Philo McCullough Movies

Directed by character actor Otto Hoffman, this silent Western was produced at Long Beach, California, by the Balboa Amusement Producing Company, a busy firm that lasted from 1913 to 1918. Vola Vale starred as Miriam Vale, who takes a job as a schoolmistress in a Western outpost in order to investigate the death of her grandfather, a prospector. She quickly discovers that the killer, one Henry Stanley (J.B. Warner), is a member of an avaricious family with designs on grandpa's hidden mine. With the help of cousin Blake Stanley (Philo McCullough), Miriam learns the truth of her grandfather's murder, and together they locate the hidden treasure. Both leading man Philo McCullough and supporting villain J.B. Warner would enjoy further success in Westerns in the '20s, the former as a dyed-in-the-wool villain and the latter as a Western star in his own right. Warner's success proved short lived, however; he died of tuberculosis in November of 1924. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Mary (Dorothy Dalton) and Jim Bowen (Edward Coxen) are happily married. Jim works as a cashier for an insurance brokerage. The boss's wastrel son Alan Perry (Philo McCullough) takes advantage of Bowen's trusted position at the company and forges some checks. Bowen is accused of the fraud and is sent to prison. Hoping that the job will give her the means necessary to prove her husband innocent, Mary goes to work as a cabaret singer for the powerful John Boland (Henry A. Barrows). It isn't long before Perry, a frequenter of Boland's cafe, falls in love with her. One night, after some heavy drinking, Perry follows her home. But on that same night, Bowen, who has escaped from jail, has taken refuge there. Boland, who has heard of his escape, also heads for the Bowen home. A fight breaks out between Boland and Perry, and Boland is knocked unconscious. Mary convinces Perry that Boland is dead, and extracts a confession from him. The police break in and arrest Perry, while Boland -- who has regained consciousness -- uses his power to help exonerate Bowen. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

When Della Arnold (Mae Murray), a hopeful young actress, winds up stuck at an inn with the troupe's leading man, Julian Lawrence (Philo McCullough), he signs them in as husband and wife. Although nothing happens -- the hotel proprietor puts a halt to his advances -- this goes on to haunt her throughout the film. She leaves acting, and through a friend, Myrtle Harris (Claire DuBrey), meets George Addison (Arthur Shirley), who finds her work as an artist's model with Wilbur Henderson (George Chesebro). Henderson falls in love with Della and they plan to get married, but he runs into Lawrence, who tells him that they had stayed at a hotel together, giving it the lascivious bent he had wished it had. Henderson grills Della on this but refuses to believe her, so she sends him away and goes to visit Myrtle. Addison is among the people there. She reveals her broken engagement and Addison asks to marry her. Before she accepts she tells him the story about Lawrence. He believes her, and finally Della has a man with whom she can be happy. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Though forgotten today, Baby Marie Osborne was an incredibly popular pre-1920s movie child star-so popular, in fact, that she had her own production company. The fact that Baby Marie ended her Hollywood days as a bit player and stand-in should not dim the luster of her long-ago international celebrity. Her 1919 vehicle Child of M'sieu was a thinly disguised adaptation of Robert Browning's poem Pippa Passes. Contemporary reviews suggest that this was the only time that Browning's poem received anything approaching a decent screen treatment. In the "Little Miss Fixit" title role, Baby Marie was permitted to alternate between laughter and tears. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Beebe, a Belgian flower girl (Shirley Mason), falls in love with Victor Fleming (not the director -- although he was known as a ladies' man -- but Philo McCullough), a charismatic artist visiting from Paris. He finds her innocence appealing, but eventually he returns to Paris, promising to send for her. When she hears that he is heartsick, she believes he is really ill and heads to Paris. But when she arrives at his studio, she walks into a wild revelry with Victor at the center of it all, surrounded by a crowd of Latin Quarter lovelies. Beebe is horrified, but Victor gently explains that they are too different to be together. So she goes back to Belgium to wed Jeanot (Raymond McKee), a humble wood chopper who has loved her all along. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Philo McCullough, who was known during the silent era for his villainous roles, directs this comedy-drama. The results, however, weren't very good -- the titles were filled with over-the-top puns, which didn't fit in with the tone of the story. After this film, McCullough wisely returned to the other side of the megaphone. Betty (Eileen Percy) is an orphaned heiress who lives with her aunt and uncle in Texas. She has fallen in love with Bert Cragnair (William Scott), an aviator from Waco, but her uncle stops her from eloping with him. Betty's relatives have different plans for her; they intend to introduce her to New York society, where she can find a man of her own station. When Betty arrives in the East, she finds that Bert has beaten her there and landed himself a job as her aunt's chauffeur. There is some silliness about the theft of a valuable necklace, which Betty recovers with Bert's help. Finally the couple wed and fly off for their honeymoon. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Emily Graham (Iris Ashton) marries Philip Amory (Philo McCullough), whose father is the lifelong enemy of Emily's father (Edwin Booth Tilton). When Philip accidentally blinds Emily, her father takes her infant and gives it to a sailor, who hands it over to his wife. The baby, Gertie grows up (to be played by Shirley Mason), and is treated like a slave by her adopted mother. When she can't take it anymore, she runs away and is taken in by Trueman, a lamplighter (Albert Knott). He works for Graham, and with his help, Gertie is finally reunited with both her parents. This picture, based on the novel by Maria Susanna Cummins, was far darker than the comedy dramas in which Shirley Mason usually excelled. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This was a pleasant, though not particularly exciting vehicle for light comedienne Viola Dana. Circumstances force wealthy Diana Webster (Dana) to spend the night in a hotel with Jimmy Harrison (Philo McCullough), who is engaged to her Aunt Sue (Gertrude Astor). Later on she meets Bruce Terrington (Allan Forrest), who had seen her earlier with Harrison. Diana and Bruce become sweethearts, but he is haunted by the belief that she has been compromised. Diana finally gets fed up with this and decides to get even by getting him into a similar situation. She asks a pair of dubious characters to help her out, but they see her as a more promising mark and kidnap her. Bruce is forced to come to her rescue, but everyone winds up getting arrested. Harrison eventually clears up the hotel situation to Bruce's satisfaction, and he and Diana are happily united. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

When prize fighter Johnny Duffey (Bert Lytell) breaks his hand, the doctor orders him to rest for three months before he returns to the ring. Vacationing in Craigmoor, he falls for society-debutante Constance Talbot (Virginia Valli) but later discovers she is engaged to the pompous Roy Van Twiller (Philo McCollough). When Constance's father (DeWitt Jennings) learns about Johnny, he befriends the boxer and conspires with Johnny to get rid of his prospective son-in-law. Without revealing his identity, Johnny is set up with Roy to drive him away from Constance. After his victory, Johnny is welcomed into the family by routing the rogue but the final blow re-injures his hand and prompts Johnny to enter the world of business. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

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

This Western features all the usual Universal Studios suspects: Frank Mayo as the manly hero, Philo McCullough as the slimy villain, and Sylvia Breamer as the pretty but less-than-distinctive love interest. The story is told in flashback as the Grand Jury calls in rancher Sam Bass (Mayo) to testify in a sheep stealing case. Bass, unaware of why he is wanted, immediately confesses to a murder and relates his long, sad story. Years before, he unsuccessfully pursued a gang of bank robbers and his evil half brother, Will (McCullough) -- who also was in love with Sam's sweetheart, Mary (Breamer) -- accused him of the robbery. Sam was tossed in jail for a year, and while incarcerated, he studied law. He began life anew once he was released, and when he ran for county prosecutor, Will reappeared and exposed him as a jailbird. Sam was run out of town, and when he tried to start all over again, Will attempted to blackmail him. By now, Sam was pretty fed up with the whole situation and a fight broke out, during which he thought he killed Will. But just as Sam is finishing up this incriminating testimony, the sheriff (George A. Williams) shows up with Will, who is alive after all -- and who turns out to be the sheep thief. Will is put behind bars, and Sam is reunited with Mary. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

As his first picture for the Goldwyn studios, director Marshall Neilan decided to adapt Donn Byrne's sprawling novel to the screen. He put together an amazing cast, which included such luminaries as Jean Hersholt, Philo McCullough, Stuart Holmes, Claude Gillingwater and Hobart Bosworth, but a lengthy, complicated story kept any of them from making an impression. Basically the story revolves around a shipyard which Derith Keogh (Claire Windsor) inherits upon her father's death. There is trouble amongst workers, fed by labor leader John Trevelyan (Thomas Holding). Derith and her adoptive brother, Angus Campbell (Rockcliffe Fellows) struggle to avoid a strike and appeal to Trevelyan's better nature in order to gain his cooperation. A romantic relationship between Derith and Campbell develops throughout the picture. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide