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- 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
- 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
