Warren William Movies
Suave film leading man Warren William was the son of a Minnesota newspaper publisher. William's own plans to pursue a journalistic career were permanently shelved when he enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After serving in World War I, William remained in France to join a touring theatrical troupe. He worked on Broadway in the 1920s and also appeared in serial star Pearl White's last chapter play, Plunder (1923). His talkie career began with 1931's Honor of the Family. Typically cast as a ruthless business executive or shyster lawyer, William effectively carried over some of his big city aggressiveness to the role of Julius Caesar in DeMille's Cleopatra (1934). He also had the distinction of starring in three whodunit film series of the 1930s and 1940s, playing Perry Mason, Philo Vance, and the Lone Wolf. Off camera, William was unexpectedly shy and retiring; his co-star Joan Blondell once noted that he "was an old man even when he was a young man." Warren William was only in his early fifties when he died of multiple myeloma. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Wesley Ruggles's Arizona is an epic western set in an impoverished Arizona outpost. It tells the story of the feisty, no-nonsense Phoebe Titus (Jean Arthur). Wearing leather breeches, with a bullwhip and gun, she can out-shoot and out-fight nearly every bad hombre in town, and manages to transform the down-and-out community into Tuscon, one of the most respected towns in the West. When handsome Peter Muncie (William Holden) arrives, on his way to California, Phoebe asserts that he is the perfect person to help her run her cattle ranch, and the two fall in love. But one obstacle makes their plans extremely difficult: con man Jefferson Carteret (Warren William), who secretly hatches a plan to cheat Phoebe out of the property and annihilate Peter on the couple's wedding day. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Holden, Jean Arthur, (more)
- 1938
This follow-up to MGM's 1932 John Barrymore vehicle Arsene Lupin stars the ineluctable Melvyn Douglas. Reported to be dead, suave gentleman jewel thief Arsene Lupin (Douglas) resurfaces under the assumed name of Rene Farrand. Intending to follow the straight and narrow path, Lupin/Farrand reverts to his old larcenous ways when the opportunity to pilfer $250,000 in gems presents itself. Slowing down our hero somewhat is the presence of hotshot American private eye Steve Emerson (Warren William) and glamorous adventuress Lorraine de Grissac (Virginia Bruce). Ironically, both Melvyn Douglas and Warren William also played thief-turned-sleuth Michael Lanyard, aka "The Lone Wolf", over at Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melvyn Douglas, Virginia Bruce, (more)
- 1932
The old reliable Paul Frank/Ladislaus Fodor stage play The Church Mouse was streamlined for the movies in the form of Beauty and the Boss. The "beauty" is fetching Marian Marsh, a stenographer in a staid Viennese financial institution. The "boss" is Warren William, a wealthy baron with a habit of dallying with pretty girls, then letting them down gently. But Marsh, who has a Cinderella complex, isn't about to be cast aside. The diffident Charles Butterworth injects a few genuine laughs into the pat and predictable proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marian Marsh, Warren William, (more)
- 1934
Having previously played dishonest politicians, lawyers, and businessmen, Warren William is cast as a fraudulent doctor in Warner Bros.' Bedside. Riding on the crest of a publicity wave, Dr. Louis (William) is able to move in the finest social circles with impunity. Only when he is unable to provide proper medical care for his own sweetheart Caroline (Jean Muir) does the truth come out: William "earned" his diploma by providing illegal drugs to a dope-fiend doctor (David Landau). Eventually, our "hero" comes to realize the gravity of his lies and rather belatedly vows to redeem himself. Reviewers in 1934 noted that the screenwriters worked so hard to make Warren William's character a heel that his last-minute reformation was thoroughly unconvincing; more to the point, William is more fun to watch when he's a louse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren William, Jean Muir, (more)
Film historian William K. Everson once observed that the secret to the success of Cecil B. DeMille's 1934 Cleopatra is that DeMille subtly reshaped the known historical events into a contemporary "gold-digger makes good" scenario. Exhibiting the same determination with which Barbara Stanwyck sleeps her way to the top in 1933's Baby Face, Queen Cleopatra (Claudette Colbert) uses her feminine wiles to become sole ruler of Egypt. By turns kittenish and cold-blooded, Cleopatra wraps such otherwise responsible Roman worthies as Julius Caesar (Warren William, who wittily plays his role like one of his standard ruthless business executives) and Marc Antony (Henry Wilcoxon) around her well-manicured little finger. To emphasize the "contemporary" nature of the film, DeMille adds little modernistic touches throughout: The architecture of Egypt and Rome has a distinctly art-deco look; a matron at a social gathering clucks "Poor Calpurnia...well, the wife is always the last to know"; and, after Caesar's funeral, Mark Anthony is chided by an associate for "all that 'Friends, Romans, Countrymen' business!" Cleopatra's barge scene and her suicide from the bite of a snake marked two of the most memorable sequences in DeMille's career. Remarkably, for all the enormous sets and elaborate costumes, Cleopatra came in at a budget of $750,000 -- almost $40 million less than the 1963 Elizabeth Taylor remake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudette Colbert, Warren William, (more)
- 1942
Counter-Espionage was the ninth film in Columbia's "Lone Wolf" series, based on characters created by Louis Joseph Vance. Warren William stars as Michael Lanyard, the suave ex-criminal known as The Lone Wolf. This time around, Lanyard is in London during the Blitz, where he finds himself up to his neck in Nazi spies. Counter-Espionage was one of several mid-1940s Columbia "series" films which dropped the name of the series from the title in hopes of attracting new audiences. Other examples of this trend include the "Blondie" episode It's a Great Life (43) and the "Boston Blackie" opus The Chance of a Lifetime (43). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren William, Eric Blore, (more)
- 1939
The extramarital shenanigans of a young married couple provide the basis of this surprisingly racy (for 1939 Hollywood) comedy. The trouble begins on the couple's second anniversary when he calls to say that he will be held up at the office. Later the wife finds lipstick on his collar and becomes very suspicious so she goes to her more worldly best friend who advises the distraught wife to go out and get a job so she can turn the tables on her husband. She ends up working for a lusty architect and sure enough he makes it very clear that he likes the way she is built. The two go out for dinner one night and who should they run into but her husband and his secretary out for a little tete-a-tete. The foursome end up in the architect's penthouse and everyone has a wonderful time until the architect's wife shows up. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, (more)
- 1934
The second of three Kay Francis films in which the star was cast as a dedicated lady physician, Doctor Monica was adapted from a Polish play by Marja Morozowicz Szezepkowska. Francis plays obstetrician Dr. Monica, whose husband John (Warren William) cheats on her with young Mary (Jean Muir). When Mary becomes pregnant, the selfless Monica befriends her, provides her with advice, and delivers the baby. The good doctor even offers to give up John so that the child will have a father. But after giving birth, Mary calmly tells John to go back to Monica -- even though there's every indication that he'll never give up his philandering ways! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kay Francis, Warren William, (more)
- 1935
High-rolling gambler "Odds" Owen (Warren William) establishes an American insurance agency created along the lines of Lloyd's of London. Owen insures Kentucky colonel Jefferson Davis Youngblood (Guy Kibbee) against the possibility that Youngblood's actress daughter Marilyn (Claire Dodd) might get married, thereby cutting off the Colonel's allowance. After scaring away several prospective suitors, Owen messes things up by falling in love with Marilyn himself. Odds are that the 60-minute Don't Bet on Blondes would be completely forgotten were it not for the presence of new Warner Bros. contractee Errol Flynn, who appears in two brief scenes as one of Marilyn's boyfriends. It was Flynn's first speaking role at Warners, and he carried it off with class if not distinction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren William, Claire Dodd, (more)
- 1933
Warren William plays a high-powered ambitious executive who unflinchingly steamrolled his way to the top without regard for the havoc he left in his wake. As the manager of a Macy-like department store, he constantly browbeats his flunkies into submission, and ends-up driving at least one to suicide. Loretta Young plays the wife of one of William's minor employees (Wallace Ford), with whom the Big Boss has a brief affair during an office party. Eventually William gets his comeuppance, and Loretta is vindicated in the eyes of her hubby. A terrific example of pre-Motion Picture Production Code raciness, Employees' Entrance still causes audiences to gasp at its audaciousness when seen today--and also invokes loud laughter when William rebukes one of his errant vice presidents, asking him "What am I paying you so much for? Fifteen thousand a year!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren William, Loretta Young, (more)
- 1931
Dolores Costello spent the twilight months of her Warner Bros. contract in such trifles as Expensive Women. The star is cast as wealthy society girl Constance Newton, a "girl of whims" who flits from one man to the next like a butterfly. After a couple of desultory affairs with Bobby Brandon (Joe Donahue) and Neil Hartley (Warren William), she finds true love in the form of Arthur Raymond (Anthony Bushell). Even so, she's hesitant about making a lifetime commitment -- and besides, Arthur is already married. A few days later, Constance is back with the reckless Bobby, a reunion that ends in disaster when Arthur kills Bobby in a fight. Not wishing to ruin two lives, Constance takes the blame for the killing, which is ruled by the jury as a suicide. Having learned her lesson, Constance is consoled by Neil Hartley, who returns from nowhere to make her his wife. It was supposed to be a heavy drama, but audiences tended to laugh in the wrong places. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolores Costello, Anthony Bushell, (more)
- 1946
Peter Cookson, Monogram's answer to Jimmy Stewart, stars in Fear, also known as Black Tower Cookson plays a medical student who becomes involved in a murder. Anne Gwynne is the girl who doesn't completely trust Cookson, but helps him out anyway. Also appearing as one of those oh-too-helpful types is Warren William, who died in 1948, suggested that perhaps Black Tower was lensed a few years before its official 1950 release date. Some sources list Black Tower as a PRC production; this is possible, though PRC was defunct by 1950. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Cookson, Warren William, (more)
- 1936
Go West, Young Man represented the first time that Mae West starred in a film not originally written with her in mind. Based on Lawrence Riley's stage comedy Personal Appearance (which starred Gladys George on Broadway), the film casts La West as Mavis Alden, a pretentious and somewhat stupid movie star who is shipped out on a nationwide promotional tour of her latest picture, Drifting Lady. Stranded in a backwater Pennsylvania town, she finds time for a chaste romance with local gas-station attendant Bud (Randolph Scott). Her enthusiastic press agent tries to stage-manage a wedding between the two casual lovers, whereupon West wriggles out of the commitment by renouncing Scott -- repeating the flowery dialogue from her newest cinematic masterpiece. Mae West is moderately amusing in an uncharacteristic assignment, but one wonders what the results would have been if Paramount had allowed her to star in her first choice of assignments: A satirical biography of Catherine the Great. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mae West, Warren William, (more)
- 1933
The second talkie version of the Avery Hopwood's theatrical war-horse The Golddiggers of Broadway, Gold Diggers of 1933 was the second of three back-to-back 1933 Warner Bros. musicals benefiting from the genius of Busby Berkeley. The basic plot is retained from the Hopwood play: Showgirls Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler and Aline McMahon attempt to find financial backing for the new show planned by producer Ned Sparks. Songwriter Dick Powell, an incognito man of wealth, offers to put up the money, a fact that brings down the wrath of his older brother Warren William, who despises show folk. Attempting to buy off the three girls, William is placed in a compromising position by the crafty Blondell and is compelled to bankroll the musical himself. The oddest aspect of Gold Diggers of 1933 is the fact that the mood of the songs is wildly at variance with the plot. The film begins with dozens of chorus girls (led by Ginger Rogers) happily chirping "We're In the Money", a rehearsal number interrupted when the finance men burst in to claim the sets and props from the impoverished troupe. At the end, when everyone is genuinely in the money, the troupe stages a downbeat "Brother Can You Spare A Dime"-style production number, "Remember My Forgotten Man"--and it is on this doleful indictment of the Depression that the film fades out! Other Berkeley-staged musical highlights include "Pettin' in the Park" (yes, that salacious little baby really is Billy Barty) and the neon-dominated "Shadow Waltz", all written by the prolific Harry Warren and Al Dubin. As spectacular as Gold Diggers of 1933 was, it would be topped by the last of Berkeley's 1933 trilogy, Footlight Parade. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren William, Joan Blondell, (more)
