Lionel Barrymore Movies

In this Academy Award-winning film, Stephen Ashe (Lionel Barrymore) is a hotshot Californian lawyer from a well-to-do family, whose main failing is his indulgence in alcohol. After winning a case for mobster Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable), Stephen brings his client along to a party at his parents' house for a little celebrating. However, when they arrive at their destination, Ace manages to steal the heart of Stephen's wild daughter, Jan (Norma Shearer), and the two run off together, much to the family's dismay. Stephen struggles to win his foolhardy daughter back from the clutches of her lowlife boyfriend, as she defies her father at every turn. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Opening in England during the middle of World War II, A Guy Named Joe tells the story of Pete Sandidge (Spencer Tracy), a tough, devil-may-care bomber pilot who's amassed an enviable record in combat, mostly by taking chances that give his C.O. (James Gleason) the shakes, much as he and the top brass appreciate the results. Pete lives to fly, but he also appreciates the fairer sex, which for the last couple of years means Dorinda Durston (Irene Dunne), herself a hot-shot air-ferry pilot. She's also worried about the chances he takes, even after Pete and his best friend, Al Yackey (Ward Bond), are transferred to Scotland and switched to flying reconnaissance missions. Pete finally agrees to take a training position back in the States, but he must fly one last mission, to locate a German force threatening an Allied convoy. He and Al do the job and have turned for home when the German fighter cover attacks; Pete's plane is damaged and he's wounded, and after his crew bails out he takes the burning ship down and drops his bomb-load on the main German attack ship (a carrier, which is totally inaccurate) at zero altitude. His plane is caught in the blast and destroyed, and that's where the main body of the movie begins.

Pete arrives in a hereafter that's a pilot's version of heaven, including a five-star general (Lionel Barrymore). He doesn't even appreciate what's happened to him until he meets Dick Rumney (Barry Nelson), a friend and fellow pilot who was previously killed in action. It seems that the powers of the hereafter are contributing to the war effort, sending departed pilots like Pete and Dick to Earth to help guide and help young pilots; Pete himself discovers that he benefited from these efforts in peacetime. Pete ends up at Luke Field near Phoenix, AZ, where he takes on helping Ted Randall (Van Johnson), a young pilot who lacks confidence. By the time he's done, riding along while Ted "solos," Ted is a natural in the air and ends up as the star of his squadron when he become operational in New Guinea -- in a group under the command of Al Yackey -- and ends up taking over command when their own leader is shot down. Pete's like a proud teacher, and also enjoys his unheard ribbing of Al and his ex-C.O. to Rumney, over their promotions, but then Dorinda shows up, and suddenly Pete finds all of his unresolved feelings about her recalled, even as he sees that she's never gotten over losing him. And when, with Al's help, she and Ted meet and seem to fall for each other, Pete's jealousy gets the better of him. It's only when he is made to realize just how important life was to him, and how important the future is for those still living, that he begins to understand that he has to let go of his feelings, and let Dorinda and Ted get on with their lives. But first he has to help Dorinda survive a suicide mission that she's taken over from Ted, attacking a huge and heavily defended Japanese ammo dump. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

A Yank at Oxford was filmed in England at MGM's "sister studio", Elstree. Robert Taylor plays Lee Sheridan, an arrogant young American scholar/athlete who intends to show the "Brits" a thing or two while attending Oxford University. His abrasive attitude grates against the Oxonian students, who retaliate by subjecting Sheridan to a rather humiliating hazing. Romance enters the picture in the form of Molly Beaumont (Maureen O'Sullivan), the sister of Sheridan's chief academic rival Paul Beaumont (Griffith Jones). When Paul faces disgrace over a breach of student ethics, Sheridan nobly shoulders the blame, simultaneously endangering his own future at Oxford and proving that he's really a "right guy" underneath. All is forgiven during the annual rowing competition against Cambridge, with Sheridan coming through in jolly good fashion. Cast as campus vamp Elsa Craddock is the stunningly beautiful Vivien Leigh, still two years away from Gone With the Wind. A Yank at Oxford was remade in 1984 as Oxford Blues, and mercilessly lampooned by Laurel & Hardy in 1940's A Chump at Oxford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After holding out for several months, MGM decided to take the talking-picture plunge with Alias Jimmy Valentine. Actually, the film is 90% silent, with a few arbitrarily inserted talkie sequences. Digressing but little from the oft-filmed O. Henry original, the plot concerns a reformed safecracker, here played by popular MGM light leading man William Haines. While working at an honest job at a bank, Haines' past comes back to haunt him in the form of relentless detective Lionel Barrymore. Haines is able to throw the cop off the trail until a little girl is locked in the bank's vault. Forced to utilize his highly individualized safecracking technique to rescue the girl, Haines is certain that he's destined for a long prison term. But Barrymore, taking into consideration Haines' good deed-not to mention his romance with boss' daughter Leila Hyams-pretends not to notice, and lets the former criminal off scot-free. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This video contains two abridged version films: America, in which a Boston patriot and the daughter of a Tory fall in love during the Revolutionary War; and the silent film, The Fall of Babylon, which is one of the stories told in D. W. Griffith's Intolerance. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

John Barrymore plays a burglar and his brother Lionel Barrymore is the detective trying to catch him in this cleverly cast drama. An upscale thief who works under the name of Arsene Lupin is making the rounds of the homes of the wealthy and privileged, and Detective Guerchard (Lionel Barrymore) is determined to track him down. What he doesn't know is that the suave and sophisticated Duke of Charmerace (John Barrymore) is actually the man behind the robberies. Will Guerchard find out the thief's true identity before he can execute a daring theft from the Louvre Museum? Karen Morely co-stars as Sonia, the Duke's love interest. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Modern audiences may not be familiar with Our Mister Sun, but many students growing up in the '50s and '60s (and into the '70s) remember being pleasantly surprised when this very entertaining program was part of their science class curriculum. Given its age, it's surprising how much of Our Mister Sun holds up, both in terms of the facts it presents and the manner in which they are presented. Yes, some of the information is out of date, but a great deal is not. More importantly, it's still an entertaining and even fascinating viewing experience. This is especially surprising when the film is compared with the vast majority of school documentaries from the period, the tone and attitude of which make them seem like something from another planet. It's not that Our Mister Sun isn't dated -- it is, especially toward the end when this straightforward excursion into science takes a turn toward the religious (albeit toward an all-encompassing general belief in theism rather than toward a particular religion) -- but much of what makes this film dated is refreshing and charming, rather than laughable. This is especially true of the genuine optimism that permeates the piece; if it is occasionally naïve when extolling the virtues of nuclear energy, it seems to really be naïveté, rather than an attempt to brush aside unpleasant facts. Of course, what really makes the film work are the wonderful animated sequences, which give it life and joy (in no small part due to the wonderful vocal work of Lionel Barrymore). The real life performers also play no small part in the film's success. It's no surprise that old pro Eddie Albert plays his part so well. What is surprising is how well Dr. Frank Baxter works, despite the fact that his performance is fairly amateurish and physically stiff; nevertheless, he's an avuncular, warm presence, and he makes all the "science stuff" sound like fun. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

The oft-used movie title Between Two Women was resurrected once more for this entry in MGM's "Dr. Kildare" series. Though Kildare is nowhere to be found, Lionel Barrymore is very much in evidence as Dr. Leonard Gillespie, crusty chief surgeon of Blair General Hospital. Gillespie's assistant is Dr. Red Adams (Van Johnson), who spends the early part of the film fending off the romantic advances of social worker Ruth Edley (Marilyn Maxwell)-a carryover subplot from the previous "Kildare" entry Three Men in White. Adams is also romantically involved with ailing socialite Cynthia Grace (Lucille Bremer), who suffers from a life-threatening blood clot. As the story draws to a close, Adams must choose between a lucrative practice in the Big City, or a lower-paying but more professionally rewarding post in a small town. Here's a hint to the outcome: in the next (and last) "Kildare" film, Dark Delusion, Gillespie's assistant is played by James Craig. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although Lionel Barrymore was miscast as a gunman, he overcame this drawback by giving the role of Boomerang Bill an intensely human quality. The story opens with a young man about to leave the world of the straight and narrow. A detective approaches him and points out a broken-down soul -Boomerang Bill -- and uses his tale to convince the youth that crime does not pay. Bill was a gunman, but when he saved pretty Annie (Marguerite Marsh -- sister of Mae Marsh) from the unwanted attentions of gangster Tony the Wop (Matthew Betts), he fell in love. Because of his feelings for Annie, he decided to go straight. But when her mother (Margaret Seddon) needed to go to the country for her health, Bill did one last heist to get up the needed funds. Tony was responsible for his capture, and Bill went to prison. Annie loyally offered to wait for him, but when her mother's illness continued, he let her go so she could marry a man who would support both her and her mother. When Bill got out of prison he went to see Annie, but as he peered through the window, he saw her happy with her mother and baby. So he went off to spend the rest of his days with a little Chinese girl who once cared for him. The story to this crime drama was based on the book by Jack Boyle, who wrote the Boston Blackie stories. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Lionel Barrymore was at a low career ebb when he agreed to appear in the independently produced Brooding Eyes. Barrymore emulates his brother John in the role of Slim Jim Carey, the "black sheep" of an aristocratic British family. A professional blackmailer, Carey suddenly and mysteriously disappears from sight, prompting his partner in crime Pat Calaghan (Montagu Love) to take over Carey's operation. Part of Calaghan's game plan is to claim an earldom which was to have been inherited by his "late" partner. But Carey, who is still alive, squashes Calaghan's scheme by showing up in his ancestral home as the family butler. In this guise, he prevents Calaghan from getting his slimy hands on the mistress of the manor, Maria De Costa (Alma Bennett) -- who is actually Carey's long-estranged daughter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide