Francis McDonald Movies
Blessed with matinee idol looks, an athletic physique, and a generous supply of talent, Francis J. McDonald entered films in 1912 after brief stage experience. A popular leading man of the teen years, McDonald segued into villainous characterizations in the 1920s, notably as the title character in Buster Keaton's Battling Butler (1926). He remained busy during the talkie era, primarily as a mustachioed heavy in "B" westerns and a featured player in the films of Cecil B. DeMille. Francis J. McDonald was at one time the husband of the "ever popular" Mae Busch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1918
According to The Moving Picture World, "Never jilt a woman who can shoot" was one of the recommended advertising phrases for this Western starring Texas Guinan. Perhaps Guinan was a bit ahead of her time; while she made a number of films before she became the Roaring Twenties' queen of the nightclubs, her tough-girl persona seemed a bit out of place in a world where the feminine ideal was the ethereal Lillian Gish. Guinan's character in this picture is aptly named the Tigress. The lady owns a dance and gambling hall and has already put quite a few varmints under ground with her six-shooters. But she's no match for a man known as the Gent (Francis MacDonald), who finds her weak spot -- her heart. He convinces the Tigress that she has always wanted to settle down with a good man, and she hands over all her savings so that he can make a real home for her. But the Gent takes the money and uses it to open his own gambling hall in a new mining camp. When the Tigress realizes she's been had, she gives the Gent 30 days to get her money back. When he fails, she guns him down in cold blood and rides off with a more worthy man (Ed Brady). ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1918
Alma Rubens, at the time still a fresh face in motion pictures, starred in this Triangle melodrama. French artistJules Mardon (Francis MacDonald) travels to Italy for his health. There, he meets the breathtakingly beautiful Felice (Rubens), who is known as the Passion Flower. Mardon paints her portrait and she falls in love with him. But once he has finished the painting, he takes it and leaves, never to return. The painting is hung in a Paris salon, where it catches the attention of wealthy Armande de Gautier (Wheeler Oakman). De Gautier becomes determined to meet the Passion Flower and he travels to Italy and wins her love. They marry and are happy for several years, especially after the birth of their son. But then Mardon shows up and forces Felice to run away with him. De Gautier believes that she has deserted him and their child, and when she returns, he throws her out of the house. The boy has been stricken with the plague, and before she is forced to leave, Felice kisses the germ-infested child. Then she immediately returns to Mardon, feigns passion for him, and plants her plague-ridden lips on his. Mardon dies from the disease. Both Felice and her son survive, and she reconciles with her husband. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1918
Real Folks was based on a story by amateur scrivener Kate Corbaley, the winner of a screenwriting contest conducted by Triangle Films and Photoplay magazine. For a first effort, Corbaley's script was surprisingly perceptive and well-constructed, suggesting that adaptor Jack Cunningham had more than a little creative input. The "folks" of the title are the Dugans, a farm family who suddenly become millionaires when oil is discovered on their property. No, the Dugans don't go to Beverly Hills (that particular storyline was still some fifty years in the future!), but they do encounter all sorts of misadventures when they try to crash into society. Francis McDonald and Fritzi Ridgeway were the nominal romantic leads, but the film truly belonged to J. Barney Sherry as the bucolic patriarch of the Dugan clan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1918
Socialism is given sympathetic, if unrealistic, treatment in this Triangle drama. John Warfield (Joe King) has been raised a socialist and after his father dies, he continues speaking out against wealth and luxury. Goldie Shepard (Claire Anderson), a telephone operator, takes an interest in him and becomes his stenographer. She is angry because her father (Jean Hersholt) was hit and killed by a car in which wealthy Lorraine Van Allen (Alma Rubens) was riding. Guido Garcia (Francis MacDonald), who is something of a fanatic, helps Warfield by funding a home for the poor. Lorraine comes by to speak with Goldie, who wants nothing to do with her. After seeing the good work Warfield is doing, however, she decides to stick around and get involved. Warfield, meanwhile, discovers that he has inherited a fortune and sails to England to claim it. He sends for Goldie and they are married. But her sudden plunge into wealth changes her. She no longer cares about the poor and refuses to accompany her husband back to the States. Garcia arrives, and when he discovers how much trouble Goldie is causing, he kills her and then jumps into the Thames. Warfield returns to America to find Lorraine taking care of his mission. A romance develops and they embark on a life together, helping the poor. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
This domestic melodrama, released by Fox, was a typical vehicle for Gladys Brockwell. After an argument with her sweetheart, telephone operator Eleanor Burton (Brockwell) turns her attention to Jim Drake (Francis McDonald), a millionaire's son. She marries Jim, and his father, Daniel (Herschel Mayall), disinherits him. Eleanor expects Jim to prove his true worth, and he does. Unfortunately, his value is pretty close to worthless and he decides he wants a divorce. To get it without having to pay alimony, he enlists the help of a couple to show that Eleanor has been unfaithful. They convince her that Jim is ill in a hotel room, but when she goes up there, she finds another man. Jim and a witness walk in on them and divorce proceedings on the grounds of adultery begin. Eleanor's old sweetheart is working for the divorce lawyer, and he quits his job to defend her. He finds evidence that she was framed, and the divorce is granted in her favor. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
The story to this likable crook drama was written by playwright Bayard Veiller, who specialized in crime and suspense stories. Gertie (Priscilla Dean) works as a maid in the home of a wealthy family, but she's actually a thief who plans to rob them. After breaking open the safe, she is in danger of being caught. She calls the police, claiming that a burglar has broken in. Ironically, Jimmy Hartigan, a famed safecracker (Francis McDonald) just happens to show up before the police do. The cops cart him off to jail, but not before he and Gertie fall in love. She helps him escape from prison and they marry and head for New York. They are planning a big job, but have a change of heart and decide to go straight. After settling down on a farm in New Jersey, the couple discovers that Kersey, a detective (Milton Ross), is hot on Hartigan's trail. With the help of a couple of other crooks, they arrange a scenario where it appears that Hartigan has saved Kersey's life. Kersey, who realizes that Hartigan has gone straight, is glad to use this as an excuse to let him go. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
When her pickpocket father is sent up the river, Nancy (Olive Thomas) has to provide for her younger sisters. She places them in the care of Jonathan Twist (William V. Mong), a jeweler and a fence, then goes to work as a demonstrator in a drug store. There she meets wealthy old Englishman Lord Cleveland and marries him. He dies not long after, and Nancy discovers that she has no title to his fortune. She returns to the States, playing the society dame by day and by night, dressed in boy's clothing, she robs rich people's homes. (However, she gives some of her ill-gotten earnings to the poverty-stricken people she grew up with, showing that she hasn't completely forgotten her roots!) Her skill at burglary inspires the police to put their craftiest detective, Jim Garside (Joe King), on her trail. He's probably not quite so sharp as he appears, since it takes him several weeks to nail Nancy, and that's only after he finds Twist -- who has been fencing the items she's stolen -- dead. He is about to accuse her of the murder when he finds out the real killer has been captured. So instead he falls in love with her. Needless to say, this preposterous film did not do Olive Thomas's career much good. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Forrest, Dolly Dare, (more)
- 1919
Nora Nolan (Shirley Mason) is a clerk in a department store. One very hot day she faints and is told by the store's doctor to take a vacation. On her measly salary, she can't afford to do this, but a reporter, Jimmie Norton (Francis McDonald) hears of her plight and sends her 200 dollars (a nice sum in those days). He's the son of a rich man, so he has the means to do this. So Nora goes to a fashionable seaside resort and Jimmie follows soon after, having been fired from his job. Because of his well-to-do background, he's considered a catch by the vacationing society girls and one in particular, Emily Westervelt-Moore (Betty Bouton) wants to get her hands on him. He fancies Nora, of course, so Emily tries to pin a rash of thefts on the girl. But Nora figures out a way to catch the real crooks and holds them at bay with a frying pan until help comes. After that, Jimmie proposes to Nora. This was a pleasant, though not particularly distinguished romantic comedy, based on a story by Royal Brown which appeared in Red Book magazine. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
