Reginald Denny Movies
The last in a long line of British actors, Reginald Denny left school at 16 to enter the family trade. His first important assignment was the role of Prince Danilo in a travelling company of The Merry Widow. He first came to the U.S. in a 1912 production of Quaker Girl, then returned to England to star in musical productions. After World War I service as a Lieutenant in the 112th squadron of the British Flying Corps, Denny appeared in several Broadway productions and made his film bow at the New Jersey-based world film studios. Hired on the basis of his finely tuned physiques, Denny starred in Universal's boxing short-subject series The Leather Pushers before being promoted to features. During the 1920s, Denny was one of Universal's most popular stars, headlining a series of frothy domestic comedies, most of which co-starred Laura LaPlante and were directed by William A. Seiter. In talkies, Denny's British accent made it difficult for him to continue in the "all-American" roles he'd been playing at Universal, but he continued to flourish as a character actor, showing up in everything from Romeo and Juliet (1936) to Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1937). He also played the "silly ass" second lead of Algy in several Bulldog Drummond "B" pictures. Since his World War I experience, Denny remained active in aviation; he was a pioneer in the field of radio-controlled aircraft. In fact, the U.S. Navy prototype radio aircraft TDD was named in his honor (the initials stood for Target Drone Denny). A busy actor on films and television into the 1960s, Reginald Denny returned to Broadway in 1958 to replace Robert Coote as Col. Pickering in My Fair Lady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1921
This drama, written by Ouida Bergere, made the rather unoriginal observation that money did not buy happiness. Larry Grahame (Rod LaRocque) marries Barbara Wyndham (Dorothy Dickson) only because he knows that his father, who wants to align forces with the Wyndham fortunes, will give him a million dollars for the match. Larry callously leaves his chorus girl girlfriend, Marcia Marillo (Alma Tell), to go ahead with the wedding. Barbara, meanwhile, toys with the heart of Keith Larne (Reginald Denny), a young architect. Eventually Larne gets wise to her and marries Marcia. When Larry and Barbara's fathers lose their fortunes in the stock market, they find themselves penniless and friendless. Larne gives Larry a job, but Barbara is not happy with their reduced circumstances. She tries being an actress and is shocked that her formal social standing means nothing in the theatrical world. She becomes involved with a man and is dining with him when his wife shows up. She shoots her philandering husband dead and locks Barbara in a room to suffer the consequences. Barbara just barely manages to escape. Now that she's learned her lesson, she and Larry look toward a better, more honest future. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Dickson, Rod La Roque, (more)
- 1921
Ethel Clayton, who usually played long-suffering women in mediocre dramas, gets a change of pace in this comedy-drama in which her co-star, Rockcliffe Fellowes, has a dual role. James Barston (Fellowes) is the heir to Barston Manor in England, but in Australia he finds that his cousin, bush rider Jim Barston (also Fellowes), is his double. Jim, who wouldn't mind having his cousin's wealth and prestige, steals his identification papers and shoots him. James, however, is only wounded, and a friend of his shoots and kills Jim. All Jim has left his wife, Helen (Clayton), is his cousin's identification papers, so she goes to England and claims Barston Manor. James is furious and is determined to throw her out. When he waves his birth certificate at Helen, she decides she should have it. After several attempts, she finally slips sleeping powder into his scotch and soda and, while he is out cold (or so she believes), she starts searching his bedroom. But James walks in and Helen leaps out the window to the water below. James saves her from drowning, but then he is threatened by the tenants, who have already developed an affection for Helen. Helen is compelled to come to his aid. Predictably, the two of them fall in love and end the film together. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1921
Things were touch-and-go the first few years that United Artists was in existence, and the studio couldn't totally depend on the output by its founders -- Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith. Not so much attention, however, has been paid to those other early productions that the studio released in an attempt to break even. Perhaps this subpar, poorly-acted drama, based on a manly Rex Beach novel, goes a long way to explain why. Two men, honest engineer Murray O'Neil (Wyndham Standing) and corrupt promoter Curtis Gordon (Thurston Hall), are fighting for the right to run a railroad through Alaska's gold country. Gordon has hired a newspaper reporter, Eliza Appleton (Alma Tell), to make O'Neil look bad in the press, but instead of lambasting O'Neil she falls in love with him. Although Gordon uses crooked means to edge ahead, O'Neil manages to emerge victorious, along with winning the girl. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wyndham Standing, Thurston Hall, (more)
- 1920
Katherine Dereham (Alice Brady) believes herself to be in love with Prince Anton from the mythical kingdom of Argovinia (Reginald Denny). Because politics demand that he wed Princess Margratha (Roni Purcell), the prince offers Katherine a morganatic marriage. This isn't acceptable to her, and when Dr. Garth Vincent (James L. Crane) comes around to cure the drug addiction of her father (Brandon Hurst), she falls for him instead. Dr. Vincent, however, has decided that women are all hypochondriacs and won't give her the time of day. After a lot of effort, though, Katherine finally wins him over. This was not a great Alice Brady picture, although it's worth noting that James Crane, who plays the hero, was her real-life husband. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
