Anita Stewart Movies

Wild Geese is based on a novel by Martha Ostenso, originally serialized in the pages of The Pictorial Review. The story is set in rural Minnesota, where farm wife Amelia Gare (Belle Bennett) is forced to endure the tyranny of her domineering husband Caleb Gare (Russell Simpson). In spite of everything, Amelia does her utmost to make certain that her children will be able to survive -- and, hopefully, escape -- their cruel paterfamilias. As it turns out, however, the family is "liberated" only by the long-overdue demise of Amelia's husband. It sounds stilted and cliched, but contemporary reviewers noted that the film was rescued by its actors, who offered three-dimensional characterizations rather than stock stereotypes. Wild Geese was geared primarily to "regional" audiences, who responded enthusiastically. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a magazine serial by the prolific Peter B. Kyne, this silent Western featured rising star George O'Brien as Bradley Blatchford, a college graduate who returns to the old homestead only to find that his father (Russell Simpson) is engaging in a bit of cattle rustling. This unpleasant discovery threatens to put a halt to Bradley's engagement to schoolmarm Sybil Hamilton (Anita Stewart), but then Sybil is also accused of rustling. Sybil, however, was framed by a real cattle rustler and the lovers are reunited. Veteran Vitagraph ingénue Anita Stewart played one of her very last romantic leads in this Western whereas young George O'Brien went on to immortality opposite Janet Gaynor in the beautiful Sunrise (1927), and, later still, B-Western stardom at RKO. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Anita Stewart, once the pride and joy of Metro Pictures, had to make do with lesser productions at smaller studios in the latter part of the 1920s. One of her better "minor" pictures was Tiffany Productions' Lodge in the Wilderness. She plays the feisty owner of a lumber camp, while leading man Edmund Burns plays a logging engineer. When the camp's much-hated superintendent Larry Steers is murdered, Burns is targeted as the likely killer. With the help of Stewart, Burns proves his innocence. Lodge in the Wilderness is capped by a convincingly staged forest fire. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Morganson's Finish was inspired by the Jack London story of the same name. The hero, Dick Gilbert (Johnnie Walker), is in love with wealthy Barbara Wesley (Anita Stewart), but he is disgraced in her eyes through the underhanded machinations of his rival Dan Morganson (Mahlon Hamilton). With nowhere else to go, Dick heads off to gold-rush territory in Alaska. Unbeknownst to our hero, Morganson likewise heads northward, intending to rid the world of Dick once and for all. But as indicated by the title, it is Morganson who meets his "finish" -- despite his strenuous efforts to toss Dick off a mountain cliff. Victor Potel, who'd been in films since 1908 at least, supplies comedy relief as a dull-witted Scandinavian. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Veteran silent screen actress Anita Stewart starred in this silent comedy-drama based on a 1915 play by Winchell Smith and Victor Mapes. Wanting to get in on what she sees as a racket, clairvoyant Virginia Zelva (Stewart) signs on as a nurse at a new sanitarium founded by idealistic psychologist Dr. Sumner (Bert Lytell). But instead of being a front for nefarious goings-on, the sanitarium proves legitimate, and Virginia falls in love with the good doctor. Handsome Donald Keith and former child starMary McAllister provided added romance, and the sour-faced Ned Sparks supplied comedy relief in this routine offering from producer B. P. Schulberg. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

If the Hearst newspapers seem to get a lot of attention in this comedy-drama, it only makes sense -- William Randolph Hearst's production company, Cosmopolitan, produced the picture, which blends a fictional story with real-life events. Press agent Jack Murray (T. Roy Barnes) is having trouble getting publicity for his client, stage star Mabel Vandergrift (Anita Stewart). When he starts working for prize fighter Joe Cain (Oscar Shaw) he gets a brainstorm. He links the two together romantically and eventually they do fall in love. The backer of Mabel's show is not thrilled with the match and arranges it so that the couple lose their money at the races. Cain and Mabel both make attempts to work outside of their normal professions by getting jobs at a department store. Although he has sworn to give up fighting, Cain goes back into the ring and uses the advance money to buy Mabel's show. She becomes mad when she discovers he is fighting again and turns down his proposal. The disheartened Cain is about to lose the fight, but Mabel returns to him and he emerges victorious. He also reconciles with his father (Stanley Forde), who offers to take the happy couple back West with him. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