Henry Walthall plays a priest who is duty bound to keep secret a terrible confession in this melodramatic thriller. Father Bartlett (Walthall) is concerned about his brother, Tom (Francis McDonald), a rowdy young man who drinks too much. Tom gets himself in trouble on the night he is out drinking with Jimmie Creighton (Barney Furey), the brother of his sweetheart, Rose (Margaret Landis). When Jimmie tells Tom that he has had enough to drink, it causes an argument and the two men come to blows outside the saloon. Tom drops his gun, but it is picked up by Joseph Dumont (William Clifford), who shoots Jimmie because he had wronged his sister. Dumont goes to Father Bartlett with this confession. Father Bartlett holds to the sanctity of the confessional, even though Tom is arrested for the crime, convicted, and sentenced to die. Although Father Bartlett prefers to leave the matter in the hands of a "greater judge," Tom is not so willing, and he escapes. He is found in the Canadian Northwest and brought back to be hung. Father Bartlett saves Dumont from drowning and convinces him to come clean. Meanwhile, Rose and Tom's mother (Margaret McWade) have begged for a pardon from the governor, to no avail. Father Bartlett and Dumont finally show up, but Dumont drops dead before he can reveal the truth. But just before the trap springs on Tom, a confession is found in Dumont's pocket. Tom is finally freed. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1920
Author James Oliver Curwood's tales of the Northwest were made into so many motion pictures that it seems like he alone is responsible for every Mountie cliché that was committed to cinema. Case in point is this picture: Raoul Challoner (Lon Chaney in a rare romantic role) is in love with Nanette Roland (Betty Blythe), but while he is in the North, Buck McDougall (Francis MacDonald) tries to steal her away by claiming that he is dead. Challoner, however, reappears just in time to halt the wedding. Later he gets in a fight with McDougall and one of his cronies; the crony is killed and Challoner and Nanette flee to the North woods. A Mountie, Corporal O'Connor (Lewis Stone), is assigned the task of arresting Challoner, but McDougall gets there first. He tries to kidnap Nanette while Challoner is away, but she is rescued by his pets -- a dog and a bear. A forest fire breaks out and Corporal O'Connor saves Nanette, but leaves McDougall behind to burn to death. Instead of getting his man, O'Connor tells Challoner that he will tell his superiors that he died in the fire, thus leaving him to go free. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1921
This amusing little romance is based on a novel by Harold McGrath. Alice Gaynor (Elinor Field) lives on a country estate with her irascible Uncle John (John Cossar). He refuses to let her have any friends, and she uses her pent-up energy to play pranks on him. Her tricks annoy him so much that he decides to go away. While he is gone, Alice dresses up as a maid and meets Richard Comstock, an author who is traveling incognito (Lloyd Bacon). She tells him that she lives in a boarding house, and turns her uncle's large home into one, using the servants as guests and the housekeeper (Mollie McConnell) as the landlady. Comstock boards at the Gaynor residence, but Alice's uncle comes home and spoils everything. Comstock checks into a hotel and Alice, still on the search for adventure, meets him at the hunt club ball. Galloping Dick, a gentleman crook (Francis McDonald), proceeds to rob the guests. Alice thinks Comstock is Galloping Dick, and she tries to help him escape. They run into the real Dick's accomplice and they themselves are denounced as the jewel thieves. Finally a detective catches the real crooks, and Alice and Comstock reveal their true identities to each other. The couple return to Alice's uncle, who gives them his consent. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francis McDonald, Lloyd Bacon, (more)
- 1921
Viola Dana, usually known for her flapper roles in light comedies, takes a turn for the dramatic here. Gabriel Palombra (Francis McDonald) leaves his wife, Sorrentina (Dana), home in Italy and travels to New York to make his fortune. When time passes and Sorrentina doesn't hear from him, she too leaves for the States. Gabriel hasn't written because he's been having a difficult time finding work. Then, when he gets a job in a barber shop, he is lured into the clutches of the wily manicurist, who helps him win a fortune at the races and tricks him into marrying her. Sorrentina finds a job as a flower girl in a cabaret and she and Gabriel finally find each other. Gabriel is arrested for bigamy, but a kindly judge releases him into the custody of Sorrentina. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1921
Before Paramount produced this well-received version of Edward White's novel Conjurer's House, it had been made into a play by George Broadhurst and filmed in 1914 by Cecil B. DeMille (it was DeMille's second directing credit). Galen Albret (Noah Beery) is the factor, or manager, of an important trading post of the Hudson Bay Company. He's also a jealous and vindictive man, and because he believes that Graham Stewart (Edward Martindel) has slept with his wife, he sends him into the Northwoods to die. Stewart's son, who grows up with the name Ned Trent (Jack Holt), swears revenge. In his search for the killer, he winds up at Albret's post. Not realizing that he has already found his man, Trent falls in love with Albret's daughter, Virginia (Madge Bellamy). Trent is caught and sent out to the woods to die like his father, but Virginia rescues him. The circumstances surrounding the death of Trent's father are cleared up, and Albret admits his wrongdoing. Trent and Virginia are united. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Holt, Madge Bellamy, (more)
- 1922
About the only thing that separated this Northwoods drama from the other several dozen that were released during 1922 was that this one took place in the summer, hence there are no snow scenes. Oddly, while the heroine wears lightweight dresses, all the men sport knitted caps and heavy jackets, as if they're waiting for a wayward snowstorm. Buck Jones -- still being billed as Charles Jones -- takes a break from his usual Western fare here, but this picture certainly didn't do his career any good. It's so loaded with clichés that when one of the opening title cards reads, "a tale of love and duty in the Northwest," the whole audience probably could fill in the details for themselves: Trooper O'Neil (Jones) is out to get his man -- in this case, whoever murdered Jacob Dell. He poses as a trapper and heads for Saskatchewan country, where he meets and falls in love with Marie (Beatrice Burnham). Dell had ruined Marie's sister Celeste, so the suspects boil down to either her brother Paul (Jack Rollens) or Celeste's suitor, Pierre (Francis McDonald). But then evidence indicates that the killer would have a wound on the right side -- which Marie does. Torn between "love and duty," O'Neil chooses duty and arrests his sweetheart. But the real killer, Black Flood (Claude Payton) tries to murder O'Neil, and falls off a cliff in the ensuing chase. With his last gasps, he reveals that he did in Dell, so the very understanding Marie is reunited with her Mountie. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles "Buck" Jones, Beatrice Burnham, (more)
- 1922
aka The Count of Monte Cristo Much of John Gilbert's early work as a leading man was done at the Fox Studios. He made nineteen pictures for the company, but only two are still in existence -- this adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel, and 1923's Cameo Kirby. As Edmond Danton, and later as the Count of Monte Cristo, Gilbert at times seems too mannered -- a habit that he would have to watch throughout his career. Danton is dragged away from his wedding feast with Countess Mercedes (Estelle Taylor) and falsely imprisoned in the Chateau d'If. He swears to wreak vengeance on those who wronged him, if he ever escapes. Eventually he is able to dig his way out, and with another prisoner, he goes to the island of Monte Cristo, where he finds an immense treasure. He returns home as the Count of Monte Cristo and, as he promised, proceeds to destroy all his enemies. Featured in a supporting role is Renee Adorée, who would star with Gilbert in several of his pictures, most notably The Big Parade. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Gilbert, Estelle Taylor, (more)
- 1923
The Parisian settings of George Du Maurier's novel were faithfully recreated for this production -- which is more than can be said for Maurice Tourneur's 1915 version of the film. It was the first American feature for French actress Andree Lafayette, and Arthur Edmund Carewe gives a skillful performance as Svengali (although John Barrymore's performance in the 1931 talkie version is definitive). Trilby (Lafayette) is toiling away in a French laundry when she meets a young English art student. She calls him Little Billee (Creighton Hale), and they have a romance. But she comes under the influence of a musician, Svengali, who has hypnotic powers. On the night of Trilby's engagement to Billee, Svengali steals her away, and with his powers, turns her into a brilliant concert singer. One night Billee and his friends (Philo McCullough and Francis McDonald) see her perform. Svengali has a heart attack and dies, and Trilby loses her beautiful voice. Although she is now free of Svengali's influence, the strain is too much for her and she dies. There were two endings made of this picture -- one was Du Maurier's tragic ending and the other was the typically happy Hollywood finish. An interesting note: the 1915 Maurice Tourneur version starred Clara Kimball Young, who was then married to James Young, the director of the 1923 version. James Young was also in the cast of the Tourneur version. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andree Lafayette, Arthur Edmund Carewe, (more)
- 1923
This farce was based on the musical comedy by Otto A. Harbach and Louis A. Hirsch, which was adapted from the play The Aviator by James H. Montgomery. Douglas MacLean -- who was especially good at farce comedy -- plays the lead, Robert Street. Street is an author whose novel about aviation, Going Up, is a best seller. The only catch is that he has a horror of flying and the one time he was in a plane, he swore never to fly again. But when he escapes to a summer resort, he finds that everyone there knows his name thanks to his pal, Hopkinson Brown (Hallam Cooley). He decides to leave, but then he meets and falls in love with Grace Douglas (Marjorie Daw). Not only does she convince him to stay, but she inspires his courage -- and he needs a lot of that because his romantic rival, Jules Gaillard (Francis McDonald), is the best aviator in France. Gaillard has dared him into competing, and in spite of all of Steele's efforts --and those of his friends -- he has no choice but to take flight. In spite of everything, Street is a complete success in the air, and back on the ground he wins Grace's heart. A very boyish looking Mervyn Leroy -- many years away from his fame as a director -- had a bit part as a bellboy. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas MacLean, Hallam Cooley, (more)
- 1923
Except for the pretty backgrounds, pert Shirley Mason is just about the only bright spark in this otherwise tired and cliché South Seas drama. Dolores Medina (Mason) meets English trader Gerald Wilton (J. Frank Glendon) on the ship run by her father (Charles A. Sellon). She falls in love with him, and when her father dies, he asks Wilton to take care of Dolores. Although Wilton tries to follow through on his promise, Dolores is disillusioned when she discovers that he is already married. Disillusioned after finding out Wilton's secret, Dolores runs away to become a dancer at a tropical cafe. Every tawdry club has its lecherous owner (at least in motion pictures), and this one is no exception. Dolores escapes from him, but she's still hesitant to return to Wilton's care. She changes her mind, however, when he is attacked by a group of her father's friends and she is the one who saves him. Discovering that Wilton's wife has died, Wilton and Dolores are able to pursue their romance. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley Mason, Francis McDonald, (more)
- 1924
Owen Moore was a bit long in tooth when he played the brash young hero of East of Broadway. Peter Mullaney (Moore) has one burning desire: to join the New York City police force. Too short--and too stupid--to pass the entrance exam, Mullaney is given a one-night-only chance by the sympathetic police commissioner (Ralph Lewis). Proving himself a hero during a life-or-death situation, Mullaney makes the force and wins the hand of lovely Judy McNulty (Marguerite de la Motte) in the bargain. Though a silent film, East of Broadway manages to lay on thick slices of Irish blarney in every scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Owen Moore, Mary Carr, (more)
- 1924
Mario Bianchi (Monty Banks) says goodbye to his parents (Martha Franklin and D. Mitzoras) and leaves Italy for America. He goes to live with his uncle (Lionel Belmont), who runs a restaurant, where he meets "the girl" (Helen Ferguson). Tony Mora, the leader of a gang (Francis MacDonald), decides he doesn't like Mario, and goes out of his way to make his life miserable. As a result, the young immigrant is fired from every job he gets. Through a series of circumstances, a big automobile manufacturer hires Mario for a race, believing that he is a famous foreign driver. In reality, Mario knows nothing about cars and, in fact, has never driven one. Once he gets behind the wheel and takes off, he doesn't stop (mostly because he doesn't know how) until he reaches the finish line. Although the car winds up smashed into a tree with Mario stuck in the branches, he has won the race -- and the girl. Banks had some great help in making this film as funny as it was -- Jean Havez and Lex Neal, who wrote the story, were veteran comedy writers. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1924
This domestic comedy-drama seems to owe a lot of its spirit to filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille, who made quite a few similar films. When Beth (Eleanor Boardman) marries Peter Marsh (Conrad Nagel), they find their ideas of domestic bliss are very different. Peter dreams of power and a large family, while Beth envisions an vast wardrobe. Her extravagant spending sends her husband into debt and their quarrels grow heated. Just about this time, Daniel Rankin (Lew Cody), another resident in the apartment building where the Marshes live, comes into the picture. He's a self-admitted expert in "understanding misunderstood women," and he sees Beth as easy prey. With the help of his chauffeur and the Marsh's chauffeur, Rankin arranges for Beth's car to "break down." He comes to her aid and offers his sympathetic ear. His presence does not exactly thrill Peter. When Rankin throws a dance in Beth's honor, Peter forbids her to go. She defies him and leaves, but Rankin, who isn't such a bad sort, realizes that she still loves her husband. He sits her down and tells her the Biblical story of David (Warner Oland) and Bath-Sheba (Mabel Julienne Scott), and sends Beth home to Peter. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Conrad Nagel, Eleanor Boardman, (more)
- 1924
This picture was based on an old time melodrama by Lincoln J. Carter. Pauline Starke stars as Katherine Keith, whose brother David (Harold Goodwin) is vamped by Lola Nichols (Evelyn Brent). Lola belongs to a gang of crooks who are planning to rob the bank where David works. When one of the gang kills a man, David is arrested for the crime. He is convicted of the murder and Katherine is determined to prove his innocence. She becomes a member of the gang so she can evidence showing that David is not guilty, later rushing to the state capitol to reach the governor in time to prevent his execution. Every step along the way, the gang tries to stop her. Somehow she manages to board the Arizona Express, where her sweetheart, Steve Butler, a mail clerk (David Butler), is working. The two of them manage to thwart the gang and they save Katherine's brother. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pauline Starke, Evelyn Brent, (more)
- 1925
As its title implies, this independently made, routine melodrama takes place in the Canadian North Woods. Raoul LaFane (Francis McDonald) is a brutal, hard-drinking trapper who abuses his wife, Marie (Eva Novak), on a regular basis. During one attack, she shoots him and he falls. Marie is convinced he is dead and, fearing that she will be arrested for murder, flees into the snowy wilderness. Eventually she is found by Louis LaBlanc (Robert Ellis), and he helps her out. Romance blossoms between them and they marry. At this point -- not surprisingly -- it is revealed that LaFane is alive after all and when he shows up, Marie reveals her past to LaBlanc. LaBlanc tracks down LaFane, and the two eventually come to blows. During their battle, LaFane falls over a cliff to his death. LaBlanc comes back and tells Marie that she no longer has anything to worry about. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1925
Considering how unsympathetic Lowell Sherman's character was, this melodrama about Parisian high life made for questionable entertainment. Michael Yervedoff (Sherman) is an exiled Russian nobleman of vast wealth. He spends his time and money on love affairs and he callously casts the women away when he grows bored of them. He throws a lavish Mardi Gras party at his Paris home, and Colette Breton (Pauline Garon), a pretty young ragamuffin of a girl, sneaks in through a window. Her wild dancing draws a lot of attention, and Michael becomes very interested in her. He has no use for his latest mistress, Dolores Sierra (Gertrude Astor), but she refuses to just go away. She wants revenge, and she vamps Paul (John Harron), Michael's naïve younger brother. Paul really believes in the romance and he plans to marry Dolores, but he finally suspects she is not exactly squeaky clean. When he discovers that she was once Michael's mistress, he races his auto through the streets in despair. It overturns and he is fatally injured. Michael, shocked by his brother's death, decides to settle down, and he chooses Colette as his wife. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lowell Sherman, John Harron, (more)
- 1925
This mystery was based on a novel written by 20 popular authors, each of whom contributed a chapter. The point of each chapter was to put the characters in such a tight predicament that the next writer would have to be exceptionally clever to get them out of it. As can be imagined, the film that resulted from the book was fast-paced and had almost constant action. Connemara Moore (Marie Prevost) has two suitors, one who likes bobbed hair and the other who doesn't. Both have proposed and she promises to reveal which one she has accepted by either bobbing her hair or not bobbing. In reality, she can't decide between them, so she accepts a ride with a stranger, David Lacy (Kenneth Harlan, at the time Prevost's real-life husband). The ride leads her to all sorts of adventures involving bootleggers, a fight on a private yacht, an attack by hijackers, and other tense situations. Connemara is rescued by Lacy, who turns out to be a government agent, and when she shows up with only half her hair bobbed, it's an indication that she has chosen him as her husband-to-be. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie Prevost, Kenneth Harlan, (more)
