Paul Weigel Movies

As part of his new contract with Warner Bros., Edward G. Robinson agreed to appear in the gangster comedy Brother Orchid on the condition that the studio permit him to play the leading role in the lavish biopic A Dispatch from Reuters. Robinson is cast as Baron Paul Julius Reiter, who in 1833 inaugurates a "pigeon post" messenger service which is soon rendered obsolete by the invention of the telegraph. Eventually adapting to the new communications process, Reuters is able to extends his links to the major capitals of Europe, achieving success by scooping his competition with a transcription of a speech by Louis Napoleon. By 1858, Reuters has expanded his operation to the English-speaking countries, seriously over-extending himself financially. Ultimately, Reuters is rescued from bankruptcy in 1865 when he broadcasts on a worldwide basis the news of President Lincoln's assassination-even before the American ambassador in England has been informed of the tragedy. Throughout the highs and lows of his career, Reuters is encouraged by his loyal and loving wife Ida (Edna Best), who continually reminds him that he is a communicator and not a grandstander. Though not as entertaining and satisfying as Robinson's previous biographical film Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet, A Dispatch from Reuters' benefits immeasurably from the almost terrifying expertise of the Warners production staff and its stellar supporting cast (Eddie Albert, Gene Lockhart, Nigel Bruce, Otto Kruger et. al.) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When Yale Durant (Earle Williams) inherits a fortune, he squanders it. He feels that there is nothing left for him to do but to commit suicide. But a friend talks him out of it and asks him to run his business for a week. Durant "borrows" 3,000 dollars' worth of securities to help out the father (John Elliot) of his fiancée (Rhea Haines). Then he has to get the bonds back before they are discovered missing. Along the way, Durant's fiancée elopes with someone else, but this frees him up to unite with the "right girl," secretary Minnie Patten (Vola Vale). This programmer was based on a novel by Frederic Van Rensselaer Day. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Based on a best-selling novel by Fannie Hurst, Back Street concerns an ill-starred couple, Rae (Irene Dunne) and Walter (John Boles). Rae meets Walter and falls hopelessly in love with him; Walter is also drawn to Rae, but he has already pledged to marry another woman and can't find a way out. They part, and for a while Rae takes up with someone else; Walter needs to leave the country and impulsively tries to arrange a marriage with Rae, but she is unable, due to her new beau, and he sails away without her. When Rae next encounters Walter, he has married a woman from a wealthy family. Even though he's wedded to another, a passion still burns between Walter and Rae, and they enter into an illicit affair. Over the course of nearly 30 years, Rae turns down opportunities to marry other men to live a shadowy life as Walter's mistress, until she accepts a proposal of marriage when she's convinced that Walter is finally through with her. This was the first of three film versions of Hurst's story; remakes were released in 1941 and 1961. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This romantic drama gave filmgoers everything they expected from a Gloria Swanson picture -- fancy settings, gorgeous clothes, and a story that wasn't too taxing on the brain. It was adapted from the stage play by Alfred Savior, which starred Ina Claire on Broadway. John Brandon, an American millionaire (Huntley Gordon), has been married seven times but never found love. Then, when he is in Paris, Mona de Briac (Swanson) comes into his life. Mona comes from an noble family who is facing ruin. Although the marriage is financially advantageous, Mona really loves Brandon -- until she finds out about his seven other wives. She goes out of her way to do everything she can to test Brandon's love for her, and her tactics bring them to the brink of divorce when he finally loses faith in her. But as he is about to send her away, he realizes that her love is sincere, not her foolish actions. Ernst Lubitsch would remake this film in 1938 as a talkie, with Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert as the stars. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Earle Williams, a major star of the 1910s, both co-directed (with Robert Ensminger) and played the leading role in this silent Northwest melodrama from Vitagraph. Williams starred as Dr. John Hood, whose nightmare of killing gambler Canby (Ernest Van Pelt) seems to have come horribly true when he awakens to find the man dead in his living room. With Sgt. McKenna of the Northwest Mounted (Robert Gordon) trailing him, Hood escapes into the Canadian wilderness. The two men, however, become fast friends when the doctor, unaware of his identity, saves his pursuer from drowning. McKenna is about to bring his prisoner in when Mary Mackay (Fritzi Ridgeway) confesses that her weakling brother slew Canby in a quarrel. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

An innocent man is put on trial, but is he really as innocent as he claims? Diplomat David Talbot (William Powell) and his bride Lucienne (Hedy Lamarr) are enjoying a honeymoon in Paris when David is confronted by extortionists who demand money in exchange for not turning him in to the police. David has no idea what the men are talking about and ignores their threats, but the men prove good to their word, and David finds himself on trial for a series of thefts. At the trial, David's name is cleared when Henri Sarrow (Basil Rathbone) testifies that he knew the man who committed the crimes, a friend of his who recently died. However, after the trial, David meets Sarrow, who informs David that he lied under oath; according to Sarrow, David did indeed commit the robberies while suffering from amnesia after a severe blow to the head, and if he wants to keep the facts quiet, he'll do whatever Sarrow says. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Though she was no spring chicken when she began making films, stage favorite Fannie Ward managed to convey the illusion of the flush of youth. In Each Pearl a Tear, Ward plays Diane Winton, the daughter of a downtrodden stockbroker's assistant. She is dearly coveted by her father's boss, heartless stockbroker Lorillard (Charles Clary). Diane becomes Lorillard's ward, whereupon he makes his lustful intentions quite clear. The villain is foiled by Diane and her true love, humble secretary John Clarke (Jack Dean), who turns out to be a Wall Street whiz. Each Pearl a Tear was co-written by Beatrice DeMille, the mother of Cecil B. DeMille. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Jailed for a robbery he didn't commit, Bullets Bernard (Art Acord) enlists an alcoholic jailhouse lawyer (Paul Weigel) to defend him. The lawyer sobers up just enough to be effective, and Bernard is set free -- not a minute too soon. It turns out his girlfriend Shirley (Vane Truant) has been kidnapped and the villain, in cahoots with a crooked attorney, proves to be none other than the man who framed Bullets in the first place. The "Vane Truant" listed in the cast of this obscure silent Western is most likely Acord's real-life wife, actress Louise Lorraine, moonlighting from her steady job at Universal Studios. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Lighthearted Constance Talmadge stars in this frothy comedy-drama, which, entertaining as it was, had barely enough substance to carry it through five reels. Easygoing Barbara Townsend (Talmadge) is never jealous and allows her husband, Richard (Harrison Ford), to come and go as he pleases. Townsend, however, takes her considerate nature as neglect and he believes that Barbara has ceased to love him. Vampy Dorothy Mitchell (Betty Schade) convinces Townsend that he should seek a divorce, which he does, and Barbara is too proud to object. The divorce is granted, but they have three months until the final decree. Townsend becomes engaged to Dorothy, but he and Barbara keep on seeing each other on the side. With Barbara now in the role of "the other woman," the couple's passion is renewed once again. It isn't long before Townsend decides to dump Dorothy in favor of his wife. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Well-known New York sports promoter Frankie Christopher (Victor Mature) is the prime suspect in the murder of Vicky Lynn (Carole Landis), a successful model and would-be actress. Questioned relentlessly by the police, and particularly by hulking detective squad commander Ed Cornell (Laird Cregar), he maintains his innocence. Meanwhile, Vicky's sister Jill (Betty Grable) is also being questioned. Their answers, given in adjoining interrogation rooms, become the basis for brief, neatly constructed interlocking flashbacks at the opening of the movie that explain a ton of plot in very little time. Both are released after admitting nothing, and the police begin working on other suspects, including journalist Larry Evans (Allyn Joslyn), aging actor Robin Ray (Alan Mowbray), and hotel clerk William Harrison (Elisha Cook Jr.) Jill had little use for Frankie, the man who had been promoting her sister's career, but the two are drawn together in the course of trying to sort out their lives and the murder of her sister, and her realization that Frankie is capable of truly loving a woman, and not just exploiting her. Meanwhile, Cornell makes it his business to pressure and torment Frankie, illegally entering his apartment and promising him an arrest and a death sentence. Eventually, the noose seems to tighten around Frankie as the circumstantial evidence piles up, until Frankie, trying to clear himself, uncovers a clue leading back to the real killer -- who was known to Cornell all along. Confronting the detective in his apartment, Frankie discovers a veritable shrine to Vicky -- copies of her magazine covers and photos filling the walls of his apartment -- and learns that the man had his own dark reasons for wanting to kill him. His psychosis finally catching up with him, his career and reputation in ruins, Cornell reveals the truth to Frankie as he proceeds to take his own life. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

At first glance, we seem to be watching the 1934 Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musical The Gay Divorcee, which opens with a montage of Paris nightspots. Suddenly, however, stock footage from that earlier film is cut short, the screen goes dark, and an offscreen radio voice announces the Nazi invasion of France. At this point, the plot of Joan of Paris gets under way. Michèle Morgan plays a Parisian barmaid, Joan, whose patron saint is Joan of Arc. Thus, she considers it her bounden duty to aid Free French pilot Paul Lavallier (Paul Henreid) and his RAF comrades (one of whom is Alan Ladd) in their efforts to escape from occupied France. And if this means that Joan must face death at the hands of slimy Gestapo chief Herr Funk (Laird Cregar), she's eager and willing to make that sacrifice. One of the earliest French Underground dramas, Joan of Paris posted a neat profit for ever-in-the-red RKO Radio Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ladies in Love transplants 20th Century-Fox's favorite film plot--three girls on the prowl for rich husbands--into the Budapest of the mid-1930s. Janet Gaynor, Loretta Young and Constance Bennett combine their earnings to rent a luxurious apartment, in hopes of attracting wealthy potential husbands. Young falls for a nobleman (Tyrone Power), who is engaged to another woman. She contemplates taking poison, but the lethal dose is accidentally ingested by Gaynor, whose plight results in a house call from Dr. Don Ameche, whom Gaynor has worshipped from afar. It is Bennett who snags the wealthy husband, middle-aged businessman Wilfred Lawson. Though Tyrone Power's part was small, he clicked immediately with the audiences, prompting the studio to give Power the big buildup. Ladies in Love would be reworked several times in the future, most obviously as How to Marry a Millionaire. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi