Lee Moran Movies
Lanky, long-faced vaudevillian Lee Moran entered films in 1909 at Nestor Studios. While appearing in one- and two-reel comedies for producer Al Christie in 1915, Moran was teamed with Earle Lyons. Forsaking pure slapstick in favor of situational humor, the Lyons-Moran comedies were extremely successful; their winning streak was interrupted only when Lyons and Moran decided to go their separate ways in 1920. After the breakup, Moran starred and directed in such feature-length endeavors as La La Lucille (1920), then signed on as producer, director, writer, and actor with the newly formed Arrow Studios. When talkies came in, Lee Moran concentrated exclusively on acting, working as a supporting player until his retirement in 1936. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1936
The Calling of Dan Matthews is a modernized and sanitized version of Harold Bell Wright's muckraking novel. Minister Dan Matthews (Richard Arlen) wants to rid his community of its seamy "Old Town" district, a breeding ground for prostitution and other crimes. Most of the property in question is owned by leading citizen J. B. Strong (Frederick Burton), who is ignorant (or chooses to be) of the appalling conditions in his tenements. Mathews convinces Strong that changes must be made, but is still compelled to whale the tar out of Hardy (Douglass Dumbrille), the evil vice lord of Old Town. The good reverend also wins the hand of Strong's daughter Hope (Charlotte Wynters). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Arlen, Charlotte Wynters, (more)
- 1935
Grand Hotel meets Twentieth Century in this Mascot feature. Evelyn Venable stars as Patricia Wells, a tempestuous stage actress who impulsively elopes on opening night of her newest play. Wells and her new fiancée Fred Arnold (Ralph Forbes) book adjoining compartments on the Streamline Express, while her conniving producer Jimmy Hart (Victor Jory) tags along, disguised as a waiter. This is but one of several interconnecting subplots (including a menage a trois and the impending birth of twins), but it's the most entertaining of the batch. Also on board are Sidney Blackmer, Esther Ralston, and a host of other familiar faces. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Evelyn Venable, Victor Jory, (more)
- 1934
James Cagney runs a shady missing-heir tracing service, occasionally providing phony heirs in order to collect his fee. He suffers a tinge of jealousy when he takes a gander at the offices of a legitimate tracing firm, where his former girlfriend (Bette Davis) has taken a job. Jimmy soon learns that the reputable organization's boss (Alan Dinehart) is more crooked than Jimmy ever was, but he can't convince the girl of this fact. Using his own street smarts, Cagney exposes the "honest" heir tracer and agrees to go straight if his girl will come back to him. At the time Jimmy the Gent was filmed, James Cagney was getting tired of the formula pictures being handed him; rather than go on suspension, he expressed his displeasure by shaving his hair almost down to the bone, which is why he appears in this film with an uncharacteristic buzz-cut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Bette Davis, (more)
- 1934
Joe E. Brown plays a dual role in Circus Clown, as would-be circus entertainer Happy Howard and his rustic old father. When dad, a former circus man himself, disapproves of Happy hitting the sawdust trail, the boy does so anyway, smitten by a beautiful female bareback rider. So naïve is our hero that he doesn't realize that the "girl" is actually female impersonator Jack (Don Dillaway), who strings Happy along just for laughs. Once this plotline is straightened out, Happy becomes the hero of the day by substituting for a drunken aerialist -- and there is no more proud or enthusiast spectator than Happy's happy dad. If Joe E. Brown looks genuinely frightened in his scene in the lion's cage, he should; the lion affectionately pawed Brown during one take, resulting in six stitches in the comedian's arm. More serious than most Brown vehicles, Circus Clown is distinguished by the star's spectacular acrobatics (the real thing -- no doubles), and by some excellent split-screen work during the "father/son" scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe E. Brown, Patricia Ellis, (more)
- 1933
"Thou Shall Not Be Caught" is the commandment referred to in this low-budget melodrama ostensibly based on Ella Wendel, a New York recluse whose death provoked an avalanche of claimants to her 36-million-dollar estate. Poverty Row company Allied Pictures raised the amount to 50 million dollars and had Alan Hale act the dead woman's long-lost husband, a circus knife-thrower who promptly kills his present wife and makes plans to claim the fortune through the daughter he had also deserted. By the time Hale reaches New York City, other claimants are already pounding on executor William V. Mong's door, including a floozy (Marie Prevost), hired by the lawyer's partner (Theodore Von Eltz), and pretty Gloria Shea, who may or may not be Hale's daughter. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marian Marsh, Theodore Von Eltz, (more)
While Tonart Studios is filming a gangster movie, one of the actors is killed in a shooting accident. After several other incidents occur, police begin to think of sabotage. Their list of suspects includes the studio chief (Alexander Carr), his manager (Bela Lugosi), the director of the film (Edward Van Sloan) and an actress (Adrienne Ames). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bela Lugosi, David Manners, (more)
- 1933
The last--and to some aficionados, the best--of choreographer Busby Berkeley's three Warner Bros. efforts of 1933, Footlight Parade stars James Cagney as a Broadway musical comedy producer. Cagney is unceremoniously put out of business when talking pictures arrive. To keep his head above water, Jimmy hits upon a swell idea: he'll stage musical "prologues" for movie theatres, then ship them out to the various picture palaces in New York. Halfway through the picture, Cagney is obliged to assemble three mammoth prologues and present them back-to-back in three different theatres. There are all sorts of backstage intrigues, not the least of which concerns the predatory hijinks of gold-digger Claire Dodd and the covetous misbehavior of Cagney's ex-wife Renee Whitney. Joan Blondell plays Jimmy's faithful girl-friday, who loves him from afar; Ruby Keeler is the secretary who takes off her glasses and is instantly transformed into a glamorous stage star; Dick Powell is the "protege" of wealthy Ruth Donnelly, who makes good despite this handicap; Frank McHugh is Cagney's assistant, who spends all his time moaning "It'll never work"; and Hugh Herbert is a self-righteous censor, who ends up in a censurable position. The last half-hour of Footlight Parade is a nonstop display of Busby Berkeley at his most spectacular: the three big production numbers, all written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, are "By a Waterfall", "Honeymoon Hotel", and "Shanghai Lil", the latter featuring some delicious pre-code scatology, a tap-dance duet by Cagney and Keeler, and an out-of-left-field climactic salute to FDR and the NRA! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Joan Blondell, (more)
- 1933
No relation to the later Clifton Webb vehicle of the same name, Sitting Pretty is a dated but likable film about the songwriting racket. Jack Oakie and Jack Haley play a pair of would-be tunesmiths who team up with aspiring dancer Ginger Rogers. Through the kindness of a tippling director (Lew Cody), the trio is given a bid for stardom in a movie musical directed by an excitable Russian (Gregory Ratoff). The characters played by Oakie and Haley were loosely based on Paramount's real-life songwriting team Mack Gordon and Harry Revel, who show up in bit parts. Sitting Pretty is the film that introduced the sprightly tune "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Oakie, Jack Haley, (more)
- 1933
Goldie dreams of being a movie star. One day she decides to leave her New Jersey home and her boy friend to head for Hollywood. She eventually arrives, but not before having a close call with a crooked beauty contest promoter. Once in Tinseltown, the is surprised to discover that her old boyfriend got their first and he is a major star. Wasting no time, she becomes one too, but by that time, the luster of stardom has worn off for the fellow and he exchanges the excitement for the quiet life back home. Will Goldie go too? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lili Damita, Charles Morton, (more)
- 1933
Paul Lukas plays a nightclub headwaiter who rises to fame as a bridge expert. He marries hat check girl Loretta Young, likewise a card fanatic. Lukas and Young find themselves vying for the national bridge championship, which results in the expected frictions. All is forgiven in the climactic scenes, in which silver-tongued radio commentator Roscoe Karns gives a play-by-play of the "big game" while director William Dieterle uses freeze frames and slow motion to beef up the tension. Grand Slam is quite an eye-opener for fans of Loretta Young, who displays an unusually generous amount of thigh in her nightclub outfit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Lukas, Loretta Young, (more)
- 1933
