Wade Boteler Movies
In films from 1919 onward, stocky American actor Wade Boteler hit his stride in talking pictures. Blessed with a pit-bull countenance, Boteler was in practically every other "B" western made between 1930 and 1935, often cast as a hard-hearted sheriff or crooked land baron. Affecting an Irish brogue, Boteler was also in demand for policeman roles, notably as Inspector Queen in the 1936 Ellery Queen opus The Mandarin Mystery. His most effective lovable-Irishman stint was as conclusion-jumping cop Michael Axford in the 1940 serial The Green Hornet; in fact, when fans of the Green Hornet radio version would ask Detroit station WXYZ for a picture of Axford, the station would send off an autographed photo of Boteler, even though Gil O'Shea essayed the part on radio. Frequently on call for bit parts at 20th Century-Fox studios, Boteler was seen in such Fox productions as In Old Chicago (1938) and A-Haunting We Will Go (1942). Wade Boteler's final film was Warner Bros.' prophetically titled The Last Ride (1944), released one year after Boteler's death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1920
With a title like this one, it's practically a given that this silent picture starred Charles Ray. But this time around, instead of being a homespun rural boy, he's a city guy with homespun ideals. His dream of a home in the suburbs is so strong that he has one built before he tells his fiancee, Betty Graves (Ethel Shannon). But Betty is upset by his presumptuousness and her vision of home life definitely doesn't include a suburban home, so she dumps him. Then Herbert (Wade Boteler) and Sybil (Grace Morse), married friends of the battling pair, split up, and Sybil takes their three children to stay with David. So David and the girl's father, a doctor (Alfred Allen), plot to have the home quarantined -- with Betty in it -- in the hopes that this will enable her to make up with David. Amazingly, instead of driving her completely nuts, this ploy does work (even in the 20s, this idea couldn't possibly have been realistic), and both couples wind up reconciling. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1921
Hobart Bosworth both produced and starred in this rugged drama. Lars Larson (Bosworth) and John Thomas (Wade Boteler) are pals who head for the Yukon with their new wives (Irene Blackwell and Collette Forbes). The wives give birth in Nome -- the Larsons have a girl and the Thomases a boy. But Larson notices that both infants have similar birthmarks on their shoulders. He immediately assumes that his wife has been unfaithful and he swears to one day get vengeance. After 20 years, Larson's wife has died and the two men have become millionaire mine owners. Larson, however, is being cheated by one of his employees, James Curdy (William Conklin). James Bradley, another worker (Henry Hebert), threatens to expose him. Larson's daughter, Julia (Madge Bellamy), wants to marry Thomas' son, Paul (Raymond McKee), but Larson refuses to give his assent. Paul goes to Larson's yacht to plead his case on the same night that Bradley shows up to expose Curdy. But Curdy also shows up and there is a struggle. Bradley is killed, and Curdy convinces Larson that he is the murderer. Larson flees up north and Curdy sets fire to his yacht. Paul is accused of killing Larson and is sentenced to be hung. Larson, however, finds out about the trial and returns to San Francisco to save Paul's life. Curdy confesses that he killed Bradley, and Rita, Larson and Thomas' half-breed servant (Lule Warrenton), reveals that she switched Julia and Paul at birth because Thomas so desperately wanted a boy. Somehow this assures everyone that Paul and Julia are not half-brother and sister, and they are wed. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hobart Bosworth, Wade Boteler, (more)
- 1921
George Beban, who was known for his ethnic characterizations, especially Italians, wrote, directed, and starred in this heartwarming comedy/drama. Lupine Delchini (Beban) is fired from his job at the lunch counter when he gives food to a penniless man. Before he leaves, he gives the man part of his salary too, not realizing that he is a secret service man in disguise. Because of this kindness, the man makes sure that Delchini is hired as the head of the local dog pound, where he can express his love for animals. One day a little boy (George Beban Jr.) and a dog show up at the pound, and Delchini adopts them both. The boy, it turns out, is a Belgian refugee, and the secret service man finds his mother. Delchini proposes to her and because he loves her little boy so much, she accepts, even though she is in love with the secret service man. Eventually Delchini discovers this, and he is sad at the thought of losing the boy. But then it is discovered that the boy actually changed identification cards with another tot, who is really the woman's son. Delchini is allowed to keep the boy, and he realizes he loves his patient secretary, Flora Valenzi (Helen Jerome Eddy). ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1921
