Gilbert Roland Movies

In the 1580s, the Sea Hawks -- the name given to the bold privateers who prowl the oceans taking ships and treasure on behalf the British crown -- are the most dedicated defenders of British interests in the face of the expanding power of Philip of Spain. And Captain Geoffrey Thorpe (Errol Flynn) is the boldest of the Sea Hawks, responsible for capturing and destroying more than 50 Spanish ships and ten Spanish cities. His capture of a Spanish galleon, however, leads to more than he bargained for, in a romance with the ambassador's niece (Brenda Marshall) and the first whiff of a plan to put Spanish spies into the court of Elizabeth I (Flora Robson). Thorpe's boldness leads him to a daring raid on a treasure caravan in Panama which, thanks to treachery within Elizabeth's court, gets him captured and, with his crew, sentenced to the life of a slave aboard a Spanish ship. Meanwhile, Philip of Spain decides to wipe the threat posed by Elizabeth's independence from the sea by conquering the island nation with his armada. Thorpe, though chained to an oar, knows who the traitor at court is and plans to expose him and Philip's plans, but can he and his men break their bonds and get back to England alive in time to thwart the plans for conquest?

The Sea Hawk was the last and most mature of Flynn's swashbuckling adventure films, played with brilliant stylistic flourishes by the star at his most charismatic, and most serious and studied when working with Flora Robson, whom he apparently genuinely respected. Boasting the handsomest, most opulent production values of a Warner Bros. period film to date, The Sea Hawk was made possible in part by a huge new floodable soundstage. Another highlight was the best adventure film score ever written by Erich Wolfgang Korngold; and the script's seriousness was nailed down by various not-so-veiled references not to 16th century Spain but 20th century Nazi Germany. The movie was cut by over 20 minutes for a reissue with The Sea Wolf, and the complete version was lost until a preservation-quality source was found at the British Film Institute. Since then, that 128-minute version -- which actually contains a one-minute patriotic speech by Robson as Elizabeth that was originally left out of U.S. prints, as well as amber tinting in all of the Panamanian sequences -- has become standard. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Originally slated for released through Grand National Pictures, Isle of Destiny was redirected to RKO Radio when Grand National folded in late 1939. June Lang stars as Virginia Allerton, a famous aviatrix who crashlands in a remote South Sea Island (a la Amelia Erhardt!) and is promptly kidnapped by gun-runner Barton (Gilbert Roland). Coming to Virginia's rescue are two-fisted US marines Stripes Thornton (William Gargan) and Milly Barnes (Wallace Ford). Also figuring into the storyline are Katherine DeMille as a sultry native with a predilection of disposing of her enemies with poison darts, and septugenarian Etienne Girardot (in his last film appearance) as Barton's semi-comic assistant. Too long by about two reels, Isle of Destiny has the advantage of eye-pleasing Cosmocolor cinematography. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Juarez was originally designed to concentrate almost exclusively on the tragedy of Hapsburg Emperor Maximillian, whose attempts to establish a puppet government in Mexico on behalf of Napoleon III ended in disaster and death. But when Paul Muni decided that he wanted to play Zapotec-Indian-turned-Mexican President Benito Pablo Juarez, the film's emphasis perceptibly shifted -- and Bette Davis, cast as Empress Carlotta, was shunted to second billing rather than first. Muni's makeup and costuming convincingly transforms him into Juarez incarnate. But unlike his other historical impersonations (Pasteur, Zola), Muni's Juarez is a one-note characterization: stoic, uncompromising, and v-e-e-r-y slow of speech. Far more exciting dramatically is Bette Davis as Empress Carlotta, whose highly stylized descent into madness is a tour de force both for the actress and for director William Dieterle. Claude Rains and Gale Sondergaard, as Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, in essence repeat their diabolical characterizations from Anthony Adverse (1936), while John Garfield is singularly miscast as Pofirio Diaz. The best performance is delivered by Brian Aherne, whose kindly, honorable Emperor Maximillian is less a despot than a misguided political pawn. When Aherne, about to be executed at Juarez' orders, requests that his favorite Mexican song "La Paloma" be played as he is led before the firing squad, audience sympathies are 100% in Maximilian's corner--which was not quite what the filmmakers intended. Based largely on Bertita Harding's book The Phantom Crown (the film's original title), Juarez takes every available opportunity to parallel its title character's fight against foreign intervention with the then-current European situation. To protect their investment in Juarez Warner Bros. purchased outright a like-vintage Mexican film on the same subject, The Mad Empress, suppressing the latter film's release in the United States. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thunder Trail is a thoughtful, intelligent adaptation of the Zane Grey yarn. Arizona Ames. The storyline is a Grey favorite, concerning a pair of brothers separated at birth. One of the boys grows up to be an outlaw, while the other remains on the right side of the law. Meeting in adulthood as enemies, the brothers bury the hatchet when the "good" one kills the man responsible for the death of their father. The two heroes are played by Mexican actor Gilbert Roland and North American Native James Craig (to "explain" Roland's pronounced accent, it is shown that he is raised by Mexican J. Carroll Naish -- in real life an Irishman!) If the music score sounds familiar, it's because it was originally composed for Cecil B. DeMille's The Plainsman. Thunder Trail was reissued to television as Thunder Pass. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set during the terrible Spanish Civil War, this film avoids political commentary in favor of objectively centering on the plight and personal lives of refugees preparing to board a train that will take them far away from the bloody horrors of war-besieged Loyalist-controlled Madrid. Once safely on the train, the film presents snippets from their lives in the same manner as was done on Grand Hotel (1932). Among the refugees are a political fugitive, his flirtatious ex-girl friend, a hooker, a baroness, a world-weary newspaper reporter and the orphan who follows him. In charge of making sure the train safely reaches its destination is a single guard. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Hoping to finish his latest play in peace, writer Ricardo Souchet (Gilbert Roland) loses his train of thought when dizzy blonde reporter Rita (Mona Barrie) invades his apartment. Before long, Rita has gotten Ricardo involved in a series of murders amongst the theater folk. When the police prove ineffective, our hero is obliged to turn detective himself. Laughs are provided by Herbert Mundin as Ricardo's super-efficient butler, while menace is provided by practically everyone else in the cast. Ladies Love Danger was based on a story by 23-year-old stage actress Ilya Zorn, who may very well have intended the film as a vehicle for herself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lifelong mystery buff Samantha Kinsey (Kellie Martin) is thrilled when she inherits a bookstore that sells only "whodunits." Among the thousands of authors in this field, Samantha's personal idol is Professor Jack Stenning (Robert Wagner), a mystery writer who solves real crimes as a hobby. When Stenning is found hanged in his study, all evidence points to suicide, and the police are inclined to mark the case closed. But Samantha isn't so easily convinced, especially since Stenning was just about to publish an expose of a long-unsolved murder. Aided by her attorney friend Cassie Thomas (Constance Zimmer) -- not to mention her vast library of books -- Samantha sets about to solve the mystery of Stenning's murder all by herself. Made for cable TV with the words "series pilot" all but emblazoned on the opening credits, Mystery Woman first aired August 31, 2003, on the Hallmark Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Silent screen favorite Madge Bellamy starred in this low-budget melodrama written and directed by character actor Alphonse Martell. In love with a rich customer, Count Albert Valraine (Theodore Von Eltz), salesgirl Suzanne Ricord accepts his engagement ring, but when she fails to understand "the rules of the game," as he puts it, the caddish Valraine demands that she return the bauble. Disillusioned, Suzanne takes to performing in a posh cabaret where gigolo Antoine "Tony" Ferand (Gilbert Roland) helps her retrieve the ring from Diane (Natalie Moorhead), Valraine's new wife. Suzanne flaunts the ring to Albert, only to turn him down when he asks her forgiveness. Tired of leading a desultory life, Tony leaves for Monte Carlo, but is arrested by the police when a watch given to him by Suzanne proves to be stolen goods. Fortunately, Suzanne, who has realized that she is in love with Tony, turns up in the nick of time to unmask the real thief (Paul Porcasi), one of the roués frequenting the cabaret. Deciding to give up the gigolo business once and for all, Tony and Suzanne instead plan to marry. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Our Betters is adapted from Somerset Maugham's play about the shallowness and hypocrisy of the idle rich. American heiress Constance Bennett snares a titled British husband (Alan Mobray), but when she discovers that he is merely marrying her for her money, she decides to carry on a few affairs of her own. Going from wide-eyed innocent to bitter cynic, Bennett tries to maneuver her own sister (Anita Louise) into a titled marriage so that the "gravy train" of privileges and sexual liaisons will never end. Bennett ultimately ends up alone and miserable, though she retains her wealth and puts up a good front right to the final fade-out. Maugham's original play was intended to satirize wealthy Americans who buy their way into European society, but the film version of Our Betters is far rougher on the Continental Set than it is on Constance Bennett. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"I'm the finest woman who walked the streets," declares bejeweled, hip-swishing Lady Lou (Mae West) at the beginning of She Done Him Wrong. Lou works as a singer at the Gay Nineties saloon of Gus Jordan (Noah Beery Sr.), who plies her with diamonds to keep her by his side. She runs afoul of stalwart mission captain Cummings (Cary Grant), who warns her that she's on the road to perdition. Mae West's first starring film, She Done Him Wrong literally saved Paramount Pictures from bankruptcy. It would remain the best of her feature films, most of which were severely watered down by the Production Code (whose renewed stringency of 1933 was brought about in great part by West herself). She Done Him Wrong was based on West's own stage play, Diamond Lil, which ran on Broadway for 97 weeks. West sings "Frankie and Johnny," "I Like a Man Who Takes His Time," and ""I Wonder Where My Easy Rider's Gone."" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Crusading district attorney Jerry Bennett (Gilbert Roland) would give anything to get the goods on unscrupulous criminal lawyer Clyde Corbin (Noah Beery). Alas, Corbin proves too slippery a target -- and besides, he's got too many irons in the fire to be bothered by Bennett. Halfway through the picture, Corbin temporarily leaves the legal world behind by masterminding a race track swindle, targeting lovable Pop Everett (Otis Harlan) as his fall guy. Bennett teams with lady detective Emilia (Carmel Myers) to save Pop from losing his money, but the DA's girlfriend Carol (Barbara Kent), Pop's daughter, misunderstands the situation and walks out on Bennett. This sets the stage for a comic denouement straight out of the The Front Page. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Previously filmed with Marion Davies in 1928, Jacques Deval's warhorse stage property Her Cardboard Lover was revamped four years later as the Buster Keaton vehicle The Passionate Plumber. The Great Stone Face stars as Elmer Tuttle, a Parisian plumber who is hired by dizzy heroine Patricia Alden (Irene Purcell) to make her sweetheart Tony Lagorce (Gilbert Roland) jealous. With the help of Patricia's chauffeur McCracken (Jimmy Durante) and her maid Albine (Polly Moran), the feckless Elmer is transformed into a Great Romeo, doing his job so well that the hot-headed Tony challenges him to a duel. This material was not ideally suited for Buster Keaton, nor was it a particularly brilliant strategy to team the solemn comedian with the bombastic Jimmy Durante. Still, a few hilarious moments shine through, especially during the climactic duel sequence. The Passionate Plumber was remade under the original title Her Cardboard Lover with Norma Shearer in 1942, while Keaton himself distilled the story -- and the best gags -- into his 1941 Columbia two-reeler She's Oil Mine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide