Henry B. Walthall Movies

This was Cecil B. De Mille's last film for Paramount (at least for a few years). Irene Rich plays Flora Lee Peake, a cool beauty who, like Lorelei, lures men to death and destruction. Flora Lee weds the Marquis De San Pilar (Theodore Kosloff) and saves the old homestead. The Marquis finds her with the Duc de Savarac (Robert Cain), and the two men fight it out on a cliff. Both fall to their deaths, and Flora Lee returns to the States. Her childhood friend, Admah Holtz (Rod La Rocque), has become wealthy through his candy firm and, even though her sister, Margaret (Vera Reynolds), loves him, Flora Lee snares him. Her extravagance ruins Holtz and he goes to jail for embezzlement. Margaret buys his old candy store and gets it going once again. Flora Lee, meanwhile, runs off with Bunny O'Neill (Warner Baxter), who eventually casts her off. Her life and her beauty destroyed, she returns to the family homestead, which is now a boarding house, and crawls into her crumbling golden bed, an overly elaborate symbol of her former days. Holtz is released from jail and finds her there just before she dies. The ever-faithful Margaret is waiting for him, and they marry. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

The influential New York critic Mordaunt Hall declared this circus melodrama a "light after-dinner entertainment which won't tax the mentality of a babe." Based on a 1910 British novel by William J. Locke, Simon the Jester starred Eugene O'Brien as a young member of Parliament wounded in the war. Given only months to live, Simon leaves his his seat and the larger part of his fortune to his friend Dale Kynnersly (Edmund Burns), who in return must marry his benefactor's fiance. Kynnersly, however, is infatuated with circus bareback rider Lola Brandt (Lillian Rich), whose horse is cruelly killed by her husband (Henry B. Walthall. Simon, who has fallen in love with Lola, chases the husband to Tangiers and is injured in a fight. Told by a local doctor that he will now live, Simon returns to the circus to once again confront Brandt. The latter is fortuitously killed by Midget, the clown (William Platt), leaving Simon and Lola free to plan a life together. A typical Edwardian melodrama, Simon the Jester had been filmed by Universal in 1915 starring Edwin Arden in the title-role. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Mary Hale (Marguerite de la Motte) hates her job in a department store, and when wealthy Gordon Kent (Lionel Barrymore) comes around, she flirts with him and is fired. Because she is mad at her fiancé, William Norworth (Forrest Stanley), Mary takes off in Kent's car and she doesn't come home until the early hours. Her father (Henry Walthall) is furious and slaps her, so she leaves home. Kent offers to let her stay in his apartment, while he sleeps at the club. Her brief stay is interrupted by the presence of chorus girl Greta Verlaine, Kent's mistress (Lilyan Tashman). She kicks Mary out. Hale shows up looking for his daughter, and mistakenly shoots and kills Greta. To keep Mary away from scandal, Kent confesses to the crime, but Hale finally comes forth and admits he killed Greta. Kent spends his fortune to defend Hale, who is finally freed after three jury disagreements. The now penniless Kent settles down, weds Mary, and starts life again as a working man. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

John Ford directed this sentimental horse opera set among the racing crowd in Kentucky. Henry B. Walthall, of Griffith's Birth of a Nation fame, starred as Beaumont, a horse breeder losing everything he owns on the horse Virginia's Future. His upwardly mobile wife (Gertrude Astor) having deserted him in favor of a more financially stable neighbor (Malcolm Waite), Beaumont can only watch as trainer Mike Donovan (J. Farrell McDonald) nurses Virginia's Future back to health and then is forced to sell her colt, Confederacy, to a foreign junk dealer, who mistreats him. When Confederacy enters the Kentucky Futurity with young Danny Donovan (Winston Miller) in the saddle, Beaumont and Mike bet every thing they own on the horse, which wins handsomely. Using part of his winnings to buy back Virginia's Future, a satisfied Beaumont puts the horse out to pasture. Among the racehorses featured in this film was the famous champion Man o' War. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

This Bowery drama features former D.W. Griffith actor Henry Walthall as Norman Strong, who runs a mission in a rough area of New York and is known as the "Bowery Bishop." One of the neighborhood girls, Venitia Rigola (Edith Roberts), is betrayed by lawyer Philip Foster (George Fisher), and she has a baby. Tim Brady (Lee Shumway), who loves Venitia, accuses Strong of being the father. Strong, who won't point his finger at the guilty party, refuses to deny the accusation, and Brady works up a mob into a frenzy. The mob wrecks the mission and drives Strong out of the Bowery. Eventually, Strong returns, but he is shot during a fight with a gang. He recovers from his wounds, and with the help of someone by the name of Mr. Kindly (Norval MacGregor), he is cleared of any wrongdoing. Foster finally does right by Venitia and marries her. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Director Rupert Hughes adapted Gimmie from a short story written by himself and his wife. Helene Chadwick plays working girl Fanny Daniels, who borrows $500 from her boss to pay for her wedding trousseau. When her boss demands repayment, Fanny draws the money from her new husband's account, assuming that under the circumstances, he'll understand. But hubby Clinton Ferris (Gaston Glass) is appalled at Fanny's seeming extravagance. She, in turn, realizes that Clinton intends to treat her like a helpless child, whereupon she returns to her old job. That's when Clinton realizes he can't go on living without Fanny, so he swallows his pride and asks forgiveness. In the 1920s, it was a rare film indeed where the husband went crawling back to the wife, rather than the other way around. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Roland West, who directed this mystery, also co-wrote the stage play on which it was based. Inventor Peter Marchmont (Henry B. Walthall) goes to prison for a crime committed by James Dawson (Stuart Holmes). While he is locked up he discovers that his wife, Jewel (Alice Lake), has been involved with Dawson, and he swears revenge. Released from prison, he disguises himself and takes on the name Victor Cromport. Having invented a purple light, which makes him invisible, he begins using this device to secretly ruin Dawson's life. The detectives are baffled by the goings on, and in the end Marchmont wins back Jewel's love. As part of his revenge, he forces her to live with Dawson, who she now hates. Instead, he settles down with Ruth Marsh (Helen Ferguson), the girl who has been taking care of his son. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

The G. Marion Burton poem served as inspiration for several films (including the 1914 comic satire by Charles Chaplin), but this melodrama, directed by John Ford, was the most sincerely done. In a barroom, artist Robert Stevens (Henry Walthall) drunkenly relates his sad story -- he was engaged to marry a society girl, Marion (Ruth Clifford), when her brother took advantage of a fisherman's daughter, who commits suicide. To protect Marion's brother, Stevens takes the blame for the girl's sad end. Marion leaves him and he begins his descent into the gutter. Stevens is falsely accused of a crime and imprisoned. He is pardoned, however, because he has saved the life of the governor (Norval McGregor). Stevens completes his sorry tale by painting Marion's face on the barroom floor. Because someone recognizes the likeness he is able to locate her. He manages to pull himself out of his alcoholic haze and the couple are reconciled. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

This Hampton Del Ruth production is a very odd comedy-drama. Two sisters, Eleanor and Mary Douglas (Alta Allen and Irene Rich respectively), are both engaged to be married. Eleanor, who is about to wed district attorney William Bradley (Milton Sills), convinces Mary to break up with her fiancé, vivisectionist Dr. Paul Graydon (Henry B. Walthall). But before her wedding, Eleanor is handed a glass of water by Graydon. After taking a drink she faints. Graydon pronounces her dead and she is buried. But things start looking suspicious when a kitten drinks from the same glass and also keels over dead. The kitten, however, comes back to life. Bradley dashes to the graveyard, but Eleanor's body is missing. She is actually in Graydon's home, where he is about to use her in an experiment. He is halted when Mary shoots him. Laura LaVarnie and Tully Marshall add comic relief as the girl's maiden aunt and her unwilling suitor. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Veteran western star Harry Carey came up with the story of The Kick Back -- ranch owner battles villains attempting to take over his valuable property -- while George Edwardes-Hall, an old hand at this sort of thing, wrote the screenplay. In this above-average silent western, Carey plays "White Horse" Harry Redding, whose scheming neighbor (Henry B. Walthall) accuses him of cattle rustling during a buying expedition to Mexico. The federales believe the accusations, and "White Horse" finds himself in a Mexican jail. A kind senorita (Mogninne Golden) helps him escape, but a lynching party is awaiting him at the homestead. The Texas Rangers, meanwhile, are on to Walthall's schemes and arrive in the nick of time to prevent a grave injustice. Freed of all suspicions, Carey proposes to his girl (Ethel Grey Terry). Leading lady Terry is perhaps best remembered as the heroine in Lon Chaney's The Penalty (1920). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Henry Walthall plays a priest who is duty bound to keep secret a terrible confession in this melodramatic thriller. Father Bartlett (Walthall) is concerned about his brother, Tom (Francis McDonald), a rowdy young man who drinks too much. Tom gets himself in trouble on the night he is out drinking with Jimmie Creighton (Barney Furey), the brother of his sweetheart, Rose (Margaret Landis). When Jimmie tells Tom that he has had enough to drink, it causes an argument and the two men come to blows outside the saloon. Tom drops his gun, but it is picked up by Joseph Dumont (William Clifford), who shoots Jimmie because he had wronged his sister. Dumont goes to Father Bartlett with this confession. Father Bartlett holds to the sanctity of the confessional, even though Tom is arrested for the crime, convicted, and sentenced to die. Although Father Bartlett prefers to leave the matter in the hands of a "greater judge," Tom is not so willing, and he escapes. He is found in the Canadian Northwest and brought back to be hung. Father Bartlett saves Dumont from drowning and convinces him to come clean. Meanwhile, Rose and Tom's mother (Margaret McWade) have begged for a pardon from the governor, to no avail. Father Bartlett and Dumont finally show up, but Dumont drops dead before he can reveal the truth. But just before the trap springs on Tom, a confession is found in Dumont's pocket. Tom is finally freed. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Henry B. Walthall is George Gray, son of a wealthy meat packer (Richard Norris). He's engaged to Rose Cameron (Nina Byron), the daughter of his father's rival (Melbourne McDowell). George gets caught up in a scandal in which he really had no involvement. Rose's father uses this as an excuse to break the couple's engagement, and George's father turns him out of the family home. George goes to live in a nearby city and, through his study of the poor, becomes a force in labor circles. A candidate for governor takes an interest in him, and when he wins the election, appoints George as a district attorney. Meanwhile, the rival meat men have joined forces, causing prices to go sky high and quality to sink. George examines these circumstances and brings suit against Gray's and Cameron's corporation -- a shock to Gray, who wasn't even aware of the rising fortunes of his son. Through this suit, George makes the capitalists aware of their responsibilities and the story ends with Rose back in his arms. The plot to this silent feature is not particularly credible, and is a fair example of the naive idealism that was prevalent during this era. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi