Claire Windsor Movies

Because of his impressive work in Brown of Harvard and Tell It to the Marines, William Haines had just achieved stardom when he was featured in this simple little comedy, based on the play by Rachel Crothers. But he's nearly upstaged by Harry Carey who, without his usual Western gear, makes a memorable appearance. Urged on by her parents, Julia Rutherford (Claire Windsor) agrees to marry an old family friend, Alexander Smith (Carey). She heads for San Francisco to meet up with him, but on the train she meets handsome, brash George Manning (Haines). The two of them fall madly in love, completely unaware that Smith has boarded the train early to surprise his fiancée. At the end of the trip, Julia and Manning know they must part and give each other a tearful farewell. But they are seen by Smith, who realizes that Julia has found real love. For the sake of her happiness, he is willing to let the couple be together and releases her from the engagement. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Small time mores were satirized in this low-budget comedy-drama from poverty row company Gotham Productions. Claire Windsor played Bonnie Clinton, an enterprising girl who opens a beauty parlor in the village of Clinton Harbor. In an effort to drum up business, the girl bleaches her hair, much to the dismay of the Ladies' Aid Society. But when society hostess Caroline Bennett (Bodil Rosing) includes Bonnie on her guest-list, business starts to pick up, much to the chagrin of crooked businessman Benjamin Flint (Leigh Willard) and his snobbish daughter Olga (Bess Flowers). The Danish-born Bodil Rosing usually played rather dowdy-looking mothers and immigrant women. Her role as society leader in this film was reportedly much closer to the real-life Miss Rosing, the mother-in-law of Hollywood star Monte Blue and a former socialite in her own right. The on-screen credits for Blonde's By Choice included the unusual occupation of "comedy constructor"! ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Little Jackie Coogan, Charlie Chaplin's famous The Kid(1921), starred in this action melodrama from MGM as a young bugler whose stepmother (Claire Windsor) attempts to supplant the mother who only lives in his memory. According to the Motion Picture New Booking Guide, The Bugle Call, which apparently no longer exists, was set in a frontier cavalry post in the 1870s and also dealt with "Indians and adventure." Handsome Herbert Rawlinson played the romantic lead, with Tom O'Brien as a no-nonsense cavalry sergeant and Nelson McDowell and Sarah Padden as weather-beaten frontier types. The Bugle Call was directed by Edward Sedgwick, formerly of Hoot Gibson Westerns. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The Claw is set in Africa, where the wealthy but spineless Maurice Stair (Norman Kerry) has arrived to assume management of his family's property holdings. Arriving soon afterward is Maurice's sweetheart Deidre (Claire Windsor), who is immediately attracted to handsome but villainous overseer Major Kinsella (Arthur Edmund Carewe). It takes some doing, but Maurice eventually proves himself a Real Man by rescuing Deidre from an unending variety of perils. The problem with The Claw is that the villain comes off more sympathetically than the hero, making it all the more astounding that Deidre ends up with Maurice. Also, it is painfully clear that the "Africa" depicted in the film was actually located in the wilds of the Universal backlot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The madness begins when J.P. and May Smith (Conrad Nagel, Claire Windsor) celebrate their second wedding anniversary with a trip to Paris. Succumbing to the charms of the City of Light, J.P. forsakes fidelity to pursue a sexy masked cabaret dancer. Finding out about her husband's galavanting, May discovers that the mysterious dancer is actually the wife of her former ballet teacher. Together, the ladies hatch a plan whereby May will pose as the dancer and teach her errant hubby a lesson. Incidentally, the dancer is played by Hedda Hopper, long before launching her career as a Hollywood gossip columnist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This romantic drama only used half the clichés of the typical horse racing story. There's the impoverished Colonel (or in this case, a judge) and his pretty daughter, who may have to marry the bad guy who has the mortgage on the family home. At least the story draws the line at this juncture -- there are no drugged or kidnapped jockeys and the heroine doesn't put on the jockey's outfit to ride the horse to victory, which is the way most racing melodramas end. Judge Roberts (Frank Keenan) is living a life of genteel poverty, but he doesn't let his daughter, Virginia (Claire Windsor), know. He rears her in luxurious circumstances by selling off his land, bit by bit, until all that is left is the old homestead and a racehorse, who is about to have a colt. But the horse gets out of the stable during a rainstorm and dies after giving birth. The colt, Dixie, just barely survives. Johnny Sheridan (Lloyd Hughes) is down on his luck, and Judge Roberts takes him in. The young man works in the stable and when the colt, Dixie, is badly injured, he saves its life. Dexter, a trainer for a neighboring millionaire (John St. Polis), finally tells Virginia the truth about her father's circumstances. Dixie is entered in a big race and wins 50 thousand dollars, saving Virginia from marrying the man who carries the mortgage on the old homestead. It turns out that Sheridan comes from a good family, so he is able to marry Virginia. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

The solid production (courtesy of director William Worthington) made this Universal programmer an above-average offering. Dr. Jim Keene (Frank Mayo) is a devoted surgeon -- too devoted for his wife, Helen (beautiful Claire Windsor, who was then still known in certain circles under her homely real name, Olga Cronk). Just about every social function she wants to attend is ruined because one important case or another interferes. But things change when Keene suffers a nervous breakdown and he and Helen go on a sea voyage for his health. The ship is manned by a brutal captain whose machismo sparks Helen's interest. But when the captain falls ill, Keene helps saves his life. The captain, however, fakes his death and later returns to do battle with Keene, who was recovered Keene is victorious, and Helen finally learns to appreciate him. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This crime thriller, "suggested by" the story by Hugh McNain Kahler, benefited from the fine directorial hand of Marshall Neilan. Tommy Frazer (Richard Dix) is one of a gang of crooks lead by "Tony the Wop" (Raymond Griffith). Frazer gets caught and is sent up the river for three years on a forgery rap. When he gets out of prison, he finds his girl, Ann Whittaker (Claire Windsor), waiting for him -- and she's got a scheme. She is working in a bank and wants to pull an inside heist. She and Frazer spend a year plotting out the robbery, which is successful. But Frazer has guilt pangs over what he has done and resolves to return the loot. On his way back with the box of money, he encounters his old gang, who steals it from him. Frazer and Ann go to the bank president, Denton Drew (Claude Gillingwater), and confess. But Drew reveals that he knew about their scheme, and the box held only plain paper. He forgives the wayward lovers, who decide to go straight. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Taking time out from his fine series of historical westerns, Colonel Tim McCoy starred in this action melodrama set in China during the Boxer Rebellion. He plays Captain Robert Kelly, an attaché at the American Embassy in Peking, who falls for a pretty Englishwoman, Lady Patricia Rudledge (Claire Windsor). Foolishly visiting a local temple in the midst of the rebellion, the latter is attacked by an enemy priest (Sojin), whom Kelly manages to keep at bay until the girl is safely back with the allied forces. The brave captain then goes on to basically fight and destroy the enemy forces all by his lonesome. As the title implies, this melodrama was rather typical of the mindless racism of 1920s Hollywood. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

How Dooo You Do? offers two refugees from radio's Eddie Cantor Show, Bert Gordon and Harry Von Zell, as an erstwhile comedy team. The film's title is a catchphrase of Gordon's, who gained famed in the 1940s as "The Mad Russian". Seeking refuge from their fans, Gordon and Von Zell head to Desert Springs and register at a resort hotel. No sooner have they arrived than a much-despised radio agent is murdered, casting suspicion on our heroes-not to mention fellow guests Cheryl Walker, Ella Mae Morse, Clare Windsor, and Keye Luke. For reasons that aren't explained until the end of the film, practically all the cast members (including bit players Thomas Jackson, James Burke, and Fred Kelsey) appear under their own names. In fact, the Pirandellian ending is the most entertaining aspect of this patchy comedy-mystery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Little Church Around the Corner is important as the first major financial success for the fledgling Warner Bros. studios. Kenneth Harlan plays a mining-town clergyman who falls in love with his benefactor's daughter. He is about to settle into a life of cozy complacency when a group of miners come to his doorstep, asking that the minister plead to the owners for better living conditions. To prove himself to be "one" with the miners, Harlan moves into their shanty community. This causes a rift with his sweetheart's father, who happens to be one of the owners. A cave-in, an angry mob and a supposed miracle are part and parcel of this 1923 adaptation of the war-horse Marion Russell play, which is directed with a sure, subtle hand by William A. Seiter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Long before becoming the talkie era's foremost screen sourpuss, Ned Sparks was seen as a double-dyed villain in such films as Money Talks. Sparks is cast as Lucius Fenton, a vicious rum-runner who meets his Waterloo in the form of go-getting advertising man Sam Starling (Owen Moore). Hoping to stir up business in a run-down resort, Sam converts the property into a health spa. He hires a charter boat to deliver customers to the spa, little suspecting that the boat's captain -- Lucius Fenton -- is using the job as a cover for his own crooked activities. When Fenton hijacks the boat with Sam's estranged wife Phoebe (Claire Windsor) as hostage, our hero races to the rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this silent crime drama, a police detective masquerades as a convict to befriend a young prison inmate who knows the location of the loot from a major robbery. It is there he learns that the boy doesn't know where it is. He does, however, know the name of the one who does. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide