Lee Phelps Movies
Lee Phelps was a longtime resident of Culver City, California, the home of several film studios, including MGM and Hal Roach. Whenever the call went out for street extras, Phelps was always available; his Irish face and shiny pate can be easily spotted in such silent 2-reelers as Laurel and Hardy's Putting Pants on Phillip. Phelps was active in films from 1921 through 1953, often in anonymous bit or atmosphere parts, usually playing a cop or a delivery man. Lee Phelps has found his way into several TV movie-compilation specials thanks to his participation in two famous films of the early '30s: Phelps played the cowering speakeasy owner slapped around by Jimmy Cagney in The Public Enemy (1931), and also portrayed the waterfront waiter to whom Greta Garbo delivers her first talking-picture line ("Gif me a viskey, baby...etc.") in Anna Christie (1930). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1932
A starry-eyed girl marries an impoverished but talented young writer. Though easily frustrated and given to temperamental outbursts, the wife's presence soothes him and their marriage is happy. Then she gives birth to their daughter. The child grows up to be a mischief maker and this causes the break up of the marriage. Following the divorce, the woman marries a wealthy man. Many years pass before the former lovers meet again. With both in more stable circumstances, it doesn't take long for their old love to reemerge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Olivier, Ann Harding, (more)
- 1932
The most intriguing aspect of the 1932 Bert Wheeler-Robert Woolsey romp Hold 'Em Jail was that it was co-scripted by legendary humorist and frequent Marx Bros. contributor S. J. Perelman. The film bears a slight resemblance to the like-vintage Marx/Perelman collaboration Horse Feathers, in that both pictures are climaxed by a zany football game sequence. But while Horse Feathers is set at a college, Hold 'Em Jail takes place behind the cold gray walls of Bidemore Prison. Edgar Kennedy, Bidemore's warden, is all geared up for an impending all-prisoner football game; alas, his team is woefully short of talent. Kennedy puts out a call to Bidemore's "alumni," one of whom is nightclub-owner John Sheehan. When novelty salesmen Wheeler and Woolsey show up at Sheehan's club, the owner frames the two goofs on a robbery charge so that they'll be carted off to Bidemore and recruited for the football team. W&W make themselves at home in jail, securing jobs as trustees so that Wheeler can romance Kennedy's pretty daughter Betty Grable (who was 16 at the time, and looks it), while Woolsey pitches woo at Kennedy's homely sister Edna May Oliver (explaining that she's spent four years studying music in Paris, Edna confesses "I'm not a virtuoso." "Not after four years in Paris" is Woolsey's response). During the climactic gridiron activity, Wheeler and Woolsey spot the duplicitous John Sheehan on the other team, and struggle manfully to get him to sign a confession that will exonerate them. When originally previewed, Hold 'Em Jail was a musical comedy running 74 minutes; audiences laughed at the comedy scenes but groaned at the songs, whereupon the film was pared down to a 66-minute non-musical. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, (more)
- 1932
Such were the ways of Hollywood that the dignified H.B. Warner, who played Jesus in 1927's King of Kings, found himself in such low-budget fare as Cross-Examination a scant five years later. Warner makes the best of the situation in the role of Gerald Waring, defense attorney in a sensational murder trial. Depsite the badgering of prosecutor Dwight Simpson (Edmund Breese), Waring is determined to clear his client David Wells (Donald Dillaway) of the charge that David murdered his millionaire father. The case comes to a head when the Wells family's housekeeper makes a startling statement from her deathbed. Cross-Examination would seem to have been inspired by the 1925 legal drama The Goose Woman, itself based on the notorious Hall-Mills murder case. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- H.B. Warner
- 1931
Truck driver Spencer Tracy claims he's "too lazy to work and too nervous to steal", but he gets mixed up in racketeering all the same. Organizing a trucking association, he lines his pockets by demanding protection money from the other drivers. Naturally, Tracy's underhanded business practices make him a pillar of the community. He plans to marry a society girl (Marguerite Churchill), who loves another. When she spurns him, Tracy arranges to have the girl kidnapped. Instead, his henchman turn on him (they've gotten a better offer) and take Tracy on a one-way ride. The first film for writer-director Rowland Brown (something of an expert on gangsters), Quick Millions is a rugged example of Spencer Tracy's earliest movie work. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Tracy, Marguerite Churchill, (more)
