Walter Pidgeon Movies
MGM's resident "perfect gentleman," Canadian-born Walter Pidgeon was the son of a men's furnishing store owner. Young Walter Pidgeon planned to follow his brothers into a military career, but was invalided out of the service after a training accident. Pidgeon moved to Boston in 1919, where he worked as a banker until the death of his first wife. He gave up the world of finance to study singing at the New England Conservatory of Music, then in 1924 joined E.E. Clive's acting company. With the help of his friend Fred Astaire, Pidgeon (using the stage name Walter Verne) was hired as the touring partner of musical comedy star Elsie Janis; this led to his first Broadway appearance in Puzzles of 1925. Pidgeon was signed by film producer Joseph Schenck for a string of silent-film leading-man assignments in 1926, making his talkie debut in Universal's Melody of Love (1928). He starred or co-starred in several First National/Warner Bros. musicals of the early-talkie era, but this stage of his movie career ended when the musical craze petered out in 1931. Deciding to switch professional gears, Pidgeon returned to Broadway in order to establish himself as a dramatic actor. He returned to Hollywood in 1936, spending most of the next two decades at MGM, where he was cast opposite such stellar leading ladies as Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, Rosalind Russell, and Hedy Lamarr. His most famous screen teammate was Greer Garson; the sophisticated twosome co-starred in seven films, including the Oscar-winning Mrs. Miniver. In the early '40s, MGM made the most of Pidgeon's popularity by loaning him out to other studios. It was on one of these loanouts to 20th Century Fox that the actor was cast in one of his favorite films, How Green Was My Valley (the 1941 Oscar winner). In 1955, the same year that he starred in the sci-fi favorite Forbidden Planet, Pidgeon hosted his home studio's TV anthology series The MGM Parade. After ending his 20-year association with MGM, Pidgeon returned to Broadway, where he starred in The Happiest Millionaire and Take Me Along. He continued accepting character assignments that intrigued him into the 1970s, notably the brief role of Florenz Ziegfeld in Funny Girl (1968). When asked if he minded that most of his screen and TV assignments were secondary ones in his last two decades, Walter Pidgeon replied that he always strove to follow the advice given to him by Lionel Barrymore: even when your character has nothing to do, do nothing magnificently. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1930
This early musical was filmed in color and centers upon the love affair between a young composer and the woman he wants to marry. Unfortunately the two quarrel and split up, causing her to marry a wealthy man. He also marries, but the union is unhappy because his new wife doesn't understand his love for music. Forty years pass. By then the composer is dead. His elderly ex-flame is seen listening raptly to his music. Later the grandchildren of the star-crossed lovers end up getting married. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alexander Gray, Vivienne Segal, (more)
- 1929
Based on Zoë Akins's 1923 novel Déclassée and the 1925 film of the same title, Her Private Life stars Billie Dove as Lady Helen Haden, a married Englishwoman blackmailed after having a fling with American gambler Ned Thayer (Walter Pidgeon). When Sir Bruce Haden (Montagu Love) divorces her, Lady Helen travels to New York, where she is forced to pawn her jewels in order to survive. Although she still loves Thayer, she marries his wealthy boss, Rudolph Solomon (Holmes Herbert). The latter nobly steps aside, however, when he discovers that his own sister (Thelma Todd) actually committed a crime for which Thayer had taken the blame. Her Private Life, which featured the talking-picture debuts of both Dove and Walter Pidgeon, was also released in a silent version. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1928
Walter Pidgeon was loaned out by his parent studio Warner Bros. to star in the Tiffany-Stahl production Clothes Make the Woman. Yet another variation of the "Anastasia" legend (with a bit of Josef Von Sternberg's The Last Command thrown in), the film casts Pidgeon as a former Russian peasant who emigrates to Hollywood and becomes a powerful movie producer (such things did happen!) While producing his latest epic, Pidgeon spots a familiar-looking female extra (Eve Southern). Sure enough, the girl turns out to be the "lost" Princess Anastasia, last of the Romanoffs. Having previously fallen in love with the Princess when he shielded her from harm during the 1917 Revolution, Pidgeon decides to produce a film based on her life and experiences, with himself as the leading man. But thanks to a tragic on-set accident, Anastasia is once more lost to the world -- this time permanently. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eve Southern, Walter Pidgeon, (more)
- 1928
Warner Bros. contractees Myrna Loy and Walter Pidgeon were "borrowed" by low-budget Lumas pictures for the 1928 military drama Turn Back the Hours. Based on the venerable stage play by Edward E. Rose, the film stars Pidgeon as a Naval officer who is dishonorably discharged for cowardice. While being transported home to England, Pidgeon is caught in the middle of a shipwreck, from which he is rescued by passenger Loy. Recuperating in the Caribbean home of Loy's wealthy father, our hero returns the favor by rescuing the heroine and her daddy from a gang of bandits. In so doing, Pidgeon regains his courage and self-respect -- not to mention the love of the grateful Loy. Elements of Turn Back the Hours later resurfaced in the 1942 Humphrey Bogart vehicle Across the Pacific. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Myrna Loy, Walter Pidgeon, (more)
- 1928
Gateway of the Moon is set in Bolivia (with Southern California serving as a "stand-in"). Dolores Del Rio stars as Toni, the half-caste niece of corrupt railroad foreman George Gillespie (Anders Randolph). When British railroad inspector Arthur Wyatt (Walter Pidgeon) shows up in the region to institute some much-needed reforms, Gillespie sets about to either discredit or kill the "interloper." Wyatt is saved from destruction by Toni, who has fallen in love with him. Typical "never the twain shall meet" stuff, Gateway of the Moon was based on Upstream, a novel by Clifford Bax. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolores Del Rio, Walter Pidgeon, (more)
- 1928
William Russell is appropriately cast as "The Ne'er-do-well" in the 1928 military comedy Woman Wise. Stationed in Persia, Russell is but one of several soldiers vying for the hand of Millie Baxter (June Collyer), secretary to the U.S. Consul (Walter Pidgeon), who likewise has a hankering for the heroine. Sheik Abdul Mustapha (Theodore Kosloff) is so smitten by Millie that he kidnaps her and adds her to his harem. Our hero manages to rescue the girl, only to lose her to the Consul -- who frankly, is the best-looking of the batch. It's highly likely that Woman Wise was inspired by the success of Lewis Milestone's Two Arabian Knights. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Russell, June Collyer, (more)
- 1928
Universal's first 100% all-talkie, Melody of Love was completed with the aid of borrowed Movietone sound equipment from Fox studios (it was largely filmed at night, when Fox was shutdown). Walter Pidgeon stars as Tin Pan Alley composer Jack Clark, who when WWI breaks out signs up for the army with his pal Lefty (Tom Dugan). The boys spend their time overseas plunking out tunes while enemy shells whiz past their head. Eventually, a stray bullet hits Clark in his right arm, rendering him unable to wield a pencil or play a piano. He is sent home, where his former sweetheart Flo Thompson, sensing that Jack isn't going to be much of a gravy train, sends him packing. But there's a happy ending in the offing when French chanteuse Madelon (Mildred Harris) comes back into Jack's life. Recovering the use of his arm, Jack writes a hit song dedicated to Madelon, a sequence which affords former musical-comedy leading man Walter Pidgeon a golden opportunity to show off his splendid singing voice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Pidgeon, Mildred Harris, (more)
- 1927
The "Salome" of this heavy-breathing melodrama is Helene (Alma Rubens), who is betrayed by her wealthy lover Monte Carroll (Walter Pidgeon). Seeking revenge, Helene links up with the villainous Count Boris (Holmes Herbert). For the girl's sake, Boris orders the kidnapping of Monte and prepares to behead him, while Helene looks on in triumph. But at the very last moment, Helene realizes that she's still in love with Monte -- setting the stage for one of the most abrupt character transformations in screen history. No great shakes to begin with, Heart of Salome was laid low by cheap sets and poor special effects. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alma Rubens, Walter Pidgeon, (more)
- 1927
Francis X. Bushman, who had made a comeback two years previously as Messala in Ben Hur, was still trying to hang onto stardom in this Universal feature. His character, Henry Desmond, is a combination hero/heavy. Desmond is a criminal lawyer, both talented and corrupt. He is involved with Helen (Anna Q. Nilsson), the wife of his friend Richard (Walter Pidgeon). Desmond kills a man (George Siegmann) in self-defense, but Richard is accused of the crime. He is convicted, but Desmond finally comes clean and admits to the murder. The Thirteenth Juror takes itself too seriously at times, making some of the absurd plot twists seem even more absurd. Bushman is his usual, rather stilted self, and his character is not very sympathetic. His career as a leading man, even in such character-type roles, was definitely nearing an end. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francis X. Bushman, Anna Q. Nilsson, (more)
- 1927
Though in real life she was the daughter of a San Francisco rabbi, Carmel Myers was convincingly cast as the title character in The Girl From Rio. Myers plays Lola, a Brazilian cabaret dancer who is also the "kept woman" of Antonio Santos (Richard Tucker), the most powerful man in Rio De Janeiro. In addition, Lola is the object of desire for her dancing partner, Raoul (Eduoard Raquello). Somehow, true love triumphs in the form of English coffee-trader Paul Sinclair (Walter Pigeon), who falls for Lola even though he has a fiancee back home. The economically produced The Girl From Rio managed to attain critical notice by virtue of its costly Technicolor opening sequence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carmel Myers, Walter Pidgeon, (more)
- 1927
That creaky old Ralph Spence stage comedy-melodrama The Gorilla was given the first of its four screen treatments in 1927. The title character has been accused of several killings in the vicinity of a foreboding Hudson River mansion. The owner of the house, reclusive Uriah Townsend (Tully Marshall), is certain that he will be the Gorilla's next victim, so he summons bumbling detectives Garrity (Charlie Murray) and Mulligan (Fred Kelsey). But to no avail: Townsend is murdered, and everyone is placed under suspicion -- notably Stevens (Walter Pigeon), the sweetheart of Townsend's daughter Alice (Alice Day). In their own stumbling fashion. Garrity and Mulligan discover that the murderer is of the human variety, rescuing Alice from a grisly fate at the very last minute. The Gorilla was remade in 1930, with Walter Pigeon repeating his role, then again in 1937 (as Sh! The Octopus) and 1939 (with the Ritz Brothers). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Murray, Fred Kelsey, (more)
- 1926
Adapted from the Fannie Hurst story of the same name, Mannequin is the story of Joan Herrick (Dolores Costello), kidnapped in infancy from her wealthy parents (Alice Joyce, Warner Baxter) and raised by a slatternly slum woman (ZaSu Pitts). Growing up a real "looker," Selene manages to finds work as a model in an exclusive Manhattan dress shop. She falls in love with crusading newspaperman Martin Innesbrook (Walter Pigeon), who is presently campaigning to prevent beautiful murderesses from escaping the full weight of the law on the basis of their good looks. In due course, Joan is herself accused of murder, causing Martin to regret his "sexless justice" campaign. In a hardly flattering comment on the American legal system, Joan is acquitted when the judge on the case turns out to be her own father. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Joyce, Warner Baxter, (more)
- 1926
That question mark in the film's title should provide a good clue as to the tenor of the storyline. Married to British nobleman Marcus Heriot (Walter McGrail), Canadian-born Wanda Heriot (Alma Rubens) nonetheless strays from her nest to romance her true love Paul (Walter Pidgeon). Too much the gentleman to stand in his wife's way, Marcus agrees to annul their marriage. But when Wanda finds out that she's pregnant, she dutifully returns to Marcus so that her child will be born legitimate in the eyes of the law. The fact that Marcus is about to march off to WWI leaves the audience wondering how long it will be before Wanda is reunited with Paul -- though the film ends before this question can be answered. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alma Rubens, Walter McGrail, (more)
- 1926
In this romantic silent adventure, a beautiful heiress goes to California for a visit and while there learns that her New York-dwelling father has died and left her penniless. Now desperately poor, she takes up with a rich, handsome cad and escorts him to a masquerade ball where she dresses as a young boy. Being a cad, it is only natural that he make a pass at her. But the woman is faster than his hands and rushes out. Her flight leads her to get mixed up with a band of vagabonds. Their leader knows the score about the newest member right off, but keeps mum. Together, the wanderers have many adventures. When they all end up arrested, the lead hobo, with whom the girl has secretly fallen in love, reveals that he is actually a famous and very wealthy author who has donned rags to travel about in search of inspiration. Naturally, he and the girl end up hitched and as the story closes, the happy couple and all their hobo pals are racing eastward aboard the luxurious Honeymoon Express. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Q. Nilsson, Louise Fazenda, (more)
- 1926
While studying dance in Hungary, British ballerina Leonide Sturdee (Jacqueline Logan) suffers a crippling accident. Enter faith healer Anton Ragatzy (Lou Tellegan), who assures Leonide that she'll walk again if only she places herself in his hands. But Leonide considers Ragatzy to be a fraud and sends him on his way. By now hopelessly in love with the heroine, Ragatzy follows her back to England, begging to be allowed to cure her. Eventually she agrees, whereupon the long-awaited miracle occurs (though it's left up to the viewer whether or not Ragatzy really has the power to heal). The Outsider was based on a play by Dorothy Brandon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Logan, Lou Tellegen, (more)
- 1926
Betrayed by his wife and disillusioned by the world in general, British nobleman Lord Gervas Carew heads to Algeria, there to tend to the needs of the impoverished Arab natives. As Carew's humanity and selflessness gives him a new lease on life -- as well as a new nickname, "The White Man of the Desert" -- his treacherous wife Lady Eleanor (Katherine MacDonald) gets her comeuppance in a fittingly humiliating fashion. Her fate is kinder than the one afforded her illicit lover Lord Gerardine (Walter Pidgeon), who ends up being trampled to death. Carew's good deeds are rewarded in an unexpected manner when he is reunited with his childhood sweetheart Marny (Barbara Bedford) -- who happens to be the widow of the unfortunate Lord Gerardine. The title of this one should have been "What Comes Around Goes Around" (even though it was based on The Desert Healer by E. M. Hull, the author of The Sheik). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Bedford, Walter Pidgeon, (more)
