George O'Hara Movies

A poignant story is told without undue melodrama in this film by director Koji Shima. After the father in a small family dies, his wife carries on trying to promote the musical career of their young and blind son. The father was an acclaimed violinist and his son wants to be just like him. He practices and keeps up communication with a pen pal from the Vienna Boy's Choir but tragedy strikes when it is discovered that he has leukemia. Meanwhile, his sister, who has a natural talent for the violin, has stayed in the background so her brother can advance as much as possible. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The Dolly Sisters is the heavily Hollywoodized biopic of Jennie and Rosie Dolly, Hungarian-born entertainers who took Broadway by storm in the early 1900s. Betty Grable plays Jennie and June Haver plays Rosie; their uncle is the inevitable "funny foreigner" S.Z. Sakall, who manages their career from childhood. Passing an important audition for Oscar Hammerstein, the Dolly girls become international stage headliners, but in so doing they find that their private life is strained. Jennie in particular is perplexed by the dilemma of devoting herself to a career while still finding time to romance handsome composer John Payne. The Dolly girls are separated permanently when Rosie is fatally injured in an auto accident, but Jennie finds lasting happiness with her composer. Despite the pre-World War I ambience of the film, both Grable and Haver show off a lot more skin than would have been permissible in earlier times. But Dolly Sisters producer George Jessel knew what he was doing, and the Technicolor film was a major hit in 1945. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The adaptation of Nobel Prize-winner John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of dirt-poor Dust Bowl migrants by 4-time Oscar-winning director John Ford starred Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, who opens the movie returning to his Oklahoma home after serving jail time for manslaughter. En route, Tom meets family friend Casey (John Carradine), a former preacher who warns Tom that dust storms, crop failures, and new agricultural methods have financially decimated the once prosperous Oklahoma farmland. Upon returning to his family farm, Tom is greeted by his mother (Oscar-winner Jane Darwell), who tells him that the family is packing up for the "promised land" of California. Warned that they shouldn't expect a warm welcome in California--they've already seen the caravan of dispirited farmers, heading back home after striking out at finding work--the Joads push on all the same. Their first stop is a wretched migrant camp, full of starving children and surrounded by armed guards. Further down the road, the Joads drive into an idyllic government camp, with clean lodging, indoor plumbing, and a self-governing clientele. When Tom ultimately bids goodbye to his mother, who asks him where he'll go, he delivers the film's most famous speech: "I'll be all around...Wherever there's a fight so hungry people can eat...Whenever there's a cop beating a guy, I'll be there...And when the people are eatin' the stuff they raise and livin' in the houses they build. I'll be there too." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a jilted lover gets even by giving his ex-girlfriend and her new groom a police dog for a wedding present. The K-9 has been specially trained to attack anyone who touches his mistress, the bride. The fur really flies when the newlyweds attempt to go on their honeymoon. Things get better when the protective dog falls madly in love with a pretty white kitty. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This crime drama chronicles the exploits of three Irish brothers who have taken dramatically different life paths. Tom is an amiable policeman while Matt is a surgeon. The third brother, Owen, is the family black sheep who makes his living running illegal booze. He operates under the alias Barney Muller. His more honest brothers have no idea what Owen does for his money. Things go well for the Muller gang until they commit a murder and the newly promoted Tom is assigned to investigate the case. Meanwhile, Tom's beloved goes to a party at Muller's house in Manhattan. There she overhears some damning information about Muller. She goes back to Tom and Matt with the info and together the three learn the truth about Muller's identity. When Muller learns that a cop is dogging his gang, he orders him killed. He has no idea that it is his own brother. The killers prepare a trap for the unwitting cop, but suddenly Owen shows up and tries to stop it; as a result he is shot and dies in the arms of Tom. Later Tom lies to their parents to save them from unbearable shame. He tells them that Owen has gone away on a very long trip. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Burnt Fingers gets under way when a philandering nightclub dancer is murdered. Heroine Eileen Percy was not only the last person to see the victim alive, but she was also present in his apartment on the night of the murder, hoping to recover a packet of incriminating letters (not incriminating to her, but to her best friend Edna Murphy). Though not formally charged with murder, Percy's reputation is completely ruined; her fiance walks out on her, and her family disowns her. She is rescued, after a fashion, by suave government official Henry Mowbray. It turns out that Percy's savior suspects that the murdered man was a dangerous enemy spy, and he hopes that by befriending the heroine he can round up the spy's confederates. Along the way, he falls in love with Percy and sets about to prove her innocence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Yours to Command would seem to owe a lot to the popular George McManus comic strip