Barbara Tennant Movies

Having scored big-time box office with his first Biblical epic, The Ten Commandments (1923), Cecil B. DeMille hoped to top this success with his 1927 The King of Kings. Inasmuch as he was now dealing with the life of Christ, DeMille had to be careful to serve up equal amounts of showmanship and reverence. The first creative challenge: how to "introduce" Christ in a tasteful manner? The answer: as a blind child is cured through Jesus' intervention, DeMille cuts to the child's point-of-view, slowly fading in on the kindly countenance of H.B. Warner as the Son of Man. Still, DeMille remained DeMille, especially in his handling of the character of Mary Magdalene (Jacqueline Logan). No longer a tattered streetwalker, Mary Magdalene is now a glamorous courtesan, replete with legions of gorgeous slave girls (one of whom is "bubble dancer" Sally Rand) and dressed in revealing Hollywood-style gowns. In fact, the film opens on this character, as she ruminates over the defection of her favorite customer, Judas Iscariot (Joseph Schildkraut), who is spending far too much time with Jesus of Nazareth. Upon visiting Jesus herself, she immediately repents, casting off all her prior sins. Once again, the efficacy of the Cecil B. DeMille formula is proven: redemption has no dramatic value unless the film shows viewers why the sinner needs to be redeemed. Once he's gotten his box-office considerations out of the way, DeMille adheres faithfully to the particulars of Jesus' life, betrayal, trial, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. (Again, however, the director improves a bit upon his source material: the storm that follows the Crucifixion is of the same spectacular dimensions as the parting of the Red Sea in Ten Commandments, while the Resurrection is filmed in vibrant Technicolor). To back up the authenticity of his images, DeMille -- with an assist from scenarist Jeannie Macpherson -- utilizes Scriptural quotes in his subtitles. And to avoid any untoward publicity while filming, DeMille required all of his actors to sign legal documents preventing them from indulging in any sort of "sinful" activity; this meant that poor old H.B. Warner had to steer clear of alcoholic beverages for nearly a year, though he more than made up for lost time after his contract ran out. Prepared to mercilessly lambaste The King of Kings, DeMille's critics were disarmed by his reverent, tasteful approach to the subject. Years after the film's release, a specially prepared 60-minute version of the 18-reel King of Kings was making the rounds of religious groups, church basements, and Easter-weekend telecasts. The film was remade in 1961 by producer Samuel Bronston and director Nicholas Ray, with Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This by-the-numbers farce stars Phyllis Haver as Phylliss Warren, a good-time girl who finds herself in jail. She might well have remained there were it not for the fact that she knows where a fortune in stolen loot is hidden. Hoping to retrieve the cash, lawyer Robert Warren (Wallace MacDonald) and his client Charles Martin (Stuart Holmes) arrange for Phylliss' escape. They are forced to hide the girl in a hotel, a circumstance which understandably arouses the suspicions of their wives. The last three reels are devoted to a maelstrom of slamming doors and "musical beds," orchestrated in the hectic manner of a Mack Sennett 2-reeler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Louise Lorraine stars as a fashion model who takes a job with government agent Lou Tellegen. At least, he says he's with the government; actually, he's a jewel thief who hopes to utilize Lorraine's charm to gain access to a valuable gem. Meanwhile, another crook, Ward Crane, has his eyes on the jewels. At least, he says he's a crook....yeh, that's right. He isn't. Borrowed Finery was directed byOscar Apfel, who in 1914 collaborated with Cecil B. DeMille on the direction of The Squaw Man, the first feature film made in Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lighthouse keeper Jeremiah Judkins (Hobart Bosworth) rescues a little girl (Baby Peggy) from a storm. The girl, called Captain January, unabashedly adores her adopted father and loves her life at the lighthouse. Judkins prevents the villagers from taking her away from him, but he can't stop her aunt, Isabelle Morton (Irene Rich). Isabelle shows up one night when a vessel she is on becomes grounded. She makes her way over to the lighthouse and recognizes the little girl as the daughter of her dead sister. Captain January goes to live at the Morton's lavish home, but she longs for Judkins and her old life. She is able to sneak off and see him, and the Mortons realize that she and Judkins should be together. They make room for Judkins in their home, and the little girl is happy. This film was remade in 1936 as a vehicle for Shirley Temple. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Circus Days is the first film version of the James Otis novel Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks With a Circus. Jackie Coogan plays 10-year-old Toby, who runs away from his abusive uncle to join the Big Top. The glamour of circus life tarnishes quickly for Toby, but he sticks it out, graduating from lowly candy vendor to star bareback rider. The boy uses the money earned with the circus to rescue his mother from his hated uncle. Circus Days spares us none of the harsher elements of the Otis novel, in contrast to the dry-cleaning job performed on the 1960 Walt Disney version of Toby Tyler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This drama was based on the play by John Hunter Booth, which was adapted from the popular novel by Anna Katherine Green. In his cinematic debut, Guy Bates Post reprises the dual role he played on-stage. John Loder (Post) looks exactly like his cousin, John Chilcote (also Post), who is a member of Parliament. Because of his dissolute ways, Chilcote collapses, and Loder is called in to take his place so that the family honor can remain unsullied. Loder's masquerade is so successful that no one suspects him of being an impostor, not even Chilcote's estranged wife, Eve (Ruth Sinclair). Loder distinguishes himself with his actions, both in public and private, while the real Chilcote sinks further into the gutter until he finally dies. Loder decides to remain as John Chilcote, and marries Eve, who, up until Loder reveals his true identity, has believed she was falling in love with her husband all over again. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This melodrama, with all its standard trappings, was adapted the stage play by Pierce Kingsley, which in turn was based on Grace Miller's novel. Bessie Love stars as orphaned country girl Anna Moore, who, along with her brother, Tommy (Frankie Lee), is being raised by hypocritical Squire Simpson (Tully Marshall). Anna is due to come into an inheritance, and Simpson and his son plot to get their hands on the money. Anna falls in love with Bob Crandall, a visitor from the city (William Scott), and they plan to marry. But the ceremony is interrupted by the appearance of a woman (Barbara Tennant) with a baby, who accuses Crandall of betraying her. Anna returns home, brokenhearted and ready to marry Simpson's son. But the Squire overplays his hand by insisting that Crandall be run out of town. This sets into motion a series of events that wind up proving his innocence. The woman confesses that it is the Squire's son, not Crandall, who is the baby's father, and Crandall and Anna are finally united. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Several westerns of the '20s centered around a foppish Easterner toughening up in a Western atmosphere, a role made popular by Douglas Fairbanks in the previous decade. George Larkin -- no Fairbanks by any stretch of the imagination -- portrays the Easterner in this inexpensive version of the tale. Shipped off to the West by his uncle, Larkin encounters the villain (Frank Whitson) who years ago had beaten the uncle. With an inducement in the amount of $50,00, Larkin, who has toughened up in the wild and woolly West, gives the bully a solid beating and wins the admiration of the tough ranch hands. Suffering one of her many career setbacks, top-billed Bessie Love has little to do as the obligatory romantic interest. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Usually cast in supporting roles, veteran character actor Russell Simpson earned a rare leading role in this obscure independently produced silent Western about a man falsely accused of murdering his own sister. The real culprit is actually the woman's husband (Landers Stevens), who had tricked her into a loveless marriage. Fleeing to Mexico, Simpson returns years later to find his ward (Gertrude Olmstead) having grown into a pretty young girl. The murderous brother-in-law is up to his old shenanigans, however, and Simpson must save the girl from a kidnapping, clearing his own good name along the way. Russell Simpson's sudden elevation to a starring role was easily explainable: he produced the film himself! ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Produced by World Films, the 5-reel When Broadway Was a Trail opens with a shot of the cast standing on a skyscraper in present-day New York then flashes back to colonial times, when "New Amsterdam" was under the rule of the Dutch. O.A.C. Lund, who also directed, plays Henry Minuit, the son of colonial governor Peter Minuit (Edward Roseman). In defiance of his father's wishes, Henry leaves hearth and home to resettle in Danvers, Massachusetts, a community that was later and more infamously known as Salem. Here he falls in love with Priscilla Elliot (Barbara Tennant), a girl who has been accused of witchcraft. Numerous perils, including an Indian attack, face the hero and heroine before the inevitable happy ending. Playing fast and loose with historical chronology (and accuracy), When Broadway Was a Trail was an entertaining precursor to such later "Old New York" films as Knickerbocker Holiday and Where Do We Go From Here? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide