Fred Vroom Movies

Buster Keaton plays Johnny Gray, a Southern railroad engineer who loves his train engine, The General, almost as much as he loves Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack). When the opening shots of the Civil War are fired at Fort Sumter, Johnny tries to enlist -- and he is deemed too useful as an engineer to be a soldier. All Johnny knows is that he's been rejected, and Annabelle, thinking him a coward, turns her back on him. When Northern spies steal the General (and, unwittingly, Annabelle), the story switches from drama and romance to adventure mixed with Keaton's trademark deadpan humor as he uses every means possible to catch up to the General, thwart the Yankees, and rescue his darling Annabelle -- for starters. As always, Keaton performs his own stunts, combining his prodigious dexterity, impeccable comic timing, and expressive body language to convey more emotion than the stars of any of the talkies that were soon to dominate cinema. ~ Emru Townsend, All Movie Guide

At the request of his star Buster Keaton, producer Joseph M. Schenck purchased an obsolete ocean liner for $20,000. Keaton wanted to use the boat as a "prop" in his upcoming feature comedy, but went into production with nary a plot idea in his head. Eventually, Buster and his chief gagman Clyde Bruckman came up with a story involving two wealthy, pampered young people (played by Keaton and Kathryn McGuire), who through a series of fantastic but logical plot convolutions end up stranded together on a drifting, deserted ocean liner. At first, the young couple is helpless because they've never had to lift a finger in their lives. As the weeks pass, Keaton and McGuire become quite adept at fending for themselves, utilizing the huge facilities of the liner (its steam room, its enormous kitchen) for the simplest and most basic of necessities. An attack by a cannibal tribe requires Keaton to be more resourceful than ever; the build-up to the climactic contretemps between Keaton and the cannibals is almost as side-splitting as the climax itself. While the film is rife with some of Buster Keaton's most elaborate gags, he scores equally well with smaller, more intimate comedy bits, notably his losing battle with a deck chair and his attempt to shuffle a waterlogged deck of cards. Reasoning that the comedy in The Navigator would work best if built upon an utterly serious storyline, Keaton hired actor/director Donald Crisp to handle the "straight" scenes. Alas, as Keaton would later recall, the constitutionally humorless Crisp "turned gagman on us", resulting in miles of wasted footage. Thus, pay no attention to the "official" directorial credits: Buster Keaton alone is responsible for the helming of The Navigator. Joe Schenck's initial 20 grand investment proved sagacious when Navigator ended up as Buster Keaton's most profitable silent feature film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gritzko, a prince of pre-World War I Russia (John Gilbert), is the ultimate ladies' man. Women fall at his feet -- all except for a young but cold British widow, Tamara Loraine (Aileen Pringle). While she's spurning his advances, Tamara is growing ever more fascinated with Gritzko. And for the first time, Gritzko actually feels true love. Tamara doesn't want to become just another conquest, so she insists on returning home. Gritzko complies, but makes sure they leave alone in a snowstorm so that they are forced to seek shelter at his lodge. Tamara, however, keeps him at bay until she faints from exhaustion. When she awakens and discovers that her shirt is unbuttoned, she is convinced she has become compromised. Even though Gritzko hasn't touched her (except to make sure her heart was beating -- at least, that's what he says), he offers to marry her. She accepts, and after the ceremony, he proves his love by telling her that he will leave her alone unless she sends for him. Only then does she admit she has always loved him. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This drama was an early starring vehicle for fledgling star (Eleanor Boardman), and it was given a haunting directoral approach by Tod Browning, who hadn't yet devoted himself completely to horror films. After the death of philanthropist Blank Hendricks (Winter Hall), Jane Maynard (Boardman) devotes her life to his institution, which helps the needy with the philosophy, "Thy neighbor as thyself." John Anstell (Wallace MacDonald), whose father, Michael (Tyrone Power Sr.), is a formidable financial force, falls in love with Jane. Michael, who does not approve of the relationship, tries to ruin the Foundation by discrediting it in the press, and when that doesn't work, he attempts to use his financial power to destroy it. The many who have been helped by the Foundation retaliate by killing John. The grieving Anstell comes to realize that Jane really is doing good work and he reforms. Jane, meanwhile, finds happiness with Tom Barnett (Raymond Griffith). ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Jack Holt plays Sam Sandell, an American engineer working in India who rescues a pretty half-caste girl (Aileen Pringle) from a tiger's attack, but is badly wounded himself. The girl, Chameli Brentwood, nurses him back to health and out of gratitude he marries her, ignoring the fact that he has a fiancée, Harriet Halehurst (Eva Novak), back home. The couple had argued before Sandell left the States, and Harriet shows up in India hoping for a reconciliation. Instead she finds that Sandell has decided to stay with his new bride. But in the racially prejudiced 1920s, this could never be a satisfactory denouement, so the scenarists get Chameli out of the way by making her unfaithful. She runs off with Raj Singh (Bertram Grassby) -- "a man of her own race," noted trade paper Motion Picture News -- then dies, conveniently enabling Sandell and Harriet to reconcile. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Paramount starred Agnes Ayers for the first time in this tragedy, adapted from the novel by Sir Gilbert Parker. Unfortunately, it wasn't a terribly auspicious debut -- the picture was morbid and depressing. A French Canadian pair, Madelinette (Ayers) and Louis Racine (Theodore Kosloff) wed. One of Racine's relative dies, and he supposedly inherits an estate. But one of his enemies questions his right to the inheritance and a fight breaks out. Racine is thrown against a tree, spurring a growth on his back, something which runs in his family. The new husband sends his wife to Europe to pursue a career as an opera singer. Back home he works hard to become a power in the community in the hopes that she will stick by him in spite of his growing deformity. But his doubts seem to be unfounded, since Madelinette returns from Europe and drops everything to take care of him. He winds up losing everything anyway -- a rival usurps his power, and George Fournel (Mahlon Hamilton) shows up to contest the inheritance. Madelinette herself finds the will that gives Fournel the estate. Finally, Racine shoots himself, and Fournel wins the widow's heart. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Although $Charles Ray doesn't play one of his country boy roles in his first picture for United Artists, John Paul Bart could be considered the city cousin -- he's a poor pants presser who believes that clothes really can make the man and sets out to prove it. He "borrows" a dress suit from the tailor shop where he works and crashes a fancy reception. Even though he risks making a fool of himself, Bart draws the attention of Abraham Nathan, the president of a steamship company (Stanton Heck). Nathan invites Bart on a cruise, and he is able to show off his real talents as a mediator when labor unrest occurs. Nathan is impressed and gives him an important job in his firm. Bart continues his romance with Tanya Huber (Ethel Grandin), his sweetheart from the tailor's shop, but he has a rival in one of the labor leaders. The worker exposes him as a former clothes presser and the humiliated Bart goes back to the tailor's shop. Nathan, however, doesn't care about Bart's past and tracks him down. Bart is back where he really belongs, and he and Tanya become engaged. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Paramount was taking a chance by making this picture -- based on a novel by E. Phillips Oppenheim -- almost two years after the end of World War I. It's a spy story that takes place in the days prior to the "war to end all wars" -- not a popular subject by the end of 1921. Perhaps the studio recognized that the story had potential beyond its historical backdrop, and James Kirkwood rose to the occasion with the dual roles he portrayed. Two former college chums, Englishman Sir Everard Dominey (Kirkwood) and German Leopold Von Ragastein (Kirkwood again) go on a trek to Africa. But the real purpose of the trip is so that Von Ragastein can murder Dominey and gather information for the Fatherland by impersonating the Englishman. Only one man returns from the trip, and he draws the suspicion of Dominey's insane wife, Rosamond (Ann Forrest) and Dominey's uncle, the Duke of Oxford (Winter Hall). The Duke puts Scotland Yard on the case and after an investigation, the man known as Dominey is arrested as a German spy. But there's a twist -it turns out that the man really is Dominey, and any secrets England may want to keep from Germany are safe. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Barry O'Connor (former heavyweight champion James J. Corbett, otherwise known as "Gentleman Jim") is the son of Patrick O'Connor (Richard Cummings), the district boss for New York's Lower East Side. The elder O'Connor has a rival, the up-and-coming Edgar Jones (Harry Northrup), who isn't too fond of Barry, either. A mayoral election is coming up, and it looks like O'Connor will throw his ward's votes to William Tompkins (Frederick Vroom), but then Tompkins' daughter Mary (Cora Drew) tosses Barry out of her home for dancing with a maid. To keep from losing O'Connor's support, Tompkins drags his haughty daughter to apologize to Barry, and to lead the Grand March with him. Jones shows up, and when he's mean to Mary for not dancing with him, Barry pummels him and several of his associates, too. This intrigues Mary, and the girl from Fifth Avenue comes to love the Lower East Side boy. Director John Ford, then known as Jack Ford, was better known for his work on Westerns (then and later in his career), but he wasn't out of place on this picture with its brawling, brawny Irish characters. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Alma Rubens, at the time still a fresh face in motion pictures, starred in this Triangle melodrama. French artistJules Mardon (Francis MacDonald) travels to Italy for his health. There, he meets the breathtakingly beautiful Felice (Rubens), who is known as the Passion Flower. Mardon paints her portrait and she falls in love with him. But once he has finished the painting, he takes it and leaves, never to return. The painting is hung in a Paris salon, where it catches the attention of wealthy Armande de Gautier (Wheeler Oakman). De Gautier becomes determined to meet the Passion Flower and he travels to Italy and wins her love. They marry and are happy for several years, especially after the birth of their son. But then Mardon shows up and forces Felice to run away with him. De Gautier believes that she has deserted him and their child, and when she returns, he throws her out of the house. The boy has been stricken with the plague, and before she is forced to leave, Felice kisses the germ-infested child. Then she immediately returns to Mardon, feigns passion for him, and plants her plague-ridden lips on his. Mardon dies from the disease. Both Felice and her son survive, and she reconciles with her husband. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide