Marian Nixon
- 1936
In this melodrama a chorine endeavors to become a star, but it isn't easy. Her wealthy boyfriend wants to marry her until his snooty family rejects her. At her job, her boss is cruel to her. Still the woman persists and even gets jobs waiting tables and modeling. Luckily for her, a good friend stands behind her regardless of her luck and by the story's end, she comes to appreciate this and romance ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marian Nixon, Chick Chandler, (more)
- 1936
Set in the scenic South Seas, this high-seas adventure centers on a sailor who creates all kinds of trouble when he tells a whopper about having found a great Spanish treasure. Soon he finds himself and his girl friend pursued by a colorful assortment of treasure-seeking pirates. Fortunately, the sailor is a real swashbuckler and with his flashing sword saves his girl and his neck. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Houston, Marian Nixon, (more)
- 1936
An obscure backstage drama from Poverty Row company Puritan Pictures, The Reckless Way stars Marion Nixon as Helen Rogers, a hotel stenographer hoping to break into the movie business. Although her ad agency boyfriend, Don (Malcolm MacGregor), disapproves, Helen accepts the opportunity to make a screen test for imperious director Von Berg (John Peters). The test proves a flop, but hotel clerk and budding screenwriter Jim Morgan (Kane Richmond) pens a story based on Helen's own life that succeeds. Prompted by Jim, Von Berg admits to Helen that it was Don who sabotaged the first test and the discouraged girl returns to the Knickerbocker Hotel. Jim, meanwhile, has earned a five-year contract from Apex Studios and Helen gladly accepts his proposal of marriage. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1935
In this emotional but fast-paced comedy, a husband/businessman creates an ingenious cure for his mid-life crisis. He suggest to his wife that they take separate vacations and not discuss them with each other afterward. The wife isn't sure, but being a loving and understanding woman, agrees to the terms. The husband, dreaming of all the luscious young girls to be had, is happy as a kid in a candy store. Unfortunately for him, things don't happen as planned and he gets zippo. His wife, on the other hand, ends up falling for a younger man. When he proposes, the wife is sorely tempted, but then realizes she really does love her husband. The would-be wayward husband also reawakens to love and domestic bliss ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Genevieve Tobin, Neil Hamilton, (more)
- 1935
In this drama, a studio script girl works very hard to support her no-account family. One day she wins a lottery, gives her family some of the winnings and moves in with her best friend. She had a boy friend, but he became disgusted with her loyalty to her lazy family and abandoned her. Soon after winning the money, she finds herself set upon by greedy fellows. Fortunately her old boy friend returns and marries her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Brown, Marian Nixon, (more)
- 1934
Looking for all the world like a 2-reel comedy bloated to 6-reel proportions, Embarrassing Moments was directed by Edward Laemmle, one of the many salaried relatives of avuncular Universal chieftain Carl Laemmle. Chester Morris plays Jerry Randolph, an inveterate and obnoxious practical joker. Things take a serious turn when it looks as though Jerry's latest prank has resulted in the death of his best friend. But the audience is way ahead of Jerry: the whole "tragedy" has been staged to teach the jolly jokester a lesson. Billed third in Embarrassing Moments is Broadway singing star Walter Woolf, who as Walter Woolf King enjoyed a lengthy career as a supporting actor in such films as The Marx Bros.' Night at the Opera and Laurel & Hardy's Swiss Miss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chester Morris, Marian Nixon, (more)
- 1934
William Gargan plays his first movie detective (but definitely not his last) in Columbia's The Lineup. The hero, a gumshoe named Bob (Gargan), is on the trail of a gang of fur smugglers. Deducing that a posh nightclub serves as the front for the villain's activities, he arrests everybody in the joint and subjects them to the humiliation of a police lineup. One of the unfortunates dragged into headquarters is innocent hat-check girl Peggy (Marian Nixon), who's beautiful when she's angry. Smitten by Peggy, Bob ultimately enlists her aid in tracking down the genuine culprits (that's some way to treat your girlfriend!) For its initial New York engagement, The Lineup was shown on a double bill with another Columbia cops-and-robbers quickie, One is Guilty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Gargan, Marian Nixon, (more)
- 1934
Marian Nixon made the first of a brace of starring appearances at low-budget Liberty Pictures in Once to Every Bachelor. Nixon plays a young innocent who through no fault of her own has become involved with gangsters. Seeking a way out, she latches on to a wealthy playboy (Neil Hamilton). Having been soured on matrimony, the lout suggests an "open" marriage, whereby he and his wife will be permitted to seek out the companionship of others. But he doesn't count on genuinely falling in love with his new bride. Silent screen favorite Aileen Pringle walks away with the picture as the vampish "other woman" in the case. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marian Nixon, Neil Hamilton, (more)
- 1934
Trying a bit too hard to qualify as a "screwball" comedy, RKO Radio's We're Rich Again is based on Alden Nash's stage play And Let Who Will be Clever. Carolyn Page's (Joan Marsh) once-rich family has gone broke thanks to their profligate spending habits. Parents Mr and Mrs. Page (Billie Burke and Grant Mitchell) try to marry Carolyn off to a wealthy banker (Reginald Denny), but he begins having second thoughts as he wades through an assortment of madcaps and loonies. The plot is unexpectedly resolved by the daffiest member of the family, country cousin Arabella (Marian Nixon, the wife of director William A. Seiter), allowing Marsh to marry her true love (Buster Crabbe). Edna May Oliver is hilarious as the family's salty, polo-playing grandmother, while Edgar Kennedy is almost as funny as a flustered bill collector. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edna May Oliver, Billie Burke, (more)
- 1934
Six writers were involved in the RKO Radio musical comedy Strictly Dynamite; ironically, the plot concerns a radio comedian who's running out of material. Jimmy Durante stars as Maxie Slaight, an airwaves mirthmaker who hires young Nick Montgomery (Norman Foster) as his new gag man. Before he knows what's happening, Maxie becomes enmeshed in a romantic triangle involving Nick, Nick's wife Sylvia (Marian Nixon), and Maxie's radio co-star Vera (Lupe Velez). The film's five songs are performed con brio by Durante, Velez, and the four Mills Brothers. Adapted from an unproduced play by the usually reliable Ralph Spence, Strictly Dynamite wasn't sufficiently successful to boost Jimmy Durante's flagging movie career, and within a year or so he'd be back on Broadway in Jumbo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmy Durante, Lupe Velez, (more)
- 1933
In this comedy, a young couple are forced to marry after they are accidentally locked in a store overnight. Unfortunately for the young groom, his overbearing mother is unhappy with the match and keeps trying to get them divorced. She even follows them on their honeymoon. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Slim" Summerville, ZaSu Pitts, (more)
- 1933
Rian James was the last of three directors assigned to The Best of Enemies; this sort of unnecessary expenditure was one of the reasons that the Fox Studios was always on the brink of bankruptcy. The plot is basic Hatfield/McCoy stuff, with Buddy Rogers and Marian Nixon playing the grown children of feuding German-Americans Frank Morgan and Joseph Cawthorn. Romance blossoms between Rogers and Nixon, while Morgan and Cawthorn continue muttering Teutonic imprecations at one another. The Best of Enemies bears a striking resemblance to the tried-and-true stage play Friendly Enemies. Perhaps Fox could not come to financial terms with Friendly Enemies authors Samuel Shipman and Aaron Hoffman, so the studio churned out its own variation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Marian Nixon, (more)
- 1933
In this romance, two travelling sign painters find themselves inspired by a young woman's lovely smile. Soon her face is found painted on signs and barns throughout New England. Eventually one of the painters and the girl get married. Soon after the wedding, the painters are offered job in New York. There they are challenged to paint an enormous sign. Again, it is the bride's lovely face that inspires them. Meanwhile, the lonely bride decides she cannot bear to be away from her love. By herself, she travels to the Big Apple and finds him on her very first day there. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Tracy, Marian Nixon, (more)
- 1933
Will Rogers is Dr. Bull, a small-town physician with precious little book learning. This doesn't stop him from ministering to the citizens, often substituting advice and witticisms for pills and sutures. There are those who resist Dr. Bull's everyday doses of common sense and humanity, especially the gossip mongers who read the worst into the doctor's frequent visits to a lonely widow (Vera Lewis). Bull triumphs over his adversaries when he stems a typhoid epidemic, proving that the disease was spread by pollution from the construction camp owned by the town's resident Scrooge (Berton Churchill). Directed by John Ford with his usual compassion towards sensible small-town types, Dr. Bull was adapted from The Last Adam, a novel by James Gould Cozzens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Rogers, Vera Allen, (more)
- 1933
A spoiled rich girl marries a gas station owner in this dated romance starring Joel McCrea, Ginger Rogers, and Marion Nixon. It is love at first sight when debutante Glory Franklyn (Nixon) spots handsome grease monkey Blacky Gorman (McCrea), who promptly dumps faithful girlfriend Marje Harris (Rogers) to marry the heiress. Wedded bliss, however, quickly gives way to everyday worries and Glory even fails at cooking a dinner. Because she still loves Blacky, Marje nobly gives her rival a crash course in good housekeeping, but the spoiled Glory discovers that she is expecting and high tails it back to Mama (Virginia Hammond), who never approved of the marriage and is only too happy to see it fail. Fearing that his wife will obtain an abortion, Blacky hurries to New York, but is too late. Divorced and heartbroken, the young gas station owner finds solace in the arms of the loyal Marje. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joel McCrea, Ginger Rogers, (more)
- 1933
John Ford directed this emotional drama, which was a considerable change of pace from the westerns and war pictures for which he was best known. Hannah Jessop (Henrietta Crosman) fears being abandoned by her son Jim (Norman Foster), and she doesn't approve of his romance with Mary Saunders (Marian Nixon). When Hannah discovers that Jim and Mary plan to wed, she sends her son off to fight in WWI, unaware that Mary is carrying his child. Jim is killed in combat just as Mary is giving birth, and while Hannah is crushed by the loss of her son, she cannot forgive Mary or abide her grandson, Jim, Jr. (Jay Ward). Years later, Hannah is prodded into joining a group of women who lost their sons in the war on a visit to the battlefields of Europe; en route, she meets Mrs. Hatfield (Lucille La Verne), whose warmth and gracious acceptance of her misfortune forces Hannah to take a look at herself and her attitudes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henrietta Crosman, Heather Angel, (more)
- 1932
James Cagney stars as a popular prizefighter who loses his winnings through too much partying and too many women. Cagney's fans finance the boxer's regenerative stay at a New Mexico health resort. For the sake of pretty, poverty-stricken Marian Nixon, Cagney enters into a return bout. He splits his winnings with Nixon, then goes back to his old skirt-chasing pattern with fickle society girl Virginia Bruce. Having had his nose broken, Cagney fixes it up to please Bruce, and stops taking chances in the ring lest his beezer get smashed again. It doesn't take long for Cagney to plummet from popularity, but true-blue Nixon is there for him when he gets wise to himself. The beautifully staged fight scenes in Winner Take All, wherein James Cagney disdains the use of a double, were later excerpted in Cagney's last-ever film, 1985's Terrible Joe Moran. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Marian Nixon, (more)
- 1932
Mildred Cramm's novel Scotch Valley was transformed by the scenarists at Fox into the Warner Baxter vehicle Amateur Daddy. Baxter plays a true-blue sort who agrees to take care of the family of dying pal Edwin Stanley. While his neighbors make cruel fun of Baxter's efforts to play surrogate father, he does an admirable job. Baxter's resolve to do right is put to the test when a stranger shows up, claiming to be the family's "genuine" father. Marian Nixon plays the oldest and prettiest member of Baxter's foster family; her presence smooths the path for a romantic finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Baxter, Marian Nixon, (more)
- 1932
Peter Piper (Charles Farrell) and Sidney Taylor (Marian Nixon) are deeply in love, and saving to get married, but their mothers have other ideas. Mrs. Piper (Josephine Hull) is jealous of Sidney, refusing to allow the couple to move in with her after they marry. Elsie (Minna Gombell), Sidney's mother, is disgusted with her husband Willie (William Collier, Sr.) and has an affair with their border Mr. Jarvis (William Pawley); she wants Sidney to marry a rich man. When he fears his embezzlement will be found out, Jarvis persuades Elsie to leave the country with him. After they're gone, Willie finds the note Elsie left for Sidney in which she reveals she never loved him; as a result Willie has a heart attack. Peter and Sidney are forced to use their savings for his hospitalization, and then Sidney fears Peter is attracted to another woman. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Farrell, Marian Nixon, (more)
- 1932
Originally filmed with Mary Pickford in 1917, the Kate Douglas Wiggin children's classic Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm was remade as a talkie in 1932. Though a bit long in tooth to play the leading character, Marian Nixon (replacing a recalcitrant Janet Gaynor) makes a charming Rebecca. Placed in the custody of her wealthy, spiteful old Aunts Miranda (Louise Closser Hale) and Jane (Mae Marsh), the heroine eventually wins the two biddies over with her relentless good nature, charm and optimism. She also reforms avowed atheist Zion Simpson (Alan Hale), convincing the old reprobate to marry his common-law wife (Eula Guy). As a reward for all her good works, Rebecca wins the love of local doctor Ladd (Ralph Bellamy). An in-name-only adaptation of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm was filmed six years later, with Shirley Temple in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marian Nixon, Ralph Bellamy, (more)
- 1932
A goodly portion of this boxing drama was filmed on location at the real-life Madison Square Garden. Jack Oakie stars as Eddie Burke, a wise-guy pugilist whose talent is unevenly matched by his ego. Despite his character flaws, Eddie knows the meaning of loyalty. When his manager Doc Williams (William Collier Sr.) is offered the opportunity to stage a match at Madison Square Garden, but only if he gets rid of his stable of fighters, Eddie fabricates an alibi and stages a walkout on Doc. Our hero returns to the fold in time to foil a gang of gambler-bootleggers, headed by Sloane (William "Stage" Boyd) and Roarke (Lew Cody). Thomas Meighan, one of Paramount Picture's most popular silent-era leading men, made his last appearance for his home studio as the leader of the Garden's board of directors. Madison Square Garden includes cameo appearances by such famed athletes as Jack Johnson, Tom Sharkey, Ted Sloan, and Mike Donlin and by such stellar sports reporters as Damon Runyon, Grantland Rice, Westbrook Pegler, Paul Gallico, Jack Lait and Edward W. Smith. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Oakie, Marian Nixon, (more)
- 1932
In this drama, an orphan girl marries a kindly crook to stay out of reform school. The crook is the head thief in a robber ring that preys on homes of the wealthy, but his new wife doesn't know this. She innocently gets a job with the district attorney, and there learns the truth. Still she is loyal and uses her job to help her husband cover up the information that could destroy the DA's bid for to become governor. As a return favor, the DA gives the crook a minimal sentence. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucille Powers, Theodore Von Eltz, (more)
- 1932
The second film version of Ben Ames Williams' magazine serial Jubilo, and the second to star Will Rogers, Too Busy to Work takes considerably more liberties with the source material than the original 1919 Jubilo. Once again, Rogers is cast as a lovable hobo named Jubilo (after the old spiritual of the same name), but this time there is a compelling reason for his vagabond existence. While Jubilo was off fighting in WW1, his wife ran off with another man, taking their baby daughter Rose with her. Upon his return to the States, Jubilo took to the road, hoping some day to find his daughter (the wayward wife having died just before War's end). Arriving in a small town, Jubilo learns that his now-grown daughter Rose (Marian Nixon) has been raised by a widely respected judge and his wife, and is blissfully unaware of her true identity. Assessing the situation, Jubilo decides to leave well enough alone, and not tell the girl that he's her real daddy. But before he can shamble out of Rose's life, Jubilo must first smooth the path of true love by clearing Rose's sweetheart Dan Hardy (Dick Powell) of a false criminal charge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Rogers, Marian Nixon, (more)
- 1932
Warner Oland's third appearance as humble oriental sleuth Charlie Chan was in the 1932 release Charlie Chan's Chance. This time, our hero has a personal reason to solve the murder at hand; he himself was the intended victim, but another man was killed by mistake. Keeping one step ahead of both the New York police and Scotland Yard, Chan tracks down the man responsible for the murder, who turns out to be the mastermind of a vast criminal empire. One of the film's biggest surprises was that perennial "hidden killer" Ralph Morgan was not the culprit. Charlie Chan's Chance is one of four early "Chan" talkies which no longer exist, though outtakes have shown up in various video "blooper" reels. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Oland, Alexander Kirkland, (more)