The premise is clichéd -- it's the usual tale of a pretty girl from the sticks trying to break into movies -- but this satire gives it a number of unexpected turns. In addition, just about every star in Hollywood -- not just those at Paramount, the releasing studio -- has a cameo at one point or another during the film's eight reels. Ironically, nearly all of the lead actors are unknowns (although George K. Arthur would become a noted character comedian). Angela Whitaker (Hope Brown) of Centreville is convinced she has a chance in Hollywood -- all her friends tell her so. So she heads West with her Uncle Joel (Luke Cosgrave) in tow. But Angela has no luck in Tinseltown, while her uncle starts landing roles left and right because of his curious image. Eventually the rest of the family, including Angela's sweetheart Lem Lefferts (Arthur), her grandmother (Ruby Lafayette), and her aunt (Eleanor Lawson) come to Hollywood. All Angela's relatives get movie work because they're character types. Finally a screenwriter tries to help Angela out, but Lem winds up landing a role instead. He becomes a star, which suits Angela just fine because she has married him. The couple have twins, and the babies -- not to mention the couple's pet parrot -- wind up in films, while Angela remains at home. The most notable cameo in this picture is Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who had been shunned in motion pictures since the 1921 scandal surrounding a Labor Day party that allegedly resulted in the death of starlet Virginia Rappe. Here he returns as a man standing in a casting line. When it's his turn to come up to the window, it is shut in his face and a "closed" sign put out. Unfortunately this gag turned out to be all too true; Arbuckle was not seen in front of a camera again until 1932. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This comedy-drama starring Anita Stewart was unusual in that instead of marrying the handsome leading man, the heroine winds up with his father. As an infant, Rose (Stewart) was cast onshore after a shipwreck and taken in by an old sailor. The sailor raises her, and after his death, Rose goes to work in a Fifth Avenue flower shop. The good-looking but dissolute Elliott Schuyler (Rudolph Cameron) meets her there, and invites her out for a ride in his car. She goes, but repulses his amorous advances. Elliott, who has been drinking, hits his head and is knocked unconscious. Rose goes to his millionaire father, Peter Schuyler (Thomas Holding), to tell him of his son's death, but Elliott comes to and arrives home while she is still there. The young man takes up with a chorus girl, and when Peter tries to buy her off, she uses the money to pay one of his son's gambling debts. Rose, meanwhile, is befriended by an elderly lady who tries to start a romance between her and Elliott. The ploy is nearly successful, and the couple go so far as to become engaged. But Elliott decides he is unworthy of her and marries the chorus girl. Peter disinherits him, but Rose helps father and son to reconcile. Along the way, she and Peter fall in love and they marry. This picture was based on the novel by Countess Barcynska. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Popular silent star Anita Stewart is the draw in this soap opera-like feature. Julie Laneau, a French-Canadian girl (Stewart) weds distinguished Englishman Geoffrey Arnold (Herbert Rawlinson) and soon enough, she is expecting. But then she is told that Arnold is already married to a woman, Claire (Grace Morse). Julie flees from their cabin in the Northwoods into a blizzard, where she is found by Hubert Randolph (Walter McGrail). Randolph takes her in and takes care of her. He offers to marry her and take her with him to Jamaica and she accepts. But their life together is a disappointment -- Randolph gets so wrapped up in his political ambitions that he neglects Julie and her little boy (Richard Headrick). Randolph wants to become governor, and he asks Julie to help him entertain an important guest who will help him achieve this goal. It turns out the man is Arnold, and she refuses. The two meet up anyhow, and it turns out that she was his legal wife after all. After hearing the whole story, Randolph willingly gives Julie back to Arnold. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

One of the silent era's more popular leading ladies, Anita Stewart, stars in this colorful but not particularly true-to-life picture. Alice Lambert (Stewart) has had a hard life, full of sadness and disillusionment. One day she finally decides to end it all, but she is discovered by David Leighton (Walter McGrail) before she can go through with it. By calling her a coward and a quitter, Leighton convinces her to rethink what she is about to do and strikes a deal with her: He will give her 50 thousand dollars to stay alive for another year, at the end of which she can kill herself. With her sudden wealth, Alice is able to surround herself in luxury -- and she also learns along the way that money isn't everything. At the end of the year, Alice has come to realize that she actually has quite a lot to live for, and one of her reasons is Leighton. He proposes and she is more than happy to accept. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Hilda Nordstrom (Anita Stewart) works for the Secret Service, while her twin sister Berta (also played by Stewart) leads a more wayward life. Berta -- the "Yellow Typhoon" of the title -- first marries Robert Hallowell, a wealthy young naval engineer (Donald MacDonald), and leaves him after she has run through all of his money. Then she goes from running a gambling house in the Orient to linking up with Karl Lysgaard (Joseph Kilgour). Next, in Manila, she runs into her former husband, who is working on plans for a new submarine. Lysgaard wants to get his hands on them, and he encourages Berta to cozy up to Hallowell. By now, Hilda is on her sister's case and tries to trap her. But Berta kills Hallowell, and she and Lysgaard head for New York, still in search of the plans, which are now held by John Mathison (Ward Crane). Hilda follows, but before she can capture them, Lysgaard kills Berta and then himself. Hilda winds up romantically linked with Mathison. This picture was based on a novel by Howard MacGrath which originally appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide