Frank M. Thomas Movies
Missouri native Frank M. Thomas cut his professional acting teeth with the Van Dyke Stock Company in St. Louis. Thomas made his Broadway bow in 1913, appearing in at least one production per year for the next 22 years. In 1936, he entered films with an RKO Radio contract, playing an assortment of character roles ranging from trench-coated detectives to shady crooks. During the years 1938-1942, Thomas showed up in more films than any other actor. Long retired, he died in 1989 at the age of 100. Married to actress Mona Bruns, Frank M. Thomas was the father of actor/writer Frankie Thomas, of Tom Corbett, Space Cadet fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1937
A couple of American soldiers of fortune are hired by the wife of a Chinese general to deliver a priceless diamond to a shopkeeper in Shanghai in this low-budget whodunit from the RKO "B"-unit. Just as the gem reaches its destination all hell breaks lose. When the dust settles, the diamond is gone and Tom Baldwin (Vinton Haworth) and sidekick Joe Dugan (Gordon Jones) are left with a group of highly suspicious witnesses. The entire assembly, including pretty but mysterious Jane Dunn (Constance Worth), then boards a liner headed for San Francisco. After several shipboard murders and the revelation that Jane is a custom agent, the culprit is caught red-handed. A lady detective ought to have made a refreshing change but, sadly, China Passage delivers few surprises and the armchair detective is never truly tested. Usually a supporting player of little merit, Vinton Haworthproves a rather weak-chinned hero and is certainly no match for the ash-blonde Worth, an Australian actress turned Queen of Hollywood B-movies. The rest of the supporting cast perform their assignment in the expected manner, Dick Elliott being the standout as an eternally tipsy traveler. China Passage was directed by Edward Killy, who later helmed the studio's series of Tim Holt B-Westerns. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Constance Worth, Vinton Haworth, (more)
- 1937
A doctor (John Beal) who loses faith in his skills renounces his profession and hides himself in a variety of jobs. He takes a minor job at an airfield, where he meets nurse Joan Fontaine, who works on a "flying hospital". On board the aircraft, Beal finds he is the only person who can perform a delicate operation; worse luck, the plane is about to crash! Beal finds himself, per the title, but nearly loses his life in the process. Watch for Dwight Frye, the immortal "Renfield" in Bela Lugosi's Dracula, as an hysterical patient--and seven-year-old Dwight Frye Jr. as a child rescued from a train wreck. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Beal, Joan Fontaine, (more)
- 1937
Set amidst the tense and suspenseful world of men who transport large amounts of nitroglycerin, used to put out fires in oil fields, this drama centers on the conflict between a young med student, who has become a nitro handler to help pay his way through school, and the old trucker who hauls the deadly chemical on site. The trucker resents the young man's attentions toward his daughter because he feels that there can be no security with a man who could accidentally blow himself up at any moment. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Eilers, John Beal, (more)
- 1937
A veterinarian and his wife leave their small burg and move to the Big Apple after he inherits a million dollars. His social climbing wife insists on the move because she wants her daughter to make a formal debut. Unfortunately for the family, the fortune was earned by a brutal mob boss, the veterinarian's dead uncle. Once in the city, they find themselves assailed by gangsters wanting the money. This comedy chronicles their efforts to keep the criminals at bay. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Kibbee, Cora Witherspoon, (more)
- 1936
In this drama, a flamboyant womanizing airline pilot competes with another, rather dull, pilot for the love of a fetching flight attendant. At first she ignores her sister's advice and has a fling with the charming cad, who gets back at the meddlesome sister by hitting her on the head. The two lovers return to their jobs. During a flight, a terrible storm erupts and the cowardly pilot bails out, leaving the flight attendant to fly the passenger- filled plane by herself. Fortunately, the good pilot is in the tower and calmly guides her safely to the ground. Meanwhile the other pilot gets his just desserts when his parachute fails to open. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Eilers, Robert Armstrong, (more)
- 1936
Were it not for the deplorable Silly Billies, Mummy's Boys might well have been the weakest of the Bert Wheeler-Robert Woolsey comedies. The boys are cast as ditch diggers Stanley Wright and Aloysius Whittaker, who sign on as "excavators" for an archaeological expedition into Egypt. What our heroes don't know is that their destination, the tomb of King Pharantine, carries a deadly curse which has apparently claimed the lives of nine previous explorers. It turns out that the deaths have actually been caused by a member of the first Pharantine expedition, who has systematically poisoned his colleagues so that he can lay claim to all the tomb's treasures. The film wraps up with a slapstick chase through the surprisingly well-illuminated tomb, with Stanley and Aloysius doing their best to protect heroine Mary Browning (Barbara Pepper) from harm. Many of the best gags have nothing to do with the wearisome plotline, but even these lack the zip and spark of Wheeler & Woolsey's earlier routines. The film's best performance is rendered by Moroni Olsen as the maniacal, bug-eyed murderer (whose guilt is obvious the moment he's introduced to the audience!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, (more)
- 1936
Loosely based on a story by frontier writer Bret Harte, this romantic western drama tells the story of an innocent, carefree mountain-raised girl who causes quite a stir every time she comes to town to bring her boozy father home from the bar. One day, the flirtatious gal is kissed by the town schoolmaster. Utterly confused as to the gesture's significance, she goes to the town brothel for professional advice. The film was made twice before in 1918 and 1922. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Shirley, John Beal, (more)
- 1936
Future best-selling novelist Irwin Shaw made his screenwriting bow with the modest RKO Radio sports drama The Big Game. The story revolves around the efforts by a group of crooked gamblers to fix the outcomes of college football games. When star quarterback Clark (Philip Huston) refuses to be bribed, the villains kidnap him on the eve of the titular Big Game. Clark is rescued by his burly teammates just in the nick of time, but the film's not over yet: there's a riot on the football field during the final scenes, reportedly inspired by a real-life incident during a 1935 NYU-Fordham game. Adding to the enjoyment of The Big Game is the presence of several genuine members of the 1936 All-American football squad: The University of Chicago's Jay Berwanger, Notre Dame's William Shakespeare, Southern Methodist's Bobby Wilson, NYU's Irwin "King Kong" Klein, Ohio State's Gomer Jones, and Stanford's Robert "Bones" Hamilton, Monk Moscrip and Frank Alustiza. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Huston, James Gleason, (more)
- 1936
The "ex" of the title is daffy mystery-writer Jean Arthur, former wife of urbane doctor William Powell. When Powell becomes the prime suspect in a murder case, Arthur endeavors to solve the case herself -- and to reclaim her ex-hubby in the process. After a well-directed semiclimax at a race track, the killer is revealed during one of those expository scenes in which all the suspects are gathered together in one room. The murderer attempts to escape, and Powell is knocked cold in the process. When he awakens, he discovers that Arthur has set up some projection equipment, and is running a film of a minister reciting the wedding vows. Curses! Trapped again! Like William Powell's previous RKO effort Star of Midnight, The Ex-Mrs. Bradford was an attempt to cash in on the popularity of Powell's Thin Man films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Powell, Jean Arthur, (more)
- 1936
In this crime drama a high-school principal's principles are put to the test when he, also a member of a parole board, is given the ultimate power to decide whether his son, a brutal criminal is to be paroled. The others do not know about the inmate's relationship to their colleague and the son tries to use this to his advantage. Sure enough his blackmail works and the heartless crook is freed to go on an unparalleled crime spree with his moll until his father comes forth and gives him final justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Gleason, Bruce Cabot, (more)
- 1936
The Commodore (Fred Stone), an average man in an average small town, is incensed that killers and thieves are able to use legal loopholes to escape punishment. He mounts a civic crusade to bring a local gang of racketeers to justice and is aided in this endeavor by idealistic young reporter Steve (Owen Davis Jr.) -- who, fortuitously, is the sweetheart of the Commodore's granddaughter Edith (Louise Latimer). Steve and the Commodore do their job too well, and as a result end up in the gang's clutches. This 11th-hour injection of melodrama seems out of place in this otherwise leisurely programmer, but in the long run it works to the picture's benefit. Four screenwriters contributed to Grand Jury, including future Casablanca collaborator Philip G. Epstein. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Stone, Louise Latimer, (more)
- 1936
Wanted: Jane Turner was inspired by an actual robbery-murder case of 1926. A gang of thieves use the Post Office's general-delivery service to pick up and send out their ill-gotten gains. To throw the cops off the scent, the crooks have established a P.O. box under the fictional name of "Jane Turner." Trouble starts brewing when a real Jane Turner (Judith Blake), who knows nothing about the criminal activity, shows up to collect her mail. With Jane's help, postal inspectors (Lee Tracy and Gloria Stuart) put the heat on the villains, who've already tipped their hand by killing a driver during a mail-truck heist. Wanted: Jane Turner was remade in 1941 as Lady Scarface. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Gloria Stuart, (more)
- 1936
After 25 years, notorious western outlaw Harry Carey is released from prison. He returns to his frontier home town, only to discover that the place has been streamlined and modernized beyond all recognition. Even worse, virtually everyone in town has forgotten Carey; most of the younger folk consider him a nuisance, addressing him derisively as "Pop" (Carey's double-take reaction to this familiarity is priceless). The ex-outlaw seeks out H.B. Walthall, the sheriff who sent him up, hoping for a fond reunion with his old friendly enemy. Alas, Walthall has been relegated to a do-nothing position by new sheriff Ray Mayer, a staunch advocate of "scientific" crime-fighting methods. But when bad guy Tom Tyler and his mob rob a bank and take Carey's daughter Margaret Callahan hostage, it is Carey and Walthall's "old fashioned" methods which save the day. Hoot Gibson co-stars as Callahan's boyfriend, while singing-cowboy Fred Scott appears in a marvelous sequence wherein Harry Carey reacts with disgust upon watching a musical western movie. The Last Outlaw was based on a story by John Ford, who directed a silent version in 1919. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Carey, Hoot Gibson, (more)
- 1934
Wednesday's Child, the song goes, is "full of woe." This is indeed the case for Bobby (Frankie Thomas), who is bundled off to military school when his father (Edward Arnold) and mother (Karen Morley) divorce. That Bobby was forced to testify during the divorce action was traumatic enough; now he must face the grim reality that neither of his parents really want him around. Eventually, Bobby's dad relents and brings the boy home -- not the painfully realistic original ending of the Leopold Atlas play upon which this film was based. When RKO Radio refilmed Wednesday's Child as Child of Divorce in 1946 (with Sharyn Moffett playing a distaff version of the Frankie Thomas role), Atlas' doleful ending was left intact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Arnold, Karen Morley, (more)
