Jane Winton Movies
A rather reserved beauty who at one time was publicized as "the Green-Eyed Goddess of Hollywood," Jane Winton turned up in films in the mid-'20s, usually playing patrician girls but once in a while showing up among the working stiffs as well. She was beautiful and regal as Donna Beatrice in Don Juan (1926), vying for the favors of John Barrymore with the likes of Mary Astor and June Marlowe, and an extremely seductive model, long blonde wig and all, opposite Clive Brook's artist in Why Girl Leaves Home (1926). Also fondly remembered are Winton's rather unsuccessful attempts to offer George O'Brien a manicure in the classic Sunrise (1927), a brief scene but well executed by both. Despite a small but showy part in Hell's Angels (1930), the advent of sound did her no favors, and Winton was later one of the many fading Hollywood stars vainly attempting to start afresh in England. She was at one time married to screenwriter Charles Kenyon. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1937
No relation to the same-named Charlie Chaplin production, Limelight is a joint vehicle for British movie favorite Anna Neagle and radio celebrity Arthur Tracy, aka "The Street Singer." Neagle plays chorus girl Marjorie Kaye, who discovers tenor Bob Grant (Tracy) as he sings in the streets for pennies. When the star of the show in which Marjorie is appearing develops laryngitis, she talks the producer into giving Bob a chance. Sure enough, he becomes an overnight sensation -- and surer enougher, success goes right to his head. After a brief dalliance with a society deb (Ellis Jeffreys), however, Bob realizes that he's still in love with Marjorie. In addition to the two stars, Limelight is enlivened by the dancing prowess of the legendary Tilly Losch; also showing up for an uncredited cameo is stage and screen luminary Jack Buchanan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Neagle, Arthur Tracy, (more)
- 1937
Backstage is more flavorful fluff from the star/director combo of Anna Neagle and Herbert Wilcox Neagle. Neagle plays a likeable chorine who hears tenor Arthur Tracy singing on streets. No surprises here: before he left for England, Tracy had gained fame in the US as radio's "Street Singer". But back to the plot: Neagle tries to find work for Tracy, but he doesn't get his Big Break until a major star comes down with laryngitis. Nope, still no surprises here. Once he becomes a star himself, Tracy grows swell-headed. What does down-to-earth Neagle do about this? Well, let's leave at least one surprise wrapped up. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Neagle, Arthur Tracy, (more)
- 1934
In this romance, a handsome heir finds he cannot receive his due fortune unless he is married so he makes a deal with a pretty young German woman. She agrees to his terms that it will strictly be a marriage of convenience slated to end as soon as he receives his fortune. The marriage occurs, but unbeknownst to him, who secretly pines for the ex-flame who jilted him, his bride really does love him and will do anything to get him to love her back. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greta Nissen, Weldon Heyburn, (more)
No one was surprised in 1929 that aviation mogul Howard R. Hughes would produce a paean to World War I flying aces like Hell's Angels. Given Hughes' comparative inexperience as a moviemaker, however, everyone was taken slightly aback that the finished film was as good as it was. The very American Ben Lyon and James Hall play (respectively) Monte and Roy Rutledge, a couple of British brothers who drop out of Oxford to join the British Royal Flying Corps. Several early scenes establish Lyon and Hall's romantic rivalry over two-timing socialite Helen (Jean Harlow). While flying a dangerous bombing mission over Germany, the brothers are shot down. The commandant (Lucien Prival), who'd earlier been cuckolded by one of the brothers, savors his opportunity for revenge. He offers the boys their freedom if they'll reveal the time of the next British attack; if they don't cooperate, they face unspeakable consequences. Roy, driven mad by his combat experiences, is about to tell all when he is shot and killed by Monte. The latter is himself condemned to a firing squad by the disgruntled commandant -- who, it is implied, will soon meet his own doom at the hands of the British bombers. Nobody really cares about this hoary old plot, however; Hell's Angels culls most of its strength from its crackerjack aerial sequences. The highlight is a Zeppelin raid over London, one of the most hauntingly effective sequences ever put on film. From the first ghost-like appearance of the Zeppelin breaking through the clouds, to the self-sacrificing behavior of the German crew members as they jump to their deaths rather than provide "excess weight," this is a scene that lingers in the memory far longer than all that good-of-the-service nonsense in the finale. Also worth noting is the star-making appearance of Jean Harlow. When Hell's Angels was begun as a silent film, Norwegian actress Greta Nissen played the female lead. During the switchover to sound, producer Hughes decided that her accent was at odds with her characterization, so he reshot her scenes with his latest discovery, Harlow. While she appears awkward in some of her scenes, there's no clumsiness whatsoever in her delivery of the classic line about slipping into "something more comfortable." Originally, Marshall Neilan was signed to direct the film, but became so rattled by Howard Hughes' interference that he handed the reins to Hughes himself, who was in turn given an uncredited assist by Luther Reed. Also ignored in the film's credits are the dialogue contributions by future Frankenstein director James Whale, who'd been hired as the film's English-dialect coach. Modern audiences expecting a musty museum piece are generally surprised by Hell's Angels' high entertainment content: they are also startled by the pre-code frankness of the dialogue, with phrases like "The hell with you" bandied about with reckless abandon. In recent years, archivists have restored the film's two-color Technicolor sequence, providing us with our only color glimpses of the radiant Jean Harlow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Lyon, James Hall, (more)
- 1930
This thriller begins in 1889 as a lover kills another in a mansion. The film then jumps ahead to 1929 as an eccentric antique dealer, his daughter, maid and butler are moving in to the same mansion. Upon the arrival of the daughter's fiance, a reporter, a series of strange murders start. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Winton, Crauford Kent, (more)
- 1930
The plays of Zoe Akins were so stilted and mannered that one critic referred to watching them as "the curse of an Akins heart." The film versions of Akins's efforts were slightly better, as proven by The Furies. Lois Wilson stars as attractive Mrs. Sands, who despite her married status is ardently pursued by several libidinous bachelors. When Mr. Sands (Montague Love) is poisoned to death, each of Mrs. Sand's two most fervent suitors suspects the other of committing the crime. Complicating matters is the fact that Mrs. Sands' defense attorney (H.B. Warner) is also crazy about her. The identity of the actual killer is never in doubt, inasmuch as the actor playing the role had "done it" in several previous films and would continue "doing it" in subsequent murder mysteries. The best scenes occur towards the end, when Mrs. Sands's loyal servants are coached in their testimony by their attorney -- and have trouble remembering their "lines." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lois Wilson, Montagu Love, (more)
- 1929
Virile Victor McLaglen goes shirtless throughout most of the late silent Captain Lash. After rescuing wealthy ship's passenger Cora Nevins (Claire Windsor) from a nasty accident in the engine room, Captain Lash -- who despite his "title" is actually the head stoker -- agrees to help Cora smuggle some valuable jewels past customs. Hoping to save Lash from arrest, his diminutive buddy Cocky (Clyde Cook) substitutes coal for the gems. This gets Lash and Cora in deep trouble with her criminal companions, and for a while it looks as though both hero and heroine are going to be deep-sixed. But Captain Lash handles this dilemma in the same manner that he handles everything -- by beating up everyone within arm's length. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor McLaglen, Claire Windsor, (more)
- 1929
The first of two film versions of Thornton Wilder's novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey begins at the end. The titular bridge, which stands in 18th-century Peru, collapses, killing five people. The natives believe that the bridge's destruction was the result of Divine intervention. Using this as a cue, the film flashes back on the lives of the five victims, allowing the audience to determine whether or not their deaths were deserved. Top-billed as a wanton Spanish dancer/courtesan is Lily Damita, who later gave up her career to become the first wife of Errol Flynn. Originally a silent film, Bridge of San Luis Rey was hastily fitted with an opening and closing reel of dialogue to take advantage of the "all-talkie" craze of 1929. The film was remade in 1945, with perennial "other woman" Lynn Bari in the Lily Damita role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernest Torrence, Raquel Torres, (more)
- 1929
In this early sound drama, an ex-socialite is forced to get a job after hard times cause her to lose her fortune. In her new job she runs into many of her old pals, including her ex-boyfriend who is currently married. Later his wife is murdered and he begins to woo the girl. Though she secretly loves him, she rejects him and he marries another. She rejected him so she could testify on his behalf after he is accused of killing his first wife as she and he had been together when the tragedy occurred. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Boles, Huntly Gordon, (more)
- 1928
Based on a novel by Jack London, Burning Daylight was the first of Milton Sills' four 1928 vehicles. Sills stars as an Alaskan real estate speculator known to friends and foes alike as "Burning Daylight." After making a fortune in the Yukon, the hero loses it all to crooked stock manipulators in San Francisco. When legal methods fail, Burning Daylight pulls out a gun and forces the crooks to return the money. He then hands over the cash to those who bought stock in his Alaskan investments, which leaves him a pauper -- but an honest one. Returning to Alaska, Burning Daylight optimistically decides to start life all over again, this time in the company of his faithful sweetheart Virginia (played by Milton Sills' real-life wife Doris Kenyon). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milton Sills, Doris Kenyon, (more)
- 1928
Next to Show People, The Patsy may well be Marion Davies' best silent vehicle. Based on a hit Broadway play, this modern Cinderella story casts Davies as Patsy Harrington, the drudge of her social-climbing family. Secretly in love with Tony Anderson (Orville Caldwell), the boyfriend of her irresponsible but irresistible sister Grace (Jane Winton), Patsy yearns to be a "personality girl." Rather than cultivate her looks, she decides to become the "intellectual" of her family, which outrages her mother (Marie Dressler) who believes that beauty and brains don't mix. Meanwhile, the fickle Grace begins cheating on Tony with a millionaire named Bill (Lawrence Gray). For Tony's sake, the "new" Patsy throws herself at Grace's new beau, hoping to break up the romance. The whole affair ends, predictably but hilariously with Tony falling in love with Patsy! Best scene: sitting by a mirror, Davies impersonates Lillian Gish, Mae Murray and Pola Negri -- which reportedly infuriated Murray and Negri but delighted Gish. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marion Davies, Orville Caldwell, (more)
- 1928
You couldn't go wrong with the "tired businessmen" in a 1928 movie audience with a title like Bare Knees. Virginia Lee Corbin plays a jazz baby who throws her sister's wedding into turmoil. Not only does she show up in a short flapper dress, but she also-gasp!--smokes and swigs bootleg hootch. Actually, she's got a lot more integrity than some of her sister's phony society friends, as handsome leading man Donald Keith soon finds out. While Virginia Lee Corbin is no Clara Bow, Bare Knees survives as one of the definitive flapper flicks of the twenties. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia Lee Corbin, Jane Winton, (more)
- 1928
Honeymoon Flats was based on a story by Earl Derr Biggers, of Charlie Chan fame. Haughty Mrs. Garland (Kathlyn Williams) is unhappy that daughter Lila (Dorothy Gulliver) has married junior executive Jim Clayton (George Lewis). Putting on the old "But dear, I'm only trying to help you" act, Mrs. G. does everything she can to break up Lila's marriage. The old busybody is finally put in her place by long-suffering Mr. Garland (Phillips Smalley). In the tradition of such stage pieces as 45 Minutes From Broadway and Too Many Cooks, Honeymoon Flats has a lot of fun at the expense of the new phenomenon of "suburbia." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Gulliver, Bryant Washburn, (more)
- 1928
As if to justify the title of this film, leading lady Jacqueline Logan shows up wearing next to nothing in the first few reels. Once the plot gets under way, however, everyone -- including Logan -- is properly bundled up. Receiving a fur coat from her husband Theodore Von Eltz, Logan mistakenly believes that the pelt was a gift from ex-lover Bryant Washburn. She ships the coat back to Washburn, whose own wife Jane Winton likewise misinterprets the situation. When Von Eltz comes home, he can't find the coat and assumes it has been stolen. Complications pile up like cordwood, culminating in a cacophony of confusion at the local police station. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Logan, Theodore Von Eltz, (more)
- 1928
Universal's first 100% all-talkie, Melody of Love was completed with the aid of borrowed Movietone sound equipment from Fox studios (it was largely filmed at night, when Fox was shutdown). Walter Pidgeon stars as Tin Pan Alley composer Jack Clark, who when WWI breaks out signs up for the army with his pal Lefty (Tom Dugan). The boys spend their time overseas plunking out tunes while enemy shells whiz past their head. Eventually, a stray bullet hits Clark in his right arm, rendering him unable to wield a pencil or play a piano. He is sent home, where his former sweetheart Flo Thompson, sensing that Jack isn't going to be much of a gravy train, sends him packing. But there's a happy ending in the offing when French chanteuse Madelon (Mildred Harris) comes back into Jack's life. Recovering the use of his arm, Jack writes a hit song dedicated to Madelon, a sequence which affords former musical-comedy leading man Walter Pidgeon a golden opportunity to show off his splendid singing voice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Pidgeon, Mildred Harris, (more)
- 1927
Dorothy Mackaill has been raised by her embittered mother to despise all men. A beautiful gal, Mackaill can't help but attract the opposite sex. To counteract her appeal, she dresses in a dowdy, masculine fashion (funny, this had the opposite effect for Annie Hall in 1977). Gossips suggest that Mackaill is a you-know-what, so she enters into a platonic relationship with writer Rockliffe Fellowes. But since Jack Mulhall is in the cast of The Crystal Cup, and since Mackaill and Mulhall were a popular screen romantic team of the era, audiences were well prepared for the film's outcome. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Mackaill, Jack Mulhall, (more)
- 1927
This long-lost John Ford production was based on The Snake's Wife, a story by Wallace Smith. The scene is a theatrical boarding house, populated by all manner of colorful show-biz characters. Knife-thrower Jack (Grant Withers) is in love with his vaudeville partner Gertie (Nancy Nash), but she only has eyes for ham actor Eric Bashingham (Earl Foxe). But when Eric has a chance to play Hamlet in London, he drops Gertie like a bad habit. Upon his triumphant return to the boarding house, Eric assumes that he'll be able to pick up with Gertie where he left off. He walks into what he assumes is a welcoming reception for him, only to discover that it's party in honor of Gertie and Jack's wedding. Unceremoniously booted out of the party, Eric still manages to strike a Barrymoresque pose for the wedding photographers on his way out! The cast includes Ziegfeld Follies headliner Raymond Hitchcock as the "star boarder," and John Ford's brother Francis as a juggler with a fondness for the grape. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nancy Nash, Earl Foxe, (more)
- 1927
The play The Monkey Talks by Rane Fauchois, which was an international sensation, became one of the silent era's more unusual dramas. Jacques Lerner, who played Fano on-stage, reprises his role. Pierre (Don Alvarado) is spurned by Maisie, a circus performer (Jane Winton). After she runs away with Bergerin, a lion tamer (Malcolm Waite), Pierre joins a traveling circus which fails, leaving its performers stranded. Several of them team up and have Fano, a diminutive acrobat (Lerner), pose as a talking monkey. Pierre pretends to be his trainer. The act becomes the sensation of Paris, but both Pierre and Fano fall in love with Olivette, the tightrope walker (Olive Borden). Maisie shows up once again, and she and Bergerin kidnap Fano, leaving a real monkey in his place. But Fano escapes and returns just in time to save Olivette from the monkey's vicious attack. Fano is mortally wounded and he dies in Olivette's arms. She and Pierre unite. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olive Borden, Jacques Lerner, (more)
- 1927
Considered by many to be the finest silent film ever made by a Hollywood studio, F.W. Murnau's Sunrise represents the art of the wordless cinema at its zenith. Based on the Hermann Sudermann novel A Trip to Tilsit, this "Song of Two Humans" takes place in a colorful farming community, where people from the city regularly take their weekend holidays. Local farmer George O'Brien, happily married to Janet Gaynor, falls under the seductive spell of Margaret Livingston, a temptress from The City. He callously ignores his wife and child and strips his farm of its wealth on behalf of Livingston, but even this fails to satisfy her. One foggy evening, O'Brien meets Livingston at their usual swampland trysting place. She bewitches him with stories about the city -- its jazz, its bright lights, its erotic excitement. Thrilled at the prospect of running off with Livingston, O'Brien stops short: "What about my wife?" Drawing ever closer to her victim, Livingston murmurs "Couldn't she just...drown?" (the subtitle bearing these words then "melts" into nothingness). In his delirium, the husband agrees. The plan is to row Gaynor to the middle of the lake, then capsize the boat. Gaynor will drown, while O'Brien will save himself with some bulrushes that he'd previously hidden in the boat; thus, the murder will look like an accident. The next day, the brooding O'Brien begins slowly rowing his unsuspecting wife across the lake. Halfway to shore, he makes his intentions clear, but is unable to go through with it. As his wife cringes in terror, O'Brien rows to the other side of lake. Once ashore, she runs away from him in terror, as he stumbles after her, trying to apologize.
Gaynor boards a streetcar bound for the city, with O'Brien climbing aboard a few seconds afterward. Upon reaching the city (a renowned set design), O'Brien continues trying to make amends to his wife. They sit disconsolately at a table in a restaurant, unable to eat the plate of cake that is set before them. Slowly, Gaynor begins overcoming her fear. The couple wander into a church, where a wedding is taking place. Breaking down in sobs, O'Brien begins repeating the wedding vows, thereby convincing Gaynor that she has nothing to fear. Together again, the couple embraces in the middle of a busy street, oblivious to the honking horns and irate motorists. Anxious to prove to each other that all is well, the husband and wife spend a delightful afternoon having their pictures taken and "dolling up" in a posh barber shop. They cap their unofficial second honeymoon at a joyous festival in an outsized amusement park. More in love with each other than ever before, O'Brien and Gaynor head back across the lake in the dark of night. Suddenly, a storm arises. Pulling out the bulrushes with which he'd planned to save himself, O'Brien straps them onto Janet, telling her to swim to shore. The storm passes. Washing up on shore, the unconscious O'Brien is brought home. But Gaynor is nowhere to be found, and it is assumed that she has died in the storm. Half-insane, O'Brien strikes out at Livingston, the instigator of the murder plan. Just as he is about to throttle the treacherous temptress, he is summoned home; his wife is alive! As Livingston stumbles out of the village, O'Brien and Gaynor cling tightly to one another, watching the sun rise above their now-happy home. Together with Seventh Heaven, Sunrise earned Janet Gaynor the first-ever Best Actress Academy Award, while Charles Rosher and Karl Struss walked home with the industry's first Best Photography Oscar. The film itself was also in the Oscar race, but lost out to the more financially successful Wings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Gaynor boards a streetcar bound for the city, with O'Brien climbing aboard a few seconds afterward. Upon reaching the city (a renowned set design), O'Brien continues trying to make amends to his wife. They sit disconsolately at a table in a restaurant, unable to eat the plate of cake that is set before them. Slowly, Gaynor begins overcoming her fear. The couple wander into a church, where a wedding is taking place. Breaking down in sobs, O'Brien begins repeating the wedding vows, thereby convincing Gaynor that she has nothing to fear. Together again, the couple embraces in the middle of a busy street, oblivious to the honking horns and irate motorists. Anxious to prove to each other that all is well, the husband and wife spend a delightful afternoon having their pictures taken and "dolling up" in a posh barber shop. They cap their unofficial second honeymoon at a joyous festival in an outsized amusement park. More in love with each other than ever before, O'Brien and Gaynor head back across the lake in the dark of night. Suddenly, a storm arises. Pulling out the bulrushes with which he'd planned to save himself, O'Brien straps them onto Janet, telling her to swim to shore. The storm passes. Washing up on shore, the unconscious O'Brien is brought home. But Gaynor is nowhere to be found, and it is assumed that she has died in the storm. Half-insane, O'Brien strikes out at Livingston, the instigator of the murder plan. Just as he is about to throttle the treacherous temptress, he is summoned home; his wife is alive! As Livingston stumbles out of the village, O'Brien and Gaynor cling tightly to one another, watching the sun rise above their now-happy home. Together with Seventh Heaven, Sunrise earned Janet Gaynor the first-ever Best Actress Academy Award, while Charles Rosher and Karl Struss walked home with the industry's first Best Photography Oscar. The film itself was also in the Oscar race, but lost out to the more financially successful Wings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, (more)
- 1927
Although she is primarily remembered as a foil for the comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Mae Busch worked in films, from comedies to heavy dramas all throughout the late 1910s and '20s. She stars in this Universal "jewel," which was based on a novel by Gertrude Atherton, a popular author of the era. Ida Hook is an ambitious dance hall girl who meets up with Gregory, a struggling miner (Pat O'Malley). They marry and he strikes it rich. Ora Blake, a scheming society woman (Jane Winton), decides she wants Gregory for herself and invites Ida on a European trip in the hopes that she will fall for someone else. Ora makes Ida appear cold and mercenary, which causes a rift between the couple. When Ida learns her supposed friend's true nature, they have a fight in a mine shaft. The shaft begins to flood, and Ida winds up dragging Ora to safety. She and Gregory are reunited. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1927
The Gay Old Bird in this silent Warner Bros. programmer is Louise Fazenda, cast as ugly-duckling maidservant Sisseretta Simpkins. Our heroine is in the employ of the unhappily married Cluneys (John T. Murray, Jane Winton). Mr. Cluney's wealthy uncle (John Stepping) has promised to bequeath a fortune to the family, provided Cluney remains married. When Mrs. Cluney walks out on her husband, he desperately cajoles Sisseretta into posing as his wife. No surprises here, just a tip-top comic performance by Louise Fazenda, a proven film favorite since 1913. John T. Murray, who plays Cluney, would later become a member in good standing of the Columbia Pictures short subject "stock company." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John T. Murray, Jane Winton, (more)
Beloved Rogue stars John Barrymore as legendary Parisian poet/vagabond Francois Villon. The film follows the basic chronology of all Villon dramatizations (If I Were King, The Vagabond King etc.): To ensure the loyalty of his subjects, crotchety King Louis XI (Conrad Veidt) appoints the waggish Villon king for one day. This proves to be a blessing when Villon rouses the thieves, tramps, trollops and other assorted Parisian lowlifes to defend the walled city against the invading Burgundians. Marceline Day, Mack Swain and Slim Summerville also star. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Barrymore, Conrad Veidt, (more)
- 1927
The lonesomest of the titular lonesome ladies is Polly Fosdick (Anna Q. Nilsson), the wife of wealthy John Fosdick (Lewis Stone). Convinced that her husband is playing the field with sexy widow Mrs. St. Clair (Jane Winton), Polly follows the advice of her block-headed girlfriends and accepts a dinner invitation from rakish playboy Motley Hunter (Edward Martindel). Just as the audience is primed for a showdown between Fosdick and Hunter, the latter timidly excuses himself and leaves the room. The wind taken out of his sails, Fosdick has no choice but to forgive his wife and escort her home. The unexpectedly low-key climax is par for the course for this genteel romantic comedy, in which the characters behave like human beings rather than refugees from a French farce. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lewis Stone, Anna Q. Nilsson, (more)
- 1927
In the spirit of female stars both before and after her, 30-year-old Marion Davies plays a girl a decade younger than herself (actually the men are guilty of this too -- both Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd played college students while in their early 30s). Davies, fortunately, was athletic enough to pull off the part of a college basketball star -- plus she had the comedic talents to make this film both a critical and commercial success. This picture also won a long-term MGM contract for its co-star, ex-football player Johnny Mack Brown. Marion (Davies) doesn't want to go to Bingham college -- that is, until she meets Dixon (Brown), who is working his way through school by coaching the girl's basketball team. She eagerly joins the team and becomes their star player. Things seem to be going well between Marion and Dixon, but when they have a misunderstanding, she huffily misses a big game, which her team loses. As a result, she is ostracized by her fellow students. Finally, a burst of college spirit inspires her to enter the crucial game, which she wins for Bingham in the last seconds. She also wins back her popularity and Dixon. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marion Davies, Johnny Mack Brown, (more)
- 1927
The Poor Nut was based on a stage comedy by the father-and-son team of J. C. and Elliot Nugent. Jack Mulhall assumes the role played by Elliot Nugent on Broadway, that of wimpish college student John Miller. Suffering from an inferiority complex, Miller worships beauty-contest winner Julia (Jane Winton) from afar, writing letters boasting of his imaginary athletic prowess but never having the nerve to mail them to her. When one of his letters is sent to Julia by mistake, she shows up on campus to meet her "hero" John Miller -- who is now obliged to prove that he is, indeed, the super-athlete he claims to be by participating in a track meet. Through a series of flukes and coincidences, Miller ends up the hero of the hour, but in the fadeout it is local soda-shop clerk Margie (Jean Arthur), and not the vampish Julia, who is the beneficiary of our hero's hugs and kisses. The Poor Nut was remade in 1931 as the Joe E. Brown vehicle Local Boy Makes Good. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Mulhall, Charlie Murray, (more)
