Edmund Lowe Movies
The son of a California judge, Edmund Lowe attended Santa Clara University. He worked briefly as a teacher before joining a Los Angeles stock company. Lowe made both his Broadway and movie debut in 1917. Seemingly born to wear tuxedos and dinner jackets, Lowe became a popular leading man on both stage and screen. His career went off into a new direction when he was cast against type as the brawling, swearing Sergeant Quirt in the 1927 film version of What Price Glory. This led to several reteamings with his Glory co-star Victor McLaglen, nearly always portraying those friendly enemies Quirt and Flagg, forever spouting dialogue of the "Sez you? Sez me!" variety. In 1956, Lowe and McLaglen were teamed for the last time in the all-star Around the World In 80 Days. Lowe remained in demand for leading character roles into the 1940s, including the father of the title character in Dillinger, where he was billed over the film's ostensible star Lawrence Tierney. On TV, Lowe played two-fisted reporter David Chase on the 1951-52 series Front Page Detective. The actor was married three times; his second wife was Lilyan Tashman, who died in 1934. Edmund Lowe's final film was 1960's Heller in Pink Tights; halfway through shooting, Lowe fell seriously ill and had to be doubled in long and medium shots by actor Bernard Nedell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The talents of the cast and director George Cukor (A Star Is Born, My Fair Lady), combine to bring off this otherwise routine Western based on a Louis L'Amour novel. Sophia Loren is Angela Rossini, a woman who seems to create the situations she gets into, and Anthony Quinn is the strong, silent but soft-hearted Tom Healy. Rather than playing it straight, Cukor opts for satire and effective comedy in taking "The Great Healy Dramatic and Concert Co.," with its two-wagon loads of thespians and their gear, and turning it into a fun romp. As the troupe carries on with their performances heading through Wyoming, they are fighting for their economic survival and, as often as not, running like the devil from the law. There is a likeable villain in the piece, Mabry (Steve Forrest), a zany woman who has "sacrificed" her own dubious stage career for that of her daughter (Eileen Heckart), a so-called Shakespearean actor (Edmund Love), a banker with menacing undertones (Ramon Novarro), and a really hysterical Indian attack. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sophia Loren, Anthony Quinn, (more)
- 1959
In this Western, a good-hearted gunfighter helps a young cowboy find the cruel cattle baron who killed his daddy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Spencer Tracy stars in John Ford's sentimental adaptation of Edwin O'Connor's novel about the final campaign of a big city mayor, loosely based upon the life of Boston politician James Curley. Tracy is Frank Skeffington, the political boss of an Eastern city dominated by Irish-Americans. Skeffington tries to assist the people of the city and avoids cutting political deals with the power elite. But despite his concern for the people, Skeffington has no friends, just flunkies. The Mayor is greatly admired by his idealistic nephew Adam Caulfield (Jeffrey Hunter), who writes for an opposition newspaper run by Amos Force (John Carradine). When Skeffington needs money for a loan, he asks the powerful banker Norman Cass (Basil Rathbone), but Cass steadfastly refuses. In retaliation, Skeffington appoints Cass's retarded son as an interim fire commissioner. To prevent his son from disgracing the family, Cass agrees to the bank loan. But Cass uses his deep pockets to finance the opposition's candidate for mayor. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Tracy, Jeffrey Hunter, (more)
The Wings of Eagles is filmmaker John Ford's paean to his frequent collaborator--and, it is rumored, drinking buddy--Cmdr. Frank "Spig" Wead. John Wayne stars as Wead, a reckless WW1 Naval aviator who (it says here) was instrumental in advancing the cause of American "air power". In private life, Wead becomes estranged from his wife Minnie (Maureen O'Hara) after the death of their baby. Drinking heavily, Wead tumbles down the stairs of his home, and as a result he is apparently paralyzed for life. With the help of happy-go-lucky Navy mechanic Carson (Dan Dailey), Wead is able to regain minimal use of his legs, but it seems clear that his Naval career is over. Fortunately, he manages to find work as a prolific Hollywood screenwriter, and after the attack of Pearl Harbor he is called back to active duty to oversee the construction of "jeep carriers". Not one of John Ford's more coherent films--in fact, it's downright sloppy at times--The Wings of Eagles nonetheless contains several highlights, not least of which are the "I'm gonna move that toe" scene with John Wayne and Dan Dailey, and Ward Bond's inside-joke performance as irreverent film director "John Dodge". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Dan Dailey, (more)
- 1957
The premiere episode of Maverick opens with a characteristic grace-note from director Budd Boetticher, in which Bret Maverick (James Garner) rides into the town of Echo Springs, caked with trail dust and dressed in seedy "cowboy" clothes--only to re-emerge a few moments later as the well-groomed, sartorially splendid professional gambler that he is. Before long Bret is playing poker with Phineas King (Edmund Lowe), the owner of a large silver mine. When Bret wins the game, King orders his flunkeys to beat up the gambler and boot him out of town. But Mr. Maverick isn't about to be scared off so easily, especially after finding out that King is systematically cheating the local miners. With the help of an old derelict who turns out to be a judge, Bret turns the tables on the unscrupulous silver king--but not before he has a painful encounter with burly Irishman Big Mike McComb (Leo Gordon in his first series appearance). Played "straight" for the most part, this debut episode was based on the unfilmed Warner Bros. property "War of the Copper Kings", which in turn was inspired by the career of copper speculator F. Augustus Heinze. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Razzle-dazzle showman Michael Todd hocked everything he had to make this spectacular presentation of Jules Verne's 1872 novel Around the World in 80 Days, the second film to be lensed in the wide-screen Todd-AO production. Nearly as fascinating as the finished product are the many in-production anecdotes concerning Todd's efforts to pull the wool over the eyes of local authorities in order to cadge the film's round-the-world location shots--not to mention the wheeling and dealing to convince over forty top celebrities to appear in cameo roles. David Niven heads the huge cast as ultra-precise, supremely punctual Phileas Fogg, who places a 20,000-pound wager with several fellow members of London Reform Club, insisting that he can go around the world in eighty days (this, remember, is 1872). Together with his resourceful valet Passepartout (Cantinflas), Fogg sets out on his world-girdling journey from Paris via balloon. Meanwhile, suspicion grows that Fogg has stolen his 20,000 pounds from Bank of England. Diligent Inspector Fix (Robert Newton) is sent out by the bank's president (Robert Morley) to bring Fogg to justice. Hopscotching around the globe, Fogg pauses in Spain, where Passepartout engages in a comic bullfight (a specialty of Cantinflas). In India, Fogg and Passepartout rescue young widow Princess Aouda (Shirley MacLaine, in her third film) from being forced into committing suicide so that she may join her late husband. The threesome visit Hong Kong, Japan, San Francisco, and the Wild West. Only hours short of winning his wager, Fogg is arrested by the diligent Inspector Fixx. Though exonerated of the bank robbery charges, he has lost everything--except the love of the winsome Aouda. But salvation is at hand when Passepartout discovers that, by crossing the International Date Line, there's still time to reach the Reform Club. Will they make it? See for yourself. Among the film's 46 guest stars, the most memorable include Marlene Dietrich, Charles Boyer, Jose Greco, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lorre, Red Skelton, Buster Keaton, John Mills, and Beatrice Lillie. All were paid in barter--Ronald Colman did his brief bit for a new car. Newscaster Edward R. Murrow provides opening narration, and there's a tantalizing clip from Georges Méliès' A Trip to the Moon (1902). Offering a little something for everyone, Around the World in 80 Days is nothing less than an extravaganza, and it won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Cinematography. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Niven, Cantinflas, (more)
- 1949
- NR
Intruder in the Dust is one of the best of Hollywood's postwar "racial tolerance" cycle--a cycle that would come to an abrupt end in the politically paranoid 1950s. Based on a novel by William Faulkner, the film takes place in a small Mississippi town (it was filmed on location in and around Oxford, MS). Juano Hernandez plays an African-American landowner who is arrested on a murder charge. Resentful of Hernandez' industriousness, the white townsfolk are eager to see him hang. David Brian, the attorney uncle of a young white boy (Claude Jarman Jr.) who has befriended Hernandez, agrees to take the accused man's case. His job is complicated by the lynch-mob mentality fomented by the dead man's brother (Charles Kemper) and Hernandez' refusal to reveal the name of the man he suspects as the killer. The hostile atmosphere reaches a fever pitch, but justice is ultimately served. Intruder in the Dust stands out among other films of its period with its refusal to stoop to any form of condescension towards its black characters or to rationalize the behavior of the bigots. Though produced by MGM, the film wisely displays none of that studio's patented glossiness, opting instead for a dusty, sun-scorched, fleabitten veneer that enhances the film's basic realism. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Brian, Claude Jarman, Jr., (more)
- 1948
Small-town department store manager Sam Clayton (Gary Cooper) is a born "Good Samaritan", which in his case translates as "sucker." Much to the dismay of his wife Lu (Anne Sheridan), who'd like to save up enough cash for a new house, Sam habitually gives his money away to one "deserving" soul or other. But when Sam himself is in dire financial difficulty, none of the people to whom he's extended his generosity come to his aid. Disillusioned, he goes on a bender and disappears into the night. Thanks to Lu's not-so-gentle remonstrations, however, Sam's debtors finally own up to their obligations, and a happy ending is had by all. Producer/director Leo McCarey has a good thing going in the first few reels of Good Sam, but eventually loses control of the film, resulting in a great deal of illogical plot twists and character transformations in the final footage. Still, it's interesting to watch Gary Cooper doing what amounts to an imitation of Jimmy Stewart. Originally released a 128 minutes, Good Sam was pared down to 114 minutes for reissue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Ann Sheridan, (more)
- 1945
With Universal nearly out of the "B"-grade horror film business by 1945, it was up to Monogram to take up the slack with projects like The Strange Mr. Gregory. The title character, played by Edmund Lowe, is a famous magician who fakes his own death -- then reappears as his nonexistent twin brother. It's all part of Gregory's master scheme to pin his "murder" on innocent John Randall (Don Douglas), the husband of Ellen (Jean Rogers), the woman Gregory loves. Only the magician's faithful assistant Riker (Frank Reicher) knows the whole story, meaning that his days are numbered. By the time Ellen herself figures out what Gregory is up to, it may be??gasp?..tooo late!!! As Monogram films go, The Strange Mr. Gregory isn't bad; it might have been even better with just a bit more adrenalin in Phil Rosen's direction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Jean Rogers, (more)
- 1945
The Enchanted Forest concerns Old John (Harry Davenport), an elderly hermit who lives in a hollowed-out redwood tree, the better to commune with nature. Lost in the forest, young Jackie (Billy Severn) is befriended and protected by kindly Old John. When he's not busy confounding a group of forest-despoiling woodchoppers, Old John does his best to play matchmaker between Jackie's widowed mother Anne (Brenda Joyce) and handsome doctor Steve Blaine (Edmund Lowe), who likewise lives in the Enchanted Forest for health reasons. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Brenda Joyce, (more)
Dillinger, the was the ninth effort from the enterprising King Brothers, and their most financially successful film to date. Lawrence Tierney became an overnight cult favorite with his gritty portrayal of maverick bank robber John Dillinger, though top billing is bestowed upon Edmund Lowe as gang chieftain Specs. The film traces Dillinger's criminal career from his first petty theft to his spectacular 1934 demise outside Chicago's Biograph Theater (incidentally, this film was banned in Chicago for several years). Anne Jeffreys plays Dillinger's fictional moll Helen, while Elisha Cook Jr., Marc Lawrence, and Eduardo Ciannelli go through their usual crime-flick paces. The film's set piece is an elaborate armored-car holdup, lifted in its entirety from footage originally shot for Fritz Lang's You Only Live Once (1937). Screenwriter Philip Yordan, fresh from his Broadway triumph Anna Lucasta, earned an Academy Award nomination for Dillinger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Anne Jeffreys, (more)
- 1944
Edmund Lowe was old enough to know better when he starred in the anachronistic Monogram crime comedy Oh, What a Night! Lowe plays Rand, a suave gentleman jewel thief who plans to divest clueless dowager Lil Vanderhoven (Marjorie Rambeau) of her diamonds. Complicating matters is the appearance of Rand's young niece Valerie (Jean Parker), who has no idea what her uncle is up to. Rand's efforts to hide his profession from Valerie, and to successfully pull off the heist, makes for a hectic seven reels. Oh, What a Night! tries hard, but, after all, Monogram wasn't MGM, and Edmund Lowe wasn't William Powell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Marjorie Rambeau, (more)
- 1944
That The Girl in the Case is not to be taken seriously is demonstrated in the scene wherein its dignified leading man Edmund Lowe dons a gaudy zoot suit. Lowe is cast as lawyer William Warner, who also happens to be an expert lock-picker. Both his legal and illegal talents are pressed into service when Tommy Rockwood (Robert Scott) hires Warner to open an old chest. This particular prop turns out to be a veritable Pandora's Box, unleashing an onslaught of intrigue, espionage, and murder. Janis Carter costars as Warner's Nora Charles-like wife, whose inability to mind her own business nearly results in her demise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Janis Carter, (more)
- 1943
Though somewhat past his prime, Edmund Lowe carries the dramatic weight of Murder in Times Square with breezy assuredness. Lowe plays Barrymoresque stage actor Cory Williams, who vaingloriously tries to solve a bizarre series of murders. Though the killings take place in the heart of New York, the victims are killed by the venom of a rattlesnake. It turns out that the killing has a vendetta against theater people, and Williams may be next on the list. Marguertie Chapman costars as perky press agent Melinda Mathews, while the many suspects and victims include Bruce Bennett, Veda Ann Borg, John Litel, and, best of all, Esther Dale as a crafty panhandler named Longacre Lil. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Marguerite Chapman, (more)
- 1943
Stalwart supporting actor Allyn Joslyn is afforded a rare leading role in the Columbia mystery meller Dangerous Blondes. Joslyn and Evelyn Keyes play Harry and Jane Craig, a road-company Nick and Nora Charles. A popular mystery writer, Harry occasionally indulges in amateur detective work, with wife Jane at his side; their friendly nemesis is Inspector Clinton (Frank Craven), who'd prefer that the Craigs would stay home and mind their own business. This proves impossible when Ralph McCormick (Edmund Lowe), the owner of a swank fashion studio, is accused of murdering his wife for the love of designer Julie Taylor (Anita Louise). Snooping around on their own, the Craigs find the real killer-and nearly wind up victims themselves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allyn Joslyn, Evelyn Keyes, (more)
- 1942
This RKO Radio programmer reunites Edmund Lowe and Victor McLaglen in an enjoyable rehash of their earlier Quirt-and-Flagg antics in What Price Glory. The two venerable action stars are respectively cast as Curtis and McGinnis, who after several years' hiatus rejoin the Marines as sergeants. While stationed in San Diego, they duke it out over the attentions of toothsome cabaret singer Vi (Binnie Barnes), who turns out to be linked up with a gang of enemy saboteurs. The plot is secondary to the comedy in this outing, with most of the laughs generated by a tasteless but undeniably hilarious routine involving a speech impediment. In addition, the producers managed to cram six songs into the proceedings, most of them performed by the King's Men Quartet and Six Hits and a Miss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor McLaglen, Edmund Lowe, (more)
- 1942
In this Alaskan adventure, a surgeon becomes a pilot to help him distress after a failed operation. Unfortunately, he is caught in a storm, crashes and finds himself cared for by a lovely woman at a trading post. He gets a chance to reclaim his self-esteem when her son suddenly needs the operation the surgeon botched. This time the operation is a success and happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Lucille Fairbanks, (more)
- 1941
Flying Cadets is basically a vehicle for William Gargan and Edmund Lowe, doing a Flagg-and-Quirt act as a pair of eternally bickering ex-WWI pilots. The "official" plot is carried along by Frank Albertson as Bob Ames, a young airplane fancier who hopes to create a school for aspiring aviators. He also wants to land a government contract for the development of a speedy new aircraft that he's designed in his spare time. Both of these goals are intertwined when Ames is able to establish his school, with grouchy-but-loveable Trip (Gargan) as his assistant and Trip's grouchier-but-more loveable brother Rocky (Lowe) as chief flying instructor. Flying Cadets has the "look" of one of Universal's Richard Arlen-Andy Devine adventure quickies, even down to its heavy reliance on stock footage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Gargan, Edmund Lowe, (more)
- 1941
In this drama two children return from their separate boarding schools to a nasty surprise. The father of one is romantically involved with the other's aunt. The two immediately try to destroy the love affair. They all get involved with chasing some thieves and end up in jail. There the judge marries the lovers and the children are finally able to accept it. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Una Merkel, (more)
- 1940
Richard Dix is his usual strong, silent self in RKO Radio's Men Against the Sky. Dix plays a washed-up pilot who designs a revolutionary new plane. Realizing that he is persona non grata in the aviation industry due to his irresponsibility and alcoholism, Dix allows his sister Wendy Barrie to take credit for the "wonder" plane. Preliminary tests of the aircraft prove disastrous, but Dix establishes the viablity of his design by flying the plane himself, a spectacular act of self-sacrifice that has the salutary effect of restoring his tattered reputation. Among the aircraft seen in Men Against the Sky is the plane used by Howard Huges to establish a new transcontinental record when he flew from California to New Jersey in less than 7 1/2 hours. The film was scripted by Nathaniel West, better known for his trenchant Hollywood novel Day of the Locust. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dix, Wendy Barrie, (more)
- 1940
Those popular MGM co-stars William Powell and Myrna Loy take a break from their usual Thin Man duties to star in the zany comedy I Love You Again. The film opens with Loy prepared to divorce her dull businessman husband Powell. A blow on the head causes Powell to remember his former life as a notorious con man. No one in town has any knowledge of Powell's criminal past, a fact he hopes to use to his advantage. Loy, astounded at Powell's sudden surge of amorous ardor, reconsiders her divorce. When she learns of his true identity, she is even more fascinated. Another blow on the head restores the non-criminal Powell--at least, that's what he and Loy would like you to believe. The film's highlight is a screamingly funny sequence in which Powell plays scoutmaster to a group of surly youngsters (including Our Gang veterans Carl Switzer and Mickey Gubitosi, aka Robert Blake). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Powell, Myrna Loy, (more)
- 1940
In this crime drama, a brilliant lawyer is renowned for getting guilty-as-sin-but-powerful crime figures acquitted. He has never lost a case until he defends an innocent man. The hapless client ends up imprisoned and executed for killing a policeman. The loss traumatizes the lawyer and compels him to use his talents to bring the crooks to justice. He later becomes a district attorney and gets to prosecute a major crime lord. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Rose Hobart, (more)
- 1940
In this melodrama, a wealthy man finds that his good life is threatened by his deeply buried, dark past. It seems that years before, the man escaped from prison. Now he is being blackmailed by a former cellmate. Bad things happen, and the man finds himself framed for murder. Fortunately he proves his innocence. Unfortunately his status as a fugitive is exposed and he must return to the joint to finish his sentence. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Irene Hervey, (more)
- 1940
An inordinate number of Hollywood detective films--including virtually the entire Bulldog Drummond series--extracted humor from the notion of "coitus interruptus." Honeymoon Deferred is the self-explanatory title of a 1940 Universal programmer. Edmund Lowe plays a private detective, newly married to the toothsome Margaret Lindsay. Just as they've settled into their honeymoon hideaway, Lowe's boss is murdered. Thus he heads off to suspectville, while wifey fumes and plays solitaire. If Honeymoon Deferred were any more lightweight, it would float away. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Margaret Lindsay, (more)