Former silent stars Claire Windsor, John Harron, and Holmes Herbert struggled mightily with a morose script in this low-budget melodrama from producer George W. Weeks. A reader for the Rogers Publishing Company, Annie Frayne (Windsor) successfully campaigns against the company publishing "In Quest of a Virgin," a trashy new novel. The publisher, Bruce Rogers (Holmes Herbert), is so impressed with Annie that he considers making her his assistant, though he abandons the idea once he gets a look at the girl's sordid home life. A dejected Annie attempts suicide, but is rescued by newspaper reporter Ronnie Ross (Harron), whom she eventually marries despite learning that he is the author of "In Quest of a Virgin." But Rogers, who has come to regret his decision, once again proposes that Annie become his assistant. Meanwhile, a jealous Ronnie is arrested for a jewelry heist actually committed by Annie's no-good brothers (Lee Moran and David Callis), and although Annie remains faithful, he refuses to see her. Years later, Annie is about to marry Rogers when she receives Ronnie's newest novel, "Cry of the Soul." So moved is she by the book in general and a touching inscription in particular, that she returns to the reformed Ronnie. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claire Windsor, John Harron, (more)
In this sentimental drama, a race-car driver falls for a lovely lady reporter. Together, they begin caring for a crippled little orphan who lost his father during a racing accident. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Marsh, Jackie Searl, (more)
- 1933
In this drama, Joe Tomasso, a slightly corrupt gambler, goes completely straight after he catches an orphan hanging around the racing stables and decides to take the lad under his wing. He then helps the kid become a jockey. Later the boys real mother appears and begs her son not to race; she also falls in love with Joe. Later Joe decides to help the mother reunite with her boy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Carrillo, Kay Hammond, (more)
- 1932
Based on a novel by Rian James, Hat Check Girl stars Sally Eilers as the title character, a pert little number named Gerry Marsh. Despite her lowly station in life, Gerry manages to fall in love with millionaire playboy Buster Collins (Ben Lyon). The fly in the ointment is blackmailing newspaper columnist Tod Reese (Monroe Owsley), who is killed by one of his many victims. Since Buster had been targeted for persecution by Reese, he finds himself the leading suspect, obliging Gerry to play detective to solve the mystery. Ginger Rogers, still a year or so removed from full stardom, steals the show as Gerry's wise-lipped best friend. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Eilers, Ben Lyon, (more)
- 1932
Roly-poly comedian Jack Oakie in a serious role? Yes, that is exactly what you get with Uptown New York, an otherwise humdrum melodrama from lower echelon company World Wide Pictures. Oakie plays Eddie Doyle, a gumball machine salesman who marries Pat Smith (Shirley Grey) knowing full well that the girl is on the rebound from a failed romance with aspiring Jewish doctor Max Silver (Leon Ames). But when Pat is nearly killed in an effort to protect her husband's gumball machines from hoodlums and is in need of a lifesaving operation, Eddie calls on Dr. Max and then nobly fades into the background. While recuperating, Pat learns from one of Eddie's pals that her husband is languishing in prison, convicted of selling the business without consulting her, the part owner. The girl finally realizes that she truly loves the self-sacrificing Eddie and they reconcile. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Oakie, Shirley Grey, (more)
- 1932
A depressed dance hall girl causes all kinds of problems when she stows away on a freighter and is discovered by the second mate in this drama. He agrees to keep her hidden, but unfortunately the first mate finds out about her and mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1931
In this WW I comedy, several young men decide to join the army. Each one has his own reason for joining up. Songs include: "Forever," "Qui, Qui," "Honey Boy," "Ja, Ja, Ja," "Side by Side." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lotti Loder, Harry Langdon, (more)
- 1930
This part-talkie is one of those strange hybrids so prevalent during the changeover to sound: part silent western, part variety show featuring Abe Lyman and His Orchestra, vaudeville comedienne Mona Ray, yodeling, and a barn dance. The silent western section of the film is actually more romantic comedy than action, what with handsome young George Duryea and bad guy Harry Woods fighting over Sally Starr. Duryea actually did achieve recognition as a western star in the 1930s but under the name Tom Keene. He later played character parts, usually villainous, under yet another moniker: Richard Powers. Pardon My Gun did not make a lasting impression upon film history, however. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1930
A failure of near epic proportions when first released and an unintentionally funny disaster today, this bizarre operetta almost single-handedly destroyed the musical genre for years to come. Vivienne Segal stars as Dawn, a white girl presumed to be born among the natives in what was once Dutch East Africa. Set in a German prisoner of war camp during World War I, Golden Dawn presents a truce between captors and captives who are facing a common danger: the threat of an uprising among the native African population. The threat becomes almost a certainty when young rubber planter Tom Allen (Walter Woolf King) spends a romantic night with Dawn. That doesn't sit well with Shep Keyes (Noah Beery), a native brute who covets Dawn, despite the fact that she is promised to the god Mulunghu. To quell an almost certain riot among the natives, Tom is sent home to England. The British soon recapture the area and Keyes demands that Dawn be sacrificed to the god Mulunghu to ward off a potentially calamitous drought. Tom, meanwhile, having learned that Dawn is indeed Caucasian, kidnapped by Mooda (Alice Gentle) in childhood and raised as her own, rushes back to the camp just in time to rescue the girl from the evil Keyes. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vivienne Segal, Noah Beery, Sr., (more)
- 1930
In this drama, a convict breaks out of jail and winds up going to college. There he joins the rowing team and helps them to win. Unfortunately, just as he is preparing to row the big race, a pursuing detective appears to arrest him. The detective makes him an interesting deal: if he deliberately loses the race, he will be freed; if he wins, he must return to prison. The convict cannot bear to deliberately lose the race and so wins it anyway. The detective then tells him that he only did that to see if the young man had really gone straight. He passed the test in flying colors and is freed. Songs include: "Just You and I" (Sam Perry,Clarence J. Marks), and "Wandering Onward." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathryn Crawford, Carl Stockdale, (more)
- 1930
"Sweet Mamma," a phrase popularized in the Barney Google comic strip, referred to a pretty girl, usually blonde, who attached herself to whatever "sugar daddy" happened to be available. In this instance, Alice White is the "Mamma" of the title, a tootsie named Goldie. Basically good at heart, Goldie falls into bad company when she begins singing in a gangster-controlled nightclub. She survives long enough to go off hand-in-hand with her true love, honest Jimmy (David Manners), and to prove to the audience that most of the gangsters (in this picture, anyway) aren't such tough eggs after all. The use of "natural sound" in the exterior sequences becomes intrusive at times, especially when Jimmy is taken for a ride by the villains in the climax. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice White, David Manners, (more)
- 1929
Taxi dancing provides the framework for this romantic drama that chronicles the attempted love affair between a shipping clerk and a taxi dancer. Try as he might, he cannot distract the lovely dancer from her fixation upon a dashing aviator. The pilot seems to return her affection. The shipping clerk finally gets his chance after the aviator crashes while attempting a cross-country flight. The dancer is devastated and the clerk moves in to care for her. He keeps secret his knowledge that the pilot is alive and living with another lady. When the truth is finally revealed, the dancer flies into a rage. She immediately tries to see the pilot, who cruelly rejects her. Chastened, the dancer goes back to the clerk. Together they waltz off to lead a happy life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olive Borden, Arthur Lake, (more)
- 1929
The Aviator is a remake of the silent comedy The Hottentot, filmed only two years earlier. Edward Everett Horton stars as Robert Street, who poses as an aviator to save a press-agent pal from losing his job. Enter heroine Grace Douglas (Patsy Ruth Miller), who's simply ca-razzzy about airplane jockeys. Forced to keep up his charade, Robert manages to talk his way out of several tight situations but ultimately finds himself climbing into the cockpit of a plane. The ensuing wild ride through the air is the best part of the picture, with Robert trying to maintain his equilibrium and dignity throughout. Based on a play by James Montgomery, The Aviator would be filmed again in 1931 as the Joe E. Brown vehicle Going Wild. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Everett Horton, Patsy Ruth Miller, (more)
- 1929
Previously filmed in 1923, Avery Hopwood's 1920 comedy The Gold Diggers was resurrected in 1929 as the Technicolor musical Gold Diggers of Broadway. Nancy Welford, Winnie Lightner and Ann Pennington stars as Jerry, Mable and Ann, three chorus girls who try to entice a wealthy backer to put his money in their cash-poor Broadway show. Stuffy Stephen Lee (Conway Tearle) shows up to rescue his brother Wally (William Bakewell) from the heroine's clutches, only to succumb to the girls' charms himself. According to contemporary reviews, the show was stolen by Winnie Lightner as the brassiest of the three gold-diggers, and by crooner Nick Lucas, performing his signature tune Tiptoe Through the Tulips. The other big number from the film, Painting the Clouds with Sunshine, served as the title for the 1951 remake of Gold Diggers of Broadway, which in the interim had been filmed as the more famous Gold Diggers of 1933. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nancy Welford, Conway Tearle, (more)
