Reginald Barker Movies

A pre-stardom Mickey Rooney earned top billing when this minor medical drama was re-released in 1939 as Little Pal (Rooney by then having become the nation's top box-office draw). Ralph Bellamy stars as Dr. Holden, aka "The Healer," a medical doctor operating a charity camp at a mineral spring in the Adirondacks. When vacationing socialite Joan Bradshaw (Judith Allen) is thrown from her horse, Dr. Holden performs a tricky operation that restores her to perfect health. They fall in love, but Joan has a less than savory influence on the good doctor, who forgets all about his charity work in general and lame little Jimmy (Rooney) in particular. Does Mickey regain the use of his limbs when devoted Nurse Allen (Karen Morley) has an accident and does Dr. Holden finally come to his senses for the same reason? Why, yes! The Healer was based on a novel by Robert Herrick that, not surprisingly, dated back to 1911. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Comparatively little known, this Monogram thriller is a remarkably concise adaptation of Wilkie Collins' lengthy 1868 mystery novel The Moonstone. On a dark and stormy night, Franklin Blake (David Manners) and his Hindu manservant Yandoo (John Davidson) arrive at Vandier Manor to deliver the Moonstone, a priceless gem stolen from an Indian temple way back in 1799. The recipient is Anne Verinder (Phyllis Barry), who despite being warned to lock the Moonstone away in the family vault, chooses to place it under her pillow. Sure enough, the gem is stolen during the night, right from under the sleeping Anne. Scotland Yard inspector Cliff (Charles Irwin) has quite an array of suspects to choose from, the most obvious of whom is usurious Septimus Lucker (Gustav von Seyfertitz). One murder and one assault later, Inspector Cliff reveals the genuine culprit -- who, in time-honored tradition, is the least likely and most cooperative of the suspects. The Moonstone is a prime example of what can be accomplished on a small budget with a little extra time and care. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this early musical western, Stephen Ghent (Ian Keith) is a businessman who, after the death of his partner, has been helping to support Ruth Jordan (Dorothy Mackaill), the late man's college-age daughter. While visiting a town near the Mexican border on business, Ghent is shocked to discover Ruth has become a jaded and hard-drinking sophisticate. Convinced she needs a healthy dose of the great outdoors and the simple life, Ghent kidnaps her disguised as a Mexican bandit and carries her away to an isolated cabin in the hills. As the masked cowboy attempts to teach Ruth about the virtues of the simple life, she finds herself falling in love with her captor, though she has a rival for his affections in hot-blooded servant girl Manuella (Myrna Loy). Fancy Baggage was released both as a talking picture and in a silent version, designed to play in small-town theaters (where westerns were perennially popular) which had yet to be wired for sound. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Previously filmed in 1917 and 1925, the evergreen George M. Cohan-Earl Derr Biggers stage mystery Seven Keys to Baldpate was remade as a talkie in late 1929 (and there were still three more remakes to come). Richard Dix stars as novelist William Magee, who's having trouble completing his latest manuscript. Promising his agent (Crauford Kent) that he'll finish the book within 24 hours if only he gets some peace and quiet, Magee heads off to the Baldpate Inn -- for which he thinks he holds the only key. Unfortunately, the mildewed old inn turns into a hotbed of intrigue as several mysterious characters, all bearing duplicate keys, intrude upon Magee's solitude in search of $200,000 in stolen bonds. In the course of the long, long night, a woman is seemingly murdered and a crooked sheriff lays claim to the money himself before Magee takes a hand in matters -- and then, the owner of the seventh key to Baldpate shows up. Even after repeated viewings, the film's double surprise ending holds up beautifully. Beyond bringing a classic theatrical piece to the talkie screen, Seven Keys to Baldpate served an important technical purpose: RKO Radio Pictures used the film to test out its new repertoire of sound effects, ranging from rolling thunder to realistic gunfire. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Colonel Tim McCoy continued his string of successful historical Westerns with The Frontiersman, a muscular adventure set in 1813. John Dale (McCoy) and Abner Hawkins (Tom O'Brien) are members of Andrew Jackson's Tennessee Militia, assigned to make peace with the Creek Indian tribe in general and the treacherous White Snake (Frank Hagney) in particular. Dallying with the beauteous Athalie Burgoyne (Louise Lorraine), Dale is forced into dueling a rival (John Peters). Jackson (Russell Simpson) calls him in for a reprimand, and Dale falls instead for the general's pretty ward, Lucy (Claire Windsor). Jackson once again disapproves, but he changes his mind when Dale rescues the girl from the marauding Indians. Both Windsor and Lorraine had been elected WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1922 by the Hollywood publicists. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Based on a James Oliver Curwood yarn, the outsized Northwest Mountie adventure The Flaming Forest stars Antonio Moreno as RCMP sergeant David Carrigan. Taking a breather from fighting off Indians, Carrigan must bring headstrong young Roger Audemard (Gardner James) to the authorities to stand trial for murder. Though he realizes that Roger acted with justification, and despite the fact that he's in love with Roger's sister Jeanne-Marie (Renee Adoree), Sgt. Carrigan holds fast to the Mountie credo "We Always Get Our Man." But things change radically when a tribe of hostile Indians sets fire to the forest surrounding Carrigan's Mountie camp. The climactic conflagration was originally filmed in Technicolor, adding considerably to The Flaming's Forest box-office appeal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although MGM was known for its streamlined, quality pictures, that didn't mean all its product was glossy, high-budget stuff. Take, for example, this programmer -- a summer release about the frozen north (in the days before air conditioning, snow films were popular releases during the hot months -- supposedly, watching other people freeze cooled off the audience). The man in charge of constructing a railroad is pushing a tunneling job far too fast, and Barry, the engineer (Pat O'Malley), is very concerned about the consequences. His fears are confirmed because the dynamite blasts have weakened the snow ledges. One explosion sets off an avalanche which practically destroys the camp, leaving the workers blocked in without food. After many failed attempts, Barry decides to try saving the workers himself. His bravery wins the admiration of Robinette (Claire Windsor). He manages to tap the wires and request food and supplies, then he fires up the snow plow. Almost single-handedly, Barry saves the camp and wins Robinette's devotion, too. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Two of the silent screen's major stars, beautiful blonde Alice Terry and British-born Conway Tearle, starred in this lavishly mounted MGM western about a woman saved in the nick of time from a fate worse than death at the hands of three rough miners (Tearle, Wallace Beery, and William Orlamond). Tearle suddenly feels remorse and not only saves her from his cohorts but proposes marriage. Having grown to love him, she accepts, but her parents disapprove. All that changes when the girl gives birth to a bouncy baby boy. Amazingly, this story, a barnstormer as old as the hills, could still sell tickets in 1924 and would do it again five years later in a new version produced by First National. The graceful Alice Terry (formerly known as Alice Taafe) was the wife of director Rex Ingram. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, 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

Future MGM star Norma Shearer was still an up-and-coming young starlet when she made an impressive appearance as the flapper daughter in this otherwise mediocre drama. Hugh Benton (Huntly Gordon) comes into sudden wealth and he moves his family into a city mansion. His wife, Marjorie (Mary Alden), is uncomfortable with her new lifestyle and Benton begins an affair with Geraldine De Lacey (Winifred Bryson). Marjorie's two grown children are as opposite as she and her husband -- Elinor (Shearer), like her father, loves the high life, while Howard (William Collier Jr.) sticks by his mother. Elinor attends a wild party and the host, Templeton Druid (Ward Crane), locks her in a room. Benton and Geraldine are also in attendance, and when he hears his daughter calling for help, Benton springs into action and shoots Druid. He is arrested, but Druid recovers and charges are never pressed. The incident helps bring the family back together again. This picture was based on the novel, The Valley of Content, by Blanche Upwright. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide