Jane Novak Movies
The older and more successful of the two Novak sisters (Eva Novak also appeared in films), Jane Novak became known as the strong outdoorsy type and was often cast in Northwest melodramas. A niece, by marriage, of actress Anne Seymour, Novak was awarded a contract by the Kalem company in 1913, mainly because she resembled "a blonde Alice Joyce." Earning ten dollars a week for her services, Novak appeared in a couple of rough-and-tumble one-reelers before switching to the more prominent Vitagraph company, where she was awarded a well-deserved raise and starring roles opposite the likes of Jack Mower, William Duncan, and Western favorite Myrtle Gonzales.She did several comedies for novice producer Hal Roach opposite a very young Harold Lloyd (Willie's Haircut) [1914], Just Nuts [1915], etc.) and cowboy actor Roy Stewart, but became a star opposite William S. Hart in five top-notch Westerns between 1918 and 1921. Persistent rumors teamed the two in private life as well and Novak divorced her husband, actor Frank Newburg. Hart, however, married another of his leading ladies, Winifred Westover, and the association with Novak came to an abrupt halt.
Now firmly established as a Western heroine, Novack also appeared opposite Tom Mix (The Coming of the Law [1919]) and Monroe Salisbury (the still extant The Barbarian [1920])) and headlined several independent productions set either in Alaska or the Canadian wilderness (The Trail's End [1920], The Snowshoe Trail [1922], The Lure of the Wild [1925]). She scored a personal triumph in the society melodrama Thelma (1922) as a Norwegian peasant girl falling for a British aristocrat and earned equally fine reviews for The Lullaby (1925) as a wrongly convicted girl whose child is taken from her in prison. Making three films in the U.K. in 1925, she met future director Alfred Hitchock, who became a lifelong friend (she would later play a small role in his second Hollywood film Foreign Correspondent [1940]), but then concentrated mainly on raising her daughter with Newburg.
From 1936, Novak was among scores of former silent stars offered bit parts and extra work in major studio films and she would pop up in many (mostly) unbilled bit roles through at least 1954. In 1989, she was one of the celebrities interviewed for the documentary Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius. She died of a stroke at the Motion Picture Country Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA, less than a year later. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1950
Lizabeth Scott and Diana Lynn are both effectively cast against type in Paid in Full. Scott plays Jane Langley, the spectacularly self-sacrificial older sister of selfish, reckless Nancy Langley (Lynn). Though she is in love with Bill Prentice (Robert Cummings), Jane gives him up to Nancy. And when Jane accidently causes the death of Nancy's child, she vows to makes amends by the most direct means possible. What follows is within the Production Code guidelines of the era -- but just barely. An unabashed "woman's picture" (that's what they called them back in 1949), Paid in Full doesn't always play well today, since viewers might be tempted to yell "Get real, Lizabeth!" at the screen. Still, it worked beautifully for its original target audience, especially those who'd read the factual Reader's Digest article upon which it was based. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Cummings, Lizabeth Scott, (more)
Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Huston give standout performances in this dark, psychological western, which Martin Scorsese has compared to the work of Dostoevsky. T.C. Jeffords (Huston) is a cunning and highly successful ranch owner who has announced his engagement to a wealthy socialite, Flo Burnett (Judith Anderson). This news is not warmly received by his daughter Vance (Stanwyck); she had a romance of her own with gambler Rip Darrow (Wendell Corey) foiled by her father, and Vance does not care for her light-headed stepmother-to-be. Vance is driven into a violent rage by T.C.'s Machiavellian actions, and when he kills a good friend of Vance's (a ranch hand he believes was helping Mexicans squat on his land), she swears revenge on her father and joins forces with Darrow to see that violent justice is done. The Furies proved to be Walter Huston's last film; he died within a few months of its release. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, (more)
- 1949
No one is as good as Barbara Stanwyck when she's bad. Here Stanwyck plays Thelma Jordon, a woman who late one night shows up in the office of happily married Assistant DA Cleve Marshall (Wendell Corey) to seek help in solving the string of robberies at her wealthy aunt's estate. Before Cleve can stop himself, he and Thelma are involved in an illicit affair. But Thelma is a mysterious woman, and Cleve can't help wondering if she is hiding something. His suspicions are confirmed when Thelma confesses to him that she is married to Tony Laredo, though she swears that she never wants to see him again. When Thelma's aunt is found murdered, Cleve's suspicions are aroused once again, but he is too love-struck to keep himself from being drawn into the complicated series of events that ultimately lead to his ruination. Siodmak directs with his usual skill and polish, but the film really belongs to Barbara Stanwyck who is magnificent as Thelma. Unlike the usual cold, passionless femme fatale of film noir, Thelma has a heart and a conscience. She comes to love Cleve, and has concern for his life and his future. However, despite her wish that her life could be different, she realizes that she belongs in Tony's world, and despite her attempts to sacrifice herself to save Cleve, he is doomed, by his love for her and by his own weaknesses. The File on Thelma Jordan is a romantic, unusual mystery, with a great performance and superior direction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, (more)
- 1947
Desert Fury is a rarety for the 1940s, a Technicolor "film noir." Set in a Nevada gambling town, the story concerns the various misadventures, romantic and otherwise, of Paula Haller (Lizabeth Scott), the rebellious daughter of gambling-house proprietress Fritzie Haller (Mary Astor, who steals the picture). Though no better than she ought to be, Fritzie is determined that Paula will not grow up as a "shady lady", but she'd fighting an uphill battle. John Hodiak plays crooked gambler Eddie Bendix (John Hodiak), who tries to exploit Paula's fascination with him for his own gain. Thank heaven that upright lawman Tom Hanson (Burt Lancaster) is on hand to rescue the heroine from the machinations of Bendix and his partner-in-perfidy Johnny Ryan (Wendell Corey). Desert Fury was adapted from the far racier and more explicit novel by Ramona Stewart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Lizabeth Scott, (more)
- 1943
Barton MacLane dominates the proceedings in the PRC quickie Man of Courage. Taking a break from his usual gangster and convict roles, MacLane plays a crusading district attorney. His number one target is mob boss Lyle Talbot, who enjoys the protection of several crooked politicos. With perserverance, MacLane collars his quarry and brings him to trial. MacLane also cowrote the script, so he has only himself to blame for lines like "I remember when I used to plow on the farm...BOY! Did I love ta PLOW!" Newpaper columnist Erskine Johnson appears as "himself" in Man of Courage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barton MacLane, Charlotte Wynters, (more)
- 1942
In this upbeat WW II musical, a popular band joins the army with the idea of putting on shows for troops overseas. During rehearsals, a battle erupts and the musicians must exchange their musical instruments for guns and fight. Songs include: "Zip Your Lip," "I Must Have Priorities on Your Love," "Don't Fool Around with My Heart," "The Yanks are Coming," and "There Will Be No Blackout of Democracy." (Lew Pollack, Tony Stern, Herman Ruby, Sidney Clare). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry King, Mary Healy, (more)
- 1942
In this drama, a woman performs a mercy killing and ends up in jail. To clear her name, she escapes and ends up hiding out with a kindly country doctor who helps her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rose Hobart, Sidney Blackmer, (more)
Fourteen scriptwriters spent five years toiling over a movie adaptation of war correspondent Vincent Sheehan's Personal History before producer Walter Wanger brought the property to the screen as Foreign Correspondent. What emerged was approximately 2 parts Sheehan and 8 parts director Alfred Hitchcock--and what's wrong with that? Joel McCrea stars as an American journalist sent by his newspaper to cover the volatile war scene in Europe in the years 1938 to 1940. He has barely arrived in Holland before he witnesses the assassination of Dutch diplomat Albert Basserman: at least, that's what he thinks he sees. McCrea makes the acquaintance of peace-activist Herbert Marshall, his like-minded daughter Laraine Day, and cheeky British secret agent George Sanders. A wild chase through the streets of Amsterdam, with McCrea dodging bullets, leads to the classic "alternating windmills" scene, which tips Our Hero to the existence of a formidable subversive organization. McCrea returns to England, where he nearly falls victim to the machinations of jovial hired-killer Edmund Gwenn. The leader of the spy ring is revealed during the climactic plane-crash sequence--which, like the aforementioned windmill scene, is a cinematic tour de force for director Hitchcock and cinematographer Rudolph Mate. Producer Wanger kept abreast of breaking news events all through the filming of Foreign Correspondent, enabling him to keep the picture as "hot" as possible: the final scene, with McCrea broadcasting to a "sleeping" America from London while Nazi bombs drop all around him, was filmed only a short time after the actual London blitz. The script was co-written by Robert Benchley, who has a wonderful supporting role as an eternally tippling newsman. Foreign Correspondent was Alfred Hitchcock's second American film, and remained one of his (and his fans') personal favorites. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, (more)
- 1937
As one of Harry Carey's mid-1930s independent westerns, Ghost Town is noted for its good, atmospheric cinematography (as evidenced by the film's production stills). The star assumes his familiar guise as Cheyenne Harry, a wandering do-gooder with a questionable background but the noblest of intentions. His path intersects with that of an old pal with designs on a vacant mining town; the friend is killed, and Carey blamed for the murder and incarcerated.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Carey, Ruth Findlay, (more)
- 1936
Hollywood Boulevard is a trenchant look at the underside of Tinseltown. Though the nominal hero is a disillusioned screenwriter played by Robert Cummings (whose dialogue anticipates the lines spoken by William Holden in 1950's Sunset Boulevard), the focus of the story is John Halliday as a washed-up film star. Desperately, Halliday accepts the offer from a sleazy "tell all" magazine to write his memoirs. The actor's estranged family is devastated by the resultant scandal, and out love for his daughter (Marsha Hunt), Halliday tries to break his contract. But the publisher (C. Henry Gordon) threatens to ruin Halliday's comeback attempt if he refuses to write the rest of his memoirs. In a scuffle, the publisher kills Halliday, and the blame falls on the actor's daughter. But wise guy screenwriter Cummings gets to the truth of the mystery. A slick B-plus crime melodrama, Hollywood Boulevard has the added bonus of several well-known silent film personalities (Charles Ray, Francis X. Bushman, Maurice Costello, Mae Marsh etc.) in cameo roles, as well as a guest appearance by Gary Cooper. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Halliday, Marsha Hunt, (more)
- 1929
Intended as a follow-up (and improvement upon) the 1926 epic western The Vanishing American, Redskin was partially filmed in two-color Technicolor -- and, during its first big-city road show engagements, was shown in Magnascope, an early wide-screen process. Written by Elizabeth Pickett, an expert on the Pueblo Indian tribe of New Mexico, the film is in part an indictment of the government's ham-handed efforts to "civilize" the Native American population. Dragged off his reservation by Indian agent John Walton (Larry Steers), Wing Foot (Philip Anderson), the 9-year-old son of a Navajo chief, is forced to speak English and acclimate himself to the ways of the white man. When Wing Foot refuses to salute the American flag, he is brutally whipped by Walton, earning himself the unenviable nickname of Do-Atin, or "The Whipped One." Overcoming his initial resentments, the grown-up Wing Foot (now played by Richard Dix) becomes the first Indian to attend Thorpe College. He excels scholastically and also distinguishes himself as a star athlete, yet still he is subjected to the bigotry of his snobbish classmates. Nor are things any better when Wing Foot graduates from medical school and returns to his own people, hoping to replace their ancient superstitions with modern medical advances. Banished from his tribe for being "too white," Wing Foot finds himself literally a man without a country. Only when he discovers oil on the reservation and manages to avert a tribal war between the Pueblo and Navajo is Wing Foot fully accepted by the two worlds he now straddles. Far superior to The Vanishing American, Redskin is well worth seeing again, if only for the documentary value of its location-filmed Technicolor sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dix, Jane Novak, (more)
- 1928
Frank S. Hagney, best known for his performance as mean old Mr. Potter's bodyguard in It's a Wonderful Life, has a much larger role to play in the 1928 six-reeler Free Lips. Hagney is cast as crooked nightclub owner Bill Dugan, who carries a torch for his wholesome hostess Ann Baldridge (June Marlowe). When one of the customers is murdered, Ann is accused of the crime. Believing the girl to be guilty, Dugan shoulders the blame and is sent to prison. Eventually the real culprit is brought to heel, and a happy ending is on the horizon. Leading lady June Marlowe is best known to modern audiences as schoolteacher Miss Crabtree in the "Little Rascals" comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Novak, Frank S. Hagney, (more)
- 1927
Closed Gate was produced by Joe Rock, a former purveyor of 2-reel comedies who yearned to break into the Big Time. Based on a novel by Manfred Lee, the story concerns the relationship between a nurse (Jane Novak) and an amnesiac soldier (John Harron). Falling in love with the boy, the nurse secretly hopes that he'll never regain his memory, lest he leave her forever. During a tour of the wards, the hospital's chairman of the board recognizes the soldier as his own cousin. As it turns out, the hero was previously a wealthy ne'er-do-well, who was responsible for the death of his sweetheart. The film shifts from a romantic drama to a tale of regeneration and forgiveness, as the now-repentant soldier is tearfully reunited with his previously hard-hearted father. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Novak, John Harron, (more)
- 1927
This portentously (and pretentiously) titled Fox Studios release stars Edmund Lowe as WWI veteran Slim Paris. Though most of his comrades died in battle, Paris returns home with nary a scratch. This convinces him that his life has a "greater purpose" in the scheme of things, so he sets about to find that purpose. Before the story has run its course, Paris has rescued his two older brothers from losing the love of their wives, selflessly sacrificing his own well-being in the process. One Increasing Purpose was adapted from a then-popular novel by A. S. M. Hutchinson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Lila Lee, (more)
- 1926
Louis J. Gasnier, whose directorial technique suffered a case of arrested development sometime in 1912, wielded the megaphone for the old-fashioned mellerdrammer Lost at Sea. It is established from the outset that Norman Travers (Lowell Sherman) is a domineering husband and a failure as a father, and that his wife Natalie (Jane Novak) and son Bobby (Billy Kent Schaeffer) suffer in silent desperation. When Travers is lost at sea and presumed drowned, Natalie, somewhat relieved, accepts the marriage proposal of kindly Richard Lane (Huntley Gordon). But on the night of their wedding, Natalie receives word that her first husband is still alive. Returning home to demand his matrimonial rights, Travers is promptly murdered -- whereupon Lane, believing that Natalie committed the deed, gallantly takes the blame. The solution to the mystery comes so far out of left field that it seems to have been written for another movie! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Huntly Gordon, Lowell Sherman, (more)
- 1926
Though no director was credited for Dangerous Virtue, it is known that Alfred Hitchcock edited the film and wrote the titles. Hollywood actress Jane Novak is cast as icy Englishwoman Beatrice Audley, the fiancee of passionate Frenchman Leon de Brique (Warwick Ward). Certain that her fiance will cheat on her at the earliest opportunity, Beatrice tests Leon by arranging a meeting with her less-inhibited friend Sonia (Julianne Johnston). It is the first of several plot contrivances in this labyrinthine drama which manages to incorporate a London gambling den, a steamy interlude in North Africa, a suicide, and an attempted murder in the proceedings. When shown in New York, Dangerous Virtue was reportedly laughed off the screen; one suspects, however, that Alfred Hitchcock never intended this farrago to be taken seriously in the first place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Novak, Warwick Ward, (more)
- 1925
This heavy-handed drama from the Arrow film company is based on a particularly unrealistic premise -- that a man, suddenly gone blind, would mistake another woman for his wife. When Red Cross nurse Hilda Nevers (Jane Novak) returns from the Orient, she is left penniless because her father has died. She goes to work at a hospital where Dr. Kitchell (Gordon Standing) is impressed by her voice, which is almost identical to that of his lover, Evelyn Wentworth (Louise Carter). Evelyn is engaged to Lawrence Sinton (Niles Welch), but only for his money. On their wedding night, Sinton is blinded when a burglar hits him on the head. Hilda is substituted for Evelyn, who is then free to continue her affair with the doctor. A family friend finally exposes the situation, but by then, Hilda and Sinton have fallen in love. Sinton has an operation that restores his sight, and he and Hilda are united. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Novak, Niles Welch, (more)
- 1925
Charles "Buck" Jones, normally a heroic Western star, takes a surprising turn by playing a shiftless rural character in this romance. ZaSu Pitts also makes an impression in her tragic role (she was better known as a comedienne than as a dramatic actress, but she was great at both). Jones' character is known only as Lazybones because of his easy-going nature. He is in love with Agnes Fanning (Jane Novak), but their romance is derailed when her sister, Ruth (Pitts), comes home with a baby. Ruth claims that she was wed to a sailor who had drowned, but can't produce a marriage certificate. This brings down a world of shame on the hapless young girl, so she attempts suicide. Lazybones rescues her and adopts the baby girl. He refuses to give the infant up, so he loses Agnes. Ruth dies, and as the years pass, the little girl Kit grows into a lovely young lady (as played by Madge Bellamy). Lazybones goes off to fight in WWI, and when he returns, he plans to marry his ward. But then he discovers that Kit loves a young man who is much closer to her own age. Although Lazybones loses out, there is a hint that he and Agnes may reunite. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Jones, Madge Bellamy, (more)
