Virginia True Boardman Movies

Ken Maynard at least tries to keep his characteristic off-the-wall ad-libs to a minimum in Fugitive Sheriff. Hoping to rid a small western community of its corrupt political machine, Maynard runs for sheriff against the bad guys' candidate and wins the election. Dissatisfied with this, the villains contrive to frame Ken on a murder charge. He breaks out of jail (hence the film's title) and tracks down the genuine culprit, pausing ever so briefly to sing a song or two for the benefit of leading lady Beth Marion. Maynard's singing is definitely an acquired taste, but there's no argument that his riding stunts are astonishing. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Road to Ruin is a remake of notorious 1928 exploitationer of the same name, courtesy of the fly-by-night firm of True Life Photoplays (aka Willis Kent Productions). Neglected by her parents, a feisty teenager falls into a bad crowd. She ends up working for a call-girl operation, "servicing" wild parties. Imagine her dismay when, on one assignment, the heroine finds herself in a compromising situation with her own father (Richard Tucker)! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Former silent stars Claire Windsor, John Harron, and Holmes Herbert struggled mightily with a morose script in this low-budget melodrama from producer George W. Weeks. A reader for the Rogers Publishing Company, Annie Frayne (Windsor) successfully campaigns against the company publishing "In Quest of a Virgin," a trashy new novel. The publisher, Bruce Rogers (Holmes Herbert), is so impressed with Annie that he considers making her his assistant, though he abandons the idea once he gets a look at the girl's sordid home life. A dejected Annie attempts suicide, but is rescued by newspaper reporter Ronnie Ross (Harron), whom she eventually marries despite learning that he is the author of "In Quest of a Virgin." But Rogers, who has come to regret his decision, once again proposes that Annie become his assistant. Meanwhile, a jealous Ronnie is arrested for a jewelry heist actually committed by Annie's no-good brothers (Lee Moran and David Callis), and although Annie remains faithful, he refuses to see her. Years later, Annie is about to marry Rogers when she receives Ronnie's newest novel, "Cry of the Soul." So moved is she by the book in general and a touching inscription in particular, that she returns to the reformed Ronnie. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

To say that ace stuntman Richard Talmadge was invariably better than his movie vehicles is small praise, indeed, since most of his films were shabbily produced and miserably directed. Scareheads isn't much better than the usual Talmadge epic, but the star is as watchable as ever. This time, Talmadge plays a reporter who conducts a campaign against the crooked incumbent mayor. As a result, our hero is framed for murder and tossed into the jug. Through a series of eye-popping athletics, Talmadge escapes from jail to track down the real killers. Scareheads represents the first major screen appearance of perennial ingenue Jacqueline Wells, who later enjoyed a lengthy "second career" as leading ladyJulie Bishop. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This minor racetrack drama was directed by King Baggot, at one time a prominent silent-film leading man. Robert Agnew stars as Marty Kruger, a jockey who is forced to starve himself to qualify weight-wise for the Big Race. This Kruger does at the behest of his nasty trainer Devlin (Lincoln Plummer), who cares only about winning, and hang the consequences. Winning the big race, Marty passes out from malnutrition, and in so doing reveals Devlin to be a no-good rat. As compensation, our hero is comforted by heroine Katie Kelly (Marion Nixon), who has long held a torch for him. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Although this film sounds like a 1920s version of Mr. Mom, in some ways it's more enlightened than the 1983 comedy -- for one thing, being a stay-at-home dad comes quite naturally to husband Lester Knapp (Clive Brook). Nevertheless, the idea of switching traditional husband-wife roles was quite a radical one in the days when women had only recently won the right to vote, and as such, this drama (with comic touches) was not always warmly received. Knapp is an ineffectual office worker, while his wife, Eva (Alice Joyce), is a paragon of efficiency who, although she loves her children, is woefully lacking in mothering skills. When Knapp is fired from his job, he decides to die "accidentally" so that his long-suffering family can collect on his life insurance. But (according to the title card) "Lester proved a bungler even at dying," and instead he winds up a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair. Eva turns down the charity of Knapp's old boss, Spencer Willing (Lester Whitlock), and instead asks for a job. He gives her one, as a saleslady at one of the company's stores. Eva flourishes at her new position and soon is earning almost twice as much as Knapp ever made. Meanwhile, Knapp's effect on the couple's three children is almost magical, especially when it comes to dealing with their formerly incorrigible three-year-old. This odd set-up is gradually accepted by the Knapp's friends and relatives, but then disaster strikes -- Eva notices Knapp's legs twitching in his sleep, and indeed, he finds out that he can walk again. But Knapp realizes that both he and Eva are ill-suited for the roles originally foisted on them by society, so he swears their reluctant physician, Dr. Merritt (the delightful George Fawcett), to secrecy. Not surprisingly, this picture was adapted by a woman, Mary O'Hara, from a novel by another woman, Dorothy Canfield. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Minor Universal star Gladys Walton has the lead in this light comedy. After becoming a successful chorus girl on the Broadway stage, Jean Crosby (Walton) visits her home town of Murphysburg. The hamlet's Purity League, however, showers her with disapproval -- until the male contingent makes secret trips to Broadway so they can see Jean in her skimpy costumes. These married, supposedly upstanding members of the community turn into Stage Door Johnnies, and Jean is not impressed. She turns to her friend Toby Caswell, who is the editor of the Murphysburg newspaper (Edward Hearne), and together they create a plan. The Purity League is scandalized when Jean is hired by the paper to create a series of installments entitled "The Life of a Chorus Girl," and nothing they do can get her to drop the story. Caswell finds himself in the middle of the dispute. Jean only offers to can the story -- which names names -- when the town leaders prove willing to change their strict laws and attitudes. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

This above-average Tom Mix western contains one of the star's more spectacular stunts -- a jump on horseback across the 20-foot Beale's Cut. Truth be told, the star, who frequently did his own stunt work, was forced to use a double this time, former rancher from Searchlight, Nevada Earl Simpson. John Ford both directed and wrote the story (based on his published work The Hostage), a typical western romance in which Mix falls for the daughter of an imperiled rancher. Nineteen-year-old Alma Bennett played the brunette heroine, and the distinguished-looking Joseph W. Girard was her father, a rancher whose property is a magnet for unscrupulous speculators. The dramatic jump across the chasm, however, was the film's real selling point. Simpson used a hidden ramp to perform the feat. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Based on a serialized story by Max Brand, this silent "Mountain Melodrama" starred a veteran of the genre, William Farnum, as Billy Buell, a stranger involving himself with a long-standing mountain feud. The Benchleys and the Camps have been feuding ever since Lew Camp (J. Morris Foster) learned that his daughter Nellie (Doris May) was stolen by Jacob Benchley (Arthur Morrison) to replace a dead Benchley baby. Buell, who has fallen in love with Nellie, returns her to her mother (Virginia True Boardman). That doesn't sit well with the Benchley clan, who arrive for a final shootout. Happily, Buell's announcement that he intends to marry the girl puts an end to the feud before any bloodshed. A former star for pioneering producer Thomas H. Ince, Doris May was the wife of actor/director/producer Wallace MacDonald. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

A toddler is once again the sole survivor of an Indian massacre in this fanciful silent western produced by the Vitagraph Company. 4-year-old Jack Dale is raised by the kind Mrs. Salter (Virginia True Boardman) and grows into a fine young man known as Plains (Cullen Landis). Plains rescues a group of travellers from a runaway coach, falling in love with Rose Miller (Alice Calhoun) in the process. She, however, is betrothed to Blaney (Bertram Grassby), her father's business partner. When Rose pays too much attention to her rescuer, Plains, Blaney accuses the latter of a murder. With Rose's help, Plains clears his name, brings the true culprit to justice, and lives happily ever after. Despite co-starring in the very first all-talkie, Lights of New York (1928), Landis saw his screen career collapse soon after the changeover to sound. Calhoun was even less successful, appearing in only two sound films, the last a minor role in the 1934 gangster film Now I'll Tell. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Emory Johnson directs this heartwarming film, which features his wife, Ella Hall, as the love interest. After years of faithful service to the fire department, Dan McDowell (Ralph Lewis) is let go because he can't handle the fire trucks with the same skill he handled the horse-driven engines. His favorite horse, Bullet, is also discharged and sold to a new, cruel owner. McDowell's son, Johnny (Johnnie Walker), is forced to give up college to help support the family, and he follows in his father's footsteps by becoming a fireman. Bullet escapes from the barn and a newsboy, Jimmie (Frankie Lee), finds him. He takes the horse to McDowell's barn, causing a misunderstanding. McDowell is arrested for stealing Bullet. His son, meanwhile, goes to fight his first big fire -- it's at the apartment building where his sweetheart, June Rutherford (Hall), lives. He heroically comes to her rescue. Jimmie's testimony frees McDowell, who immediately dashes to the apartment building to help put out the fire. Because of his actions, McDowell is hired by the fire department to care for the retired horses. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

This mawkish tale of mother love was loaded with -- as film critics of the 1920s liked to say -- "hokum." It was supposedly inspired by the old song of the same title. Cullen Landis plays Garry Beecher, your classic small town boy who is seduced by the promises of New York. So he heads for the big city, leaving his mother (Virginia True Boardman) and sweetheart, Lorna Owens (Patsy Ruth Miller), at home to pine for him. Of course, he forgets all about them and becomes involved with Veronica Tyler, a cynical chorus girl (Kathleen Key). But he can't keep up with her extravagant tastes and when he begins stealing, she turns him in. He goes to prison as a result, but redeems himself during an uprising among the prisoners by snatching the warden from a train which is about to have a head-on collision. The grateful warden gives Garry a pardon, and he returns to his small town home, his mother and his girl. A footnote on small time starlet Kathleen Key -- she was the great-granddaughter of Francis Scott Key, author of "The Star Spangled Banner." ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi