James Neill Movies

Amidst the furor of the Civil War a courageous Union captain, nursing a broken heart, volunteers for spy duty. Masquerading as a Confederate sympathizer who has obtained important Union plans, he eventually lands at the plantation of home of a southern belle with whom he falls in love. Her love for him proves problematic because part of his duty is to get arrested so he can slip the bogus plans to the Confederate army. Unfortuantely, every time he is about to be arrested, the belle intervenes and gets him released. After finally escaping her influence long enough to complete his mission, he is captured and sentenced to stand before a firing squad. But is this end or will salvation again come in the nick of time? ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Lois Moran stars as Joan Robinson, the chorus-girl daughter of blue-collar workers Ma and Pa Robinson (Edythe Chapman and James Neill). Hoping to supplement the family income, Ma Robinson takes in a boarder, a struggling young writer named Tom Harvey (Lawrence Gray). When Joan returns from a grueling road tour in the company of her brassy chorine pal Mamie (Marjorie Beebe), Tom instantly falls in love with the girl -- so much so that he's even willing to put up with the abrasive Mamie. But Joan has dedicated herself to finding a rich sugar-daddy husband, and wants nothing to do with Tom. Perhaps in retaliation, Tom pens a story which suggests that one can be happy and contented on a salary of forty dollars a week. This rouses the ire of the mercenary Joan and Mamie, but Tom suspects that Joan is merely trying to convince herself of something she doesn't believe. To prove this, Tom arranges for Joan to meet his millionaire friend Lonnie Van Hook (John Patrick). Sure enough, Joan decides at long last that there are some things more important than money, at which point she also realizes that she's in love with Tom. As for Mamie -- well, old habits die hard. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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, Rovi

The wild behavior of Kenneth Jamieson (George O'Brien) has finally gone too far and his millionaire father (George Fawcett) hands him a small allowance and sends him to live on a chicken farm in the tiny hamlet of Dedham. The pastor there, David Lee (Alec B. Francis), is an old friend of Jamieson's. Lee is ill-appreciated by his parishioners, and when his niece Diane (Jacqueline Logan) arrives from France in all her sophisticated Parisian finery, they are scandalized. Kenneth, on the other hand, is thrilled, and they strike up a romance. Lee is underpaid, but when he asks for more money from his parishioners they insist they will reduce his stipend unless Diane goes. One of the town's gossips, Mrs. Jones (Edith Bostwick), lets Kenneth's father know about Diane and he comes to Dedham to separate the couple. Diane, however, easily wins him over. Lee is discovered to be missing, and he is found collapsed in the church. The elder Jamieson gives the townsfolk a severe verbal thrashing for the way they have treated their pastor. Lee is nursed back to health and gets his raise, while Kenneth and Diane become engaged. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

When Ellen Linden (Alice Terry) returns from finishing school, she discovers that her father has lost his fortune. Although she's less than thrilled at the prospect, she finds work in an office. Both her employers, James Rand (Lawson Butt) and Egbert Phillips (Henry Kolker), show their interest in her. Ellen only cares for Tom Galloway (Ernest Gillen), who is trying to promote a new soft drink. She attempts to interest her bosses in financing his endeavor, but when Rand discovers that the pair are romantically involved, he pulls his backing. Rand and Ellen team up for a treasure hunt (a fad popular in England during the mid-'20s in which the competitors compete with the help of scooters, old cars, old-fashioned bicycles, and just about anything else that moved). They are delayed and wind up being out until the early morning hours. Mrs. Rand (Margarita Fischer) is furious, as is Galloway. Galloway finally realizes that Ellen did nothing wrong and they are reunited. Rand decides it's a good idea to kiss up to his wife, and offers to back Galloway's soft drink as a wedding present to Ellen. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Betty Austin (Katherine MacDonald) has dreams of going to the city and pursuing a career, but she gives it all up to marry Warren Wade (Orville Caldwell). The marriage, however, is not a happy one -- Wade wants Betty to run the house exactly as his mother ran hers and demands that she be at his side constantly, but he never really has time for her needs. It's no wonder Betty leaves him and goes to the city where her friend Leila Mead (Kathleen Kirkham) is enjoying the life of a single career woman. She meets Dr. Devereaux, an esteemed physician (William Conklin). Wade finds Betty in the company of Devereaux and takes her home, but nothing changes until their son (Stanley Goethals) is seriously injured and in danger of becoming a cripple. Betty takes the boy to Dr. Devereaux, and Wade believes that she has walked out on him again. Orville Caldwell's claim to fame was that then-popular author and trendsetter Elinor Glyn called him the "most physically perfect man on the American stage." Unfortunately, Caldwell's physique wasn't enough to earn him screen stardom, and his motion picture work was sporadic. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

The normally low-key William C. deMille veers into the territory of his younger brother, Cecil B. DeMille, with this highly dramatic feature. Actress Corinne d'Alys (Bebe Daniels) is thrilled by her newfound success and aches for more publicity and fame. Although she is loved by her manager, John Elliot (Lewis Stone), she begins an affair with a portrait painter, Robert Townsend (Adolphe Menjou, who was earning quite a reputation -- on film at least -- as a seducer). Townsend is married to Elliot's sister Elsa (Kathlyn Williams), and she's furious over the affair. When she slashes at the painting of Corinne, she winds up accidentally killing her husband. Elliot, however, is the one arrested for the crime. When Elsa sees that her brother is in love with Corinne, she commits suicide, but first leaves a note confessing that it was she who stabbed Townsend. Corinne is thoroughly chastened by these events and reconciles with the ever-faithful Elliot. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Universal showed off their impressive back lot in this comedy-western starring Hoot Gibson as a cowboy turned movie stunt-man. The plot is something about a visiting Arabian prince (fellow studio western hero William E. Lawrence) but the film mainly functions as an excuse to parade a host of studio stars. Among the Universal contract players playing themselves were Billie Dove, Norman Kerry, King Baggot (the studio's first star), Mary Philbin and Reginald Denny. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

The handsome but uninspired Lloyd Hughes plays a young Cajun man in this drama produced by Thomas Ince. Jeff Newland (Edward Burns) is an unruly youth whose aristocratic Southern father, Colonel Newland (Frank Keenan), disowns him. In his place, the colonel adopts Coddy Jakes, a Cajun boy (Hughes), and sets out to educate him. Coddy saves family friend Helen Meanix (Marguerite de la Motte) from a runaway horse. When he finds out about Jeff's dissolute ways, he kidnaps him and takes him to the mountains. Through sheer force of will, Coddy makes Jeff reform, and they become fast friends. Coddy is falsely accused of murdering a revenue officer and thrown in jail. Jeff and his father, who have reconciled, save Coddy from being lynched. Meanwhile, Coddy's fellow Cajuns have set the forests on fire in an attempt to burn the town down. Helen goes after Coddy and reveals that she loves him. They are overcome by the smoke, but a rescuing party finds them still alive. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

This lighthearted political satire marked the first time humorist George Ade wrote a story directly for the screen. The casting of Thomas Meighan and Lois Wilson as the two leads was impeccable. "Lazy Dan" Bentley (Meighan) may be a lawyer by profession, but all things considered, he'd rather be fishing with his friend Cale Higginson (Guy Oliver). Bentley, however, returned a hero from the European War (known by later generations as World War I) and Oglesby Fendle (William P. Carleton), the brother of his fiancée, Katherine (Wilson), talks him into running for Congress. But when Dan realizes that he's supposed to be bought off by certain politicians and special interests, he balks. Instead he becomes determined to win the nomination without the help of the corrupt backers. He creates an unusual campaign, resists Higginson's tempting invitations to go fishing -- and wins the race. He also wins the admiration of Katherine and his future brother-in-law.
~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

As a young director, King Vidor certainly wasn't adverse to taking chances -- this picture, based on Katherine Hill's novel, The Shuttle Soul, suggests that maybe a soul can live in two bodies at the same time. This was quite an odd concept, even in an era when spiritualism had become something of a fad. Florence Vidor, the director's wife at the time, had a dual role -- as Marjorie Latham, whose brother John (James Neill) is in trouble for forgery, and also as Aziza, an Indian girl who is married to a Rajah (Peter Burke). John wound up in his situation because of a dancer, Babette (Norris Johnson), who has also entangled the son of banker Mark Randall (Herbert Fortier). Randall says he will not prosecute if Marjorie can cure his son, Philip (Jack Mulhall), of his infatuation with Babette. Marjorie gives it her best shot, and Philip falls in love with her instead. But she feels she cannot commit to him because she has strange dreams of India and senses that her soul is not her own. She does manage, however, to discover that Babette was responsible for the forgery, clearing her brother of the charge completely. When the Rajah dies and Aziza perishes on the funeral pyre, Marjorie's soul is finally free and she can marry Philip. Neither critics, nor audiences of the day, quite knew what to make of this mystical drama. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

This film combines four short films under the title Bits Of Life. The Bad Samaritan is taken from a story in Popular Magazine in which the son of a Chinese father and a white mother is sold into slavery by his father. The boy becomes a criminal and a cunning but cruel thief. The one time he stops to help a lady in distress he is thrown in jail. Wesley Barry is the young boy and Lon Chaney the grown-up criminal. The Man Who Heard Everything is taken from the magazine Smart Set. A deaf barber saves up $50 to buy a hearing aid. When the device arrives, he hears a ribald joke at the barber shop. He returns home to overhear his wife in conversation with her brother that her husband is a "dummy" and that she willingly takes advantage of his money and good nature. Shaken by his experience, the barber's answer to his problem is to smash the new device. In Chinese Story, a young boy runs away from home to avoid a constant prayer vigil demanded by his father of his children. Sing Fat (Lon Chaney) grows up to become the proprietor of an opium factory. He falls in love with a Chinese woman who gives birth to a daughter. The irate father beats her because he wanted a boy. The mother tells their servant to nail a crucifix to the wall so she may pray to a Christian God. The crucifix begins to drip the blood of Sing Fat, who was resting on the opposite side of the wall. Director Marshal Neilan wrote the last feature called The Intrigue. A man dreams he encounters a princess and her entourage while playing golf. Following her to a fancy reception, he is attacked by Oriental guards and awakens in a dentist's chair with his tooth extracted. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi