Charles O'Malley Movies
- 1935
MGM regularly churned out films in the 1930s that were all "star power" and very little plot. No More Ladies is a good example of this. Joan Crawford marries bon vivant Robert Montgomery, hoping to mend his wastrel ways. Montgomery refuses to assumes the proper responsibilities of a husband, so Crawford tries to make him jealous by taking up with Franchot Tone. Everyone involved has limitless money, beautiful clothes and all the time in the world to spend on the trivialities of the plotline. Depression era audiences loved to see good-looking people in sumptuous sets, so No More Ladies was a success. The fact that, when asked, these audiences couldn't remember a single thing about the story was beside the point. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, (more)
Police officer Tom Malone is the only honest man left who can salvage his crooked city after his partner is killed on his motorcycle by a wealthy playboy on a careless joyride. With criminals and crooked city officials at every turn, it will take courage, duty, and decency for Tom to make right what has for so long been terribly wrong. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Delaney, Robert Ellis, (more)
Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney were teamed for the only time in their careers in Smart Money. Robinson has the larger part as a small-town barber who fancies himself a big-time gambler. He travels to the Big City in the company of his younger brother Cagney, who wants to make sure that Robinson isn't fleeced by the high-rollers. Unfortunately Robinson has a weakness for beautiful blondes, most of whom take him for all his money or betray him in some other manner. The cops aren't keen on Robinson's gambling activities, but they can pin nothing on him until he accidentally kills Cagney in a fight. The incident results in a jail term for manslaughter, and a more sober-sided outlook on life for the formerly flamboyant Robinson. Watch closely in the first reel of Smart Money for an unbilled appearance by Boris Karloff as a dope pusher. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward G. Robinson, Evelyn Knapp, (more)
- 1927
Once Ken Maynard proved his mettle as a cowboy star, Rayart Films decided to test out the potential of Maynard's brother Kermit. Billed as "Tex" Maynard, Kermit made his starring debut in the not-bad oater Gun Hand Garrison. The plot is the old saw about a gang of outlaws who frame innocent bystanders for their crimes. Eventually, of course, the villains are hoist on their own petard, but for four of the five reels they have a lot of fun literally getting away with murder. Backed up by the "Rayart Rough Riders," Kermit Maynard was an impressive screen presence -- and, as time would prove, he was actually a better actor than his more famous sibling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruby Blaine, Charles O'Malley, (more)
- 1927
Boy of the Streets is a vehicle for that remarkable juvenile actor Mickey Bennett, who'd risen to stardom in the 1923 Allan Dwan picture Big Brother. In this case, Bennett's "big brother" is safecracker Johnny Walker, who decides to do one last job, which will enable him to afford to ship the kid out of the tenements and into the country. Meanwhile, Bennett is injured in an accident near the residence of heroine Betty Francisco, who invites the boy into her house to recuperate. That's right: Francisco's home is where Walker plans to commit his final heist. Touched by Bennett's plight, Francisco decides not to press charges against Walker, setting the stage for a happy -- if unbelievable -- ending. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Walker, Mickey Bennett, (more)
John Ford directed this epic-scale silent western, which was one of his first major successes and was hugely influential on outdoor films that followed. David Brandon (James Gordon) is a surveyor in the Old West who dreams that one day the entire North American continent will be linked by railroads. However, to make this dream a reality, a clear trail must be found through the Rocky Mountains. With his boy Davy (Winston Miller), David sets out to find such a path, but he's ambushed by a tribe of Indians led by a white savage, Peter Jesson (Cyril Chadwick); while the boy manages to escape, David is killed. Years later, the adult Davy Brandon (George O'Brien) still believes in his father's dream of a transcontinental railroad, and legislation signed by President Abraham Lincoln has made it an official mandate. Davy is hired on as a railroad surveyor by Thomas Marsh (Will R. Walling), the father of his childhood sweetheart Miriam (Madge Bellamy). While Davy hopes to win Miriam's heart as he helps to find the trail that led to his father's death years ago, he's disappointed to discover that Miriam is already married -- and shocked to discover her husband is Peter Jesson, now working with the railroad as a civil engineer. As the Union Pacific crew presses on to their historic meeting at Promitory Point, Davy must find a way to earn Miriam's love and uncover Peter's murderous past. Shot on location in Arizona in Ford's beloved Monument Valley, The Iron Horse was a massive production that employed over 6,000 people; two temporary cities were built to accommodate them, with 100 cooks on hand to serve meals. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George O'Brien, Winston Miller, (more)
- 1924
Although Norma Talmadge was at the height of her stardom, she was not immune to poor material, nor was veteran screenwriter C. Gardner Sullivan immune from writing it. The overused theme for this drama involves a young woman who marries to save the family fortune, and not even Talmadge could bring freshness to this idea. "Fighting Jerry" Herrington (Edwards Davis) is a financial power on Wall Street, but his son, Rex, is a hopeless drunk (Eugene O'Brien was woefully miscast as an alcoholic). He believes that the only woman who can bring Rex to his senses is Helen Brinsley (Talmadge), the daughter of financier William Brinsley (Winter Hall). When the elder Mr. Herrington catches Mr. Brinsley in an illegal transaction, he threatens arrest and scandal unless Helen weds Rex. Helen reluctantly assents, if Herrington will agree to a divorce once she manages to sober him up. So the ceremony takes place (performed by Rev. Neal Dodd, who was the real life minister for Hollywood's Little Church Around the Corner). To keep him away from liquor, Helen takes her new husband on a cruise. A storm wrecks the ship and the only ones left alive are Helen, Rex, and Ole Hanson (Matthew Betz), one of the crew. Rex gets into a fight with the testy Hanson and proves his manliness. When they are rescued, the now sober Rex offers to get a divorce, but Helen has fallen in love with him. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Talmadge, Eugene O'Brien, (more)
