Dorcas Matthews Movies
The British-born actress/wife of Robert McKim, with whom she did at least five films including the interesting Captive God (1916), Dorcas Matthews is best remembered today as Senora Nacional in Rudolph Valentino's Blood and Sand (1921), and as Lady Jane in the 1923 version of East Lynne. She retired to raise her two children with McKim, who died suddenly at the age of 40 in 1927. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1923
This "real life" drama starred some of the best second-string talent at Metro, and first-class screenwriter Frances Marion adapted the story from a stage play by James Forbes. When the world war (meaning World War I -- there was only one back then) breaks out, Mrs. Fair (Myrtle Stedman) goes to Europe as a nurse. She is decorated for bravery, and when she comes home, she discovers that she is famous. She is offered a lecture tour, which her husband (Huntly Gordon) forbids her to accept. Mrs. Fair rebels and accepts anyway, leaving her husband; son, Alan (Cullen Landis); and daughter, Sylvia (Marguerite de la Motte), on their own. At a loss without Mrs. Fair, the family moves into a hotel. Mr. Fair succumbs to the charms of a vampy neighbor, Angy Brice (Carmel Myers), while Sylvia becomes a flapper and Alan takes up gambling. When Mrs. Fair finally gets back from her tour, Alan and her husband settle down, but Sylvia is about to run off with the no-good Dudley Gillette (Ward Crane). Alan, who has married a nice girl (Helen Ferguson), saves her from disgracing herself. Mrs. Fair realizes that her neglect was what started all the trouble (this was definitely in the days before women's equality), and gladly stays home. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Myrtle Stedman, Huntly Gordon, (more)
Both animal and human nostrils flare, and passion reigns in this classic romantic tragedy with Rudolph Valentino. Valentino is Juan Gallarde, an aspiring bullfighter, married to his loving childhood sweetheart Carmen (Lila Lee). But as his fame rises as a matador, so does his hot Spanish blood, and he succumbs to the passionate embraces of the sultry Doña Sol (Nita Naldi). When Juan is gored by a bull, his bullfighting fame is cut short, and Carmen returns to his side to nurse him back to health, and, as he struggles to regain his strength and make a comeback in the bullring, Carmen is there for him. At last he returns to the bullring, but in the stands, Juan sees Doña Sol with another lover. His attention distracted, a furious bull charges him and he is killed, dying in the arms of Carmen. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rudolph Valentino, Lila Lee, (more)
- 1920
Character actor Russell Simpson earned a rare lead in this average silent western but found himself somewhat dwarfed by the florid acting style of villain Robert McKim. A triangle melodrama, Out of the Dust tells a sordid tale of an officer's wife (Dorcas Matthews who, out of sheer cabin fever, runs away with a trapper (McKim). The husband (Simpson) tracks the couple down and finds his wife working as a dance-hall hostess (read prostitute). Genre specialist J.P. McCarthy both produced, wrote and directed, releasing his little opus on states rights. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1918
David Clary (Charles Ray), fed up with the old-fashioned way his father is running the family dry-goods store, decides to go to New York to make good. Although he is but a tie clerk naive enough to be victimized by a burlesque actress (Catherine Young), he brags that he is a success and that his father has had him come home to run the store. This, David does with much fanfare, but in spite of the flashy exhibitions he executes, it still loses money. The burlesque show comes to town, and once again the actress tricks David; this time it's a badger game in which her husband demands five thousand dollars in hush money. David desperately puts on a sale at the store, but it's not making enough money to cover this amount; luckily the husband walks in and the corset model (Dorcas Mathews) recognizes him as her husband. As a result, the man is taken away to jail. A man who owns a chain of stores comes in and shows interest in buying the Clary business. David bluffs him into offering 75,000 dollars. So finally David makes good and wins the store clerk (Jane Novak) who secretly loved him all along. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1917
Jerry Ross (Enid Bennett) is a street urchin who has disguised herself as a boy so she can easily sell newspapers on the street. One day. when she gets into a fight with another urchin, she catches the attention of Frank Girard (William Garwood). Believing that Jerry is a boy, he adopts her and sends her to boarding school. She immediately reveals her sex there and is put in the girl's division, while Girard, oblivious, is at home trying to discover a formula for dissolving opals. Jerry comes home from school, at last letting Girard know she's female. She discovers the formula he is looking for and leaves because she doesn't want to stand in the way of his romance with another woman. But Girard follows after her and saves her from a bad guy who is trying to force himself on her. Thus Jerry and Girard wind up happily together. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1917
Broke and stranded in the Big City, Paula Lee (Dorothy Dalton) willingly becomes the mistress of "love 'em and leave 'em" playboy Fielding Powell (William Conklin). In spite of himself, Powell falls in love with Paula, and just before leaving on a business trip, he promises to marry her upon his return. In the meantime, however, Paula falls in love with dedicated charity doctor D. Melfi (Thurston Hall). Even though Powell owes his life to Melfi, he insists upon reclaiming Paula for himself, binding the bargain by threatening to tell Melfi all about the girl's checkered past. But Powell is permanently silenced by a sinister figure from his own past, freeing Paula to wed Melfi in the finale. The Price Mark was directed by Roy William Neill, who would continue working with leading man-cum-character-actor Thurston Hall throughout the talkie era in such pictures as The Black Room and Sherlock Holmes in Washington. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1917
As tipped off by its title, A Tar Heel Warrior begins in North Carolina. On the verge of losing his plantation, Colonel Dabney Mills (Walt Whitman) heads to New York, hoping to float a loan from his stockbroker grandson-in-law. With all his money tied up in a big business deal, the stockbroker is only able to lend $5000 to Colonel Mills -- who promptly loses the entire amount in a foolhardy get-rich-quick scheme. Feeling that he has disgraced the family name, the Colonel prepares to kill himself but is saved at the last minute by the arrival of his granddaughter and her stockbroker hubby, who have just struck it rich on Wall Street. The "Southern" settings in the early portions of the film smacked of inauthenticity, but the later glimpses of New York City were "the real McCoy." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1916
In this early jungle adventure, a young Spanish girl is orphaned in the Amazon jungle and later taken in by kindly natives. She grows up and becomes the consummate wild woman. One day a lost explorer happens upon her remote village. A rather unethical fellow and very curious as to her origins, he sneaks into her hut and begins rifling around. Much to his surprise, he learns that she is an heiress with an enormous fortune awaiting her return in the U.S. He successfully courts her, and after the wedding he takes her to New York. There, they immerse themselves in decadent living and find happiness until she learns his true motives for marrying her. Flying into a terrible rage, she rips off her fancy clothing and reemerges in full jungle garb. She then races to her loutish spouse and with her strong hands, sees that he never fools anyone again. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1916
This early epic is set in 16th-century Mexico amidst a carefully researched and painstakingly detailed recreation of an East coast Aztec village. The people there are peaceful and when a Spanish child washes up half-drowned upon the shore, they adopt him. Years pass and as he was raised by the leader, he becomes the new leader. One day a war-like tribe attacks the village and captures the young man. They hold him captive in preparation for sacrifice to the gods. While incarcerated he falls in love with the rival chief's daughter. When she learns that he is to die, she sneaks to the coastal village to warn them. A terrifying battle ensues as they struggle to get their leader back, but in the end they succeed and peace is restored. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
