John Holland Movies

Assigned by the police commissioner to catch a notorious gangster, a young police captain discovers that his adversary is a former friend in this low-budget crime drama from Syndicate Film Exchanges. The gangster, Joe Velet (Robert Gleckler), is arrested for possession of a firearm and is revealed to be Phil Terry, a former sergeant with the Riffs in North Africa and the best friend of Police Captain Bill Houston (John Holland). Velet/Terry admits to having become a hoodlum because crime, as he puts it, "pays more than cigarette money." About to be extradited back east to stand trial for several killings, Velet is rescued by a couple of his henchmen masquerading as law officers. At liberty, he challenges Bill to a final confrontation at the Silver Slipper Club, which the gangsters are about to raid. Rival hoodlum Taroni (Paul Panzer), whose girlfriend (Mae Busch) is a police informer, is killed in the melee, but Velet manages to escape once again. In order to get even with Bill, the gang boss kidnaps his adversary's girlfriend, the police commissioner's daughter, Alice (Catherine Dale Owen), and the distraught commissioner (Edmund Breese) orders Bill off the case. Happily, our hero discovers Velet's hideout and Alice is rescued during the ensuing shootout. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Guilty? could be regarded as a precursor to Citizen Kane -- except that the first film isn't one-20th as good as the second. The story begins when an elderly ex-convict suddenly turns up dead. During their investigation, the police interview ten of the dead man's closest associates, each of whom offers a different perspective on the man's life. Only the victim's daughter (Virginia Valli) knows that her father committed suicide -- and only she knows why. Surprisingly shy of star names in the cast, Guilty? is forced to rely on the power of its narrative to sustain audience interest; alas, it isn't quite enough. The film was adapted for the screen by Dorothy Howell, from her own short story "Black Sheep." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Norma (Dorothy Sebastian) is in love with her boss Bill (Neil Hamilton). Everyone is aware of this -- except for Norma and Bill. Left penniless by several bonehead business transactions, Bill concocts a scheme to make a great deal of money in a hurry. The plan hinges on Norma's marriage to a wealthy playboy (John Holland). Incredibly, the much-used heroine returns to Bill for the finale, convincing him to forsake caviar in favor of hot dogs. But Norma is no fool: in a gag ending, she lets Bill know in no uncertain terms that she's going to be calling the shots from now on. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

As was often the case in the films of Chesterfield Studios, the title The Lady From Nowhere has little relevance to the film itself. Alice Day and John Holland play a pair of young lovers who may or may not be crooks. Or, they may or may not be detectives. Whatever the case, hero and heroine team up to trap the villains responsible for a major crime (just what that crime is was never made clear in the film, nor in the "official" synopses). Silent-screen veterans Phillips Smalley and Barbara Bedford strive hard to make their roles worthwhile, while Mischa Auer, still several years removed from his fame as one of Hollywood's most delightful character comedians, is suitably menacing as a maniacal heavy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In spite of its unbelievable storyline, She Goes to War manages to sustain interest from first reel to last. During WWI, spoiled socialite Joan Morant (Eleanor Boardman) heads to France, hoping to be reunited with her soldier sweetheart Reggie (Edmund Burns). Her presence is resented by Reggie's CO, Lieutenant Tom Pike (John Holland), who endeavors to prove to the heroine that social standing means nothing in the face of war. When Reggie turns coward and refuses to march into battle, the newly-responsible Joan, hoping to save Reggie's honor, dons a uniform and marches off in his place! Through a bizarre turn of events, Joan ends up saving the lives of everyone else in the regiment. Currently available from several public-domain videocassette sources, She Goes to War is worth seeing if only for its brief talkie sequences, in which the voice of actress Alma Rubens (cast as ukelele-plucking Rosie Cohen) was heard for the first and only time; within two years, Rubens would be dead, having lost her ongoing battle with drug addiction. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Still in the "Lillian Gish" phase of her career, Una Merkel plays the put-upon heroine in The Eyes of the World. The story begins with an urban romantic triangle involving handsome artist John Holland, his lover Gertrude (Fern Andra), and Gertrude's fossilized millionaire husband Brandon Hurst. Accompanying Gertrude and Hurst on a trip to the mountains, Holland falls in love with hillbilly gal Sybil (Merkel). Insanely jealous, Gertrude arranges for her wastrelly brother Hugh Huntley to seduce and abandon poor Sybil. But Holland sees through the scheme and tells Gertrude where to get off, preferring to spend the rest of his days with his sweetheart of the hills. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi