play The Animal Kingdom stars Ann Harding, Leslie Howard and Myrna Loy. Howard plays a wealthy publisher who decides to marry the socially prominent Loy, leaving his mistress Harding in the lurch. In comically convoluted fashion, Loy behaves like a callous libertine, while Harding is the soul of love and fidelity. The frustrated Howard declares at the end that he is going back to his "wife"--meaning, of course, the faithful Harding. Animal Kingdom was long withdrawn from public view due to the 1946 remake One More Tomorrow; a pristine 35-millimeter print was discovered in the Warner Bros. vaults in the mid-1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Harding, Leslie Howard, (more)
- 1931
The titular hands belong to Lionel Barrymore, who plays a prominent defense attorney. To save his daughter (Madge Evans) from a cad (Alan Mobray), Barrymore murders the man and arranges to make the deed look like suicide. The victim's mistress (Kay Francis) suspects foul play, but the lawyer has done his cover-up job too well. Barrymore very nearly pulls off his ruse--until the corpse itself has the "last word." The central gimmick of Guilty Hands, in which Barrymore establishes an alibi by positioning a revolving cardboard silhouette to create a continually moving shadow, was later appropriated for comic purposes in the Astaire-Rogers musical Gay Divorcee (34). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lionel Barrymore, Kay Francis, (more)
- 1929
In this comedy, a Yiddish fellow cannot keep from kibitzing into other people's lives. Trouble ensues when he is mistakenly given a huge fortune in stocks that he can spend any way he pleases. At the same time, his daughter has fallen in love with an impoverished, but good hearted boy. When the kibitzer suggests he bet all his money on a dog of a racehorse, the lad does it. Against all odds, the horse wins, and suddenly the young man is quite wealthy. One day the stock bottoms out and the advice giver finds himself financially ruined. Fortunately, his brother comes to the rescue when he is asked in English whether or not he wants to sell the other's stock. The only English he knew was "Yes, sure, certainly." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Green, Mary Brian, (more)
- 1928
Wealthy Helene Chadwick decides to discharge her social obligations by doing charity work in the slums. Upon arriving in the tenement district, Chadwick is appalled by the lack of safety measures taken in the building of those tenements. Her discovery is particularly dispiriting because her own father owns the firetrap buildings. With the help of likeable but lazy millionaire Charles Delaney, Chadwick tries to institute much-needed construction changes. At this point, however, the story goes off madly in another direction when the heroine is kidnapped by a female crime boss, forcing Delaney to go to her rescue in wicked old Chinatown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helene Chadwick, Charles Delaney, (more)
- 1928
Educational Films, a curiously-named firm specializing in 2-reel comedies, branched out into features with the aviation actioner Sky Ranger. Based on the popular "Russ Farrell" magazine stories, the film stars Reed Howes as the dashing, devil-may-care flyboy hero. For the sake of heroine Marjorie Daw, Howes undertakes a flight to a tough border town, where Daw's daddy is being held captive by Chinese smugglers. An expert stuntman, Howes was not essentially an aviator, thus most of the more dangerous flying stunts were performed by doubles. Diminutive short-subject funster Bobby Dunn provides marginal comic relief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reed Howes, Marjorie Daw, (more)
- 1927
The irrepressible Johnny Hines stars as "White Pants" Willie Bascom, an enterprising garage mechanic and erstwhile inventor. Delivering a repaired auto to the home of millionaire Philip Charters (Henry Barrows), Willie falls in love with Charters' lovely daughter Helen (Leila Hyams). Donning a white dinner jacket to match his white overalls, Willie manages to crash a high-society country club to pay Helen a visit. Our hero wins over the "400" by winning a polo match then secures his marriage to Helen by selling his latest invention for a sizeable sum. Featured in the cast as Willie's comedy-relief Chinese buddy Wong Lee is Japanese actor George Kuwa, better known to film buffs as the screen's first Charlie Chan (in the now-lost 1926 serial House Without a Key). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Hines, Leila Hyams, (more)
