George Periolat Movies

Boris Karloff played a red herring in this the final silent serial from chapter play specialist Mascot, who reportedly spared all expenses this time around. Helene Costello, a former Warner Bros. star now down on her luck, starred as Dorothy Rogers, the daughter of a banker (George Periolat) who disappeared mysteriously while reading a novel entitled "The Fatal Warning." The vanished Rogers was accused of absconding with 100,000 dollars in cash and Dorothy hired private investigator Russell Thorne (Ralph Graves) to clear her father's good name. Suspects abounded, of course, including bank president John Harmon (Tom Lingham), a clerk (Karloff), the inevitable butler (Sid Crossley), a two-bit femme fatale (Symona Boniface), and sundry other nefarious types, all of whom proved to be innocent. In the tenth and final chapter, "Unmasked," Thorne discovered that Rogers had been guiding the investigation from his hiding place and the identity of the real culprit was revealed. Since The Fatal Warning appears to be among the lost, we may in good conscience reveal his identity here as well: seemingly stalwart businessman Leonard Taylor (Phillips Smalley). In addition to the presence of a pre-Frankenstein Boris Karloff, The Fatal Warning is also noteworthy for an early appearance by future Three Stooges foil Symona Boniface. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Director James W. Horne, best known today for his Laurel and Hardy comedies, called the shots on the inexpensive "emotional" drama Black Butterflies. Heroine Dorinda Maxwell (Jobyna Ralston) enters into a marriage of convenience, even though she cannot abide her new husband. In so doing, she is separated from her true love, David Goddard (Robert Frazer). Fate and the scriptwriters contrive to keep hero and heroine apart for the balance of the picture; at one point, Goddard is blinded in an auto accident. All turns out OK in the end except for the "heavy" of the piece, vampish Kitty Perkins (Mae Busch, likewise a future Laurel and Hardy "regular"), who must pay for her sins with her life. Black Butterflies reaches three possible endings, opting at last for the weakest of the three. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dynamite -- Universal's answer to Warner Bros.' canine star Rin Tin Tin -- and his owner Jerry Matthews (Edmund Cobb) come to the aid of a beleaguered rancher in this typical low-budget "doggie melodrama" set in the West. They are hired by Colonel Shelby (George Periolat) to replace Hank Mitchell (Carl Sepulveda), a ranch hand suspected of being in the employ of greedy neighbor Thomas Shields (Al Ferguson). The latter is plotting with a gang of rustlers to drive the colonel and his daughter Rose (Betty Caldwell) off their property, which, as Dynamite accidentally discovers, contains oil. When Jerry is caught by Shields and his henchmen, Dynamite goes into action, saving not only his master but the entire Shelby ranch. Leading man Edmund Cobb, whose amazing Western career would span six decades, later played innumerable villains, townsmen, and even sidekicks, almost always with the same tightlipped, unruffled mien. Dynamite, in contrast, retired still relatively young in 1928. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The "mile-a-minute man" in this action quickie is one "Speedy" Rockett, played by William Fairbanks. Speedy's dad O. I. Rocket (George Periolat) is a car manufacturer, so it stands to reason that Rocket's top racecar driver is his own son. The plot thickens when Speedy falls in love with Paula Greydon (Virginia Brown Faire), the daughter of Rocket's chief rival. This modern-dress Romeo and Juliet dilemma is resolved to everyone's satisfaction during the climactic Big Race. Curiously, Mile a Minute Man was released sans production credits for it initial New York showing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When Ellen Linden (Alice Terry) returns from finishing school, she discovers that her father has lost his fortune. Although she's less than thrilled at the prospect, she finds work in an office. Both her employers, James Rand (Lawson Butt) and Egbert Phillips (Henry Kolker), show their interest in her. Ellen only cares for Tom Galloway (Ernest Gillen), who is trying to promote a new soft drink. She attempts to interest her bosses in financing his endeavor, but when Rand discovers that the pair are romantically involved, he pulls his backing. Rand and Ellen team up for a treasure hunt (a fad popular in England during the mid-'20s in which the competitors compete with the help of scooters, old cars, old-fashioned bicycles, and just about anything else that moved). They are delayed and wind up being out until the early morning hours. Mrs. Rand (Margarita Fischer) is furious, as is Galloway. Galloway finally realizes that Ellen did nothing wrong and they are reunited. Rand decides it's a good idea to kiss up to his wife, and offers to back Galloway's soft drink as a wedding present to Ellen. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This farce starring Douglas MacLean was based on an old musical comedy by Henry Blossom, Jr. and Alfred G. Robyn. The wealthy Dudley Ainsworth (MacLean) is bored with life, and when he has an attack of "nerves," his doctor suggests that he needs some excitement in his life. Ainsworth doesn't think anything can thrill him so his pal Jack Morrell (Arthur Stuart Hull) decides to help him out. He gets Ainsworth a job which requires him to travel to South America. On the boat he meets pretty Margarite (Patsy Ruth Miller) and becomes entangled in her problems. He winds up having to pose as the American Consul to a Latin American country. Before he discovers it was all a plot by his friends to show him some adventure, he has already called out the U.S. fleet. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

George Walsh, usually known for his athletic roles, stars in this fantasy based on the famous story by Honoré de Balzac. Poet Raphael de Valentin (Walsh) is down on his luck until a friend introduces him into society. He meets the Countess Fedora (Carmel Myers), and after she reads his poems, his work becomes an overnight sensation. He has fallen in love with the countess, but she refuses to have anything to do with him. At an antique shop, a wise man (Edward Connelly) presents Raphael with a magic donkey skin. It will bring him his every wish but there's a catch -- with each wish it grows smaller, and when it shrinks to the size of his palm he will be near death. He saves himself, however, by making his last wish for someone else. His unselfishness wins him his life and enables him to reunite with Pauline Gaudin, his childhood sweetheart (Bessie Love). ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This historical comedy-drama resulted from the unlikely collaboration of girlish silent star Mary Pickford and sophisticated German director Ernst Lubitsch (it was also Lubitsch's first American-made film). But at least the story, adapted from the novel Don Cesar de Bazon, came closer to Pickford's persona than Lubitsch's first choice -- the baby-killing Marguerite from Goethe's Faust. Pickford's mother (who frequently advised the star on her business decisions) refused to let her even entertain the idea of playing Marguerite. In any case, Pickford is rather miscast as Rosita, the fiery Spanish singer who antagonizes the King (Holbrook Blinn) by making up a song that mocks him. The King tosses her in jail and when Don Diego (George Walsh), who Rosita loves, tries to defend her, he too is thrown in jail. While Don Diego is sentenced to be executed, the King lusts after Rosita and decides to put her up in a luxurious villa. To give her a title, he marries her to a masked nobleman, who turns out to be Don Diego. Rosita tears off the mask and resolves to save him. She cannot win the King's cooperation and believes she has failed at her mission. But the Queen (Irene Rich) has put blanks in the guns of the firing squad and Don Diego fakes his death. His body is taken to the villa where the King is trying to seduce the grief-stricken Rosita. She is ready to stab him to death when Don Diego leaps up and intervenes. The film ends with everyone happy. For reasons still not clear, Pickford came to hate this film, claiming it was the worst one she ever made. On the contrary, it's excellent entertainment and while the star is not at her very best, she still puts in a decent performance. In its day Rosita was well received critically, and it made money for United Artists. It holds up better today than some of Pickford's other vehicles. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

The vastly underrated William A. Seiter was the director of the frothy Gay and Devilish. Doris May plays Fanchon Browne, a poor girl about to enter into a marriage of convenience with wealthy old Peter Armitage (Otis Harlan). When she falls in love with Armitage's handsome nephew Peter (Cullen Landis), Fanchon is in quite a quandary. She asks her vampish friend Lilah Deane (Jacqueline Logan) to "steal" Peter away from her, but Lilah makes a mistake and woos the susceptible Peter. Numerous other comic complications ensue before the film's multiple-marriage finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

aka A Bride of the Gods This exotic adventure drama was based on the novel, The Daughter of Brahma, and went through at least one title change before reaching the screen as Shattered Idols. Jean Hurst (Ethel Grey Terry), the widow of a British Army officer in India, hates her crippled son David (Frankie Lee) because she thinks he is a coward and a weakling. She sends him away to England for his education. When he returns to India (to be played as an adult by James Morrison), he falls in love with native girl Sarasvati (Marguerite de la Motte), who he saves from being burned on a funeral pyre. They marry and go to England, but she's not accepted in society. When Sarasvati learns that Diana, David's childhood sweetheart (Louise Lovely), still loves him, she allows a group of Hindu conspirators to take her back to India. She becomes involved in the uprising there and David goes after her. He risks his life to rescue her, but she is killed protecting him. Diana, who has come to India too, finds him grieving over Sarasvati's dead body. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

For all her life, Ruth Burns (Claire Anderson) has been kept in the dark about her father's line of work -- he is a professional gambler. She only finds out about his profession when he dies and she comes to New York to settle his affairs. One of her father's associates, Jimmy Weaver (Niles Welch), informs her that she has inherited Burns' gambling palace. The manager, John Collins (George Periolat), claims that Burns died owing him money, and to square the debt, Ruth has Weaver teach her the ins and outs of gambling. Ruth hits a winning streak, but she's horrified when one of her big losers attempts suicide. This makes her realize why her father hid her away from his work, and why gambling is immoral. She plays one more game anyhow, and loses all her winnings. Collins offers to erase the debt if she will give herself to him, but he is murdered by a woman he callously discarded. In any case, it turns out that Collins was lying about the debt, and Ruth and Weaver head for the altar. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide