Gladys Brockwell Movies
An intelligent and versatile silent screen actress, Gladys Brockwell (née Lindeman) was the Brooklyn-born daughter of a struggling chorus girl. On-stage herself from the age of three, Brockwell played ingénues at 11 and dramatic leading ladies at 15, an early stardom that would help her ease gracefully into character roles in the 1920s. She made her screen debut for the Philadelphia-based Lubin company in 1913 and later appeared for D.W. Griffith. Not exactly the wistful type like Lillian Gish or Mae Marsh, Brockwell quickly left Griffith's Fine Arts in favor of Fox, where she would establish herself as one of America's busiest leading ladies, often playing long-suffering women. She was still a top star at the dawn of a new decade but was not above accepting smaller roles as long as they were interesting. In 1922, she played Nancy Sykes opposite Lon Chaney's Fagin in Oliver Twist and was the following year cast as Esmeralda's deranged mother in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, both films having survived and stood the test of time. By the late '20s, Brockwell had become one of Hollywood's most respected character women and would still earn the odd starring assignment. She made the transition to sound with ease, offering a harrowing performance as the gangster's moll in Lights of New York (1928), Hollywood's first 100-percent talking film. This still surviving museum piece was produced by Warner Bros., who awarded Brockwell a seven-year contract. Alas, time had run out for the now veteran star who was fatally injured in a car accident at Calabasas, CA, in late June of 1929, dying from peritonitis at Hollywood Hospital a few days later. Had she lived, Gladys Brockwell may very well have been awarded the kind of roles that instead went to the likes of Ruth Chatterton and Lenore Ulric. Happily, some of her finest silent films, including Oliver Twist and Hunchback, are readily available today. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1929
Despite what you might think by glancing at the title, The Argyle Case has nothing to do with socks. The film's plot is set in motion when the head of the house of Argyle is murdered. In one of his few talking-picture appearances, silent star Thomas Meighan is the detective on the case. Meighan discovers that the culprit is a member of an espionage ring, intent upon stealing valuable state secrets. Based on a play by Harriet Ford, Harvey J. O'Higgins, and William J. Burns, The Argyle Case was previously filmed in 1917. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Meighan, H.B. Warner, (more)
- 1929
Previously filmed in 1923, the William Collier Sr.-Victor Mapes stage play The Hottentot was exhumed as an Edward Everett Horton vehicle in 1929. An inveterate horse lover, Sam Harrington (Horton) brags to his girlfriend Peggy Fairfax (Patsy Ruth Miller) that he is an expert rider. In truth, Sam hasn't a clue as to which end of the horse to mount, meaning that the script will inevitably require him to put his money where his mouth is. The climax finds poor Sam astride the contentious nag "Hottentot" during an all-important steeplechase. Variations of The Hottentot would be churned out for the next several years by Warner Bros., most of them starring Joe E. Brown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Everett Horton, Patsy Ruth Miller, (more)
- 1929
An innocent maid stands accused of killing her employer in this courtroom melodrama from the silent era. During the trial it is revealed that the maid was actually the ex-wife of her wealthy late boss' new husband, but that doesn't necessarily mean she committed the crime. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gladys Brockwell, Forrest Stanley, (more)
- 1929
Most of Monte Blue's talking-picture career was spent in small character roles, but he was still regarded as a bankable leading man when he appeared in the early Warner Bros. talkie From Headquarters. Blue is cast as gutsy U.S. Marine Captain Slappy Smith, assigned to rescue a passel of tourists from the Central American jungle. While fulfilling his duties, Smith falls in love with one of the unfortunate tourists, beautiful Mary Dyer (Gladys Brockwell). This poses a problem for native gal Innocencia (Ethylene Clair) to whom a drunken Smith had previously pledged eternal devotion. Much of the film is stolen by Guinn "Big Boy" Williams as slow-witted Sergeant Wilmer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Blue, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, (more)
- 1929
In this essentially silent drama, a cultured Southern belle must work in a gambling house after her deeply indebted father kills himself. She does so in order to pay her father's debts. In this humble place, the woman meets a handsome, charming man who sweeps her off her feet and takes her away from it all. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1928
Small-towner David Warren (Gaston Glass) is forced to leave his community after accidentally causing the death of a local cop. He makes a beeline to the big city, where he gets mixed up with criminal gang. David falls in love with female crook Mae Andrews (Gladys Brockwell), who feels the same way towards him. To prevent Warren from pursuing an unlawful career, Mae pretends to throw him over in favor of the gang leader. After returning, disillusioned, to his home town, David finds out through the grapevine that Mae still loves him, and a happy ending -- one which must have sorely taxed the ingenuity of the film's screenwriter Arthur Hoerl -- finally transpires. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gladys Brockwell, Gaston Glass, (more)
- 1928
Long-reigning screen queen Norma Talmadge's last silent film (albeit with a synchronized musical score) was the exotic melodrama A Woman Disputed. Talmadge is cast as Mary Ann Wagner, a European orphan girl jointly (and unofficially) adopted by two young military officers: Paul Hartman (Gilbert Roland), an Austrian, and Nika Turgenov (Arnold Kent), a Russian. When her village is conquered by the Russians, Turgenov's interest in Mary Ann shifts from paternal to carnal. She submits to his desires on the condition that he agree not to execute three of the town's leading citizens, including the priest (Michael Vivitch). Naturally, Hartman believes that Mary Ann has betrayed him and renounces her in public. But a deathbed confession by Turgenov reveals that the girl's motives were purely patriotic. Based on a play by Denison Clift, A Woman Disputed also owes a debt to DeMaupaussant's Boule de Suif. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Talmadge, Gilbert Roland, (more)
- 1928
Contrary to popular belief, no one speaks into microphones hidden in vases in this, the first 100% "all-talking" feature film, although an oversized telephone prop is rather conveniently placed near the actors in one long sequence. Although not nearly as crude as its tattered reputation, Lights of New York is far from thrilling, however. Not so much due to the later so maligned sound-on-disc Vitaphone system, but mainly because this was really a quickie B-Movie helmed by a first time director, Bryan Foy, who seems to have been little more than an inefficient traffic cop. Not that there is all that much traffic in this stage-bound melodrama about Eddie (Cullen Landis), a young kid from Upstate New York conned into fronting for a speakeasy on Broadway. There is the inevitable chorus-girl with a heart of gold (top-billed Helene Costello), the downtrodden floozy (Gladys Brockwell), and a cop-killing gangster boss, Hawk Miller (Wheeler Oakman), whom screenwriters Hugh Herbert and Murray Roth furnished with the film's one memorable line. With the cops closing in on him, Hawk needs a patsy. Planting contraband in poor Eddie's shop, the gang leader then instructs his henchmen to "take. . .him. . .for. . .a. . .ride!" Oakman speaks this much parodied line slowly and in a stentorian manner, lest the audience should fail to understand the grave implications. But Eddie escapes his "ride," and there is a final confrontation. Just as all hope seems lost, Hawk is killed by persons unknown. The murder weapon, however, belongs to the chorus girl and she is about to be arrested by no-nonsense Detective Crosby (Robert Elliott), when the real murderer -- the downtrodden floozy -- gives herself up. The performances in this historic talking picture run the gamut from inept (Costello, Landis) to over-the-top (Brockwell) to adequate (Oakman, comic sidekick Eugene Palette). Perhaps due to the newness of it all, the actors keep flubbing their line -- the poor Miss Costello being the worst offender, with Tom Dugan, a veteran supporting player, a close second. Why Warner Bros. should have chosen this pedestrian gangster melodrama as the first full-length talking picture remains a mystery. The best explanation is that the studio was merely testing the waters. Rather than a prestige project like the previous year's groundbreaking part-talkie The Jazz Singer, Lights of New York was produced for a paltry $23,000 and released not on a reserved-seat basis but in a mere grind house. But to everyone's surprise, the film went on to gross over a million dollars in its first run, proving once and for all that talkies had come to stay. Today, Lights of New York remains a museum piece but despite its tattered reputation, the gangster melodrama is really no worse than the majority of low-budget early talkies. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helene Costello, Cullen Landis, (more)
- 1928
A wealthy man hits the half-century mark and promptly suffers a mid-life crisis in this silent romantic comedy. Like countless fellows before and after him, he ends up falling for a beautiful young woman. Trouble comes when the besotted gent's best friend begins suspecting that the girl only wants her beau's considerable fortune. Wanting only to protect him, the best buddy begins trying to beak up the affair. This is an early sound film and is one of the first to utilize dialog, not as a novelty, but as a serious way to advance the plot. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Bennett, Doris Kenyon, (more)
- 1928
The rampant male chauvinism in A Girl in Every Port might be hard for contemporary audiences to stomach, but fans of director Howard Hawks will be delighted. Victor McLaglen and Robert Armstrong play Spike and Salami, two sailors who become close pals but only after dukeing it out over a dame. Together, Spike and Salami travel all of the world in search of women and adventure and women. Their friendship is sorely tested when Spike decides to settle down to marry French fortune hunter Marie (Louise Brooks), but eventually Salami convinces his pal that this "skirt" just ain't worth it. Famed exotic dancer Sally Rand co-stars as one of the heroes' many sexual conquests. A Girl in Every Port was remade two years later as Goldie, with Spencer Tracy, Warren Hymer and Jean Harlow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor McLaglen, Robert Armstrong, (more)
- 1928
Law and the Man is based on a story by Roy Octavus Cohen, then popular for his magazine yarns about "Negro" life. This time, however, the audience is spared Mr. Cohen's outrageous approximations of "authentic" African American dialects and customs. Instead, the story concerns crooked small-town politician Dan Creedon (Thomas Santschi), who decides to reform for the love of a good woman, namely lady lawyer Margaret Grayson (Gladys Brockwell). He does such a thorough job of cleaning up his act that he is nominated for the office of district attorney. But while Margaret is gratified by Dan's turnaround, she does not love him, reserving her affections for headstrong architect Ernest Vane (Robert Ellis). Though his heart is broken, Dan vows to protect Margaret's interests at any cost -- and this includes covering up for Ernest when the latter turns out to be a forger and thief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Santschi, Gladys Brockwell, (more)
- 1927
Dorothy Reid -- who before her marriage to ill-fated screen idol Wallace Reid was better known as Dorothy Davenport -- was both producer and star of Satin Woman. After the death of her husband from drug abuse in 1923, Davenport dedicated herself to helping others avoid the pitfalls of modern life by turning out a series of cautionary film fables. In Satin Woman, she endeavored to warn society women not to neglect their families for the sake of fads, foibles, and handsome younger men. Mrs. Jean Taylor (played by Davenport) learns this lesson too late when her husband George (Rockliffe Fellows) and daughter Jean Jr. (Alice White) walk out on her. When her daughter's head is turned by oily lounge lizard Maurice (John Miljan), the sadder-but-wiser Mrs. Taylor vows to prevent Jean Jr. from making the same mistakes that "mommy" did. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Reid, Rockliffe Fellowes, (more)
- 1927
John Gilbert was fond of a narrative poem called The Widow in the Bye Street by John Masefield and wanted to film it, but when he approached his boss, Louis B. Mayer, with the idea, it sparked a huge argument. Gilbert was determined, however, and Man, Woman and Sin is basically a disguised Americanized version of the poem, which he plotted out with director and friend Monta Bell. Gilbert plays Albert Whitcomb, who is devoted to his mother (Gladys Brockwell). He lands a job as a cub reporter at a newspaper and becomes romantically entangled with the society editor, Vera Worth (Jeanne Eagels). Whitcomb does not realize that she is the mistress of the paper's owner, Bancroft (Marc MacDermott). When Bancroft discovers Albert and Vera together in the apartment on which he's been paying the rent, a fight breaks out, and Albert kills Bancroft in self-defense. Vera, to save her reputation, lets Albert hang, and he is convicted of murder. Finally, out of guilt, she admits she was lying, and Albert's mother is able to get her son off with the new evidence. Although some claim this was Jeanne Eagels' film debut, it was not -- she had made a couple of films a decade earlier. She was riding on the crest of fame when this film came out, though -- her portrayal of Sadie Thompson in the stage presentation of Rain had won her renown. In spite of Gilbert's enthusiasm for this project, it was not particularly well-received; perhaps this was partly because Love, in which he was starred with Greta Garbo, had come out a few weeks earlier and that was bound to eclipse the release of Man, Woman and Sin. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Gilbert, Gladys Brockwell, (more)
- 1927
In 1927, Janet Gaynor won the first Academy Award for Best Actress with her performance in this film, among the most celebrated romances of the late silent era. Chico (Charles Farrell) is a poor sewer worker who has only two dreams in life: to be promoted to sweeping streets and to find a woman who will be his wife. While he prays for guidance and blessings, he continues to work in the filth beneath the Parisian streets. However, one day he meets Diane (Gaynor), a beautiful woman who has been handed many hardships in life and is being chased by the police for a petty crime. Chico helps her hide from the cops, and soon the two have fallen in love. Despite their poverty, they give each other a reason to go on, and they happily marry. But their bliss is shattered when Chico is called to fight in World War I; Diane lives for the day he returns, and when she's told that Chico was killed in battle, her world collapses and she renounces her faith in God. However, while Chico was severely injured on the battlefield and is now blind, he did not die, and now he must find his way back to the woman he loves. In addition to Gaynor's Oscar, Seventh Heaven earned statuettes for director Frank Borzage and screenwriter Benjamin F. Glazer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell, (more)
- 1927
Few comedies of the 1920s were as bizarre and surreal as Harry Langdon's Long Pants. Having recently come of age, small-town-boy Langdon aspires to become a great lover, drawing inspiration from the romantic novels he's been reading since childhood. Falling hard for a "vamp" (Alma Bennett), Harry vows to rid himself of his childhood sweetheart (Gladys Brockwell) in the traditional literary manner by taking her into the woods and shooting her! Of course, he fails in this effort and flops even worse with the Vamp, who turns out to be a gangster's moll. After a bloody gangland shootout in which the Vamp is killed, a sadder-but-wiser Harry returns to the arms of his hometown girl, who has never quite figured out that she'd previously been a candidate for extermination. Written by future director Arthur Ripley, Long Pants is as kinky as any of Ripley's film noirs of the 1940s. Long Pants represents the second and final collaboration between star Harry Langdon and director Frank Capra, who was fired when Langdon wrong-headedly decided to become his own director, resulting in a series of career-destroying flops. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Langdon, Gladys Brockwell, (more)
- 1926
A stalwart government scout, Tom Kirby (William Boyd) and his best friend, the legendary frontiersman Buffalo Bill Cody (Jack Hoxie) lead a wagon train through Indian territory when they are attacked by Pawnee Killer (Frank Lackteen). A young woman named Beth is saved, but her parents are killed by the marauding Indians. Beth goes to live with Lige Morris (Mitchell Lewis), an unscrupulous trader who tells her that Tom Kirby, her boyfriend, was in league with Pawnee Killer. Beth learns otherwise from the the adjutant's daughter (Gladys Brockwell). She goes to see Tom just as the Indians stampede a herd of buffalo through the town. Lige is killed by Pawnee Killer and Tom, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Wild Bill Hickock (J. Farrell MacDonald) arrive with general George Custer to quell the uprising. This film was begun by veteran producer Thomas H. Ince. After Ince's sudden death in 1924, the project was taken over by Hunt Stromberg and eventually released by Metropolitan Pictures. Jack Hoxie was borrowed from Universal to play Buffalo Bill Cody, a role he always claimed to be his favorite. Leading man William Boyd was of course a decade away from his most famous role, that of Hopalong Cassidy. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marguerite de la Motte, John Farrell MacDonald, (more)
- 1926
The "carnival girl" of the title is played by Marion Mack, most fondly remembered as Buster Keaton's bird-brained lady love in The General. A fine comedienne in her own right, Mack plays it straight as a tightrope walker in love with navy lieutenant Allan Forrest. Villainous strong man George Siegmann, seething with jealousy, does his best to do in Forrest by setting fire to the lieutenant's ship. Diminuitve Frankie Darro, an accomplished acrobat, co-stars as Marion's limber kid brother. Carnival Girl was directed by Cecil B. DeMille's #1 assistant, Cullen "Hezi" Tate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gladys Brockwell, Frankie Darro, (more)
- 1926
Set in a not-so-reasonable facsimile of London's Limehouse district, Twinkletoes stars Colleen Moore as the title character, a slum girl who aspires to become a dancer. Enduring one defeat and disillusionment after another, Twinkletoes is about to end it all by jumping into the Thames. She is rescued by Chuck Lightfoot (Kenneth Harlan), a would-be prizefighter who has likewise had his share of hard knocks. Adapted from a notoriously seamy novel by Thomas Burke, Twinkletoes was considerably cleaned up for the screen, if for no other reason than to remain within the good graces of Colleen Moore's fan following. It was one of several Moore vehicles produced by the actress' then-husband, First National executive John McCormick. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colleen Moore, Kenneth Harlan, (more)
- 1926
Spangles was adapted by actress Leah Baird from the novel by Nellie Revell, with Revell receiving "star" billing in the credits. Marion Nixon plays the title character, a gorgeous bareback rider with a travelling circus. Spangles falls in love with Dick (Pat O'Malley), a young fugitive from justice who uses the Big Top for a hideout. The wicked circus owner threatens to turn Dick over to authorities unless Spangles promises to marry him. The girl is spared this ignominious fate when the owner is trampled to death by a surly elephant. According to Universal's publicity packet, Spangles was inspired by the career of May Wirth, considered the greatest bareback rider of her time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marian Nixon, Pat O'Malley, (more)
- 1926
A woman with a sordid past is redeemed by love in this silent melodrama from low-budget Sanford Productions. Margarita Darlow (Ligio Di Golconda) refuses a marriage proposal from David Orland (Gaston Glass), a young man about to leave for Paris. Earlier, Margarita had sought financial help from Edwin Ramsey (Wilfred Lucas), who had seduced her, put her up in his apartment as his "niece," and "rented" her out to his equally unsavory friend Donald Gorham (Bryant Washburn). David forgives her, however, and Margarita follows him to Paris. Forced to work as a model, Margarita is confronted with her past by Ramsey, who blackmails her into returning with him to New York. On the verge of suicide, Margarita is rescued by Mary Cullen (Gladys Brockwell), Gorham's tough but kindhearted moll. David, meanwhile, kills the nasty Ramsey in a duel. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1926
Skyrocket was a vehicle for non-actress Peggy Hopkins Joyce, a former Ziegfeld dancer who managed to get herself into the headlines by romancing and marrying a series of millionaires. Here Ms. Joyce plays Sharon Kimm, a girl of tenements who through a combination of luck and determination becomes a movie star. Unfortunately, once she's made it to the top, Sharon sabotages her career with her prima donna behavior. Plummeting to obscurity, Sharon realizes that there are more important things in the world than fame or fortune, so she settles for middle-class security as the wife of her childhood sweetheart Mickey Reid (Owen Moore) -- who happens to be the screenwriter of the film which made Sharon a star in the first place! Contemporary reviews indicate that Peggy Hopkins Joyce was as endearingly awful in Skyrocket as she was opposite W.C. Fields in 1933's International House. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gladys Brockwell, Charles H. West, (more)
- 1926
The Strong Man was the second starring feature of silent screen comedian Harry Langdon--not to mention first feature-length directorial effort of Frank Capra. Langdon plays a Belgian soldier who, during World War I, is captured by German conscript Arthur Thalasso. Almost immediately, the armistice is declared. Having nowhere else to go, Langdon sticks with Thalasso, who in civilian life is a popular circus strong man. When Thalasso gets the opportunity to tour the US, Langdon is delighted; at last he will meet minister's daughter Priscilla Bonner, with whom he has been carrying on a romance-by-correspondence. Arriving in New York, Harry wanders around the street with a photo of Bonner, asking passers-by if they know the girl. Jewel thief Gertrude Astor, hoping to use Langdon as a dupe in order to evade the cops, claims that she is the girl he's looking for. A marvelous comic set piece ensues, beginning with Langdon's clumsy efforts to carry the unconscious Astor up a long flight of stairs, and ending with Astor's athletic "seduction" of the confused little immigrant. When Langdon finally finds the real Bonner, he discovers she is blind--just as well, he reasons, since she regards him as something of a strong, strapping hero-type, which he most decidedly is not. Subsequent plot complications involve a corrupt element that has taken over Priscilla's town, and a wild climactic sequence wherein puny Langdon must try to pass himself off as strong man Thalasso...and through plain dumb luck, gets away with it! Far better seen than described, The Strong Man is one of the sweetest, funniest comedies of the 1920s. Harry Langdon would never again have a vehicle so perfectly suited to his "grown up baby" screen persona; if you've never seen this unique comedy genius in action, catch this film when the opportunity arises. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Langdon, Priscilla Bonner, (more)
- 1925
Chickie Bryce (Dorothy Mackaill) is a stenographer, who, encouraged by her mother (Gladys Brockwell), longs to marry a millionaire. This doesn't stop her, however, from flirting with Barry Dunne, a young lawyer from a neighboring office (John Bowers). Chickie and Dunne become involved, but finally a millionaire, Jake Munson (Paul Nicholson), comes into her life. He takes her out to dinner, and then to his apartment. Dunne is angry about this, and makes plans to go to London. Before he leaves, though, he makes up with Chickie. Ila Moore (Olive Tell) follows Dunne to London, which Chickie doesn't like one bit. Ila, who is trying to win Dunne, wires Chickie that he has married her. Chickie has a baby, and her father (Hobart Bosworth) is convinced it belongs to the millionaire. Chickie admits it is Dunne's. When Dunne returns from London, Mr. Bryce tries to shoot him. Chickie stops him, and Dunne reveals that he is not married after all -- but that he wants to be married to Chickie. This drama was based on the novel by Eleanore Maherin, which was serialized in newspapers across the country. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Mackaill, John Bowers, (more)
- 1925
A young Bostonian (Johnnie Walker) travels West to expect his father's New Mexico estate, which has become a target for gun runners. Along the way he mistakes travelling stock company actress Madge Bellamy for a child and brings her to the ranch. (The mistake is understandable as Bellamy was playing Little Eva in Uncle Tom's Cabin at the time!). The gun runners are indeed using the estate as their launching pad, but hero Walker grits his teeth and manages to bring the gang to justice, winning Miss Bellamy in the process. A handsome light leading man with dimples, Johnnie Walker was better known for a series of pleasant comedies than rough-and-tumble western fare like this. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madge Bellamy, William Collier, Jr., (more)
