Lois Meredith Movies
- 1937
Conquest was released in England as Marie Waleska, the name of the real-life historical personage portrayed by Greta Garbo. The film begins in 1807, when Marie, a Polish countess, is dispatched by her country to meet with Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (Charles Boyer). Marie has been encouraged to press for Polish independence by whatever means possible--and though no one comes out and says as much, it is understood that she will offer herself sexually to the promiscuous Napoleon. She dutifully becomes Bonaparte's mistress, bears his child, and--almost as an afterthought--falls in love with him. Thanks to the political chicanery of Talleyrand (Reginald Owen), Napoleon is obliged to marry Hapsburg princess Marie Louise, and Marie is cast aside, her usefulness at an end. Only after Napoleon has been exiled to Elba in 1815 is he reunited with Marie and their son (Scotty Beckett). Though it stands up pretty well today, Conquest was a flop in 1937, and the beginning of the end of Garbo's screen career. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greta Garbo, Charles Boyer, (more)
- 1922
Will Rogers as Ichabod Crane -- now, that's interesting casting! Opinions were mixed on whether he fit the role or not. While he wasn't quite the physical ideal for the gangling schoolmaster, his gawkiness was certainly in the right place. Sometimes, however, he was too gawky -- when the picture occasionally drags, Rogers seems a bit awkward. The Headless Horseman, of course, is an adaptation of Washington Irving's famed story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. When Crane comes to teach in Sleepy Hollow (a Dutch settlement in America circa 1790), he falls for pretty Katrina Van Tassel (Lois Meredith). This does not sit well with Katrina's suitor, Brom Bones (Ben Hendricks, Jr.). First he has Crane accused of practicing witchcraft, but old Van Tassel saves the schoolmaster from being tarred and feathered. Then Brom scares Crane with old ghost stories, and the headless horseman (actually Brom in disguise) chases him out of Sleepy Hollow. In case you're wondering, yes, this picture was a Halloween, 1922 release. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Rogers, Lois Meredith, (more)
- 1918
This farce was originally a stage play by Augustus Thomas, and starred William Collier, Sr.. On film, another notable stage actor, John Barrymore, played the lead role of Robert Ridgway. At the time, Barrymore was primarily known for the heavy dramas in which he starred on Broadway, so his comedies took filmgoers by surprise. There's not much plot to be had here -the usual nonsense about a man in pursuit of the girl he loves, in this case Lois Meredith. Basically the flimsy story is just there to give Barrymore a chance to be funny and acrobatic. At one point, he leaps through a window and somersaults through the hood of the girl's car!. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1917
Richard Stanley (William Conklin), destroyed emotionally by his wife's infidelity, sends his infant daughter to be raised by the cruel Mrs. Hopkins. The girl, Nan, grows up to be a beautiful woman (Lois Meredith) and is romanced by Hal Norris, a reporter (Frank Mayo). But Mrs. Hopkins has been making Nan do all the drudgery and doesn't want to lose her services, or the father's remittance, so she tells the girl that she is a mulatto. Nan, upset by this lie, runs away to the city and falls into the hands of a woman who supposedly runs a matrimonial agency. But instead, she finds herself being auctioned off in a roomful of drunken men -- her father included among them. Hal has followed her this whole time, however, and saves her. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1915
William C. DeMille adapted his screenplay for The Woman on the stage play by DeMille's father Henry and David Belasco. The story is set in Washington D.C., courtesy of the Lasky Studio's scenic department. Lois Meredith plays the title character, a woman of questionable morals currently involved with young politician James Neill. Political boss Theodore Roberts hopes to ruin Neill by making public the young man's romantic entanglements. But Roberts is in for an unpleasant surprise: Meredith turns out to be his own long-lost daughter. According to contemporary critics, the film's success rose or fell upon the audience's acceptance of the avuncular Theodore Roberts in a wholly unsympathetic role. Several members of the William and Cecil B. DeMille stock company appear in supporting roles, including Mabel Van Buren, Raymond Hatton and Billy Elmer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lois Meredith, Theodore Roberts, (more)
- 1914
Hal Reid, father of popular silent film star Wallace Reid, penned the screenplay for Dan. The title character, a faithful black retainer, is played by caucasian Lew Dockstader, perhaps the most famous minstrel entertainer of his time. When his master's son, a Confederate soldier, is captured by the North, Dan cooks up a foolproof rescue plan. Sneaking into the son's tent, Dan blackens the boy's face. The lad escapes, and true-blue Dan (in whiteface?) takes the boy's place before the firing squad. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1914
Already a veteran filmmaker by 1914 (he would make his last picture in 1958), Allan Dwan occupied the director's seat in Conspiracy. Future screenwriter/director John Emerson stars as a mystery novelist who gets tangled up in a real-life melodrama. Essential to the action are a lady detective (Lois Meredith), a jittery dope addict and several secondary good and bad eggs. Dwan called the shots in his customary business-like fashion, and the result was four solid reels of thrills and laughter. Star Emerson also co-wrote the stage play on which Conspiracy was based. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1914
Produced by Colonial productions and released by the World Film Company, the six-reel Seats of the Mighty was based on the same-named novel by Sir Gilbert Parker. Though a prologue is set in the royal court of France (with such "celebrities" as Madames Pompadour and DuBarry in attendance) most of the film takes place in colonial Quebec. Lionel Barrymore leads the huge cast in this story of treachery and intrigue, with the outcome of the story contingent upon a packet of "secret papers." The best-known "name" in the picture was Lois Meredith, here making a meal of a remarkably small role. Slow going at times, Seats of the Mighty made up for its attenuated passages with a first-rate battle finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