Bringing Up Father. The story gets under way when a shanty Irish family suddenly strikes it rich and relocates to New York. As the father tries to maintain contact with his old drinking buddies, the mother goes through the rigmarole of social-climbing. Meanwhile, their daughter (Shirley Palmer) falls in love with a millionaire (George O'Hara), assuming that the young man is a mere chauffeur. The hero continues to hide his true identity long enough to save the girl's family from a clever gang of society jewel thieves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This silent screen adaptation of "Moby Dick" features John Barrymore in action as Captain Ahab Cooley, played against one of the most famous denizens of the deep, Herman Melville's great white whale. At the beginning of the story, Ahab and his step brother Dererk (George O'Hara) compete for the affections of a winsome minister's daughter, Esther Wiscasset (Dolores Costello). Meanwhile, the albino whale has been eluding harpooners, and bears the scars of many failed attacks against him. His fame has reached epic proportions. One day, Ahab and Derek are on the same whaler as the whale hoves into view. With the visual drama enhanced by the water and pitching boat, Ahab raises his harpoon to kill the beast. At that moment, Derek pushes him overboard and Ahab loses a right leg to the whale. In this scene, Barrymore's portrayal of agonizing pain as an antiseptic is poured over what remains of his leg contributed to his fame as a silents actor. Not long after this incident, the shallow Esther rebuffs Ahab as her suitor once she catches sight of his peg leg. Heartbroken at this turn of events, Ahab blames neither Esther nor his brother - instead he transfers blame and an undying hatred onto the whale. The following saga of Ahab's pursuit of the whale takes on the aura of a super-human quest, far beyond the proportions of its first motivation. One of the most popular of Barrymore's films, this version extends the story beyond the final battle of man versus whale in a variation on Melville's book. Adding publicity to the film was a bit of early Hollywood hype, unintentional though it may seem. The actress Priscella Bonner was fired by Barrymore from the role of Wiscasset, and in a curious parallel to Ahab and the mighty whale, she successfully sued the studio and won a considerable out-of-court settlement. Doubtless due to the popularity of this film, another was released in 1930 under Melville's original book title, with Barrymore again in the role of Captain Ahab. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Ralph Ince both directed and co-starred in FBO's Bigger Than Barnum. The story focuses on the Blandins, a family of circus aerialists. When their boss Carl Rabelle (Ince) insists that the family perform their high-wire act without a net, the better to attract customers, young Robert Blandin (George O'Hara) refuses out of concern for his adopted sister Juanita (Viola Dana). Rabelle then appeals to the vanity of Robert's macho-man father Peter (Ralph Lewis), suggesting that Robert is too "yellow" to work minus a net -- and further suggesting that the boy's cowardice reflects on the whole family. Peter spurns his son and insists upon going on with their death-defying act, while Juanita loyally joins her father high above the crowd. Inevitably, Peter plummets to the ground and is permanently disabled, which serves to heighten his resentment towards his son. But when Peter and Juanita are trapped in a burning building, it is the "cowardly" Robert who comes to their rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

George O'Hara, Louise Lorraine, and Mary Beth Milford star in this comedy drama about Christian martyrs in ancient Rome. In part two, an aspiring actor becomes a prize fighter to win money and the heart of a beautiful heiress. A hurricane scene shows two poodles on leashes suspended in mid air from the gale while their worried society matron holds on. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Shirley Mason is well-cast as Nita, an acrobatic circus dancer, in this romantic melodrama. Nita's guardian is Max, owner of the circus and its chief acrobat (Alan Hale), and her sweetheart is another acrobat, Pierre (George O'Hara). While the circus is traveling through France, Nita attracts the attention of artist James Blackthorne (Crauford Kent), who offers to send her away to get an education. She accepts, but she winds up leaving the convent school because she is scared of Max, and she runs away to Blackthorne's home. But his fiancee is annoyed by her presence so she reluctantly returns to the circus. Max, who wants Nita for himself, purposely lets Pierre miss his grasp during a performance and he is injured. Then the lions go out of control, sending the whole tent into a panic. But Nita and Pierre overcome all these situations and remain together. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This hilarious slapstick comedy from Mack Sennett finds Sam Smith (Ben Turpin), the resident of a small town, accused of stealing. The jealous villain J. Wellington Jones (James Finlayson) orchestrated Sam's frame-up to keep him from wooing Mary (Phyllis Haver), the prettiest single girl in town. Sam moves to Hollywood where he meets movie-star Marcelle Mansfield (Marie Prevost). He manages to get into the film business and stars as a Roman gladiator, but his helmet keeps slipping down over his crossed eyes. He gets a job as a stuntman when he tries to kill himself and lands a part as a western hero. Sam returns to his hometown a celebrity, but Jones once again tries to discredit him and abduct Mary. Sam uses his acting skills to chase down the villain -- the ensuing chase destroying the entire town -- and save the damsel in distress. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide