Frank Reicher Movies
Launching his theatrical career in his native Germany, actor/director Frank Reicher worked in London before coming to the US in 1899. His entree into the movies was as co-director of the 1915 production The Clue; he continued to direct in Hollywood before returning to the stage in 1921. At the dawn of the talkie era, Reicher was brought back to California to direct German-language versions of American films. For his acting bow before the microphones, Reicher was cast in the title role of Napoleon's Barber (1928) a Fox Movietone two-reeler which represented the first talkie for director John Ford. Reicher specialized at this time in humorless, wizened authority figures: college professors, doctors, scientists, cabinet ministers. In 1933 he was cast as Captain Engelhorn in the classic adventure fantasy King Kong; director Ernest Schoedsack later characterized Reicher as "the best actor we had" in a cast which included Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot and Fay Wray. He repeated the Engelhorn role, with a modicum of uncharacteristic humor added, in Son of Kong (1933). The remainder of Reicher's film career was devoted to brief character roles, often as murder victims. He was killed off at least twice by Boris Karloff (Invisible Ray [1936] and House of Frankenstein [1944]), and was strangled by Lon Chaney Jr. at the very beginning of The Mummy's Ghost (1944) (When Chaney inadvertently cut off his air during the feigned strangulation, Reicher subjected the star to a scorching reprimand, reducing Chaney to a quivering mass of meek apologies). During the war, Reicher's Teutonic name and bearing came in handy for the many anti-Nazi films of the era, notably To Be or Not to Be (1942) and Mission to Moscow (1944). In 1946, Reicher had one of his largest parts in years as the general factotum to hypnotist Edmund Lowe in The Strange Mr. Gregory (1946); that the part may have been written for the venerable actor is evidenced by the fact that his character name was Reicher. Frank Reicher retired in 1951; he died fourteen years later, at age 90. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1918
While Mary Boland is primarily known for portraying society matrons, occasionally she played against type to show the strength of her acting ability. Here she is Marion Farnham, the neglected wife of a young, ambitious doctor. She runs off with another man, deserting her husband and four-year-old daughter, Marna. The doctor moves to the country and instead of painting a negative picture of Marion, he instead tells Marna that her mother was a beautiful woman who died. The years pass, Marion's lover deserts her, and she becomes a desperate and destitute woman. The doctor becomes successful and she goes to his house to wheedle some money from him. But it is Marna (Lucy Cotton) who speaks to Marion, and she recites the story of her lovely, dead mother. Marion leaves without revealing her identity, but later when Marna marries a young writer (Harris Gordon), she goes to work for her as a nursemaid to the couple's baby. At one point, Marna contemplates running off with a friend of her husband's, but Marion hears of her plans and, by divulging her whole story, discourages her daughter from making the same mistake she did. Although the doctor finds out about all this, Marion won't go back to him. Instead she leaves in order to seek out other young people, to prevent them from going down the wrong path. This story (based on the novel Flaming Ramparts by Edith Barnard Delano) is maudlin to be sure, but it was a tour de force for Mary Boland. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1918
When musical comedy star Harry Caton (John Bowers) loses his voice, he goes to the seashore to recuperate. But he doesn't seem to get much rest -- he winds up having to save Nancy Potter (Louise Huff) from the advances of the drunken Silas Jones (Clay Clement). Nancy has been living with Cail Potter (Robert Broderick) since she was washed up on shore as an infant, and he has been serving as her adopted father. But Potter is not a fisherman, as he's told Nancy -- he's a burglar. One of his heists takes him to the home of Colonel Brett (Henry Warwick). There, Potter finds a locket and other evidence showing that Nancy is the Colonel's long-lost daughter. Meanwhile, Caton has become quite friendly with Nancy but does not take her affection for him seriously. Some friends of his take him to a yacht where he meets up with an admirer, a widow named Mrs. Chester (Florence Malone). Nancy is ready to give Canton up and marry badguy Silas. But eventually Nancy's true identity is revealed, and Canton finally comes to his senses. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1917
Actor/director Frank Reicher, most familiar to modern movie fans as "Captain Englehorn" in King Kong (1933), wielded the megaphone for the 1917 silent American Widow. In one of her very rare silent-film appearances, Ethel Barrymore plays a young widow who marries a man she doesn't love in order to earn an inheritance. She plans to quietly annul the marriage, then wed the man of her dreams, a European aristocrat. Soon, however, she learns that her new husband was the right man for her all along. This yarn was old in 1917, but Ethel Barrymore brings a welcome-if a bit overplayed-touch of artistry and class to the proceedings. Always a Widow was adapted from a play by Kellett Chambers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1917
Michelna Libelt (Vivian Martin) is an immigrant orphan who finds a friend in newsboy Blackie Moyle (Paul Willis). She dresses up like a boy and becomes a newsie, too, and in their spare time, the two pals play around with some clay that an artist gave Blackie. Eventually, a thug, Tip Morgan (Charles West), discovers that Michelna is a girl and tries to attack her. Blackie comes to her rescue, but he is blinded when Morgan hits him between the eyes. Michelna takes the figurines that she and Blackie molded to an art show, and hers, called "the Trouble Buster," become a big hit. Nevertheless, she gives the credit to Blackie. It is marketed the same way Billiken dolls were a few years earlier and earns a fortune. With the money, Blackie gets an operation to restore his sight. While all this has been going on, Morgan has been coming around and threatening to reveal that Blackie did not make the sculpture unless Michelna pays up. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1917
In this lyrical little feature, Marie Doro plays Patricia Calhoun, an American heiress who travels incognito to Ireland. Her search for fairies and elves leads the picture to some charming double exposures, and the character to find Brian O'Neal, an impoverished Irish Lord (Elliot Dexter). Patricia goes to work as a maid, while her secretary (Mayme Kelso) poses as a rich woman. Brian's sisters and mother urge him to marry into wealth, but he finds himself falling in love with the new "maid." It doesn't take a genius to figure out that eventually Patricia's real identity is revealed and all ends happily. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1916
When the debonair Louis (Lou Tellegen) entices little country-bred dancer Rosette Burgod (Cleo Ridgley) away to Paris, she thinks his intentions are honorable. They're not, and she becomes spiritually disillusioned. Rosette's lover from back home, Dimitri Kartzin (Elliot Dexter), viciously attacks Louis, but Louis is saved by a priest. When he recovers, he joins the order. Later he comes across Rosette and works hard to restore her faith. Finally he does, and when war breaks out, he doffs his priest's robes in favor of a soldier's uniform and she becomes a nurse. In a tragic finale, both of them are killed on the battlefield. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1916
argaret Illington's stage career was on the wane, so she landed herself a motion picture contract with Paramount. In her cinematic debut she did a dual character turn, playing half-sisters -- the nice girl, Mary Stephani, and Vesta Boris, a notorious dancer. Two Balkan countries, Nordhoff and Zandria, are enemies. Stephan Stephani (Winter Hall) has come to Zandria with his daughter Mary to dig up war secrets. Mary falls in love with Zandrian soldier Paul Ekaid (Jack Holt), but when the animosities between the warring nations heat up, Stephan and Mary head for the border. There Mary encounters Vesta. Vesta has murdered Count Wenzel (Noah Beery) and stolen some plans. She sees Mary at the depot and convinces her to exchange passports. Vesta goes into Nordhoff with a copy of the plans written in invisible ink, and Mary winds up being arrested. She is to be shot at sunrise, but Vesta returns and sacrifices herself by changing places with Mary. Peace is declared between the two countries, and Mary is reunited with Paul.
~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1916
Despite an industrywide reluctance to cast non-Caucasians in leading roles in the mid-teens, Japanese stage star Sessue Hayakawa was one of the most popular film personalities of the era. In Alien Souls, Hayakawa plays a wealthy importer, who assumes the responsibility of raising his late friend's daughter (played by Tsuri Aoki, Hayakawa's wife). Led to believe that she's a rich heiress, the girl is seduced by fortune-hunting Earl Foxe (who later retired from acting to manage a highly regarded Hollywood military academy). When Hayakawa reveals that the girl hasn't a penny, Foxe deserts her. She is saved from committing suicide when Hayakawa himself proposes marriage. The director of Alien Souls was Frank Reicher, who became a prolific character actor in the talkie era (he plays Captain Engelhorn in King Kong). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1916
Longtime collaborators Cecil B. DeMille and Jeanie MacPherson penned the screenplay for this Wallace Reid feature. Reid plays sheriff Dan Deering, who is in love with an independent young lady, Kate Kenner (Cleo Ridgley). Although Kate does find gold, her claim is jumped. The jumpers attack Deering, who is trying to help the girl, but he is saved by the notorious bandit, Silver Spurs (Earle Foxe). Kate disguises herself as Silver Spurs in an attempt to get her gold back. Deering captures her and, believing that she really is the bandit, reluctantly puts her on trial. The real Silver Spurs comes in and saves Kate but again eludes capture. This action adventure from the teens shows that not all female characters of the day were sweet, reticent things. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1916
Social secretary Ethel Hale (Blanche Sweet) goes to work for society matron Mrs. Strong (Veda McEvers). Having grown weary of her husband, Mrs. Strong begins throwing herself at handsome playboy Jimmy Regan (Thomas Meighan). But Regan is more interested in Ethel, who returns the compliment. Invited to attend a formal reception with Regan, Ethel steals $150 from Mrs. Strong so that she can afford a gown. But her conscience gets the better of her, and she confesses her indiscretion to her employer. Far from being angry, Mrs. Strong offers to let Ethel off the hook if she will help in a scheme to entrap Mr. Strong (Ernest Joy) for divorce purposes. Ethel is to lure Mr. Strong into a compromising situation, thereby giving Mrs. Strong grounds for separation. She is saved from public disgrace by Regan, who quits his roving ways and marries the heroine. Margaret Turnbull adapted the screenplay from a story by her husband Hector. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1916
The Storm was written by Beatrice DeMille, the actress mother of directors Cecil B. DeMille and William C. DeMille. Not dissimilar to the famous British yarn Hindle Wakes, the story concerns the romance between Natalie Raydon (Blanche Sweet), daughter of a theology professor (Theodore Roberts), and the Prof's prize pupil Robert Fielding (Thomas Meighan). When Natalie becomes pregnant by another of her father's students, she refuses to divulge the identity of her seducer, not wishing to destroy anyone's future. Luckily, Natalie's past indiscretions mean nothing to Fielding, who insists upon marrying her anyway. The subtle performances of the stars and the sensitive direction of Frank Reicher made certain that The Storm never lapsed into bad taste. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1916
The Sowers was set in pre-Soviet Russia. Prince Paul Alexis (Thomas Meighan is supposed to marry Princess Tanya (Mabel Van Buren). But Alexis is in love with Karin Dolokhof (Blanche Sweet), the daughter of Nihilist Boris Dolokhof (Theodore Roberts). The usual ingredients -- starving peasants, rotting royalty, Siberian exile, last-minute rescues -- are thrown into the goulash, culminating in the sort of stirring big-budget finale that was more characteristic of Cecil B. DeMille than C.B.'s brother William (the film's director). Coincidentally, The Sowers was released in New York the same week as the Equitable production The Reapers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1916
The anti-prejudice theme of Mark Twain's story was downplayed the first time it was filmed. In 1916, the idea of interracial marriage was seen as unacceptable, so elements of the plot were disturbing to audiences of the day. Instead, the suspense of the murder mystery is emphasized, which really gives character actor Theodore Roberts, in the title role, a chance to shine. In the antebellum south of the mid-19th century, a mulatto nurse, Roxy (Jane Wolff) swaps her son for her master's. The quadroon (Alan Hale) grows up as Tom Driscoll, while the real Tom grows up as the slave Chambers (Thomas Meighan). Rowena Cooper (Florence Dagmar) comes down from "up North" and finds herself falling in love with Chambers. Chambers is accused of a murder committed by Tom, and that's where Pudd'nhead Wilson comes in -- he's an eccentric lawyer who no one seems to take seriously. But Wilson knows his stuff. Through the use of fingerprints (a radical notion in Twain's time), he not only uncovers the real killer, he also figures out that Chambers and Tom were switched as infants. Chambers is cleared of the charge and is free to continue his romance with Rowena. Although he did not direct it, Cecil B. DeMille was the picture's producer. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1915
The trials and tribulations of heroine Diane (Blanche Sweet) begin when she's seduced by a far-from-noble nobleman, the Duke of Cluny (Edward Mackaye). Feeling herself "tainted," Diane decides to shun all men. But a handsome American naval officer, Lt. Dodd (Carlyle Blackwell), cares not a whit about Diane's "shameful" past. In fact, he sees to it that the Duke will never again deflower an unwitting female by shooting the man in a duel. Understandably impressed, Diane agrees to marry the dashing Dodd. Adapted by William C. DeMille from a play by Channing Pollock, The Secret Garden was directed by Frank Reicher, better known today for such film character roles as Captain Engelhorn in King Kong. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1915
Blanche Sweet has a dual role in this picture -- she plays twin sisters, Edith, a -- ahem! -- sweet, normal young girl, and Grace, who is a drug fiend. They live in poverty with their parents and their father (Hal Clements) finally finds work. Because he is faithful to his boss (Thomas Meighan), he is offered a partnership. The boss also falls in love with Edith, but Grace gets in the way -- through her lies and manipulations, she makes Edith look like the one who's the drug addict. In a Chinatown opium den, the girls' identities are cleared up and Edith is united with her sweetheart. Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa, not yet a star, has a notable part as the keeper of the opium den. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1915
Based on the hit stage play of the same name, Paramount's The Chorus Lady starred Cleo Ridgely as the title character. As baby-faced chorine "Pat" O'Brien, the star protects her virtue against various and sundry stage-door Johnnies and sugar daddies. Implicated in a crime, Pat is pursued by detective Danny Mallory (Wallace Reid), who of course eventually falls in love with her and seeks to prove her innocence. The film was distinguished by its "slangy" subtitles, using terminology which would probably be as incomprehensible as Sanskrit to modern-day viewers. And, naturally, the filmmakers seldom missed an opportunity to show off a trim ankle or soft shoulder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1915
Walter Crane makes a bet with a group of his fellow women-hating clubmen that he can take a pretty girl and cultivate her so as to inspire any of them to propose marriage. His choice turns out to be a newsgirl named Cinders (Marie Doro). He sends her to college and, when she returns, all the men do fall in love with her. But Crane has lost his fortune and is forced to work as a bank teller, so one of the men, Gage, tells Cinders that her benefactor can no longer afford her. As a result, she vanishes. But when Crane is accused of stealing 20,000 dollars from the bank, she returns to help him clear his name. Through her efforts she discovers that Gage took the money to buy a necklace for his mistress (Maym Kelso). All bets are still off, however, because Crane's the one who gets Cinders.
~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