- 1933
Famous author Kenneth Bixby (Warren William) would like to jump-start his romance with ex-sweetheart Julie (Genevieve Tobin). There are, however, at least two people who'd prefer that Bixby stick to writing and stay away from Julie. One is Julie's husband Harvey Wilson (Hugh Herbert); the other is Bixby's loyal secretary Anne (Joan Blondell), who's been carrying a torch for her boss for years. It all winds up in a cross-country chase, with everybody suspiciously tailing everybody else. Based on a play by George Haight and Allan Scott, Goodbye Again was dutifully remade under a different title by the Warner Bros. "B" unit in the early 1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Blondell, Genevieve Tobin, (more)
- 1931
In this swashbuckling melodrama, set in Budapest, a seductive gold-digger becomes the mistress of a wealthy old man. She, with the assistance of her lover, a swordsman, soon comes to rule his house and keeps her elderly husband's family in line by intimidating them. Her ploys work well until the old man's nephew comes back from the Foreign Legion and boots her out of the house. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bebe Daniels, Warren William, (more)
- 1934
The first of two film version of Fannie Hurst's novel, 1934's Imitation of Life chronicles the friendship between two women--one white (Claudette Colbert), one black (Louise Beavers). Colbert is a widow with a baby daughter who hires Beavers, who also has a daughter, as a housekeeper. Colbert is a working girl who yearns to operate her own business, which she does thanks to Beavers' special pancake recipe. A family friend (Ned Sparks) suggests that the ladies form a corporation to merchandise the "Aunt Delilah" pancake mix, and within ten years both women are quite wealthy. Colbert's relationship with her teenaged daughter (Rochelle Hudson) is strained when both ladies vie for the attentions of the same man, but these problems are minor compared to the travails of Beavers, who not only must deal with the De Facto segregation of the 1930s but must also contend with her restless daughter (Fredi Washington), who resents being an African-American and attempts to pass for white. The heartbroken Beavers dies, and at her funeral her now-chastened daughter weeps out her apologies for turning her back on her mother. Imitation of Life was remade in 1959, its story glamorized and updated to accommodate star Lana Turner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudette Colbert, Warren William, (more)
May Robson plays Apple Annie, a slatternly Broadway apple peddler. Annie has a curious setup whereby she is able to finagle other street merchants and beggars to pony up part of their weekly earnings to her--yet she never seems to spend any of the money on herself. This is because Annie has a daughter named Louise (Jean Parker), who has been supported in luxury all her life by her mother. Louise has no idea who Annie really is; so far as she knows, her mother is Mrs. E. Worthington Manville, a Manhattan society matron. When Louise sends Annie a letter telling her that she's become engaged to a young Spanish nobleman named Carlos (Barry Norton), Annie is aghast: once Louise brings her fiance to New York, the jig will be up. Coming to the rescue is high-rolling gambler Dave the Dude (Warren William), who considers Annie his good-luck charm. With the help of his nightclub-thrush girlfriend Missouri Martin (Glenda Farrell), Dave arranges a huge society reception for Louise -- and a complete fashion makeover for Annie. To do this, a few strong-arm methods are required, notably the kidnaping of several society reporters; also, it's necessary to pass off down-and-out Judge Blake (Guy Kibbee) as Annie's well-connected husband. Lady for a Day is the film with which Frank Capra hoped to enter the Big Leagues by taking home a shelf-full of Academy Awards. His subsequent embarrassment at the 1934 Oscar ceremonies has now passed into Hollywood legend, but he made up for this debacle with his Oscars sweep for It Happened One Night. Lady for a Day was remade by Capra as 1961's Pocketful of Miracles, with Bette Davis as Apple Annie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren William, May Robson, (more)
- 1930
In this romance, a disillusioned wife, learning that her husband has been unfaithful, divorces him and moves to Paris where she is changed from a frowsy hausfrau to a sexy, sophisticated lady. A wealthy dame asks her to help destroy the affair between her granddaughter and the woman's ex-husband. The woman agrees to do it and returns to the U.S. where she hosts a large party. Among the guests are her ex-husband and his lover--the granddaughter. The wife has become so lovely, that her former spouse does not at first recognize her. When at last he does, their romance begins anew. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Shearer, Rod La Rocque, (more)
Lillian Russell is the sanitized musical biopic of the legendary (and much-married) 19th century musical comedy star. Discovered in 1880 by bandleader Tony Pastor (Leo Carrillo), Lillian Russell (Alice Faye) wastes no time rising to fame and fortune on the Broadway stage. Along the way, she curries the favor of such eligible bachelors as newspaperman Alexander Moore (Henry Fonda), composer Edward Solomon (Don Ameche), and railroad tycoon Diamond Jim Brady (Edward Arnold). She marries the first two, and has a high old time (albeit chastely) with the third. The story ends with Russell's retirement in 1912, and her reunion with the one true love of her life. The film's hands-down highlight is a timeworn but classic routine involving those two Broadway comedy giants Joe Weber and Lew Fields, both of whom had appeared on-stage with the real Lillian Russell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Faye, Don Ameche, (more)
- 1935
In this drama, an amateur pilot is driven to living life in the fast lane after he pilots that plane that crashed and killed his parents and his sister. He goes on to marry. He and his new wife live in terrible conditions until he suddenly inherits $8,000 which he uses to buy a plane and start up a commuter service. Unfortunately, he finds himself again in debt. His disgusted wife leaves, but when he is hurt in a car crash, she eventually returns. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kay Francis, George Brent, (more)
- 1937
Sam Wood directed this fourth version of the Alexandre Bisson weeper, buffed to a high gloss by shimmering M.G.M. production values. Gladys George plays Jacqueline Fleuriot this time around, the wife of a diplomat who has an affair and is compelled to leave her husband and son. After abandoning her family, she sinks into a sea of debauchery, becoming involved in prostitution, blackmail, and eventually murder. After the murder, her son Raymond (John Beal), now a grown man and a famous lawyer, is called upon to defend her. Unaware that the woman he is defending is his long lost mother, Jacqueline tries to hide her past from her successful son. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gladys George, John Beal, (more)
- 1937
A custody battle provides the basis for this melodramatic domestic drama. The case centers around a young girl who has recently inherited a fortune from her deceased grandfather. She had been living with her mother, but now her avaricious father wants the child back. The mother is a performer; the courts deem her an unfit mother and remand the child to her father's custody. The father turns out to be cruel and uncaring. Fortunately, a compassionate juror is able to prove that the father paid his witnesses and the girl is returned to her loving mother. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren William, Mady Correll, (more)
- 1943
In this entry in the "Lone Wolf" series, the sleuth and former jewel thief, the Lone Wolf finds himself accused of killing a blackmailer in front of the three women he was harassing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1943
Though it's not made readily apparent by the title, Passport to Suez was the 10th entry in Columbia's "Lone Wolf" series. Warren William returns as amateur sleuth Michael Lanyard, aka the Lone Wolf, while Eric Blore is his faithful valet Jamison. In this outing, Lanyard finds himself in Alexandria, Egypt, where he works as an unofficial espionage agent for the Allies. Nazi spies threaten to murder Jamison if Lanyard does not agree to steal valuable military documents from the British Embassy. Among the suspicious characters weaving in and out of the proceedings are Johnny Booth (Sheldon Leonard), a "Rick Blaine" style café proprietor, and Valerie King (Ann Savage) a secret agent posing as a journalist. One of the film's cuter script touches is a trio of spies with "artistic" code names: Rembrandt, Cezanne, and The Whistler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren William, Ann Savage, (more)
