Phillips Smalley Movies
Shortly after the Civil War, the wealthy parents of American actor Phillips Smalley made the first of several sojourns to Europe. The young Smalley went along on most of these trips in the 1880s, meeting such prominent personages as Disraeli, Gladstone, Robert Browning, James McNeill Whistler, and Oscar Wilde. Entranced by the reminiscences of major theatrical talents like Ellen Terry and Sir Henry Irving, Smalley vowed to tread the boards himself after graduating from Oxford University. Having appeared as Hamlet in an amateur production, Smalley continued pursuing acting during his postgrad years at Harvard back in the states. Establishing himself as a leading man (he had the strong jaw and deep-set eyes necessary for such a profession), Smalley decided that the stage was too confining for his ambitions and entered films at the Gaumont Studios in New Jersey, which in the early 1900s was experimenting with talking pictures. When talkies proved impractical for the moment, Smalley nonetheless stayed in films at Universal studios as an actor/director, ever on the outlook for cinematic innovations. Fascinated with camera tricks, Smalley introduced the triptych -- three separate scenes processed on the same frame -- in the 1912 one-reeler Suspense. Smalley's wife Lois Weber was an equally inventive director, and in fact she remained behind the cameras long after her husband had abandoned directing to return as a full-fledged actor. While he made quite an impression as a movie star in the years just before World War I, by 1919 Smalley's career began its decline. He was divorced from Weber by the mid '20s and relegated to character roles, notably as Sir Francis Chesney in Sydney Chaplin's Charley's Aunt (1925) -- a role he repeated in Charlie Ruggles' 1930 talkie version of the Brandon Thomas stage farce. By the mid '30s his career was essentially over, and he survived by picking up bit and extra work. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1932
Like the previous years' Ten Nights in a Bar-room, The Face on the Barroom Floor resurrects a corny old title to illustrate the dangers of alcohol abuse. Bramwell Fletcher stars as Bill Bronson, a down-and-out drunkard who is the object of everyone's derision. It was not always thus: once he was a successful banker, with a beautiful wife (Dulcie Cooper) and a rosy future. But when Bronson tries to wean his father-in-law from the influence of an evil bootlegger, and when his own wife insists that he must drink occasionally to "be sociable," our hero succumbs to the family curse of alcoholism. One sip of booze leads to another, and before long Bronson has literally drunk away his entire life. Though it leans towards caricature and overexaggeration at times, Face on the Barroom Floor is in many ways as powerful as such later anti-liquor epics as The Lost Weekend and Come Fill the Cup. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dulcie Cooper, Bramwell Fletcher, (more)
- 1932
Didn't the beautiful, ubiquitous Sally Blane ever take a day off in 1932? In Escapade, the busy Blane is cast as Kay Whitney, the wife of jailbird Phillip Whitney (Anthony Bushell). Upon his release, Phillip and Kay head to the home of his brother, celebrated lawyer John Whitney (Jameson Thomas) who, incredibly, is unaware that Phillip has "done time." It doesn't take long for Kay and John to fall in love, but this doesn't weaken John's resolve to save Phillip from the wrath of one of his former cellmates, the much-feared Gimpy McLane (Walter Long). Conveniently, Phillip and Gimpy knock each other off during a climactic gun battle, clearing the field for John and Kay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Bushell, Sally Blane, (more)
- 1932
Zoë Akins' archetypal "gold-digger" stage comedy The Greeks Had a Word for It was transferred to the screen in 1933, with the "It" changed to "Them" in the title, reportedly at the insistence of over-cautious producer Sam Goldwyn (this became a moot point in the 1940s, when the film was reissued as Three Broadway Girls). Ina Claire, Madge Evans, and Joan Blondell star as ex-showgirls Jean, Polaire, and Schatze, who pool their resources to rent a luxurious penthouse apartment. Their strategy is as follows: if they live like millionaires, dress like millionaires and act like millionaires, they'll be able to attract wealthy boyfriends. The original play ended with all three girls continuing their gold-digging activities unto eternity, while the film concludes with one of the three finding true love in the arms of Dey Emery (David Manners). The Greeks Had a Word for Them was later remade (and considerably rewritten) as How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), with Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, and Lauren Bacall. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madge Evans, Joan Blondell, (more)
- 1931
Made to exploit the panic caused by Black Tuesday, this thriller centers on the attempts of a broker to prove that a prominent banker is not responsible for the sudden closure of his financial institution. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dix, Shirley Grey, (more)
- 1931
Former silent star Vera Reynolds plays the title role in this low-budget thriller from Poverty Row studio Chesterfield. She is June Page, a showgirl accused of killing Honest Ed Baker, her gangster sugar daddy. Although she refuses to grant him an interview, June does allow cub reporter Allan Perry (Carroll Nye) to hide from the gangsters in her apartment. The crime boss, Poker Wilson (Wheeler Oakman), walks in on this pleasant little scene and invites Perry "for a ride," but June manages to slip a gun into the reporter's coat pocket. Making his getaway, Perry returns to June's apartment with police detective Paddy Reardon (Thomas Jackson) in tow and June confesses to having killed Baker in self-defense. Wilson bites the dust in the ensuing shootout, and Reardon gives his blessings to June and Perry. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Reynolds
- 1931
In this romantic crime drama, a railroad telegraph dispatcher loses his job after a train crash. He tries to convince his superiors that he had no choice because he was tied up by crooks and was unable to pull the switch that could have saved the title train. The dispatcher's little brother also loses his job causing both of them to launch private investigations into the situation. The find that the whole mess revolves around another's desperate desire for the dispatcher's girl friend. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Tryon, Merna Kennedy, (more)
- 1931
As was often the case in the films of Chesterfield Studios, the title The Lady From Nowhere has little relevance to the film itself. Alice Day and John Holland play a pair of young lovers who may or may not be crooks. Or, they may or may not be detectives. Whatever the case, hero and heroine team up to trap the villains responsible for a major crime (just what that crime is was never made clear in the film, nor in the "official" synopses). Silent-screen veterans Phillips Smalley and Barbara Bedford strive hard to make their roles worthwhile, while Mischa Auer, still several years removed from his fame as one of Hollywood's most delightful character comedians, is suitably menacing as a maniacal heavy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phillips Smalley, Barbara Bedford, (more)
- 1931
In her final starring role, silent screen diva Mae Murray plays Dolly, a young gold digger who manages to trap a rich widower, Dick (Edward Martindel). Although the couple seems happy enough, Dick's alcoholic brother, Joe (Lowell Sherman), becomes suspicious of the girl's motives and suspicion gives way to certainty when he spots Dolly embracing one Louis DeSalta (Leyland Hodgson), supposedly a stranger. Leaving the booze behind, Joe sets a trap for Dolly and DeSalta, who are made to confess. High Stakes was directed by its star, Lowell Sherman, who also cast the entertainingly over-the-top Murray in the comedy Bachelor Apartment (1931). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1930
This first talkie version of the evergreen Brandon Thomas stage farce Charley's Aunt stars Charlie Ruggles, obviously having the time of his life in the leading role. Though updated to 1930, the film adheres to the familiar plot as set down by Thomas back in 1895. Two Oxford undergraduates, Charley Wickeham (Hugh Williams) and Jack Chesney (Rodney McLennon), anxiously await the visit of their respective girlfriends Amy Spettigue (June Collyer) and Kitty Verdun (Flora Sheffield). Trouble is, the ladies have no chaperone, and this will never do in the hallowed halls of Oxford. Anxiously, Charley and Jack persuade their twittish school chum Fancourt Babberly (Ruggles) to pose as Charley's aunt Donna Lucia D'Alvadorez (Doris Lloyd) -- "from Brazil, where the nuts come from." Poor Babbs is forced to remain in drag as both Jack's father Sir Francis Chesney (Phillips Smalley, repeating his role from the 1925 version of Charley's Aunt) and Amy's uncle Stephen Spettigue (Halliwell Hobbes) unexpectedly show up. The scenes in which Chesney and Spettigue ardently court the "Aunt" are hilarious, as is the inevitable moment when the disguised Babbs comes face to face with the real Donna Lucia (Doris Lloyd), whose ward Ella Delahay (Flora le Breton) had previously been our hero's shipboard sweetheart! A revised ending allows Charlie Ruggles to perform a farcical death scene that's every bit as funny as what has gone before. Charley's Aunt would be remade several times in the future, most memorably by Jack Benny in 1941 and by Ray Bolger in the 1952 musical adaptation Where's Charley? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Ruggles, June Collyer, (more)
- 1930
In this romantic drama, a chorine marries her absent-minded childhood sweetheart so she can make her real love, a millionaire jealous. The newlyweds are on their honeymoon, but soon get in trouble when the house detective bursts in their room. It seems the groom forgot to sign his bride's new name into the register. The detective then informs him, that he caught the woman in the room with a different man the night before. The couple is thrown out, and the groom, angered that his bride was unfaithful before they were even married, leaves her. The woman is heartbroken, and throws herself into a new Broadway show to help her forget. On opening night, who should appear but the millionaire bearing a bouquet and offering to become her new husband. Happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1929
The Aviator is a remake of the silent comedy The Hottentot, filmed only two years earlier. Edward Everett Horton stars as Robert Street, who poses as an aviator to save a press-agent pal from losing his job. Enter heroine Grace Douglas (Patsy Ruth Miller), who's simply ca-razzzy about airplane jockeys. Forced to keep up his charade, Robert manages to talk his way out of several tight situations but ultimately finds himself climbing into the cockpit of a plane. The ensuing wild ride through the air is the best part of the picture, with Robert trying to maintain his equilibrium and dignity throughout. Based on a play by James Montgomery, The Aviator would be filmed again in 1931 as the Joe E. Brown vehicle Going Wild. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Everett Horton, Patsy Ruth Miller, (more)
- 1929
Boris Karloff played a red herring in this the final silent serial from chapter play specialist Mascot, who reportedly spared all expenses this time around. Helene Costello, a former Warner Bros. star now down on her luck, starred as Dorothy Rogers, the daughter of a banker (George Periolat) who disappeared mysteriously while reading a novel entitled "The Fatal Warning." The vanished Rogers was accused of absconding with 100,000 dollars in cash and Dorothy hired private investigator Russell Thorne (Ralph Graves) to clear her father's good name. Suspects abounded, of course, including bank president John Harmon (Tom Lingham), a clerk (Karloff), the inevitable butler (Sid Crossley), a two-bit femme fatale (Symona Boniface), and sundry other nefarious types, all of whom proved to be innocent. In the tenth and final chapter, "Unmasked," Thorne discovered that Rogers had been guiding the investigation from his hiding place and the identity of the real culprit was revealed. Since The Fatal Warning appears to be among the lost, we may in good conscience reveal his identity here as well: seemingly stalwart businessman Leonard Taylor (Phillips Smalley). In addition to the presence of a pre-Frankenstein Boris Karloff, The Fatal Warning is also noteworthy for an early appearance by future Three Stooges foil Symona Boniface. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1929
In one of her first talking pictures, Carole Lombard played a girl crook falling in love with a handsome lineman (William Boyd) while marooned during a snow storm. Crossing the High Sierras in a bus, a group of travelers find themselves stranded in a small village and at the mercy of Bill Dougherty (Boyd), a lineman who apportions them a small amount of food. Despite warnings from detective Dan Egan (Owen Moore), Billie Davis (Lombard), the girl crook, falls in love with Bill, who turns out to be an escaped convict. Briefly planning to flee, Bill and Billie decide to serve their sentences and share a happier future together. High Voltage was produced by Pathé and featured blonde newcomer Diane Ellis as a young girl en route to her wedding. Ironically, Ellis died less than a year later from a rare tropical disease while honeymooning in India. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1929
A silent film save for a synchronized Movietone score, True Heaven is a WWI espionage yarn, tailored to the talents of he-man George O'Brien. Hero Phillip Gresson (O'Brien) is in the employ of the British secret service, while heroine Judith (Lois Moran) is a spy for the Enemy. Hoping to gain possession of the usual Secret Plans, Judith pretends to be in love with Phillip. Only after nursing the seriously wounded Phillip back to health does Judith come to the realization that she genuinely loves him. This results in a moral dilemma when Phillip is arrested by Judith's superiors and sentenced to be shot. All that saves Phillip from the firing squad is the signing of the Armistice, which also permits hero and heroine to forget their nationalistic differences for good and all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George O'Brien, Lois Moran, (more)
- 1928
Virtuous Ann Hardy (Olive Borden) manages to land a job running the roulette wheel in a busy gambling emporium. Soon, however, Ann quits when she finds out the house -- and the wheel -- are crooked. Gambling boss Ted Wells (Huntley Gordon), impressed by Ann's integrity, falls in love with her, much to chagrin of Wells' ex-mistress Yvonne (Seena Owen). Seeking revenge, Yvonne arranges for Ann to pay a visit to the apartment of rapacious lothario Silk Oliver (Ernest Hilliard). When Silk attempts to rape the girl, she shoots him in self-defense, winning a courtroom acquittal by the skin of her teeth. Somewhat shaken up by all this, Ted promises to forsake gambling permanently if Ann will agree to marry him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olive Borden, Huntly Gordon, (more)
- 1928
In this show biz melodrama, Jacqueline Logan played a nightclub entertainer spurning her wealthy stage door Johnny in favor of a young man (Rex Lease) who she believes to be poor but honest. In reality, the boy is a society scion only masquerading as an average Joe in order to test the girl's love. When she discovers the truth, Logan throws herself at one of her former suitors (Phillips Smalley), a ruthless man about town who almost rapes the girl before she comes to her senses. Memorable for playing a glamorous Mary Magdalene in Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings (1927), Jacqueline Logan suffered a severe career setback after the changeover to sound and later worked as a dress extra. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Logan, Alec B. Francis, (more)
- 1928
Honeymoon Flats was based on a story by Earl Derr Biggers, of Charlie Chan fame. Haughty Mrs. Garland (Kathlyn Williams) is unhappy that daughter Lila (Dorothy Gulliver) has married junior executive Jim Clayton (George Lewis). Putting on the old "But dear, I'm only trying to help you" act, Mrs. G. does everything she can to break up Lila's marriage. The old busybody is finally put in her place by long-suffering Mr. Garland (Phillips Smalley). In the tradition of such stage pieces as 45 Minutes From Broadway and Too Many Cooks, Honeymoon Flats has a lot of fun at the expense of the new phenomenon of "suburbia." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Gulliver, Bryant Washburn, (more)
- 1928
Blindfold is a crime drama that gets off to a lively (if unbelievable) start when a dedicated cop deliberately gets himself knocked off by the villains so that the hero, ex-cop George O'Brien, will seek vengeance. Things get even more incredible when heroine Lois Moran develops amnesia and joins a criminal gang. O'Brien rescues Moran and avenges his pal's death in what seems to be a matter of three minutes. This last-reel development enables O'Brien, previously bumped from the force because of a series of frivolous arrests, to get back in the good graces of the Chief. Incidentally, leading man George O'Brien was in real life the son of a San Francisco police chief, a fact not ignored in the publicity packet for Blindfold. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George O'Brien, Lois Moran, (more)
- 1927
Previously teamed for the popular MGM farce Adam and Evil, stars Lew Cody and Aileen Pringle and director Robert Z. Leonard were reunited for Tea for Three. Cody plays Carter Langford, who has good reason to suspect that his wife Doris (Pringle) is stepping out on him in favor of family friend Phillip Callamore (Owen Moore). Taking things in stride, Langford offers to cut cards with Callamore. High card gets Doris, while "low card" agrees to kill himself. When Langford draws the low card, he considerately books passage on an ocean liner for the purpose of jumping overboard, but at the last minute Doris returns to his side. Much funnier than its synopsis would indicate, Tea for Three was based on a play by Karl Sloboda. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lew Cody, Aileen Pringle, (more)
- 1927
Considered by many to be the finest silent film ever made by a Hollywood studio, F.W. Murnau's Sunrise represents the art of the wordless cinema at its zenith. Based on the Hermann Sudermann novel A Trip to Tilsit, this "Song of Two Humans" takes place in a colorful farming community, where people from the city regularly take their weekend holidays. Local farmer George O'Brien, happily married to Janet Gaynor, falls under the seductive spell of Margaret Livingston, a temptress from The City. He callously ignores his wife and child and strips his farm of its wealth on behalf of Livingston, but even this fails to satisfy her. One foggy evening, O'Brien meets Livingston at their usual swampland trysting place. She bewitches him with stories about the city -- its jazz, its bright lights, its erotic excitement. Thrilled at the prospect of running off with Livingston, O'Brien stops short: "What about my wife?" Drawing ever closer to her victim, Livingston murmurs "Couldn't she just...drown?" (the subtitle bearing these words then "melts" into nothingness). In his delirium, the husband agrees. The plan is to row Gaynor to the middle of the lake, then capsize the boat. Gaynor will drown, while O'Brien will save himself with some bulrushes that he'd previously hidden in the boat; thus, the murder will look like an accident. The next day, the brooding O'Brien begins slowly rowing his unsuspecting wife across the lake. Halfway to shore, he makes his intentions clear, but is unable to go through with it. As his wife cringes in terror, O'Brien rows to the other side of lake. Once ashore, she runs away from him in terror, as he stumbles after her, trying to apologize.
Gaynor boards a streetcar bound for the city, with O'Brien climbing aboard a few seconds afterward. Upon reaching the city (a renowned set design), O'Brien continues trying to make amends to his wife. They sit disconsolately at a table in a restaurant, unable to eat the plate of cake that is set before them. Slowly, Gaynor begins overcoming her fear. The couple wander into a church, where a wedding is taking place. Breaking down in sobs, O'Brien begins repeating the wedding vows, thereby convincing Gaynor that she has nothing to fear. Together again, the couple embraces in the middle of a busy street, oblivious to the honking horns and irate motorists. Anxious to prove to each other that all is well, the husband and wife spend a delightful afternoon having their pictures taken and "dolling up" in a posh barber shop. They cap their unofficial second honeymoon at a joyous festival in an outsized amusement park. More in love with each other than ever before, O'Brien and Gaynor head back across the lake in the dark of night. Suddenly, a storm arises. Pulling out the bulrushes with which he'd planned to save himself, O'Brien straps them onto Janet, telling her to swim to shore. The storm passes. Washing up on shore, the unconscious O'Brien is brought home. But Gaynor is nowhere to be found, and it is assumed that she has died in the storm. Half-insane, O'Brien strikes out at Livingston, the instigator of the murder plan. Just as he is about to throttle the treacherous temptress, he is summoned home; his wife is alive! As Livingston stumbles out of the village, O'Brien and Gaynor cling tightly to one another, watching the sun rise above their now-happy home. Together with Seventh Heaven, Sunrise earned Janet Gaynor the first-ever Best Actress Academy Award, while Charles Rosher and Karl Struss walked home with the industry's first Best Photography Oscar. The film itself was also in the Oscar race, but lost out to the more financially successful Wings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Gaynor boards a streetcar bound for the city, with O'Brien climbing aboard a few seconds afterward. Upon reaching the city (a renowned set design), O'Brien continues trying to make amends to his wife. They sit disconsolately at a table in a restaurant, unable to eat the plate of cake that is set before them. Slowly, Gaynor begins overcoming her fear. The couple wander into a church, where a wedding is taking place. Breaking down in sobs, O'Brien begins repeating the wedding vows, thereby convincing Gaynor that she has nothing to fear. Together again, the couple embraces in the middle of a busy street, oblivious to the honking horns and irate motorists. Anxious to prove to each other that all is well, the husband and wife spend a delightful afternoon having their pictures taken and "dolling up" in a posh barber shop. They cap their unofficial second honeymoon at a joyous festival in an outsized amusement park. More in love with each other than ever before, O'Brien and Gaynor head back across the lake in the dark of night. Suddenly, a storm arises. Pulling out the bulrushes with which he'd planned to save himself, O'Brien straps them onto Janet, telling her to swim to shore. The storm passes. Washing up on shore, the unconscious O'Brien is brought home. But Gaynor is nowhere to be found, and it is assumed that she has died in the storm. Half-insane, O'Brien strikes out at Livingston, the instigator of the murder plan. Just as he is about to throttle the treacherous temptress, he is summoned home; his wife is alive! As Livingston stumbles out of the village, O'Brien and Gaynor cling tightly to one another, watching the sun rise above their now-happy home. Together with Seventh Heaven, Sunrise earned Janet Gaynor the first-ever Best Actress Academy Award, while Charles Rosher and Karl Struss walked home with the industry's first Best Photography Oscar. The film itself was also in the Oscar race, but lost out to the more financially successful Wings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, (more)
- 1927
Man Crazy is the rather blatant title of this cinemadaptation of Clarissa and the Post Road, a novel by Grace Sartwell Mason. Dorothy Mackaill stars as romantically reckless Clarissa Janeway, the bane of her conservative parents' existence. To keep Clarissa out of trouble, her folks plot to marry her off to Van Beamer (Walter McGrail), a respectable young man from a good family. But Clarissa is in love with truck driver Jeffrey Pell (Jack Mulhall), and when she gets wind of her parents' plans, she talks Jeffrey into eloping with her. The couple is detained by a gang of bootleggers who hijack Jeffrey's truck. After gaining her parents' respect by capturing the crooks, Clarissa is allowed to marry Jeffrey -- who, as luck would have it, turns out to be from a wealthy and well-established family himself! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Mackaill, Jack Mulhall, (more)
- 1927
The Broken Gate was based on a novel by Emerson Hough, of Covered Wagon fame. Dorothy Phillips stars as Aurora Lane, who has never acknowledged the existence of her illegitimate son. Aurora's past catches up with her when her now-grown son (William Collier Jr.) is arrested and falsely charged with murder. The boy is saved from hanging at the last minute, but the local bluenoses and bigots insist upon driving Aurora out of town. Happily, the heroine is able to start life anew in a less-judgmental community with her now-forgiving son. Up-and-coming starlet Jean Arthur plays the nominal romantic lead opposite William Collier Jr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Phillips, William Collier, Jr., (more)
- 1927
The title character is world-famous lothario Norman Kerry, who has given up keeping track of all his female conquests. While strolling to yet another dalliance, Kerry is struck down by a car. He is nursed back to health by winsome Lois Moran. Genuinely falling in love for the first time in his life, Kerry must scurry about settling his other affairs before he can happily-ever-after with Lois. Way down on the cast list of Irresistible Lover is future "Dagwood Bumstead" Arthur Lake, here cast as one "Jack Kennedy"! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norman Kerry, Lois Moran, (more)
- 1927
Helene Chadwick stars as Fay Leslie, a slightly blowzy but basically good-hearted chorus girl. When Fay falls in love with wealthy Donald Hampton (Kenneth Harlan), the boy's parents disinherit him. Even so, Fay and Donald are married, a union that quickly goes sour when it appears that Fay has been cheating on her spouse. It isn't true, of course, but to prove her innocence, Fay must turn the tables on her would-be seducer -- ending up with his disgrace. At last convinced that their daughter-in-law is worthy, Hampton's parents welcome Fay with open arms. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Patrick, Phillips Smalley, (more)
- 1927
Billie Dove stars as "Egypt" Hagen, a libertine flapper who unexpectedly falls in love with the staid Reverend Lodge (Raymond Bloomer). He proposes marriage, but she sadly turns him down, worrying that her checkered past will ruin his own reputation. On the rebound, she marries millionaire Ray Sturgis (Huntley Gordon), whom she does not truly love despite his innate decency. When Sturgis is killed in a shipwreck (the film's highlight), Egypt despairs, feeling the whole tragedy is her fault. She finds spiritual solace in the arms of Rev. Lodge, finally agreeing to marry him no matter what the consequences. Sensation Seekers was the penultimate silent-film effort by Lois Weber, one of the few women directors in Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billie Dove, Huntly Gordon, (more)
