Marion Shilling Movies
One of the best heroines of 1930s B-Westerns, Marion Schilling was the daughter of a theatrical producer who had brought the stage version of Dracula to Los Angeles, a production that featured the young Marion in various bit parts. Signed by MGM in the early days of sound, Schilling was unfortunate enough to star in one of the era's worst flops, a screen version of the Broadway musical Lord Byron of Broadway (1930). Less than encouraging reviews caused the studio to drop her option but she quickly recovered and signed a personal contract with Poverty Row producer Phil Goldstone, a collaboration that, in turn, led to a stint with the Pathé organization. She changed the spelling of her last name to the less Germanic Shilling and played Lew Cody's girlfriend in the World War I drama Beyond Victory (1931). Shilling was voted a 1931 WAMPAS Baby Star by motion picture advertisers -- and due to her pleasant personality became the spokesperson for the group, which also included Joan Blondell, Frances Dee, and Karen Morley -- but Pathé was in trouble and that combined with sudden death of her agent left Shilling out in the cold once again.Although stardom eluded her, Marion Shilling found a new outlet for her energies in Poverty Row productions, mostly Westerns. Between 1931 and 1936, she appeared in no less than 13 budget oaters and two serials starring the likes of Hoot Gibson, Tim McCoy, Tom Tyler, Rex Bell, and Fred Scott, all of whom considered her a favorite among available leading ladies. Although, as the later stated, Shilling had never ridden anything bigger than a burro, she had no problem with horses and was willing to try everything at least once. In a complete departure from her screen work, she was cast as Helena in Max Rheinhardt's famous touring version of A Midsummer Night's Dream (1934-1935). Unfortunately, when Warner Bros. bought the screen rights to the production, the studio replaced Shilling with contract actress Jean Muir.
Marion Shilling continued to appear in low-budget Westerns and melodramas through 1936 and also did her fair share of commercials, some even filmed in Technicolor. All this activity, however, came to an end when she married socially prominent Edward Cook, a union that would last a lifetime. Contacted in early 2002, the 91-year-old former leading lady could look back on a life of "adventure, travel, and one rich with love. I've acquired such a deep appreciation of true values, I feel that this is the best, the happiest time of all." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1937
The third of six Rex Bell Westerns produced by the Alexander brothers, Arthur and Max, The Idaho Kid was the first to be distributed by newcomer Grand National. Bell appeared in the title role, a drifter who returns to the old homestead only to find his adopted family engaged in a range war with his natural -- but estranged -- father, Clint Hollister (Earl Dwire). The latter's foreman, Bib Slagel (Charles King), and his men attempt to force Endicott (Lafe Mckee) out of business by depriving his cattle of water from a shared stream. There is a final confrontation during which Hollister shoots the Idaho Kid, learning only afterwards that he is his long-lost son. Happily, Idaho survives his wounds and the feud comes to an end. Popular B-Western heroine Marion Shilling played Bell's foster sister-turned-love interest and former Paramount star Lane Chandler appeared in a small supporting role as Lafe McKee's foreman. Bell was the husband of silent screen star Clara Bow and later ran successfully for the office of lieutenant governor of Nevada. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rex Bell, David Sharpe, (more)
- 1936
In his final Western for low-budget Diversion Pictures, veteran cowboy ace Hoot Gibson plays a pony express rider who discovers that his worst enemy is his own long-lost brother. As a child, Clint Knox (Jerry Tucker), and his mother Martha (Nina Guilbert), escaped a gang of bandits who killed Mr. Knox Steve Clark and abducted Clint's brother Ace (Barry Downing). Eleven years later, the adult Clint (Hoot Gibson), now a pony express rider, is ambushed by Ace (Rex Lease), a road agent who also robs a stage carrying Martha and pretty Mary Chrisman (Marion Shilling). In the ensuing gunfight, Clint's life is saved when his pocket bible stops one of Ace's bullet. But when Ace, now Clint's prisoner, recites an illegible inscription in the book, Clint realizes that he is his brother. At the trial, Clint successfully convinces the jury to acquit Ace because of the young man's harsh upbringing in the hands of his kidnappers. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, Rex Lease, (more)
The second of three serials produced by the Weiss Bros. for low-budget Stage and Screen Productions, The Clutching Hand brought back that eminent detective Craig Kennedy, who had first appeared in Pearl White's The Exploits of Elaine back in 1915. Now played by the veteran Jack Mulhall, another holdover from the early silent era, Kennedy is hired to solve the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Paul Gironda, whose formula for the manufacture of synthetic gold is coveted by a mysterious cloaked villain known only as The Clutching Hand. Along with Dr. Gironda's nubile daughter, Verna (Marion Shilling), and young newspaper reporter Walter Jameson (Rex Lease), Kennedy is aided or opposed in his quest by an impressive array of unemployed former silent screen "names" that include William Farnum, Reed Howes, Mae Busch, Bryant Washburn, Franklyn Farnum, and Snub Pollard, not to mention newcomers like Charles Locher (later known as Jon Hall) and Tom Mix's daughter, Ruth. The best made and most successful of Stage and Screen's three chapterplays (the company had promised six or seven), The Clutching Hand was also released in a 70-minute highly edited feature version. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1936
Gun Smoke was the second of a brace of "B"-westerns starring the now-forgotten Buck Coburn. The plot is as standard as standard can be: Rancher George Culverson (Henry Hall) and daughter Jean (Marion Shilling) are menaced by villains Sneed (Philo McCullough) and McGee (Bud Osborne). Hero Steve Branning (Coburn), riding out of nowhere, comes to the Culverson's rescue. The desperate baddies kidnap the heroine, but Steve brings her back home safe and sound after making with the fists and six-guns. Benny Corbett, vilified by many western fans as the least funniest "comedy relief" in film history, actually garners a few laughs. Like the first Buck Coburn starrer, Circle of Death, Gun Smoke was produced by actor-stuntman Montie Montana. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marion Shilling, Bud Osborne, (more)
- 1936
The first of thirteen singing-Westerns starring former San Francisco Opera barytone Fred Scott, Romance Rides the Range was thoroughly geared to the handsome singer's forté: light opera. Scott played Barry Glendon, an opera singer who returns to the old homestead after an especially successful season. At the ranch, he encounters neighbors Carol Morland (Marion Shilling) and her brother Jimmy (Buzz Barton, who had been conned into buying a parcel of useless land. In love with Carol, Barry cons the con-men (Robert Kortman and Theodore Lorch) into believing that the Morland property contains a hidden gold mine. Veteran funnyman Cliff Nazzarro (an expert in the art of the "double take") provided comic relief and Scott sang Only You and On the Range, both by Fred Stryker and Johnny Lange. Filmed at Placerito Canyon near Newhall, California, Romance Rides the Range was produced by poverty row company Spectrum ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Scott, Marion Shilling, (more)
- 1936
The last of five inexpensive Westerns produced by small-scale Beacon Pictures, Gun Play starred brawny Guinn "Big Boy" Williams as a drifter who unwittingly comes into possession of a treasure map concealed in an old boot. The inheritance of siblings Madge (Marion Shilling) and George Holt (Wally Wales, the treasure is also sought after by the unscrupulous Meeker (Tom London). The latter sponsors a novelty folk dance in order to gather up all the local boots, which he then offers to exchange for brand new pairs. Suspicious of this unprecedented largesse, Big Boy refuses to part with his own footgear, only to become the target of Meeker's gang of ruffians. Discovering the map in the broken heel of his boot, Big Boy leads Madge and George on a treasure hunt that yields several bags of gold. Meeker and his henchmen, meanwhile, are disarmed in a final confrontation, and Big Boy and Madge embrace for a happy ending. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marion Shilling
After a nightclub singer is killed, a gossip columnist launches an investigation into the crime. ~ All Movie Guide
Directed by producer Bernard B. Ray under his usual nom de cinema of Franklin Shamray, this mild B-Western features Tom Tyler and sidekick Eddie Gribbon befriending a ranger (Tom London), whose murder by a mysterious villain known as "The Rattler" they then seek to avenge. As Tyler and Gribbon learn, "The Rattler" is in the employ of nasty William Gould, who tries to frame Tom in the attack of prospector Jimmy Aubrey. But Tom manages to persuade the dead ranger's sister (Marion Shilling) of his innocence and the real culprit (Charles "Slim" Whitaker) is apprehended. According to some reports, this obscure Western was released without the all-important seal of approval by the Motion Picture Association of America and only played the hinterlands. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1935
In this comedy, a woman lives with her recently impoverished family who would do anything to regain their former wealth and status. They use the young woman, and every time any likely person comes to call, they try to foist her upon them. One of these visitors is the son of a conniving lawyer who wants the rest of their fortune for himself. The attorney's other son is a bug collector. The family is so busy with their farfetched money grubbing schemes that they pay no attention to the level-headed young woman's attempts to get by. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lois Wilson, Lloyd Hughes, (more)
- 1935
Produced by Willis Kent and directed by lanky actor-stunt-man Bartlett Carre, this film is perhaps the most obscure Western of the 1930s. The star, Buck Coburn, was a supporting player who usually billed himself as Rocky Camron or Gene Alsace, neither of which were apparently deemed heroic enough for a starring role. Coburn played a cowboy who, after obtaining the job of ranch hand, saves the rancher's pretty daughter (Marion Shilling) from an unscrupulous city attorney (Roger Williams). Quite a few Western veterans took part in this 57-minute-long fiasco, including Chief Thundercloud, Lloyd Ingraham, Philo McCullough, Lafe McKee, Bud Osborne, Nelson McDowell, Lew Meehans, and the Bucko brothers -- Buck and Roy. The film was ostensibly a Montie Montana production, Willis Kent having paid the rodeo star for the use of his name. Montana starred for Kent in Circle of Death, released later in the year. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1935
In perhaps the most tranquil B-Western of the 1930s, Buck Jones, who also produced, plays the tough but goodhearted proprietor of the Bonanza, the only gambling establishment in otherwise God-fearing Silver Creek. Noel Francis, who used to play blonde schemers in Warner Bros. gangster films, earns second billing as the casino's equally goodhearted chanteuse. Surprisingly, the glamorous Miss Francis is not paired off with Jones, but has to settle for country pumpkin Grady Sutton, of all people. In fact, the hero must wait no less than 51 minutes before he is finally provided a few romantic moments with Peggy Campbell, who arrives just in time to warble "Tonight May Never Come Again" to an enraptured Jones. The latter does very little of anything in this film, except prevent a couple of gamblers (Rodney Hildebrand and Harry Semels) from robbing the casino's safe, proving himself worthy in the eyes of Pastor Timothy Tucker (Niles Welch) and his girlfriend Martha (Marion Shilling) along the way. Restored by Universal/MCA in 2000, Stone of Silver Creek has no action to speak of, but is saved from the doldrums by good performances from Jones, the unfairly forgotten Noel Francis, and the always watchable Grady Sutton, who gets the top-billed girl for the first and only time in his long career. Unlike most Westerns of the day, Stone of Silver Creek was produced entirely on the Universal back lot. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buck Jones, Niles Welch, (more)
- 1935
Tarzan, "The Police Dog," stars in this ultra low-budget thriller from independent producer Bert Sternbach. The human leads, Marion Shilling and Charles Delaney, play reporters assigned to cover the wedding between members of warring Tong families. Expected to end generations of feud between the Lings and the Wongs, the nuptials turn into tragedy when a mystery intruder clad in Ling family attire valuable snatches the necklace from the bride. As the groom (Wing Foo) attempts to stop the fleeing thief, he is brutally shot and killed and his father calls for the feud to continue. Meanwhile, cub reporter Ann Parker (Shilling) is kidnapped by the murderer (Paul Ellis), who thinks she may be able to identify him. But Tarzan, the police dog, races to the rescue with Bob Martin (Delaney) in tow and the killer is unmasked in the nick of time. The Lings are cleared of suspicion and peace between the families is restored. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tarzan the Horse, Marion Shilling, (more)
A popular title, a mystery death and college hi-jinks are the ingredients in this pleasant little whodunit from lower-rung company Chesterfield. Charles Starrett stars as Ken Harris, a college football hero whose roommate, Byron Coates (James Bush), is found dead outside their dormitory, a murder camouflaged as a suicide. Suspicion briefly centers on Byron's look-alike half-brother (also Bush) but he, too, is found slain by the mystery killer. Assisted by Byron's sister Jean (Marian Shilling), an at times confounded Ken manages to get to the bottom of the alarming goings-on and unmask the murderer, whose identity will come as little surprise to fans of low-budget 1930s crime thrillers. A Shot in the Dark was filmed on rental stages at the former Pathé studios. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Robert Warwick, (more)
- 1935
In early 1930s, Monogram pictures held a virtual monopoly on the bucolic novels of Gene Stratton Porter. When Monogram absorbed by the new Republic Pictures in 1935, several Porter properties were included in the merger, among them the 1875 best-seller Keeper of the Bees. In one of her largest screen roles, Emma Dunn plays backwoods faith-healer Aunt Margot. In addition to her duties as county bookkeeper, the old woman is in charge of her daughter Molly (Betty Furness) and niece Scout (Edith Fellows), who loyally protect one another when trouble arises. The story proper gets under way when disillusioned artist Jamie (Neil Hamilton) has his will to live restored by the lovely Molly and her colorful family. Keeper of the Bees was remade virtually intact in 1947. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neil Hamilton, Betty Furness, (more)
- 1934
A rather weak entry in Tim McCoy's Columbia oeuvre, this Western was released to smaller venues in December of 1934, but not widely shown until 1936. McCoy, a rather stolid type of cowboy hero, is rather miscast as a rodeo performer competing for the affection of Juanita Barnes (Marion Shilling) with Bob Lockhart (Joe Sawyer). Juanita chooses the latter, but comes to regret her decision when she discovers that she really loves Tim. Meanwhile, Tim's father, Zack (Edward J. LeSaint), is killed by the rodeo rider's horse, Midnight. With his inheritance, Tim buys the ranch next to Senator Lockhart (John H. Dilson), Bob's father, and has a run-in with Lockhart's crooked foreman, Wallace (Hooper Atchley). There is a fight during which Bob is badly injured. Tim is arrested but escapes with the assistance of Uncle Ben, an old family retainer (Harry Todd). Together, they learn that Zack's death was no accident, and that the sheriff (Albert J. Smith) may be implicated. After the climactic shootout, Bob's name is cleared, the villains apprehended, and Tim free to pursue a future with Juanita. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim McCoy, Marion Shilling, (more)
- 1934
Before its absorption into the newly-formed 20th Century-Fox corporation in 1935, feisty little Majestic Pictures turned out quite a few impressive "B-plus" productions. One of the best and best-received was the "locked door" murder mystery, Curtain at Eight. Most of the action takes place at a Broadway theater, where a much-hated stage star (Paul Cavanaugh) is bumped off early in the proceedings. Crusty city detective Jim Hanvey (C. Aubrey Smith) and his dimwitted assistant Marty Gallagher (Sam Hardy) try to solve the crime before fast-talking reporter Terry Mooney (Russell Hopton) beats them to the punch. For a while, it looks as though the culprit is a trigger-happy chimpanzee, but a more orthodox suspect is fingered in the final reel. When it was shown on the MGM-controlled Loew's Theater circuit, Curtain at Eight was retitled Backstage Mystery, to avoid confusion with MGM's own Dinner at Eight. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Mackaill, C. Aubrey Smith, (more)
- 1934
Rin Tin Tin clone Tarzan the Wonder Dog is top-billed in the independently produced Inside Information. Tarzan nuzzles up to hero Rex Lease, a detective assigned to locate some missing bonds. The crooks prove no match for Tarzan, who bares his fangs and tears their clothes asunder. A happy ending is had by all, include Lease's lady friend Marion Shilling. Inside Information was co-scripted by Victor Potel, a silent comedy star of the pre-World War I era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rex Lease
- 1934
The first of five Guinn "Big Boy" Williams Westerns produced by low-budget Beacon Pictures, Thunder Over Texas remains one of the decade's more obscure sagebrush melodramas. Written by Sherle Castle, the film was directed by her soon-to-be husband, legendary cult figure Edgar G. Ulmer, who moonlighted as "John Warner" in order to fool his employers at Universal. Big Boy plays Ted Wright, a cowboy who adopts a little girl, Tiny (Helen Westcott), after her father is killed in a struggle over valuable railroad maps. When several attempts to get hold of the maps fail, crooked banker Bruce Laird (Claude Payton) and his cohort, the even more crooked sheriff (Philo McCullough), kidnap the little girl who is, of course, saved in the nick of time by Ted and pretty schoolmarm Helen Mason (Marion Shilling). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marion Shilling, Helen Westcott, (more)
- 1934
Produced at the old Mack Sennett studios by Sol Lesser's low-budget Principal Distributing Corp., this dog melodrama featured not one but two canine "stars," -- Captain and Lady. Mistreated and left to die in the desert by evil real-estate agent Joe Gilmore (Eddie Phillips), the dogs are forced to raid the local henhouses for food. Chased into the wilderness by a farmer (Bruce Mitchell), Captain later saves young lawyer John Z. Blake (Gaylord "Steve" Pendleton) from drowning in the river. Blake repays the gesture by successfully defending the dogs in a court trial. Produced solely for the juvenile trade, Fighting to Live suffered from poor photography and the miscasting of Pendleton, an actor better known for playing oafish supporting roles. Former all-American fullback Reb Russell made an inauspicious acting debut in this film, playing a mailman. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1932
In this romantic drama, an ambitious young dress designer decides to make an upward career move by making a play for her employer. Later that night, the two go out, but they are involved in an auto accident. Knowing that a major scandal will erupt if it is discovered that the two are dating, the employees at the store try to create a believable cover story. Because the boss' daughter and her fiancé were also in the car, they have the girl trade places with the daughter. The fiancé takes her home and en route they fall in love. At the same time, a corrupt executive tries to extort money from the hapless employer, who suspects that the dress designer is in cahoots on the scam. In the end, her innocence is revealed, she gets to marry the man she loves, and happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marion Shilling, Holmes Herbert, (more)
- 1932
Lloyd Hughes, a silent star on the downslide, heads the cast of the 1932 programmer Heart Punch. Hughes plays a boxer who accidently kills his opponent (George J. Lewis) with a punch to the heart. Hoping to make amends, Hughes approaches the dead man's sister (Marion Schilling), offering to help in any way he can. Understandably, she tells him to get lost, but by film's end she forgives him with open arms. Among the veteran performers assembled for Heart Punch is former serial star Walter Miller and the "ever popular" Mae Busch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lloyd Hughes
- 1932
A semi-remake of the 1920 silent film of the same name, County Fair stars William Collier Jr. as Jimmy Dolan, an ex-jockey. Falling in love with racetrack waitress Alice Ainsworth (Marion Shilling), Jimmy decides to enter an upcoming championship race for the sake of Alice's impoverished-aristocrat father (Hobart Bosworth). Villain Diamond Barnett (Ralph Ince) hopes to sabotage our hero's chances to win the race, but when has that strategy ever worked in the movies? A great deal of screen time is given over to the comedy relief of black actor Snowflake (aka Fred Toones), which by today's standards is hardly politically correct. Curiously, County Fair bears a striking resemblance to Sporting Chance, another racetrack drama of 1932 which also starred William Collier Jr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hobart Bosworth, Marion Shilling, (more)
- 1932
A newspaper journalist must choose between the two women he loves in this drama. On one hand, he is in love with a publisher's daughter. On the other, he also loves a stage star who came to Tinsel Town to seek her fortune but finds she can only get parts as an extra. The hard working reporter soon finds himself promoted to city editor after he provides a couple of gangland scoops. For a while, he stops seeing the actress in favor of the publisher's daughter. The jilted actress then becomes a gangster's moll. It is during a car chase in which the editor is chasing the crooks, that he must finally choose whether to continue chasing them or to follow the car containing the actress. Naturally, he chooses hers. Love ensues. Meanwhile, the publisher's daughter is left out in the cold. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marion Shilling, Rex Bell, (more)
- 1932
In his fourth of six inexpensive Westerns for Allied Pictures in 1932, veteran cowboy ace Hoot Gibson played a foreman inheriting his place of employment along with the late owner's daughter (Marion Shilling). She finds him uncouth and not worth her while at first, but hatred of a common enemy, unscrupulous banker Robert Ellis, brings them together. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ethel Wales