- 1925
Lightning the Dog, Columbia Pictures' answer to Rin Tin Tin, heads the cast of Lure of the Wild. Displaying a range of emotions that put his human costars to shame, Lightning comes to the rescue of little Baby Cuddles (Billie Jean), the daughter of murder victim James Belmont (Alan Roscoe). Protecting the kid from all sorts of natural and man-made dangers, our canine hero reunites Cuddles with her grieving mother Agnes (Jane Novak). He also tracks down the murderers and drags them to justice. Lightning is an impressive screen presence, but there was only one "Rinty." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Novak, Alan Roscoe, (more)
- 1925
This programmer came out of Columbia, which, during the 1920s, was just another Poverty Row studio. Cyrus Browning (Robert Edeson) disowns his son because he disapproves of his marriage. When the wife, Mary Browning (Jane Novak), is widowed, she hands one of her sons over to Browning. In his grandfather's care, the boy, Ralph (Gaston Glass) grows up to be a spoiled young man, while the other son, Robert (Robert Gordon), learns the value of hard work and is devoted to his mother. Robert gets a job on the railroad where Ralph, with his superior connections, has become superintendent. Both men fall in love with Laura Whitman (Dorothy Revier), and this causes Robert to lose his job. He proves his mettle when a convict commandeers an engine is shot to death at the throttle. Robert goes after the runaway train on a motorcycle and beats it to a crossing where he switches it over to a side-track. This keeps it from colliding with the oncoming express. Robert wins Laura, and he and his mother become reconciled with old man Browning. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eva Novak, Dorothy Revier, (more)
- 1924
Jane Novak plays a dual role as mother and daughter in this drama. Tony (Robert Anderson) and Felipa (Novak) are an immigrant couple whose life together ends tragically. Tony's friend, Pietro (Fred Maletesta), tries to force himself on Felipa, and Tony kills him. Both husband and wife are arrested for his murder -- Felipa is considered an accessory. For his crime, Tony is hanged, and Felipa is sentenced to 20 years in prison. Shortly after her husband is executed, Felipa gives birth to a baby, Antoinette (Dorothy Marion Mack), and after three years, the child is taken away from her to be raised by the governor -- who was the judge that had sent the couple to their fates. After serving her prison term, Felipa is released, determined to find her daughter, now grown (and portrayed by Novak). But when she finally hunts her down and sees the elegant surroundings in which she was raised, she decides to give her up for her own good. Antoinette's adopted family shows their mercy for Felipa by inviting her to come live with them. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Novak, Robert Anderson, (more)
- 1924
This independently made feature boasted to have an all-star cast. That statement had a certain amount of truth to it; the names of these actors were certainly well-known in their day. But, they were minor stars at best, and their fame did not extend much beyond the silent era. Rufus Asher (Kenneth Harlan) believes that Barbara Wier (Jane Novak) is plotting to run off with Edmund Hyde (David Powell), who is married to Asher's sister, Linda (Faire Binney). To put a halt to the affair, Asher kidnaps Barbara and hides her in a mountain cabin. But Barbara sends word out to Hyde of her whereabouts through a tramp. Asher goes out for supplies and when he returns unexpectedly, Barbara thinks it's the tramp, coming back to attack her, and shoots at him. Asher is wounded, and as Barbara nurses him back to health, she explains what was really going on -- she and Hyde were working to stop Linda from running off with Hugh Langely (Bradley Barker). Her friendship with Hyde is completely innocent. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Novak, Kenneth Harlan, (more)
- 1923
The "shocking" (by 1923 standards) title to this picture was just a smokescreen -- in reality, it was merely a domestic soap opera geared toward women film fans. Jane Novak and John Bowers star as Jane and Jim Parker, a happily wed couple with a little boy, Dickie (Philippe DeLacy). Jim works for Jane's father, and when he earns a promotion, he insists on getting a big, impressive home so he can entertain his new friends and business associates. His extravagant lifestyle does not suit Jane, who begins to fall behind socially. Not surprisingly, Jim becomes easy prey for the most convenient vamp, Gloria Gayne (Margaret Livingston), and soon his marriage is on the rocks. Divorce proceedings begin and Jim loses his cushy job. Finally he realizes what he has sacrificed on the altar of ambition and regrets the choices he has made. He returns to the old cottage where he once knew happiness, and there are Jane and Dickie, waiting for him to come to his senses and return home. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Novak, John Bowers, (more)
