Bertram Marburgh Movies
A veteran stage actor who had appeared opposite John Drew in Much Ado About Nothing, William Faversham in The Squaw Man, and Maude Adams in Chanticleer, dark-complexioned Bertram Marburgh became a fixture in Hollywood films of the 1910s and 1920s, usually portraying powerful characters, judges, noblemen, medical doctors, and the like. He returned to the legitimate stage after the changeover to sound but was back in Hollywood by the 1940s, playing mostly bit roles. Marburgh spent his final years as a resident at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1943
In this light romantic comedy, William B. Whitley (William Powell) is an astronomer who is very excited about his latest discovery, a comet that has been named after him. However, Whitley has been so busy tracking the course of his comet as its path leads straight into the moon that he's been ignoring his new wife, Vicky (Hedy Lamarr). Bored and lonely, one day Vicky visits an astrologer who informs her that she will -- on a specific day -- meet a handsome stranger, and they will fall in love. A bit perplexed at this news, Vicky shares the astrologer's report with William; however, he's so appalled that she would waste her time on pseudo-scientific hooey like astrology that he storms out of the house, moving into his observatory for a few days. On the predicted day, Vicky is wondering what happened to her dream man when an air raid warden, Lloyd Hunter (James Craig), shows up to confront Vicky and ends up going inside her house and shutting off her lights. Vicky and Lloyd strike up a conversation, and she begins to realize that he could well be the man the astrologer predicted she would meet; Vicky is interested in him, but just as he's leaving, William returns. William, however, senses that Vicky is infatuated with Lloyd, and he quickly hatches a devious plan to win back her good graces. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Powell, Hedy Lamarr, (more)
- 1942
An innocent man is put on trial, but is he really as innocent as he claims? Diplomat David Talbot (William Powell) and his bride Lucienne (Hedy Lamarr) are enjoying a honeymoon in Paris when David is confronted by extortionists who demand money in exchange for not turning him in to the police. David has no idea what the men are talking about and ignores their threats, but the men prove good to their word, and David finds himself on trial for a series of thefts. At the trial, David's name is cleared when Henri Sarrow (Basil Rathbone) testifies that he knew the man who committed the crimes, a friend of his who recently died. However, after the trial, David meets Sarrow, who informs David that he lied under oath; according to Sarrow, David did indeed commit the robberies while suffering from amnesia after a severe blow to the head, and if he wants to keep the facts quiet, he'll do whatever Sarrow says. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Powell, Hedy Lamarr, (more)
- 1942
When a common man pretends to be wealthy, hordes of desperate gold-diggers flock to win his affections. Before long, the deceiver is engaged to three women and must struggle to keep his fiancée from finding out about the ruse. Of course it doesn't take long for the truth to get out, and the scheming lothario to get his due. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1941
The illustrious National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan provides the backdrop for this musical that chronicles the ups and downs of overseeing such an establishment. The story centers on a young burlesque singer who is discovered and taken to the camp. At first the uncultured girl rebels against the many rules of the camp, but eventually she settles down and sets to work. Trouble for the camp ensues when a negative newspaper article is published and the backers for the camp withdraw their support. To save the place, the young singer stages a benefit performance. She has by then become an opera diva and succeeds in saving the day. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allan Jones, Susanna Foster, (more)
(Preston Sturges) wrote and directed this classic romantic comedy starring Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck, who are involved in a scintillating battle of the sexes, as Sturges points up the terrors of sexual passion and the unattainability of the romantic ideal. Henry Fonda plays Charles Pike, the heir to the Pike Ale fortune ("The Ale That Won for Yale"). An ophiologist (a snake expert), he just spent a year "up the Amazon" looking for rare snakes with his cynical and protective guardian/valet Muggsy (William Demarest). He arrives to board the S.S. Southern Queen bound for New York, and immediately becomes the main order of business for a collection of single women looking to nab the eligible bachelor. Amongst those watching Charles board are a trio of con men and cardsharps -- Colonel Handsome Harry Harrington (Charles Coburn), his partner Gerald (Melville Cooper), and the Colonel's daughter Jean (Barbara Stanwyck). All three see Charles as a pushover and at dinner, while all the women are ogling Charles, Jean wins the day by sticking out her foot and tripping him. Complaining to Charles that he should watch where he is going, she gets him to escort her to her cabin so that she can replace her broken heel. Charles is sexually attracted to Jean, but when Charles is about to make a pass at her, she pulls back, telling him, "You ought to be put in a cage." Back in the dining room, Charles is introduced to the Colonel and the three play cards, Charles winning $500 from the Colonel and $100 from Jean. But Charles is merely being set-up for the next game when the Colonel will come in for the kill. Back at Jean's cabin, Charles and Jean sit close and something happens she hadn't planned -- she becomes attracted to Charles too. The next morning, Muggsy warns Charles that the Colonel and Jean are cardsharks, but Charles won't hear of it. Meanwhile, the Colonel is looking forward to fleecing Charles, but Jean doesn't want any part of it. Jean participates in the card game between Charles and the Colonel, making sure than the Colonel doesn't cheat. But while Jean waits on deck for Charles after the game, the Colonel plays Charles a game of double-or-nothing, with Charles losing $32,000. Jean, angry with her father, makes the Colonel tears up Charles' check. The next morning, Muggsy proves to Charles the three are con artists. Devastated, Charles shows Jean the photograph, claiming he knew she was a criminal the morning after he met her. Jean is determined to get even with Charles ("I hate that mug!"). Docking in New York, the Colonel reveals he merely palmed the $32,000 check. But that's not enough revenge for Jean. Impersonating an aristocratic English woman, Lady Eve Sidwich, Jean has herself introduced to Charles. Planning to make Charles to fall in love with her again, she intends to break his heart like he broke her own. As she explains, "I've got some unfinished business with him -- I need him like the axe needs the turkey." ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Fonda, Barbara Stanwyck, (more)
- 1940
Condemned to death for a mercy killing, Dr. John Garth (Karloff) continues to experiment in prison to develop a serum that will put at end to the ageing process. On the eve of his execution, he offers himself as guinea pig for his youth serum, which has recently been mixed with the blood of an executed psychopath. Miraculously, Garth does grow younger before the astonished eyes of kindly prison physician Ralph Howard (Edward Van Sloan). Alas, the serum has murderous side effects, which Howard discovers only as Garth strangles him to death. Pardoned from Death Row thanks to a script contrivance, Garth spends the rest of the film trying to carry on his humanitarian work despite embarrassing lapses into homicidal mania. Many observers regard Before I Hang as the best of Karloff's "Mad Doctor" series for Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Boris Karloff, Evelyn Keyes, (more)
- 1933
In this comedy a maid and a butler work for a very rich man. The trouble begins when their employer dies and leaves his estate to them. Once he is gone, they are free to finally marry. Unfortunately, they do not enjoy being wealthy, and they must lose everything and break up before they get back together and have a happy life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Slim" Summerville, ZaSu Pitts, (more)
- 1930
William Powell stars in this drama as William Foster, a gifted defense attorney with a gift for making cases go his way. Foster's winning record in the courtroom has earned him a colorful clientele, including several notorious criminals, but he doubts his abilities when his girlfriend Irene Manners (Kay Francis) is charged with manslaughter after a violent incident which occurred while she was drinking. Wanting to protect Irene, Foster tries to pull a few strings, but the results find Foster facing a five year sentence for jury tampering. While Foster certainly doesn't want to be separated from the woman he loves, he also knows that in prison he'll have to face several former clients whose defense didn't pan out. For The Defense was based in part on the true story of William Fallon, a well-known attorney of the day. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Powell, Kay Francis, (more)
- 1930
In this drama, a Viennese composer kills his wife and her lover in a jealous rage, and then heads for the US with his daughter where he becomes a successful musician in a Broadway restaurant. Eighteen years later, his grown daughter gets a job as an arranger for a jazz combo. The trouble begins when she and her boyfriend arrange one of her father's old tunes. It becomes popular, and the Austrian authorities follow up on it and capture the criminal composer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Collier, Jr., Alice Day, (more)
- 1927
This routine drama was spiced up by a good cast and solid directing. A clerk (Lloyd Hughes) loses his job, so his wife, Tamara (Billie Dove), goes back to work as a Follies girl. This causes a rift between the couple and they separate. The clerk goes out to dinner with a friend, an inventor (Arthur Hoyt) who has been trying unsuccessfully to see a certain millionaire (Lewis Stone) to get financial backing. Little do they know, the millionaire is dining at the next table, and is infatuated with Tamara. The three men strike up a casual conversation, and when the clerk relates the tale of his separation, the millionaire insists that he should make his wife come back. He also has some advice for the inventor: he should force the man he seeks to listen to him. That night, Tamara goes to meet the millionaire and confesses she is already married. The clerk shows up and the millionaire reunites them. Meanwhile, the inventor, who can't get in to see the millionaire, comes in through a window and the millionaire is forced to listen to his pitch. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billie Dove, Lloyd Hughes, (more)
Having scored big-time box office with his first Biblical epic, The Ten Commandments (1923), Cecil B. DeMille hoped to top this success with his 1927 The King of Kings. Inasmuch as he was now dealing with the life of Christ, DeMille had to be careful to serve up equal amounts of showmanship and reverence. The first creative challenge: how to "introduce" Christ in a tasteful manner? The answer: as a blind child is cured through Jesus' intervention, DeMille cuts to the child's point-of-view, slowly fading in on the kindly countenance of H.B. Warner as the Son of Man. Still, DeMille remained DeMille, especially in his handling of the character of Mary Magdalene (Jacqueline Logan). No longer a tattered streetwalker, Mary Magdalene is now a glamorous courtesan, replete with legions of gorgeous slave girls (one of whom is "bubble dancer" Sally Rand) and dressed in revealing Hollywood-style gowns. In fact, the film opens on this character, as she ruminates over the defection of her favorite customer, Judas Iscariot (Joseph Schildkraut), who is spending far too much time with Jesus of Nazareth. Upon visiting Jesus herself, she immediately repents, casting off all her prior sins. Once again, the efficacy of the Cecil B. DeMille formula is proven: redemption has no dramatic value unless the film shows viewers why the sinner needs to be redeemed. Once he's gotten his box-office considerations out of the way, DeMille adheres faithfully to the particulars of Jesus' life, betrayal, trial, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. (Again, however, the director improves a bit upon his source material: the storm that follows the Crucifixion is of the same spectacular dimensions as the parting of the Red Sea in Ten Commandments, while the Resurrection is filmed in vibrant Technicolor). To back up the authenticity of his images, DeMille -- with an assist from scenarist Jeannie Macpherson -- utilizes Scriptural quotes in his subtitles. And to avoid any untoward publicity while filming, DeMille required all of his actors to sign legal documents preventing them from indulging in any sort of "sinful" activity; this meant that poor old H.B. Warner had to steer clear of alcoholic beverages for nearly a year, though he more than made up for lost time after his contract ran out. Prepared to mercilessly lambaste The King of Kings, DeMille's critics were disarmed by his reverent, tasteful approach to the subject. Years after the film's release, a specially prepared 60-minute version of the 18-reel King of Kings was making the rounds of religious groups, church basements, and Easter-weekend telecasts. The film was remade in 1961 by producer Samuel Bronston and director Nicholas Ray, with Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- H.B. Warner, Dorothy Cumming, (more)
- 1927
Pola Negri and director Mauritz Stiller fail to make much of this somber and unoriginal melodrama, which was based on the play by Ernest Vajda. Julie, a model of the Paris studios (Negri), is on trial for murder. On the stand, she relates her story, and in the style of Madame X, the film is told in flashback. She loves artist Pierre Bouton (Einar Hanson), who is dying of consumption. In order to get him to the Alps for a cure, Julie marries Moreland, an art patron (Andre Sarti). She secretly uses his money to buy Pierre's paintings so he can remain at Davos. At one point, however, his condition worsens and Julie hastens to his side. Moreland follows her and discovers them together. He divorces Julie and, with the help of Gaston Napier (Arnold Kent), compromises her so that he can retain custody of their little boy. Julie vengefully shoots Napier. After hearing her story, the court acquits her, and she reunites with the now-cured Pierre. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pola Negri, Einar Hansen, (more)
- 1926
While studying dance in Hungary, British ballerina Leonide Sturdee (Jacqueline Logan) suffers a crippling accident. Enter faith healer Anton Ragatzy (Lou Tellegan), who assures Leonide that she'll walk again if only she places herself in his hands. But Leonide considers Ragatzy to be a fraud and sends him on his way. By now hopelessly in love with the heroine, Ragatzy follows her back to England, begging to be allowed to cure her. Eventually she agrees, whereupon the long-awaited miracle occurs (though it's left up to the viewer whether or not Ragatzy really has the power to heal). The Outsider was based on a play by Dorothy Brandon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Logan, Lou Tellegen, (more)
- 1926
Flighty Denise Lake (Irene Rich) tries to be faithful to her husband Howard (Huntley Gordon), but while vacationing in Hungary she falls for a shabby violinist named Tade Adrian (Victor Varconi), who claims to be of noble birth. Her understanding hubby allows Denise to have her fling but arranges to reveal Adrian as a phony before he can complete his seduction. Even after learning her lesson, however, Denise can't avoid winking at the next handsome fellow who passes by. Silken Shackles represented the directorial debut of Walter Morosco, who later became a producer for 20th Century-Fox. Featured in the cast is former Sennett comedian Kalla Pasha, who enjoyed a healthy career until the early 1930s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Rich, Huntly Gordon, (more)
- 1925
This drama about a Jewish family on New York's Lower East side marked the screen debut of respected stage actor Rudolph Schildkraut (whose son, Joseph Schildkraut, would also become a stage and screen star). Rabbi Cominsky (Schildkraut) has been reduced to working as a pushcart peddler, but he and his wife, Rosie (Rosa Rosanova), scrimp and save so that their two sons can get an education. Morris (Arthur Lubin) grows up to become a successful lawyer, but Sammy (George Lewis) displeases his father by becoming a pugilist. Cominsky throws him out of the house, not realizing that Morris is the ungrateful one -- he has become engaged to his boss' daughter and, ashamed of his humble family, says he is an orphan. The old man becomes very ill and Sammy wins enough money in a prize fight to send him away to get well. While the father is away, Sammy confronts his brother, and Morris begs his family for forgiveness. Cominsky realizes that he misjudged Sammy and takes him back into the fold. Sammy, meanwhile, finds romance with Mamie Shannon (Blanche Mehaffey), a pretty Irish girl. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rudolph Schildkraut, Rosa Rosanova, (more)
- 1922
A picture featuring orphans was always a good box-office bet in the early '20s, so it's no surprise that the novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin found its way to the screen. Eleven-year-old Joseph Depew (who grew up to direct The Beverly Hillbillies) is Timothy, who lives in an orphanage and takes care of a little girl he calls Lady Gay (Helen Rowland). He runs away with the girl and they set out in search of a mother. Their travels lead them to a ride on a freight train headed out to the country. The children pick out a house that they think would be nice to live in, but its resident, spinster Avida Cummins (Marie Day), has no intention whatsoever of being a "mother" to anyone and refuses to take them in. Needless to say, it's only a matter of a few days before she changes her mind and allows the orphans to become part of her life. Eventually, she is given the opportunity to let Timothy go, but by then she has come to love the little boy. Wiggin's story was filmed as a talkie in 1935. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Depew, Marie Day, (more)
- 1921
After her success in Humoresque, character actress Vera Gordon became known for her matriarchal roles. Here, she is Mrs. Lantini, an Italian immigrant who keeps her family together in New York City. Her husband (Bertram Marburgh) makes plaster casts for a living. When the Lantini's boy, Lorenzo, saves little Dorothy Manton in an accident, her father (William H. Tooker) takes an interest in the family. He funds the boy's education and he becomes an architect. Because of his success, Lorenzo (Hugh Huntley) is able to move his family to fashionable Riverside Drive, and they are all happy except for the earthy mother Lantini, who thinks the servants get in the way. Lorenzo has designed a theater for Richard Sewell (Donald Hall). His sister, Francesca (Yvonne Shelton), approaches Sewell for some theatrical costumes and he attacks her. Lorenzo finds out that his sister has been raped, and when he goes to Sewell's, he finds him dead. The young man is arrested and convicted of the murder, and only Mrs. Lantini's love keeps the family from falling apart. Eventually the real killer is apprehended, and Lorenzo is freed to be united with Dorothy (Ray Kean). Francesca's sweetheart resolves to marry her in spite of the circumstances. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Gordon, Bertram Marburgh, (more)
- 1918
Written by a former chief of the Secret Service, this wartime serial produced by the Wharton brothers, Theodore and Leopold, was declared the perfect propaganda piece by no less than George Creel, the chairman of the Committee on Public Information. Unfortunately for the Whartons -- but happily for the country at large -- Armistice turned audiences away in droves from espionage melodramas in general and a 20-chapter liability like The Eagle's Eye in particular. Along with proving a box-office bust, the chapterplay also spelled the end to the starring career of early matinée idol King Baggot, who acted the lead role of Harrison Grant, the president of the Criminology Club and the chief opponent to such sinister Axis spies as Count Von Bernstorff (Bertram Marburgh), Franz Von Papen (Paul Everton), and Dr. Heinrich Albert (Fred Jones). Marguerite Snow played Dixie Mason, a female Secret Service agent with a penchant for getting in over her head, and the serial was co-directed by actors George A. Lessey and Wellington Playter. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