Bebe Daniels breezes through the comic complications of Ducks and Drakes. Daniels plays Teddy Simpson, the flirtatious fiancee of sportsman Dick Chiltim (Edward Martindel). To teach her a lesson, Dick talks his pal Rob Winslow (Jack Holt) into posing as an escaped convict. At first thrilled at the prospect of being kidnapped by the handsome "fugitive," Teddy is scared silly when Winslow prepares to "have his way" with her. She skeedaddles back to the arms of her fiancé, vowing never to flirt again. More nonsense from the "pregnant-barefoot-kitchen" school of comedy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bebe Daniels, Jack Holt, (more)
- 1921
Katherine MacDonald, who was known more for her beauty than for her acting ability, is the star of this satirical thriller, which takes a few pokes at the film industry. Movie-mad society girl Diane Drexel (MacDonald) invites her friends over for a screening of her amateur version of Carmen. After it is done, she announces that she's going to show her original film, Stranger Than Fiction. The lights go off and when they come on again, the guests discover that they have been robbed by the notorious thief Black Heart (Wade Boteler). The police can't find him, so Diane tells her lazy fiancé, Dick Mason (David Winter), that she will marry him only when he has tracked down the thief. Dick has no better luck, and Diane goes into the slums, where she meets the Shadow (Jean Dumont) and young Freckles (Wesley Barry). Because of her kindness to Freckles, the Shadow takes Diane into his confidence and they scheme to trap Black Heart. Black Heart enlists Diane to rob her own house, and she sends Freckles to fetch the police. In an exciting airplane chase, Black Heart crashes to his death, while Diane and Dick land safely. The lights then go on -- it turns out to be Diane's own film. She promises her husband that she will stop fooling around with the movies -- just as soon as she's completed one more, starring a neighborhood boy who can walk just like Charles Chaplin. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1921
Johnny Hardwick (Douglas MacLean) is the owner of the fastest horse in the next race. Although it's almost guaranteed that he will win big, Hardwick ruins his chance by saving a little girl who has run out onto the track. The child's father shows his gratitude later on when he offers Hardwick a job as a clerk in his hotel -- Hardwick has been forced to flee after a fight in a roadhouse. Hardwick is also forced to leave that job, eventually taking a position as a handyman, where he meets Margaret Warren (Beatrice Burnham), who is presiding over the local post office. A horse race at the county fair gives Hardwick an opportunity to stage a comeback. The requisite villain has entered a ringer, so Hardwick brings in his own horse to defeat him. Motion Picture News called actor Douglas MacLean "one of the most popular polite comedians of the screen," meaning that he did not do slapstick. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walt Whitman
- 1921
Fifty Candles is based on a story by Earl Derr Biggers, creator of Charlie Chan. The protagonist, played by Bertram Grassby, is an aristocratic Chinese. Through a trick of the plot, Grassby is forced into two decades' worth of servitude to an ill-tempered white man. Freed from bondage on his 50th birthday, the ex-slave kills his former master--an act of justifiable homicide so far as the script is concerned. Top billing in Fifty Candles is bestowed upon Marjorie Daw, a fetching ingenue who rose to fame as Doug Fairbanks' leading lady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marjorie Daw, Bertram Grassby, (more)
- 1921
Bebe Daniels stars in this adaptation of the Miriam Michelson novel (and play), In the Bishop's Carriage. Thief Tom Dorgan (Wade Boteler) has trained an orphan, Nance Olden (Daniels) to be his accomplice. At a station she pretends to faint so that Dorgan can steal a diamond necklace from a man's pocket. She then hides in a carriage which turns out to belong to Bishop Van Wagenen (Herbert Standing). To cast off any suspicion she pretends to be crazy, so the Bishop feels sorry for her and takes her to his friend's home. Mr. Ramsey (Z. Well Covington) is the man Dorgan robbed, so Nance has to keep up her ruse. Later that night, Dorgan enters Nance's room and is caught. He's sent to prison for his deeds. Meanwhile, Nance has fallen for William Latimer (Emory Johnson), who is engaged to Nellie Ramsey (Ruth Renick). He's onto her, but he teaches her the meaning of right and wrong. When Nance has reformed, they marry. This was an odd, and not very satisfying vehicle for rising star Bebe Daniels -- it was primarily a drama, and as Harold Lloyd's former foil, she was already known for her comedic talents. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bebe Daniels, Emory Johnson, (more)
- 1922
This Western -- which like many silent-era pictures was based on a Saturday Evening Post story (this one by Peter B. Kyne) -- was Jack Holt's second starring vehicle. The rough character he plays here suited him well, and he would continue to find success playing virile fighting men throughout his career. With the help of Red Barton (Wade Boteler), Phil (Holt) makes a spectacular escape from jail. He obtains a parson's outfit from a pawnshop and shortly thereafter winds up in a barroom brawl. One of the other brawlers is Chuckwalla Bill (J.P. Lockney), the newly elected mayor of the town of Panamint. Bill likes Phil's style and brings him in as the new pastor. To make his way in this tough Western town, the pseudo-preacher has to fight his way through the town's rough element. He wins the town's respect -- and the love of dancehall girl Sunflower Sadie (Mabel Van Buren). He also wins over the religious people of Panamint and brings the two opposing factions, good and bad, together. But then the law catches up with him and he has to go back to prison to finish his term. Sadie promises to wait for him, and when he finally is released, there she is, with open arms. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Holt, Wade Boteler, (more)
- 1922
Whole films had been written around song titles before, but it had been years since the ditty "Second Hand Rose" had been popular, and a revival wasn't likely. But then, Gladys Walton was one of Universal's lesser lights, so the studio probably wasn't trying exceptionally hard. Walton did, however, have a solid supporting cast here. Issac Rosenstein, a kind-hearted Jewish man who owns a second hand store (George B. Williams), adopts an Irish orphan, Rosie O'Grady (Walton). "Popa" Rosenstein's son Nat (Eddie Sutherland) works for a silk manufacturing company, and while delivering lunch to the young man, Rosie meets shipping clerk Terry O'Brien (Jack Dougherty). Nat, who's not a terribly ambitious sort, stops by the pool room while on his way home from his job and his cohorts there steal his shipping instructions. The goods are stolen, and Nat is sent to jail. An old Irishman, Tim McCarthy (Walter Perry), offers to help Nat out if Rosie will marry him. She agrees, only to discover that Nat is robbing his former employers. But then the truth comes out -- he was only pretending to be in league with his pool room pals so that he could trap them. All is well in the Rosenstein family, and McCarthy graciously hands Rosie back to O'Brien. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gladys Walton, George B. Williams, (more)
- 1922
This entertaining little silent comedy stars Earl Schenck and Betsy Ross Clark). The pair play Harlan Carr and his wife, who have inherited a New England homestead, the Jack O' Lantern, from his Uncle Ebenezer. One stipulation in the will is that they must live in the house for six months before they can claim ownership. It isn't long after they've moved in that they're invaded by a passel of obnoxious relatives who have made it a habit of spending every summer at the place. The relatives spend their time taking advantage of the Carrs and complaining that they inherited nothing. Eventually the couple can take it no longer and they summarily eject all the freeloaders. With that, the lawyer arrives and hands them a letter from Uncle Ebenezer, which congratulates them -- he felt the same way they did about his relatives, but he never had the courage to kick them out. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1922
Florence Lawrence -- the original "Biograph Girl" -- attempted a comeback with this human interest drama. Katherine Nevin (Lawrence) finds a job as a newspaper reporter and observes the dramas and personalities of those around her. Her brother Jack (Raymond Cannon) is in love with Martha Osborne (Barbara Bedford), whose father (Charles K. French) does not approve of him. When Osborne catches them together, he tries to beat Jack, and Martha falls down a flight of stairs, becoming a cripple as a result. Katherine writes a photoplay which reveals all those around her in their real light. The moral of her story is "as you think, so you are." Martha takes this idea to heart and learns to walk again. Clearly, this wasn't the most scintillating of pictures, and Miss Lawrence never did make a successful return to motion pictures. After several failed marriages and being reduced to bit parts, she committed suicide in 1938. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1922
The Great Night hasn't an original moment in its entire 5 reels, but audiences went home satisfied anyway. William Russell plays Larry Gilmore, a carefree young man who must find a wife or lose an inheritance. To expedite matters, Gilmore's pals place an item in the newspapers about his upcoming legacy. Before long, Our Hero is besieged by hundreds of eligible females of all shapes, sizes and ages. Gilmore escapes the onslaught by disguising himself as a cop, a ruse which leads to even more misadventures. The plot of The Great Night has been utilized dozens of times, never more memorably than in Buster Keaton's Seven Chances and the Three Stooges' Brideless Groom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Russell, Eva Novak, (more)
- 1922
Silent cowboy-star Hoot Gibson specialized in playing ruffled, slightly comical cowpokes suffering from a mix of shyness and brash action. In this typical silent Gibson western, the "Hooter" plays a Quaker, whose father (William Welsh) is falsely accused of murder. The son, up until then the butt of endless jokes because of his pacifist ways, kidnaps the sheriff's pretty daughter (Edna Murphy) in order to enforce a fair trial for his father. She falls for the hero, of course, and he is allowed to track down the real killer (Wade Boteler). A pretty brunette known for her "flapper" roles, Edna Murphy was at one time married to director Mervyn LeRoy. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1922
This drama was a rare directing effort from screenwriter Marion Fairfax. Sam Clairborne Sr. (Charles Mailes) wills his estate to his foster son, Bill O'Hara (Pat O'Malley), because his own son, Sam Clairborne Jr. (George Dromgold), has proven to be a drug fiend and unworthy. Part of the Clairborne estate is a dying newspaper, and O'Hara struggles to keep it alive. Although O'Hara loves Sue DeMuidde (Marjorie Daw), he still exposes her father (Noah Beery) in the paper as someone who rents out his property to drug smugglers. Other than that, there's very little news to be had and the paper is about to fold when O'Hara decides to fake a murder to drum up some excitement. The endeavor is a fiasco, and when a dead body is found in the river, Mr. DeMuidde encourages the townsfolk to believe that O'Hara is the killer. It turns out that the dead man is Sam Jr., and he committed suicide. The truth is revealed just in time to save O'Hara. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1922
World War I veteran Frank Mayo wasn't Afraid to Fight in the battlefields of France. But when he becomes a professional boxer, it's a different story. Hoping to raise enough money to pay for his sister's medical bills, Mayo isn't a likely prospect for pugilistic greatness. Only when it is absolutely crucial for him to win does he fully demonstrate his fighting skills. Universal used to churn out programmers like Afraid to Fight by the bushel basket, so we can only assume that the public craved such films and wanted more. Both star Frank Mayo and director William Worthington would remain active into the talkie era as bit players; Mayo's sister is played by child actress Peggy Cartwright, then one of the Our Gang kids. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Mayo
- 1922
Universal star Herbert Rawlinson has the lead in this rather unusual romantic crime drama. James Harrington Court (Rawlinson) is a crook whose talent as a safecracker is well known. But one night he breaks into the wrong house and is discovered by the owner. The owner, however, doesn't think that Court is a robber; instead, he believes that he is the old sweetheart of his fiancée, Velma Gay (Edna Murphy). The man, believing that Velma has been untrue, angrily forces Court to marry her at gun point. The couple begin a new life together, and with Velma's encouragement, Court decides to try earning an honest income for once in his life. Unfortunately, Velma seems to be the only one who wants Court to go straight; all his old associates want him back doing what he did best. But Court sticks to his resolve, and, as a result, finds himself up against a powerful political boss. He has to fight four huge thugs before winning out over his foe. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Herbert Rawlinson, William J. Dyer, (more)
- 1922
This melodrama, with all its standard trappings, was adapted the stage play by Pierce Kingsley, which in turn was based on Grace Miller's novel. Bessie Love stars as orphaned country girl Anna Moore, who, along with her brother, Tommy (Frankie Lee), is being raised by hypocritical Squire Simpson (Tully Marshall). Anna is due to come into an inheritance, and Simpson and his son plot to get their hands on the money. Anna falls in love with Bob Crandall, a visitor from the city (William Scott), and they plan to marry. But the ceremony is interrupted by the appearance of a woman (Barbara Tennant) with a baby, who accuses Crandall of betraying her. Anna returns home, brokenhearted and ready to marry Simpson's son. But the Squire overplays his hand by insisting that Crandall be run out of town. This sets into motion a series of events that wind up proving his innocence. The woman confesses that it is the Squire's son, not Crandall, who is the baby's father, and Crandall and Anna are finally united. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bessie Love, Frankie Lee, (more)
- 1923
William Russell was a popular serial and western star of the early 1920s whose personal nirvana came when he was signed by the Fox Studios. Alias the Night Wind was one of the many 5-reel actioners which Fox used to bring home the bacon whenever one of their "prestige" productions laid a box-office egg. In this one, Russell plays "Bing" Howard, an athlete who has been accused of stealing valuable bonds. To clear himself in both the eyes of the Law and his sweetheart Maude Wayne, Howard decides to go after the actual criminals himself. We said that William Russell was popular; we didn't say he was original. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Russell
- 1923
This farce was based on the musical comedy by Otto A. Harbach and Louis A. Hirsch, which was adapted from the play The Aviator by James H. Montgomery. Douglas MacLean -- who was especially good at farce comedy -- plays the lead, Robert Street. Street is an author whose novel about aviation, Going Up, is a best seller. The only catch is that he has a horror of flying and the one time he was in a plane, he swore never to fly again. But when he escapes to a summer resort, he finds that everyone there knows his name thanks to his pal, Hopkinson Brown (Hallam Cooley). He decides to leave, but then he meets and falls in love with Grace Douglas (Marjorie Daw). Not only does she convince him to stay, but she inspires his courage -- and he needs a lot of that because his romantic rival, Jules Gaillard (Francis McDonald), is the best aviator in France. Gaillard has dared him into competing, and in spite of all of Steele's efforts --and those of his friends -- he has no choice but to take flight. In spite of everything, Street is a complete success in the air, and back on the ground he wins Grace's heart. A very boyish looking Mervyn Leroy -- many years away from his fame as a director -- had a bit part as a bellboy. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas MacLean, Hallam Cooley, (more)
- 1923
Light-comedy actor Douglas MacLean stars in this hilarious mystery capably directed by James W. Horne. Bruce MacAllister, a wealthy San Franciscan (MacLean), leads a pampered and uneventful life. That changes when his sweetheart Helen Summer (Marguerite de la Motte) says she likes "a man of action." MacAllister meets up with a young tough, and when he is called East, he sends the guy in his place; meanwhile, he buys some second-hand clothes and visits the haunts along the Barbary Coast, where he is mistaken for a notorious character called the Chicago Kid. Enlisted to help in a robbery, it turns out the thieves are after his own consignment of diamonds. MacAllister also discovers that his administrator has been trying to swindle him. The result is an endless string of double crosses in which the diamonds keep disappearing and reappearing, and finally no one is willing to identify MacAllister at all. But before the police can drag him off in handcuffs, Helen's father (Arthur Millett) arrives and straightens everything out. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas MacLean, Marguerite de la Motte, (more)
- 1923
Released in 12 chapters, two reels each, this Universal serial starred the veteran William Desmond as Phineas Fogg III, the equally enterprising grandson of Jules Verne's famous circumnavigator. Veteran character player Alfred Hollingsworth played Phineas Fogg II. A child of the industrial age, the younger Fogg pledges to circle the globe in no less than 18 days in an effort to consolidate a company producing synthetic fuel. But while Phineas III endeavors to use the groundbreaking fuel for the benefit of all mankind, a nasty vice president (Wade Boteler) attempts to steal the invention for his own nefarious purposes. Chased by the villain around the globe, Phineas is aided in his quest by lovely Laura La Plante, a rising Universal ingénue with a bright future in light comedy. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Desmond, Laura La Plante, (more)
- 1924
Even if the seal of the American Legion didn't appear at the beginning of this Monogram feature, it would be pretty obvious that it had the organization's endorsement; the hero is in charge of the local post, and it's the Legion who ultimately comes to the rescue. This melodrama was based on a real case, and was meant as propaganda against the cruel treatment of convicts under the leasing system that existed at the time. Jim (Eddie Phillips) hops a freight train to go home, but is caught and arrested. After being sentenced to 90 days, Jim is leased out with other convicts to a lumber company run by Livingston (J.P. McGowan, who also directed). Even after he becomes ill from working in a swamp, he is flogged by Barker, the Whipping Boss (Wade Boteler). Dick Forrest, head of the local American Legion Post (Lloyd Hughes), helps Jim's mother (Lydia Knott) locate her son. Forrest wants to prohibit the floggings, and Livingston. To destroy any evidence of whippings, Forrest has Barker set fire to the stockade where the convicts are chained for the night. With the help of his fellow Legionnaires, Forrest saves the convicts. After escaping with the help of some friends, Jim reappears, and Livingston and Barker are arrested. Conditions for the convicts are improved, and Jim regains his health. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1924
Wealthy John Woodbury (Douglas MacLean) is mistaken for a patient by a trio of overeager doctors. After being put through a battery of tests (one of which involves blindfolding Woodbury, who promptly walks out on the ledge of the high rise building), he is told he only has three months left to live. Woodbury's pal, Hector Walters (Hallam Cooley), convinces him to marry his girl, Violet Stevenson (Lillian Rich), so she can clean up financially when he kicks the bucket. Unfortunately -- for Waters, at least -- Woodbury survives the three months and keeps on going. Subsequent attempts on his life don't have the desired effort, either. Eventually, Woodbury really falls in love with his wife and they head off on a belated honeymoon, with a gunman not far behind. This picture was adapted from the play by William H. Post. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas MacLean, Lillian Rich, (more)
