Eddie Sturgis Movies
- 1936
In this adventure, a young girl is stranded in the jungle with only a tiger cub for company and grows up to be a wild woman. When an explorer gets lost in the same jungle, she rescues him and takes her to her lair. There he teaches her to speak English and to sing a song. Months pass before the fellow is rescued. Upon his return home he must do plenty of explaining to his fiance. Meanwhile the jungle girl stays behind and sings a romantic song: "Moonlight and Shadows". ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Lamour, Ray Milland, (more)
- 1935
In this action film, Wallace Storm, ace race car driver, gets into real trouble when he is accused of killing his partner over the love of a pretty girl. In court he is found guilty of tampering with his partner's car, causing it to crash during a race, and is sent to prison. While there, his good buddy Johnny works to prove him innocent. Unable to wait, Wallace escapes from jail and heads for South America, assumes an alias, and goes on to become a championship driver. He eventually returns to the States when his girl's father needs a driver for his new car. During the big race, the judge who convicted him, is so impressed by Storm's heroism, that all is forgiven and he is freed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lyle Talbot, Mary Astor, (more)
- 1935
Clearly inspired by the success of Goldwyn's Barbary Coast, Warner Bros.' The Frisco Kid stars James Cagney as turn-of-the-century opportunist Bat Morgan. Heading to the gold fields of California, Bat is almost shanghaied in San Francisco but manages not only to escape his would-be captors but also to kill the infamous crime lord Shanghai Duck (Fred Kohler Sr.). The grateful citizens enable Bat to rise to wealth and power on the Barbary Coast. But he's less lucky in love, and it is his seemingly hopeless fascination with Nob Hill debutante Jean Barrat (Margaret Lindsay) that may well bring about Bat's downfall. The film is a festival of cliches, occasionally enlivened by barroom brawls and rowdy musical numbers. Featured as extras in Frisco Kid were several stars and directors of the silent era, a "generous" gesture made by Warner Bros. partly to stave off the inevitability of unionized actors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Margaret Lindsay, (more)
- 1935
Riff-Raff begins riff-raffing when boastful fisherman Dutch (Spencer Tracy) marries down-to-earth cannery worker Hattie (Jean Harlow). Their happiness is marred by Dutch's egomania, which results in the loss of his job and the alienation of his friends. Eventually he deserts Hattie, but she remains in love with him, even going to jail on a theft charge after trying to supply him with money. Reels and reels later, Dutch makes up for his past misdeeds by foiling a plot to sabotage a huge fishing vessel. Unfortunately, his reunion with Hattie is delayed when she tries to break out of prison, earning her an extended sentence, but he magnanimously promises to wait for her. Hard to believe that so sensible a heroine would put up with so much from a guy who's frankly not worth the trouble, but the chemistry between Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow compensates for the film's Grand Canyon-sized logic holes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, (more)
- 1935
In this bouncy musical, a sax-playing ex-convict joins a swing band and embarks upon a cross-country tour. He does really well until an old friend tries to tempt him into becoming a criminal again. The convict refuses the offer so the "friend" retaliates by doing the job anyway and leaving the con to take the rap. Then the band is kidnapped by a powerful person desiring a private concert. The ex-con saves the band by informing on the crook. He is then allowed to play with them again and musical happiness ensues. Songs include: "Would There Be Love," "Let's Spill the Beans," "I Never Had a Man to Cry Over," and "Fagin Youse is a Viper" (Mack Gordon, Harry Revel). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Raft, Ben Bernie, (more)
- 1935