- 1927
Better known for his good looks than any acting capabilities, former male model Reed Howes starred in this silent action melodrama as the ne'er-do-well son of a railroad tycoon who attempts to regain his father's trust by landing an all-important ore-hauling contract. A rival railroad entrepreneur (J.P. McGowan, who also directed) does his best to sabotage the endeavor, but Howes perseveres against the odds. The film was built around footage of a spectacular train collision, which was in reality a stunt photographed at the South Dakota State Fair some years previously. Director J.P. McGowan's long love affair with trains had begun with The Hazards of Helen, a legendary 2-reel series that had starred his then-wife Helen Holmes. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruth Dwyer, Dot Farley, (more)
- 1927
The likable Johnny Hines stars in this comedy-melodrama. Johnny (Hines) is a shoe salesman who can't remember anything. This causes him to get fired from his job, but not before he has met and fallen in love with May Brooks (Edna Murphy). May's father (Henry Barrows) owns a travel agency and Johnny manages to land a job with him as a tour guide. He takes the Brooks' on a junket to the Middle East and winds up in loads of trouble. The desert is populated with amorous sheiks and one of them kidnaps May. In addition, a prince forces Johnny to marry his ample daughter (the hefty Babe London). Nevertheless, Johnny is able to rescue May with the help of a car equipped for the desert (its tires have been replaced with shoes). After a sandstorm and a number of death-defying feats à la Douglas Fairbanks, Johnny gets May and her family safely out of the desert. Since his marriage to the princess isn't legal, he is free to wed May. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edna Murphy, Henry Barrows, (more)
- 1927
After achieving success in the mid-'20s, Harry Langdon decided to emulate the silent era's premier comedian -- Charles Chaplin -- and turn auteur. He fired Frank Capra from his staff and directed this feature on his own. Although both writer (and future director) Arthur Ripley and director Harry Edwards stayed on with Langdon, the story line and directoral approach clearly indicate that Langdon was doing his darndest to encroach on Chaplin's pathos-laden terrain. It's a simple story, stretched quite a bit to fill out six reels -- Harry is a timid dreamer who longs for a wife and family. He believes he's achieved his heart's desire when he finds a pregnant girl (Gladys McConnell) in a snowstorm. Harry happily takes care of his new family -- until the girl's husband (Cornelius Keefe) finds her and takes her and the baby back home. Unfortunately, when Langdon directed this picture, he laid on the sentiment but forgot about the comedy, so there are few laughs to be had. Three's a Crowd was a commercial flop, as were the next two films that Langdon directed. After that, he was fired by his studio, First National, and he lost Ripley, who returned to Mack Sennett's studio. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gladys McConnell, Cornelius Keefe, (more)
- 1927
Racehorse movies were a dime a dozen in 1927, meaning that the few good ones tended to be lumped together with the bad. One of the more tolerable entries in this genre was First National's Sunset Derby, starring Hollywood's favorite cocky jockey, William Collier Jr. After suffering a fall during a race, rider Jimmy Burke (Collier) loses his nerve. But with the help of his girlfriend Molly Gibson (Mary Astor), Jimmy regains his confidence just in time to achieve victory during the Big Race. At least the climactic scene was crisply and excitingly photographed, allowing the viewer to forget the festival of cliches that had gone before. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Lewis
- 1926
The Little Irish Girl is Dot Walker (Dolores Costello), the pretty come-on for a tawdry gambling house. Dot lures country boy Johnny (John Harron) into the den of iniquity, where he loses his life savings. Seemingly undaunted, Johnny invites the crooked gamblers to his home, where they are introduced to his sweet, grey-haired old granny (Gertrude Claire) -- who pulls out a deck of cards and beats the gamblers at their own crooked game! Reformed by the experience, Dot falls in love with Johnny, and he with her. Dolores Costello isn't too convincing as a worldly type, but she's just fine in the final redemption scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolores Costello, John Harron, (more)
- 1926
The best of comic actor Reginald Denny's silent vehicles, Skinner's Dress Suit is a surprising contemporary piece about status-seeking. Denny is an office worker whose wife Laura LaPlante hectors him into asking for a raise. Not only does Denny get the extra dough, but he's asked to take a cut in salary. Nonetheless, he tells LaPlante that he's gotten the increase, whereupon she delightedly makes plans to spend several hundred dollars on home and wardrobe improvements. Denny is fitted out with a new dress suit, which makes him a social success--and obliges him to stay one step ahead of the tailor whenever he's behind in his payments. Just when it appears as though Denny will be swamped in debt, a series of cute coincidences transform him into his office's most valued employee. This second film adaptation of Henry Irving Dodge's novel Skinner's Dress Suit is a vast improvement upon the 1917 filming, with a peppy Charleston sequence thrown in as a bonus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reginald Denny, Laura La Plante, (more)
- 1926
Sydney Chaplin, the talented brother (and business manger) of Charlie Chaplin, had scored a hit in the female-impersonation comedy Charley's Aunt, prompting Warner Bros. to cast him in another "drag" epic, Oh! What a Nurse. Chaplin is cast as newspaper reporter Jerry Clark, who falls in love with June Harrison (Patsy Ruth Miller), only to lose her to fortune-hunting Clive Hurst (Gayne Whitman). Knowing that June is devoted to his paper's advice-to-the-lovelorn column, Jerry disguises himself as that column's female author, hoping to dissuade his sweetheart from marrying Clive. Circumstances dictate that Jerry continue his femme masquerade as a hired nurse, leading to one slapstick complication after another. The climax finds our hero posing as yet another woman, this one the head of a bootlegging gang. Oh! What a Nurse was an enormous success, playing to SRO crowds for several weeks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Silent screen idol Rudolph Valentino made his next-to-last screen appearance in this romantic comedy/drama. Count Rodrigo Torriani (Valentino) is a notorious ladies' man who has become the subject of a long list of breach-of-promise suits filed by disappointed former girlfriends, which has left him destitute. Needing to learn a new trade, Rodrigo comes to the U.S., where his knowledge of Italian artifacts is put to good use by Jack Dorning (Casson Ferguson), an antique dealer. While Rodrigo's new trade would presumably put him back on the straight and narrow, such is not the case, as he finds himself the object of two different women's affections -- Mary (Gertrude Olmstead), Jack's secretary, and Elise (Nita Naldi), a wealthy socialite. Cobra reunited Valentino with Nita Naldi, who had starred with him in Blood and Sand and A Sainted Devil; within a year of Cobra's release, Valentino would die unexpectedly, and within three years, Naldi would retire from the screen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1925
Mary Carr (the charming old woman from Over the Hill to the Poorhouse) plays Drusilla Doane, a charity case at an old ladies' home. When Elias Arnold (Henry Barrows) gets upset with his son, Collin (Kenneth Harlan), he wills his fortune to Drusilla instead. Upon his death, the old lady finds herself a millionaire and goes to live in his mansion. After a mother deserts her baby on Drusilla's doorstep, she decides to open her home for more abandoned babies and finds her true life's purpose. Meanwhile, Collin is injured in a car accident trying to avoid hitting Sally May Ferris (Priscilla Bonner). Sally, an orphan, nurses him back to health and they marry. Daphne Thornton (Claire Du Brey), wanting to break the will and marry Collin herself, goes to work on Sally. She convinces Sally that she is ruining Collin's life, so she leaves him. While living in poverty, she has Collin's baby and she tries to leave it on Drusilla's doorstep, but she is caught and hauled into jail. She refuses to divulge her husband's name and Daphne manages to keep Collin -- who has been desperately searching for her -- out of the courtroom. Just as the baby is taken away, however, he shows up and the couple are reunited. Drusilla takes the couple in to live with her in the Arnold mansion. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Carr, Priscilla Bonner, (more)
- 1925
Sydney Chaplin -- older brother of Charles Chaplin -- specialized in films in which his character wound up dressing in drag at some point during the picture. This comedy, very loosely adapted from the novel by Harold McGrath, was released not long after Chaplin appeared in the very successful Charley's Aunt. Bob Warburton (Chaplin) is financing an invention by Lampton (Theodore Lorch), which both the government and foreign powers are anxious to get. But Lampton becomes convinced that Warburton is having an affair with his wife (Kathleen Calhoun). Warburton is forced to flee and poses as a groom for Betty Annesly (Alice Calhoun). To keep his eye on the foreign emissaries, he disguises himself as a French maid. Eventually Warburton is able to save the plans for the invention, unmask the spies (one of whom is played by the film's director, Charles "Chuck" Reisner) and, of course, win Betty's heart. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sidney Chaplin, David Butler, (more)
- 1924
Based on a 1914 novel by Robert William Chambers, this silent melodrama from the pioneering Vitagraph Company starred one of the era's great matinee-idols, the Dutch-born Lou Tellegen. Tellegen, who had been a leading man to stage diva Sarah Bernhardt, played David Drene, whose supposedly docile wife Jessica (Anna Q. Nilsson) suddenly elopes with her husband's best friend Jack (Norman Kerry). Jessica's guilt drives her to suicide, and the affair goes unnoticed for years, until the day David announces his engagement to Cecile (Alice Calhoun) and is contacted by a jealous rival, Quair (Stuart Holmes). The evil Quair obligingly tells David of Jack's treachery, and the latter proposes to kill himself. But David, using telepathic powers, prevents the tragedy and forgives him. Between Friends was directed by Vitagraph's founder J. Stuart Blackton. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Tellegen, Anna Q. Nilsson, (more)
- 1924
Although the Warner Bros. version of Rafael Sabatini's novel made Errol Flynn a star in 1935, it wasn't the first time the romantic adventure was made into a film. J. Warren Kerrigan starred as Peter Blood, the physician turned pirate in this silent Vitagraph version. Peter Blood gets lumped in with a group of rebels who have plotted against King James and is sent to the island of Barbados as a slave. He is purchased, along with his friend, Jeremy Pitt (James Morrison), by Colonel Bishop (Wilfred North), at the request of his willful niece, Arabella (Jean Paige). When a Spanish ship takes over the town, Blood leads the slaves and captures the vessel. After becoming the terror of the seas (but never attacking an English ship), Blood and his men rescue Lord Wade (Allan Forrest) and Arabella from a burning ship. When William III ascends to the British throne, Blood aligns himself with the new king, defeats the French fleet and saves Port Royal. He is appointed governor of Jamaica for his heroic deeds, and finally wins the hand of Arabella. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J. Warren Kerrigan, Jean Paige, (more)
This tale of a crook's reform takes place in the San Francisco of the early 1900s. Predictably, Lon Chaney plays a crook and a misshapen cripple (the type of role almost expected of him at this point in his career). Anne Vincent, better known as "Queen Anne" (Christine Mayo), sends Wilse Dilling (Chaney) to a small town to keep an eye on Mischa Hadley (William Welsh), an embezzling banker who is her lover. Dilling falls in love with Hadley's daughter, Gertrude (Virginia Valli), and blows up the bank's safe to destroy incriminating records. The blast, however, leaves Gertrude a cripple, and Dilling uses his savings to restore her to health. Queen Anne, whose greed knows no end, has told Hadley that he will either give her more money or give her his daughter. Ultimately, she has Gertrude kidnapped and taken to a Chinese den. Dilling rescues her and she helps in his regeneration. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake shakes everything up, and Dilling's reform is complete. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lon Chaney
- 1923
Billed "Charles Jones" for the occasion, Fox cowboy Buck Jones found himself on Broadway in this silent melodrama. He played Bill Moreland, a cowboy who befriends a stranded chorus girl, Janet Ainslee (Fritzi Brunette). Bill sells his prize dogs to pay Janet's way back to New York and, in love with the girl, follows her to Manhattan where he obtains a job as a construction worker. When Janet finds herself in the clutches of a typically lecherous theatrical producer (James Mason), the cowboy comes to her rescue once again and easily persuades her to return with him to the West. Almost every silent screen cowboy landed on Broadway at one time or another (or at least in unfamiliar surroundings in the big city), including William Fairbanks (Broadway Buckaroo, 1921), Hoot Gibson (Broadway or Bust, 1924), and Tom Mix (The Big Diamond Robbery, 1929). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles "Buck" Jones, Fritzi Brunette, (more)
- 1923
As naïve chorus girl, Sunny Duane (Elaine Hammerstein), finds herself in a load of trouble in this comedy-melodrama. She is befriended by the older, more experienced Jean Valjean (Kathlyn Williams) and meets society man Eugene Durant (Elliot Dexter). A wealthy playboy asks Sunny out to dinner, but he is found murdered later that night. Suspicion falls on Sunny, but she disappears after marrying Durant, who believes he is dying and wants to leave her his fortune. He survives, although he is left a helpless cripple. The police finally track Sunny down and are about to arrest her when an old sweetheart shows up and confesses to the crime. Durant discovers that he is able to walk again when the crisis inspires him to take action. Director Marshall Neilan must have had a little time on his hands when this picture was being made -- he shows up in a bit role as a driver. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elaine Hammerstein, Kathlyn Williams, (more)
- 1923
This fluffy Mae Murray vehicle was dressed up with a Graustarkian veneer, but in reality it was merely an excuse for the star to wear exotic costumes and perform a few of her famous dance numbers. Jazzmania is a mythical kingdom devoted to dancing and revelry. But the country takes a darker turn when Queen Ninon (Murray) refuses to marry Prince Otto, the pretender to the throne (Jean Hersholt). He begins a revolution and Queen Ninon flees the bombs for the United States, accompanied by a handsome American newspaper reporter, Jerry Langdon (Rod La Rocque). She proceeds to enthrall New York with her dances, but she decides to return to her country and take care of Otto. After soundly deposing him she turns the nation into a republic, introducing it to modern conveniences -- Model Ts, for example (but she wisely leaves out the latest American innovation -- prohibition). Now that the crown is but a fond memory, Ninon gladly weds Langdon. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mae Murray, Rod La Rocque, (more)
- 1923
Metro pulled out all the stops on this picture, which was based on the novel by Mary Roberts Rinehart and starred eight-year-old Jackie Coogan. The studio spent upwards of a million dollars on mob scenes and spectacular sets for this mythical kingdom tale. Coogan's father, Jack Coogan Sr., supervised the production, as he did on many of his son's pictures. King Karl of Livonia (Alan Hale Sr.) has grown old and feeble and the hopes of his country are all on little Prince Otto (Coogan), an orphan who is the only heir to the throne. As a result, Otto is not allowed any childish pleasures -- it's all about court formalities. The boy isn't even allowed to have a puppy. Naturally, the young prince is frustrated and when he gets the opportunity to run off with an American boy, Bobby (Raymond Lee), he takes it. After he returns, the guard keep a closer eye on him -- the country is about to break out into revolution and his life is in danger. But Otto manages to escape once again on his birthday, and while he is gone, the King dies. Without the presence of Otto, the people start rioting. As the prince tries to get back to the palace, the revolutionists kidnap him. Otto's friend, Lieutenant Nikky (Allan Forrest), comes to the rescue and the boy returns to become King. If the name of Raymond Lee doesn't strike a bell, his face should; he's the boy who gives Coogan a black eye in The Kid. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Coogan, Rosemary Theby, (more)
