Carroll Nye Movies
- 1925
This comedy was based on a novel by author Edna Ferber. Although she is merely a classified ads employee, Babs Comet (Corinne Griffith) is determined to have the finer things in life. She spends all her money on clothes and eschews the subway, preferring instead to entice wealthy young men into driving her home -- of course, if any of them get fresh, she lets them have it. One man, however, won't play her game and he turns out to be garage mechanic Lloyd Whiting (Jack Mulhall). Naturally, Babs falls for him. But first she lands herself in trouble when a wealthy man puts her in a compromising position. His car "breaks down" and she is forced to spend the night walking home. Her parents (Edythe Chapman and Charles Murray) are scandalized, but the man offers to marry her. Babs turns down his offer, preferring to wed Whiting instead. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corinne Griffith, Jack Mulhall, (more)
- 1926
Adele Fenway (Pauline Frederick) is Her Honor the Governor in this complex silent drama. Upon winning the gubernatorial election, Adele discovers that her campaign was a sham: Crooked senator Jim Dornton (Stanton Heck) intends to go on running the state as he's always done, using Adele as a mere figurehead. But she's a lot more savvy than he suspects, as she proves when she successfully blocks a bit of underhanded legislation engineered by Dornton. He, in turn, threatens to reveal that, due to a legal technicality, Adele's son Bob (Carrol Nye) is illegitimate in the eyes of the law. Infuriated, Bob rushes to Dornton's home, demanding an apology -- and the next morning, the Senator is found dead. Desperately trying to save her son from a murder conviction, Adele faces imminent impeachment, but all ends happily when the actual killer is reveled. Boris Karloff appears in a small but showy role as a dope addict. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pauline Frederick, Carroll Nye, (more)
- 1926
The Earth Woman was one of several films produced by Mrs. Wallace Reid (Dorothy Davenport), who after the drug-induced death of her movie-idol husband dedicated herself to saving impressionable filmgoers from the evils and pitfalls of modern life. The story is set in the hills of Tennessee, where practically everybody gets smashed on rotgut moonshine. A drink-benumbed hillbilly tries to rape heroine Sally Tilden (Priscilla Bonner), setting off a chain reaction of violence, murder, and false confessions. Through it all, "earth mother" Martha Tilden (Mary Alden) tries to hold her very dysfunctional brood together. Perhaps it was the notoriety of the still seething Hatfield-McCoy feud that prompted so many filmmakers to turn out "backwoods" dramas like this one. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Alden, Russell Simpson, (more)
- 1926
Based on the musical comedy of the same name, Kosher Kitty Kelly stars Viola Dana in the title role. The story is a variation on the Abie's Irish Rose theme, detailing the marriage between an Irish Catholic and a Jew. Much of the humor is of the roughhouse variety, though there are a few touches of tenderness, courtesy of Nat Carr as Moses Ginsburg and Vera Gordon as Mrs. Feinbaum. In fact, "official" heroine Kitty Kelly generally takes a back seat to the wistful middle-aged romance between Carr and Gordon. Handling the directorial reins was James W. Horne, best known today for his collaborations with Laurel and Hardy and his gloriously silly Columbia serials of the 1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Viola Dana, Tom B. Forman, (more)
- 1926
A James Oliver Curwood story was the source for this rugged Canadian Mountie melodrama. Alan Roscoe plays Sgt. Steve Drew, the "lone rider" of the Mounties, at present on the prowl for illegal wolf trappers. Before he's able to get his man, Sgt. Steve spends a lot of time in the company of two women: Helen Ainsworth (Mildred Harris), the wife of the chief suspect, and Minnetaki (Virginia Brown Faire), an Indian maiden. Eventually, the villain is rounded up, and the hero is matched with the "proper" heroine. Wolf Hunters was produced by former serial star Ben Wilson and released through Rayart, one of the precursors of Monogram Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Roscoe, Virginia Brown Faire, (more)
- 1927
In this instance at least, What Every Girl Should Know doesn't come in a plain brown wrapper. Patsy Ruth Miller stars as 17-year-old Mary Sullivan, who is shipped off to an orphanage with her kid brother Bobby (Mickey McBan) when their older brother-guardian Dave (Carroll Nye) is framed on a bootlegging charge. Mary and Bobby are rescued by wealthy Arthur Graham (Ian Keith), who serves on the orphanage's board of directors. He adopts the two "kids," only to run into interference from his snobbish aunt (Lillian Langdon). Undaunted, Mary wins the hearts of Graham's society friends by developing into an expert tennis player. Graham is so impressed by Mary's prowess on the tennis court that he arranges for the release of her brother Dave -- and, incidentally, proposes marriage to the heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patsy Ruth Miller
- 1927
One of Hollywood's true professionals, Irving Cummings showed little of his later directorial sophistication in this terrible silent comedy-Western about a con man (Monte Blue) trying to fleece a group of wealthy but gullible Indians out of a fortune in oil. Along the way, Blue and his Runyonesque pals (Clyde Cook, Carroll Nye and Paul Nicholson) rescue a pretty lass (Leila Hyams) from a brutal saloon owner. Part Cherokee-Indian himself and a fine comic actor, Blue should have known better than to star in this racist drivel. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Blue, Leila Hyams, (more)
- 1927
Not surprisingly, Rose of Kildare begins in Ireland, where Rose (Helene Chadwick) and Barry (Pat O'Malley) fall in love. Alas, hero and heroine are separated by a combination of Cruel Fate and False Pride. Emigrating to America, Rose becomes a successful nightclub owner, but she never gets over her lost love. Twenty-five years pass before the aging sweethearts are finally reunited, and then only because Rose's daughter Elsie (Ena Gregory) has fallen for Barry's son Barry Jr. (Carroll Nye). As a bit of dramatic irony, Barry Jr. has grown up to be a New York district attorney, determined to close down Rose's "scandalous" cabaret. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat O'Malley, Helene Chadwick, (more)
- 1927
The plot to this underworld drama, based on a story by Arthur Somers Roche, sounds more like something from the 1930s than from the silent era. It's an early starring vehicle for Myrna Loy. Southern girl Mary Carlton (Loy) finds out that her brother, Bob (Carroll Nye), is going to the electric chair for a crime he says he didn't commit. In order to get her brother exonerated, Mary travels to New York and pretends to be a Chicago gun moll. She wins the love of two gangsters, Handsome Joe (Conrad Nagel) and Big Steve Drummond (William Russell). Joe, it turns out, isn't a gangster at all, but an undercover detective. He attempts to help Mary prove her brother's innocence, and the two of them are caught in a fierce gun battle between the crooks and the cops. They make it through alive (although Drummond gets his due), and Bob is released at the last minute. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Conrad Nagel, Myrna Loy, (more)
- 1927
The screenplay for Warner Bros.' Black Diamond Express was credited to "Mark Canfield," one of the many pseudonyms of Warner workhorse Darryl F. Zanuck. Monte Blue heads the cast as a muscular railroad worker, in love with heroine Edna Murphy. Several obstacles are placed in the path of true happiness for Blue and Murphy, not least of which is a train holdup in which the hero's boss is killed. Taking on the villains single-handedly, Blue ends up struggling to bring a runaway Pullman car under control, as the car and its passengers careen down a steep slope. Critics who enjoyed Monte Blue but were unhappy with his choice of vehicles were gratified to find this screen stalwart back in the sort of action fare he did best. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Blue, Edna Murphy, (more)
- 1927
This obscure, locally-lensed silent Western starred became a minor cause célèbre for a scene in which the villain punched the heroine several times in the face! Carroll Nye and Rex, the Dog save the girl (Rada Rae) from her brutal father (Sam Allen). Young Nye's only memorable role came more than a decade later when he played Scarlett O'Hara's second husband in Gone With the Wind (1939). Death Valley was written and produced by supporting actor Raymond Wells. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll Nye, Rada Rae, (more)
- 1927
The Silver Slave is Bernice Randall (Irene Rich), who marries for money rather than love. This she has done for the sake of her daughter Janet (Audrey Ferris), who nonetheless grows up despising her mother. As an act of defiance, Janet becomes engaged to Philip Caldwell (John Miljan), a no-good scoundrel. In the tradition of Lady Windemere's Fan, Bernice exposes Caldwell as a cad by making love to her himself. Her sacrifice is rewarded when Janet settles for true romance in the form of good-hearted Larry Martin (Carroll Nye). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Rich, Audrey Ferris, (more)
- 1928
Belle Bennett, the long-suffering leading lady of Stella Dallas (1926), heads the cast of Columbia's The Sporting Age. The story is motivated by a train wreck which causes racetrack owner Holmes Herbert to temporarily lose his eyesight. Taking advantage of this, Herbert's straying wife Bennett carries on an affair with her husband's male secretary Carroll Nye. What neither of the illicit lovers realize is that Herbert has recovered his vision somewhat ahead of schedule -- and he isn't missing a thing! How long will it be before Bennett and Nye find out that Herbert sees all and knows all? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Belle Bennett, Holmes Herbert, (more)
- 1928
Lon Chaney Sr. eschews his trademarked makeup in the MGM crime melodrama While the City Sleeps. The plot is sparked by the misbehavior of heroine Myrtle (Anita Page), who enjoys rubbing shoulders with gangsters like Skeeter (Wheeler Oakman). When she learns too much about Skeeter's set-up, Myrtle is put on the spot by the mob. Crusty veteran police officer Dan (Lon Chaney) takes it upon himself to put Myrtle in "protective custody" in his own apartment. Old Dan falls in love with the girl, but at fadeout time he willingly gives up to likeable reformed gangster Marty (Carroll Nye). The film is a heady combination of standard cops-and-robbers fare and "low" humor, featuring several visual jokes centering around the policeman protagonist's sore feet. Mae Busch, Lon Chaney's leading lady in Unholy Three, shows up in a flashy supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lon Chaney, Anita Page, (more)
- 1928
Silent stars Bryant Washburn and Vera Reynolds had both seen better days by the time they made the inexpensive programmer Jazzland. The story is set in motion by newspaper reporter Carroll Nye, (remember him as Frank Kennedy in Gone With the Wind?) who opposes the construction of a nightclub in his respectable small town. Trouble is, the brains behind the club is a mysterious Mister Big who keeps himself hidden from view. While trying to uncover the owner's identity, Nye's brother Forrest Stanley is killed. Good-natured "jazz baby" Vera Reynolds puts her own life in jeopardy to avenge Stanley's murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Reynolds, Bryant Washburn, (more)
- 1928
Land of the Silver Fox was one of the last silent starring vehicles for celebrated canine star Rin Tin Tin. In this one, Rinty heads to the Canadian Northwest, where he befriends likeable fox trapper Carroll Nye. The "human" hero is in love with Leila Hyams, the ward of duplicitous trading-camp operator John Miljan. In league with all-around bad guy Tom Santschi, Miljan tries to dispose of Nye so that he can have Hyams all to himself. But the villains haven't reckoned with Rin Tin Tin, who can be a mighty tough customer when he's got his fur up. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leila Hyams, John Miljan, (more)
- 1928
George Kelly's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Craig's Wife was given three screen treatments by Hollywood. The first of these was filmed in 1928, with Cecil B. DeMille's talented brother William in the director's chair. Irene Rich stars as Harriet Craig, whose obsession with material possessions and immaculate neatness results in misery for all concerned. Harriet's husband (Warner Baxter) remains blind to his wife's selfishness-until his eyes are opened when he is implicated in a double murder. Discovering that Harriet cares more about her home than her husband, Mr. Craig declares his independence by walking out and leaving her utterly alone -- but not before flicking plenty of cigar ashes on her hitherto spotless living-room rug. Craig's Wife was remade under its original title in 1936, with Rosalind Russell in the lead; it was filmed for a third time in 1950, as the Joan Crawford vehicle Harriet Craig. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Rich, Warner Baxter, (more)
- 1928
Canine star Rin Tin Tin topped the cast of Warner Bros.' A Race for Life. The combination of star and title was in itself enough to pack theaters, but Warners insisted upon adding a plot, if only to appease the critics. In this one, Rinty becomes the best pal of juvenile "human" hero Danny O'Shea (Bobby Gordon). Their devotion to one another is proven beyond doubt when Danny is threatened by kidnappers. For those uninterested in the boy-and-dog angle, a romantic subplot was wedged into the proceedings involving Virginia Calhoun (Virginia Brown Faire) and Robert Hammong (Carroll Nye, who later played Frank Kennedy in 1939's Gone with the Wind). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia Brown Faire, Carroll Nye, (more)
- 1929
Still in the Hollywood phase of his career, director Alexander Korda made his talking-picture bow with Warner Bros.' The Squall. Myrna Loy stars as Nubi, a sexy and seductive Hungarian gypsy girl who is caught in a torrential downpour. Taking refuge in a farmhouse, Nubi wreaks havoc on the male occupants, all of whom violently vie for her attentions. In other words, the film's title is both literal and symbolic. Loretta Young appears in the secondary role of Irma, sweetheart of emotional young farmer Paul Lajos (Carrol Nye). The Squall was based on a play by Jean Bart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Myrna Loy, Richard Tucker, (more)
- 1929
Alexandre Brisson's weepy 1906 play had already been filmed three times when the 1929 talkie Madame X made its debut. Ruth Chatterton stars as a low-born wife of a socialite, whose aristocratic in-laws kick her out when she gives birth to a baby boy of dubious parentage. The boy, who has been led to believe his mother is dead, grows up to become a renowned attorney (Raymond Hackett). Mama Chatterton takes to the streets, but proudly monitors her son's progress from afar. When Chatterton is accused of murder, her defense attorney is none other than her son. She refuses to tell him the truth about their relationship, even though that information may make the difference between execution and exoneration. Madame X would be remade three more times over the next five decades; to avoid confusion with these later versions, the 1929 Madame X has been retitled Absinthe for its TV showings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruth Chatterton, Lewis Stone, (more)
- 1929
In her second talking picture, Loretta Young stars as Gladys Cosgrove, the ticket-taker at a small-town movie house. Although she's sweet on socialite Terry Pomfret (Carrol Nye), Gladys is ardently pursued by gangster Doc Striker (Matthew Betz). This results in a loud and very public confrontation between Terry and Doc, strengthening Doc's resolve to get even with his rival. Hoping to kill two birds with one stone, Doc arranges for his crooked partner John Cosgrove (Ralph Lewis), who happens to be Gladys' uncle, to discover Gladys and Terry in a compromising position. It is the villain's hope that Cosgrove will kill Terry and then be arrested for the crime. But this clever scheme is foiled when local "lech" Sheik Smith (Lucien Littlefield) is bumped off by Cosgrove instead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Loretta Young, Matthew Betz, (more)
- 1929
"Light Fingers" is both the name and the physical description of this film's hero, a dapper petty thief played by Ian Keith. Falling in love with virtuous Dorothy Madison (Dorothy Revier), Light Fingers promises to give up his life of crime if only she will marry him. He tries hard to keep his word, but circumstances force him to return to larceny -- all for a good cause, of course. A very minor endeavor, Light Fingers is redeemed by the smooth performance of Ian Keith, an actor usually typecast as seedy con artists and disgraced gentlemen. And here's a bit of esoterica for film trivia buffs: The film's director was Joseph Henaberry, who played Abraham Lincoln in D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation (1915) -- while Keith, the star, went on to play John Wilkes Booth in Griffith's 1930 talkie Abraham Lincoln! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Keith, Dorothy Revier, (more)
- 1929
Flying Fleet was one of the first script-writing efforts of Lt. Commander Frank "Spig" Wead, who came to Hollywood after the crippling accident that ended his naval career (Wead's life story was later romanticized in the 1957 John Ford picture The Wings of Eagles). Evidently, Wead's favorite story involved two military men who have a falling out over a beautiful woman. In this instance, six U.S. Naval Academy graduates argue over "dames" while attending flying school. Foremost among the cadets are Tommy (Ramon Novarro) and Steve (Ralph Graves, who showed up in several Wead films), while the romantic bone of contention is Anita (Anita Page). The rate of attrition amongst the six would-be flyboys is astonishing, and as a result only Tommy and Steve are able to complete the training process. In time-honored tradition, our heroes forget their personal problems when lives are at stake. The film is distinguished by its first-rate aviation scenes, superbly photographed by Charles A. Marshall. A silent film, Flying Fleet was released with a synchronized music and sound-effects track; a "restored" version of the film debuted over the Turner Classic Movies cable service in the mid-1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ramon Novarro, Ralph Graves, (more)