In this comedy with musical numbers set in the Old South, Bing Crosby plays a singer (talk about a casting stretch!) from Philadelphia named Tom Grayson, who has fallen in love with Southern heiress Elvira Rumford (Gail Patrick). Tom wants to marry Elvira, but a man called Major Patterson (John Miljan) has announced his desire to do the same, and he challenges Tom to a duel to decide who will have Elvira's hand. Tom is not at all agreeable to this idea, which leads Elvira's father (Claude Gillingwater) to proclaim Tom to be a coward and deny him permission to wed his daughter. Elvira's sister Lucy (Joan Bennett), who is infatuated with Tom, thinks that he's merely being sensible, but Tom thinks that Lucy is too young for a serious relationship. In need of work and not especially welcome in the Rumford's community, Tom takes a job performing on a riverboat piloted by the blustery Commodore Orlando Jackson (W.C. Fields). One night, Tom finds himself in a barroom brawl with a man named Captain Blackie (Fred Kohler), who dies accidentally from a shot fired by his own gun. Hoping that his infamy will draw crowds, Jackson begins billing Tom as "The Singing Killer." Tom comes to realize that Lucy may be the right woman for him after all, but Lucy is not interested in a man with blood on his hands, and now Tom must convince her that he's not a killer at all. Noted gambling aficionado Fields has a hilarious poker-playing bit, and he steals most of his scenes from the rest of the cast. Mississippi was loosely based on the play "Magnolia" by Booth Tarkington. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bing Crosby, W.C. Fields, (more)
- 1935
W.C. Fields plays Ambrose Wolfinger, the henpecked husband to end all henpecked husbands. A widower, Ambrose married a second time only to provide a mother for his pretty daughter (Mary Brian). What he got was an overbearing harpy of a wife (Kathleen Howard), a fussy and imperious mother-in-law (Vera Lewis) and a shiftless brother-in-law (Grady Sutton). Ambrose plans to attend a much-awaited wrestling match, but can't get the day off of work. He lies for the first time in his life, telling his boss that his mother-in-law has died. En route to the wrestling meet, Ambrose suffers one mishap after another, from a string of traffic tickets to an encounter with a runaway tire. He gets to the match just in time to miss the whole thing, and ends up bruised and battered on the sidewalk. Meanwhile, his home is being deluged with flowers, offered in sympathy for his "dead" mother-in-law who is very much alive but not amused. When his boss discovers the deception, he fires Ambrose. The poor man returns home to face the cold stares of his wife's family. They goad and harass him until he can stand no more: when brother-in-law insults his daughter, Ambrose punches him out (a scene that always results in audience cheers) and tells everyone else where to go. Soon after, his anxious ex-boss calls up; only Ambrose can decipher the important messages left behind on his cluttered desk, and would Ambrose like to come back to work? His loyal and loving daughter negotiates a hefty salary hike for Ambrose, and the film ends with Our Hero assuming his proper role as head of the household, with his obnoxious in-laws literally left out in the rain. An uproarious "worm turns" farce, Man on the Flying Trapeze was an expanded version of 1932 Mack Sennett two-reeler, Too Many Highballs, and a partial remake of Fields' own silent feature Running Wild (27). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- W.C. Fields, Mary Brian, (more)
- 1934
In this crime drama, a state trooper falls in love with a night club singer. The club owner is a racketeer using the nightspot as a front for his illegal business. His downfall begins when he hires thugs to beat up the cop. Later the cop gets his revenge by rallying together a group of ex-cons and using them to catch the evil racketeer. They do so, and the lovers are safe to pursue their relationship. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim McCoy, Lillian Bond, (more)
- 1934
No relation to the 1952 Frank Capra comedy of the same name, 1934's Here Comes the Groom stars Jack Haley as an unobtrusive little guy who wants to succeed as a criminal. In order to win the heart of hard-boiled Isabel Jewell, Haley must prove he has what it takes to become a gangster. Enter Patricia Ellis, on the rebound from being jilted by a radio crooner. When Haley sets his sights on Ellis, he forgets all about being a crook--but the mobster cohorts of Ms. Jewell aren't about to let him off so easily. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Haley, Mary Boland, (more)
- 1932
Gary Curtis, aka Farnsbarns (Richardo Cortez), is really a former hoodlum hired to retrieve some compromising letters from gold digger Jenny Wren (Karen Morley). She, in turn, announces her retirement, but not before cajoling noted banker Priem Andes (H. B. Warner) into hosting a farewell party at his estate near Crestwood, "El Casa Andes." Also invited are three additional former "clients" of Jenny's: William Jones (Gavin Gordon), Senator Herbert Walcott (Robert McWade) and Eddie Mack (Richard "Skeets" Gallagher), all of whom are unaware of the purpose of the party and are therefore blithely bringing wives and girlfriends along. Also present at the Andes retreat are Jenny's kid sister Esther (Anita Louise),her boyfriend Frank (Matty Kemp, who just happens to be Andes' nephew, Jenny's wry maid Carter (Hilda Vaughn), and the banker's disdainful sister Faith (Pauline Frederick). The retiring gold digger's real purpose is revealed after she regales her former sugar-daddies with the tragic story of how her latest conquest, penniless, young Tom Herrick (Tom Douglas), threw himself off a cliff in the Adirondacks after she turned down his proposal of marriage. Victory, however, proves all too brief and the blackmailing gold digger is soon confronted with what appears to be the unfortunate young suitor's ghost. Soon, darts are flying everywhere, bodies fall, and trapdoors reveal hidden passageways. But Curtis, who arrives in the nick of time accompanied by assorted hoodlum friends, is never fooled by the fake Phantom of Crestwood and can reveal the real murderer shortly before the law arrives. The Phantom of Crestwood was based on the popular NBC "Hollywood-on-the-Air" radio program and the denouement of the film was the winning entry in a country-wide contest. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karen Morley, Ricardo Cortez, (more)
- 1932
Though Spencer Tracy is top-billed in Young America, the film is by no means a star vehicle. Tommy Conlon and Raymond Borzage (the son of director Frank Borzage) play budding juvenile delinquents Arthur and Nutty. After their latest misdemeanor, the boys are paroled by Judge Blake (Ralph Bellamy) in the custody of Arthur's nasty aunt Mrs. Taylor (Sarah Padden), who treats them atrociously. When Arthur's grandma (Beryl Mercer) falls ill, the boys are unable to awaken pharmacist Jack Doray (Spencer Tracy) and are forced to break into Doray's drugstore to steal the necessary medicine. Touched by the boys' plight, Doray's wife Edith (Doris Kenyon) assumes custody of Arthur, who demonstrates his unbounded gratitude by rescuing the druggist from a gang of homicidal burglars. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Tracy, Doris Kenyon, (more)
- 1931
Three guesses as to the profession of the heroine in Sob Sister. That's right: Jane Ray (Linda Watkins) is a girl reporter, both fearless and foolhardy. Jane's great rival is news-hound Garry Webster (James Dunn), whose love for the girl never gets in the way of his tireless pursuit of "big scoops." Eventually, Jane proves to be too smart for her own good and is captured by the villains. She is rescued not by Garry but by six-year-old kidnap victim Billy Stotesley (future "Our Gang" member Wally Albright), who cuts the ropes which bind our heroine. Naturally, this leads Garry to declare that he wants to marry Jane to keep her from harm's way -- but there's always another hot headline story just around the corner. Leading lady Linda Watkins, a Broadway veteran, returned to the stage shortly after appearing in Sob Sister, only to be "rediscovered" as a TV and movie character actress in the late 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Dunn, Linda Watkins, (more)
- 1930
In this crime melodrama, a bootlegger orders the death of his rival. Meanwhile the bootlegger's wife dallies with his best friend. Following the hit, the gangster is arrested. Believing that his best pal ratted on him, he busts out of jail and goes looking for revenge. It is then he discovers that the real stoolie is his own wife who was trying to keep him from being rubbed out by a rival gang. Upon learning the truth, the repentant bootlegger decides to sacrifice himself to the coppers so his son can be raised by his upright best friend. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Revier, Jack Holt, (more)
- 1930
In this lively drama, a gambler believes he has killed a man and so boards the first train out of town. Unfortunately, a crash ensues and the wounded fugitive ends up recuperating at the home of a minister who has mistaken the card sharp for a traveling evangelist. The opportunistic gambler begins playing along. Time passes and he finds himself falling in love with the preacher's lovely daughter. The gambler is doing well in his new role, but just as he settles down into his happy new life, his past exploits return to haunt him. Luckily he is exonerated and his love finds forgiveness in her heart. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dix, Mary Lawlor, (more)
- 1928
Director Howard Hawks never attempted another Valentinoesque melodrama like Fazil. Beautiful Fabienne (Greta Nissen) is wooed and won by Arab sheik Fazil (Charles Farrell, who is a bit on the thin side for this role). He takes her off to his fabulous palace, where he holds her a virtual prisoner, refusing to let her see anyone else. Fabienne can't get over past loves -- nor can they get over her, as evidenced by their elaborate attempt to rescue her. Only when Fazil is mortally wounded by her rescuers does Fabienne realizes she's truly in love with him. She takes poison and dies by his side. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Farrell, Greta Nissen, (more)
- 1928
The Big City was perhaps the most "normal" of the Lon Chaney-Tod Browning collaborations. Minus makeup, Chaney plays gangster boss Chuck Collins, who despite his ruthlessness is a basically decent fellow. Collins is plagued by a rival gang, led by deceptively boyish Curly (James Murray), who has been stealing jewelry from the rich and famous. Our "hero" tricks the other crooks into turning the gems over to him, intending to use them for his own profit (he throws the cops off track by hiding jewels in a plate of spaghetti!) But sweet heroine Sunshine (Marceline Day) eventually persuades Collins and his cohorts to turn honest. Betty Compson, who'd co-starred with Chaney in his breakthrough picture The Miracle Man, provides romantic contrast as Collins' hard-bitten gun moll. Director Browning had hoped to capture the "flavor" of Manhattan night life by hiring entertainer Sophie Tucker for a guest spot, but negotiations fell apart when Tucker demanded an impossibly high sum for her services. As it turned out, Chaney's star-power enabled Big City to score a box-office success to the tune of $387,000 in profits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lon Chaney, Marceline Day, (more)
- 1927
Film star Norma Shearer and director Monta Bell made a half-dozen films together. Bell gave Shearer some of her best acting opportunities during the silent era, even when he cast her in lightweight material such as this romance. Mary, a cigarette girl (Shearer), meets Joe Miller (Lawrence Gray) during a holdup. She takes a lead pipe from him, knocks him on the head, and then proceeds to reform him. The two of them plan to get married until one day she mistakenly believes he has failed her. They have an argument and split up, even though she has managed to scrape up enough money to buy a thousand-dollar bond for their new life together. That night, her gold-digging sister, Maizie (Gwen Lee), comes home from a party with a bond just like hers, given as a party favor. Mary begins to feel that it's pointless to lead an upstanding life, so she buys some flashy clothes and goes to a wild party where she proceeds to get very drunk. It's Maizie who has to pull her formerly sedate sister away from the revelry. On the drive home, Mary grabs the steering wheel away from Maizie and there is an accident. Mary is unhurt, but Maizie is killed. Back home, Joe, who has returned to his old associates, shows up and berates Mary for being just like her sister. Then Mary reveals that her sister has died. The couple both realize the error of their ways and decide to make a fresh start. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Shearer, Lawrence Gray, (more)
- 1926
Having nothing whatever to do with the Rudyard Kipling poem, The Road to Mandalay is a typically bizarre collaboration between star Lon Chaney Sr. and director Tod Browning. Chaney plays Singapore Joe, the one-eyed proprietor of a Mandalay bordello. Joe's convent-bred daughter Rosemary (Lois Moran) is totally ignorant of her father's existence and of course knows nothing of the manner in which her education was financed. When the girl falls in love with Admiral Edward Harrington (Owen Moore), Joe recognizes the admiral as one of his old partners in crime and vows to save Rosemary from ruining her life. But Harrington has totally reformed, and it is he who ultimately rids the world of Singapore Joe. Even in 1926, critics recognized the Oedipal subtext in Road to Mandalay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lon Chaney, Lois Moran, (more)
- 1917
Cassidy stars Dick Rosson, brother of the film's director Arthur Rosson, in the title role. The story is set in the West, where Cassidy, a two-bit thief, is fighting a losing battle with tuberculosis. Hoping to see New York one more time before he dies, Cassidy robs a house in order to raise train fare. Unfortunately, he chooses the house owned by the local district attorney (Frank Currier). Taking pity on Cassidy, the DA finances his trip eastward. Cassidy squares his account with the DA by rescuing the man's daughter (Pauline Curley) from a white slavery ring-and losing his own life in process. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