- 1931
The Kenyon Nicholson play Torch Song was the source for the Joan Crawford vehicle Laughing Sinners. Crawford plays nightclub entertainer Ivy Stevens, who loses her zest for living when she's thrown over by her salesman sweetheart Howard Palmer (Neil Hamilton). At her lowest ebb, Ivy is befriended by Salvation Army captain Carl Loomis (yes, that's Clark Gable!). With her faith in God and Mankind renewed, Ivy becomes an "urban missionary," singing on street corners with Loomis and his flock. Alas, she falls from grace when she rekindles her romance with the now-married Howard. The conscience-stricken Ivy quits the Salvation Army, insisting that she's no longer worthy of the organization. But rather than accept her resignation, Carl turns in his uniform and collection plate and pledges eternal devotion to Ivy! And this all happens in a swift 71 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Crawford, Neil Hamilton, (more)
- 1931
In this fluffy comedy, an innocent usherette falls for a customer whom she finally meets and eventually marries. Soon after the ceremony, she learns that he is a jewel thief about to go to jail. She then moves into a girlfriend's ultra-modern apartment that is really a front for gamblers. Again, the young woman finds herself in real trouble until her hubby is released from jail and comes to her rescue. Happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Wallace Beery won an Academy Award for his tour de force performance as a washed-up boxer. The bibulous Beery travels from one tank-town bout to another in the company of his faithful son Jackie Cooper and his stuttering manager Roscoe Ates. Hoping for a comeback in Tijuana, Beery is approached by his ex-wife Irene Rich, now married to wealthy Hale Hamilton. Rich convinces Beery that Cooper would be better off with her. Feigning brusqueness, Beery orders his son to get lost, hoping that the kid will be disillusioned enough to remain with his mother. But Cooper runs away from his new home and shows up back in Tijuana, just as Beery is in the middle of his comeback bout. Cheered on by his son, Beery knocks his opponent cold--and then collapses himself. Dying, Beery tells the tearful Cooper that everything will be all right if the boy returns to his mom. While Wallace Beery was capable of laying on pathos with a trowel, his final scene in The Champ can still move an audience to tears--far more so than the similar scene between Jon Voight and Rick Schroeder in the wearisome 1979 remake. In 1953, writer Frances Marion updated and revised her Champ script, changed the washed-up pug to a washed-up comedian, and came up with The Clown, one of Red Skelton's few dramatic vehicles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, (more)
William Wellman's landmark gangster movie traces the rise and fall of prohibition-era mobster Tom Powers. We are first shown various episodes of Tom's childhood with the corrupting influences of the beer hall, pool parlor, and false friends like minor-league fence Putty Nose. As young adults, Tom (James Cagney) and his pal, Matt Doyle (Edward Woods), are hired by ruthless but innately decent bootlegger Paddy Ryan (Robert Emmett O'Connor). The boys quickly rise to the top of the heap, with all the accoutrements of success: custom-tailored tuxedoes, fancy cars, and gorgeous girls. All the while, Tom's loving (and somewhat addlepated) mother (Beryl Mercer) is kept in the dark, believing Tommy to be a good boy, a façade easily seen through by his older brother Mike (Donald Cook). Tommy's degeneration from brash kid to vicious lowlife is brought home in a famous scene in which he smashes a grapefruit in the face of his latest mistress (Mae Clarke). Some dated elements aside, The Public Enemy is as powerful as when it was first released, and it is far superior to the like-vintage Little Caesar. James Cagney is so dynamic in his first starring role that he practically bursts off the screen; he makes the audience pull for a character with no redeeming qualities. The film is blessed with a superior supporting cast: Joan Blondell is somewhat wasted as Matt's girl, Mamie; Jean Harlow is better served as Tom's main squeeze, Gwen (though some of her line readings are a bit awkward); and Murray Kinnell is slime personified as the deceitful Putty Nose, who "gets his" in unforgettable fashion. Despite a tacked-on opening disclaimer, most of the characters in The Public Enemy are based on actual people, a fact not lost on audiences of the period. Current prints are struck from the 1949 reissue, which was shortened from 92 to 83 minutes (among the deletions was the character of real-life hoodlum Bugs Moran). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Edward Woods, (more)
- 1931
In this Academy Award-winning film, Stephen Ashe (Lionel Barrymore) is a hotshot Californian lawyer from a well-to-do family, whose main failing is his indulgence in alcohol. After winning a case for mobster Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable), Stephen brings his client along to a party at his parents' house for a little celebrating. However, when they arrive at their destination, Ace manages to steal the heart of Stephen's wild daughter, Jan (Norma Shearer), and the two run off together, much to the family's dismay. Stephen struggles to win his foolhardy daughter back from the clutches of her lowlife boyfriend, as she defies her father at every turn. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, (more)
- 1931
A Rupert Hughes novel was the source for this soulless but sophisticated comedy-drama. William Powell is a charming roue who lives off the gifts given to him by lonely married women. In exchange, he escorts them around town (among other services) when their husbands aren't looking. The only woman Powell truly cares about is Kay Francis, who is disgusted by her lover's lifestyle. The daughter (Carole Lombard) of one of Powell's married companions falls for the rakish gentleman--which results in tragedy when Lombard's father seeks revenge for the ruination of his family. Ladies' Man is definitely no relation to the 1961 Jerry Lewis comedy of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Powell, Kay Francis, (more)
- 1931
Howard Hawks' early sound prison melodrama, based on a play by Martin Flavin, already contains his stylistic signature of over-lapping dialogue -- a technique he would greatly expand upon in the next ten years. Walter Huston is district attorney Brady, who quickly convicts Robert Graham (Phillips Holmes) of murdering a man who was harassing his girlfriend. Brady is later made the warden of the prison where Robert is held. Brady tries to make friends with Robert, but Robert will have no dealings with the new warden. Nevertheless, Brady, who thinks Robert is a decent man who became embroiled in extraordinary circumstances, gives Robert a job as his chauffeur. As he drives with Brady's daughter Mary (Constance Cummings), the two fall in love. Meanwhile, things heat up back at the prison, where crazed killer Ned Galloway (Boris Karloff) kills the squealer Runch (Clark Marshall). Robert knows Ned killed Runch, but refuses to tell Brady. Brady reluctantly sends Robert to solitary confinement to get him to give up the murderer's name, but Robert holds out on him. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Huston, Phillips Holmes, (more)
- 1931
John Barrymore is the "State's Attorney" in the RKO picture of the same name. A brilliant criminal lawyer, Barrymore counts on his underworld connections to climb the ladder of success to the Governor's chair. "Humanized" by his girlfriend Helen Twelvetrees, a former streetwalker, Barrymore decides at long last to go straight, making mincemeat of his one-time mob patron William "Stage" Boyd in a thrilling courtroom finale. Barrymore's longtime drinking crony Gene Fowler collaborated on the script of State's Attorney with gangster-saga scrivener Rowland Brown. The film was remade (and extensively sanitized) as Criminal Lawyer in 1937. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Barrymore, Helen Twelvetrees, (more)
- 1930
The rise and fall of a popular entertainer provides the basis of this musical drama. Harry Raymond (played by nightclub superstar Harry Richman) begins his career with nothing but his ambition, his talent and the support of friends and loved ones. Eventually he hits the big time and becomes a star. Unfortunately with stardom comes arrogance and selfishness and he disdains his lowly but loyal lover and pals to hang out with the upper crust. His downfall comes from a bottle of tainted homemade gin. Harry nearly dies and ends up permanently blind. Fortunately, at least one of his old crowd is around to help him rebuild his life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Richman, Joan Bennett, (more)
- 1930
Accompanied by one of the most successful advertising campaigns in Hollywood history, Greta Garbo made her "talking picture" debut in this carefully chosen vehicle, the second screen version of Eugene O'Neill's 1922 play about the Minnesota-raised Swedish girl who desperately attempts to keep her unsavory past from her long-lost father, Kris (George F. Marion). But when she falls for a charming Irish sailor, Matt Burke (Charles Bickford), Anna can keep her secret no longer. Learning that the girl used to be a prostitute, Matt is at first repulsed, but quickly realizes that he cannot live without her. Working overtime, Garbo filmed both Swedish and German versions under the direction of Belgian Jacques Feyder. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greta Garbo, George F. Marion, (more)
- 1926
Mr. and Mrs. Weedle (William Gillespie and Charlotte Mineau) are in a jam: For years, they've been receiving substantial amounts of money from their rich uncle (William A. Orlamond), who has been led to believe that the Weedles have two children to support. Now Uncle is coming to town, and the duplicitous couple must come up with a pair of babies in a hurry. Naturally, the Our Gang kids hope to get the job, but they're given a run for their money by a mischievous 27-year-old midget (Harry Earles). Meanwhile, Gang member Joe Cobb tries to curb his fighting blood, with less than successful results. Making good use of Hal Roach Studios' standing hotel sets, the silent, two-reel Our Gang comedy Baby Clothes was originally released on April 25, 1926 (an abbreviated TV version, retitled The Rich Uncle, is best avoided; without the original subtitles, the story makes virtually no sense). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Cobb, Mickey Daniels, (more)
- 1923
Harold Lloyd plays a millionaire who suffers from imaginary illness in this memorable comedy. With the help of a beautiful nurse (Jobyna Ralston) and valet Mr. Phipps (Wallace Howe), he travels to South America to regain his health. Harold arrives during a political uprising and believes the rival factions are putting on a show for his benefit. He soon lands in jail with the giant Colosso (John Aasen), who is suffering from a toothache. Harold helps the behemoth remove the afflicted molar and the two become fast friends. Colosso and Harold escape confinement and manage to defeat both revolutionary groups in hilarious slapstick fashion. A search for the nurse reveals she has been kidnapped by the villainous Jim Blake (James Mason). Harold overcomes his hypochondria when he saves the nurse from her captor. The giant, the millionaire, and the nurse return to Los Angeles where Harold gets his large friend a job as a traffic cop and marries the girl. The comic contrast between Lloyd and Aasen is striking in this Hal Roach production, the last in which the talented comic would appear. He would soon form his own production company and continue to provide millions with his memorable comedy films. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, (more)
- 1922
Freshie stars Guinn "Big Boy" Williams as Charles Taylor, a lumbering cowboy who yearns for a college education. Managing to scare up the necessary funds, Taylor eagerly heads to a fancy eastern campus. Here he is subjected to endless pranks and hazings by the upper classmen. But "Freshie" proves his mettle and wins not only the friendship of his fellow students and the love of leading lady Violet Blakely (Molly Malone). And surprise: he doesn't do it by winning the big football game! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Molly Malone
Among Lon Chaney's early villainous roles was Blizzard, the criminal mastermind of this melodrama set in San Francisco's Barbary Coast neighborhood. As a young man, Blizzard was the victim of an auto accident, and a quack doctor had mistakenly ordered his legs amputated at the knees. He grows up an embittered, violent man interested only in taking revenge on the rich and powerful, especially the doctor who maimed him and is still practicing. Rose, a secret service agent (Ethel Grey Terry), is dispatched to infiltrate Blizzard's gang, but she falls under his spell and becomes his mistress. Blizzard is himself attracted to a lovely artist who wants to paint his portrait, but she resists his advances. Ultimately, Blizzard's plan to have another man's legs grafted onto his own is thwarted when it's discovered that the long-ago accident had caused a reversible brain injury which turned him to the dark side. Rather than perform the operation on his legs, the doctor repairs Blizzard's brain, and Blizzard awakens to find that he is no longer interested in a life of crime. He marries Rose, but his criminal associates decide he must pay the ultimate penalty for his knowledge of their activities. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
- 1919
In a clear case of typecasting, former follies girl Olive Thomas has the title role in this comedy-drama. Edward Woodruff (William V. Mong) has been suffering from a long-term illness. His attorney is convinced that it's psychosomatic -- Woodruff has had a life full of unhappiness. His estranged daughter died without ever making up with him, while his grandson, Ned (Wallace MacDonald), has not followed the path Woodruff chose for him. Meanwhile, Nina Leffingwell (Claire McDowell) waits with the other relatives for Woodruff to die. Nina is hoping to marry Ned, a distant cousin of hers, so she can share in the old man's fortune. But the attorney introduces Doll (Thomas) into the Woodruff home, explaining that she is a long-lost granddaughter. Doll, a follies girl, plays her part well and brings her bright and sunny disposition into the home. Woodruff is regenerated by her presence and he recovers. It turns out that she is actually Ned's wife, and since the couple is expecting, the other relatives are left out in the cold. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1918
While her sister Felicity (Peggy Pearce) remains back on the farm with her folks, footloose Judith (Alma Rubens) borrows $100 and journeys to the Big City. Establishing herself as a fortune teller named "Zariska," Judith quickly parlays her nest egg into a fortune and is soon residing in a luxurious penthouse. All that is missing from her life is romance, but Judith hopes that she can land wealthy Peter Van Dixon (Lee Phelps) as her husband. When David says "no," the embittered Judith turns to a life of crime. Passing off her sister Felicity as the long-lost daughter of a millionaire, Judith cooks up an elaborate confidence scheme, but the whole things explodes in her face. Broke and discredited, our heroine wearily returns to her home town, where her childhood sweetheart David Strong (Edward Peil) lovingly welcomes her back. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1918
In 1918, movie theaters were overloaded with spy dramas, so to be of any interest at all, this one had to have a twist, and it did: the picture's villainess Lola Walling (Rhy Alexander) crochets her secret code messages into mufflers, which she sends to the enemy. Agent Lola has lost out to Sally Carter (Gloria Swanson in an attempt to capture the heart of Senator John Rand (J. Barney Sherry). The senator marries Sally, but Lola tries to make him doubt his new wife. Senator Rand and Secret Service man Jefferson Harrow (Joe King) are on the trail of German agents, but while Lola is merrily crocheting away, they suspect Sally of being a spy. Harrow finally manages to unravel the Germans' schemes, and the Senator finally figures out that Sally, a staunch patriot, really wants to help him with his state duties. And not only that, she is soon to make him a father. Gloria Swanson hated this picture, but she liked director Albert Parker enough to use him some years later to make The Love of Sunya, her first film for United Artists. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1918
Jack Mulhall and Margery Wilson star in this World War I drama from Triangle. Jeannette Gontreau (Wilson) goes through a Red Cross list and picks the names of three soldiers who are locked away in a German prison camp. With the help of her boss, Frederick Armstrong (Wilbur Higbee), she sends them letters and gifts. The letters that one soldier, Henry Ledyard (Mulhall), writes her become increasingly personal and romantic -- something she finds disturbing. But then by pure chance, one of Jeannette's letters is held over a flame and the soldiers discover that the paper contains secret information for the Germans that has been written in invisible ink. When Ledyard is freed, he returns to New York, where Jeannette is living. In a panic, she dresses up as an old woman to disguise herself. Ledyard informs the authorities about the secret messages and Jeannette is arrested. To save her, Ledyard takes the blame until he is able to find the person who is really responsible for the hidden messages. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1918
Since Jane Whiting (Belle Bennett) has shown that she has both brains and street smarts, her boss at the DA's office assigns her the task of nabbing a group of German spies who are running a supposedly charitable organization. The money they get is being handed over to the Kaiser's government, and while the DA's office is well aware of this, they need final proof. Complications arise when Jane's weak-willed fiancee Frank Wheeler (Tom Buckingham) becomes enamored with Lola Schram (Lenore Fair), who is involved with the spies. Frederick Kube (Jack Richardson), the head spy, also loves Lola and is annoyed by Frank's presence. Lola finally admits her involvement with the fake organization to Frank and is shot for this, right in front of Frank. Through the machinations of the Germans, Frank is accused of her murder. But all along, Jane has been working on the case, and the spies are captured, while Frank is exonerated of the crime. Rather improbably, she forgives Frank's straying and sticks with him. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
