Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Movies
American actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was the son of film star Douglas Fairbanks Sr. Fairbanks Jr. made his acting debut in 1923's Stephen Steps Out, which was remarkable only in how quickly it went out of circulation. Young Fairbanks was more impressive as Lois Moran's fiancé in 1926's Stella Dallas, though it did give Fairbanks Sr. pause to see his teenaged son sporting a Fairbanksian mustache. Even as a youth, Fairbanks' restlessness would not be satisfied by mere film work; before he was 20 he'd written an amusing article about the Hollywood scene for Vanity Fair magazine. In 1927, Fairbanks appeared in a stage play, Young Woodley, which convinced detractors that he truly had talent and was not merely an appendage to his father's fame. When talking pictures came in, he demonstrated a well-modulated speaking voice and as a result worked steadily in the early 1930s. Married at that time to actress Joan Crawford, Fairbanks was a fixture of the Tinseltown social whirl, but he had a lot more going for him than suspected; in 1935 he offered the earliest evidence of his sharp business savvy by setting up his own production company, Criterion Films--the first of six such companies created under the Fairbanks imprimatur.Fairbanks had his best role in 1937's The Prisoner of Zenda, in which he was alternately charming and cold-blooded as the villainous Rupert of Hentzau. Upon his father's death in 1939, Fairbanks began to extend his activities into politics and service to his country. He helped to organize the Hollywood branch of the William Allen White Committee, designed to aid the allied cause in the European war. From 1939 through 1944, Fairbanks, ever an Anglophile, headed London's Douglas Voluntary Hospitals, which took special care of war refugees. Fairbanks was appointed by President Roosevelt to act as envoy for the Special Mission to South America in 1940, and one year later was commissioned as a lieutenant j.g. in the Navy. In 1942 he was chief officer of Special Operations, and in 1943 participated in the allied invasion of Sicily and Elba. Fairbanks worked his way up from Navy lieutenant to commander and finally, in 1954 to captain.
After the war's end, the actor spent five years as chairman of CARE, sending food and aid to war-torn countries. How he had time to resume his acting career is anybody's guess, but Fairbanks was back before the cameras in 1947 with Sinbad the Sailor, taking up scriptwriting with 1948's The Exile; both films were swashbucklers, a genre he'd stayed away from while his father was alive (Fairbanks Sr. had invented the swashbuckler; it wouldn't have been right for his son to bank on that achievement during the elder Fairbanks' lifetime). Out of films as an actor by 1951 (except for a welcome return in 1981's Ghost Story), Fairbanks concentrated on the production end for the next decade; he also produced and starred in a high-quality TV anthology, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Presents (1952-55), which belied its tiny budget with excellent scripts and superior actors. Evidently the only setback suffered by Fairbanks in the last forty years was his poorly received appearance as Henry Higgins in a 1968 revival of My Fair Lady; otherwise, the actor managed to retain his status as a respected and concerned citizen of the world, sitting in with the U.S. delegation at SEATO in 1971 and accruing many military and humanitarian awards. He also published two autobiographies, The Salad Days in 1988 and A Hell of a War in 1993. Fairbanks, Jr. died on May 7, 2000, of natural causes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1927
Though Will Rogers was still packing 'em in on Broadway, he was considered a Hollywood has-been when he starred in the independently produced A Texas Steer. Rogers also wrote the screenplay of this "topical comedy," in which he plays Texas rancher Maverick Brander, who is maneuvered into politics by his status-seeking wife Ma (Louise Fazenda). Unfortunately, Maverick finds himself at the mercy of a trio of corrupt political hacks who want our hero to use his influence to push through a piece of questionable legislation. The opponents of the bill contrive to abduct Maverick, but he escapes in time to strike a blow for honesty in Washington. The level of humor in the film can be gauged by such character names as "Bossy Brander," "Dixie Style" and "Fairleigh Bright." A Texas Steer had its moments, but Will Rogers would have to wait until talkies arrived to fully blossom as a film star. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Rogers, Louise Fazenda, (more)
- 1928
Michael Arlen's notorious novel The Green Hat was considered such a hot potato censor-wise that the property's title could not be used when it was adapted to film. Retitled A Woman of Affairs, this tale of a woman destroyed by syphilis was heavily laundered for the screen. Greta Garbo plays an impulsive British lass who, when denied permission to marry John Gilbert, hops from bed to bed with various partners. She marries a man who turns out to be a thief. When her husband commits suicide, Garbo is again wooed by Gilbert, who in the meantime has acquired a spouse of his own. Though she passionately loves Gilbert, Garbo sends him away, rather than ruin his life as she's ruined her own. With that classic enigmatic half-smile on her face, Garbo suicidally crashes her expensive automobile into the tree under which she sat with Gilbert the day he first declared his love for her. Outside of the always fascinating Greta Garbo, the best performance in Woman of Affairs is offered by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Garbo's drunken, dissipated younger brother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, (more)
- 1984
Hosted by the American Film Institute, this video is a tribute to career of Lillian Gish. Included are excerpts from: The Birth of a Nation, Duel in the Sun, The Scarlet Letter and other films. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1952
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As originally syndicated on television in late 1952, Abbott and Costello: The Christmas Show presents approximately one hour of holiday-themed musical and comedy variety material by the titular comedy duo. Guest stars include Gary Cooper, Buster Shaver and Olive, Ingrid Bergman, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and many others. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, (more)
- 1936
Accused is a British melodrama starring American actor (and confirmed Anglophile) Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Somewhat incongruously cast as an Apache dancer, Fairbanks and his dance partner/wife Dolores Del Rio headline a Paris musical. Fairbanks becomes the unwilling target for the attentions of performer Florence Desmond (the famed British impressionist, here playing a hateful adventuress). Desmond is later murdered with the dagger used by Fairbanks and his wife in their act, and Dolores is accused of the crime. A florid court trial unmasks the real killer. Zoe Akins, a prominent playwright of the 1920s whose once-celebrated works seem somewhat childish today, was one of the scenarists of Accused. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Dolores Del Rio, (more)
In the Ben Hecht-scripted Angels over Broadway. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. plays a poker hustler working in cahoots with good-time girl Rita Hayworth. Alcoholic playwright Thomas Mitchell, having saved embezzler John Qualen from suicide, decides to enter Fairbanks' high-stakes game, using Qualen as an easy-mark "bait." Mitchell's clever schemes to beat Fairbanks come acropper, but Fairbanks has a sudden change of heart and decides it's more fun to perform good deeds. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Rita Hayworth, (more)
- 1951
Bette Davis co-stars with her then-new husband Gary Merrill in the British melodrama Another Man's Poison. Adapted from Leslie Sands' novel Deadlock, the story concerns one Janet Frobisher (Davis), a successful writer of suspense novels. Janet's life is thrown into turmoil when her disreputable long-lost husband, returns after a three-year absence. So as not to destroy her current romantic involvement with Larry (Anthony Steel), the fiancé of her secretary Chris (Barbara Murray), Janet poisons her inconvenient spouse and disposes of the body. At this point, George Bates (Gary Merrill), the dead husband's criminal accomplice, comes calling, demanding "hush money." So that he can keep an eye on Janet, George poses as her husband. Now, Janet is obliged to begin plotting George's demise. A heart-stopping surprise ending tops this nasty but effective little morality play. Another Man's Poison was distributed stateside by RKO Radio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bette Davis, Gary Merrill, (more)
- 1966
Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were the stars of note in Hollywood in 1926. This documents some of the ways in which they gained their status off the silver screen. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1926
Warner Brothers' Broken Hearts of Hollywood is still another of the "mother love" dramas that festooned the silent era. Louise Dresser plays a selfish woman who deserts her child in pursuit of movie stardom. The years pass, and the girl grows up to be Patsy Ruth Miller. With no mother to guide her, Patsy falls in with the wrong crowd and gets mixed up in a murder. Louise nobly takes the blame for the killing, facing execution on behalf of the daughter who doesn't even know her. Featured in the cast is 18-year-old Douglas Fairbanks Jr., as well as two "regular" cast members of the films of Douglas Fairbanks Sr: Anders Randolf and Sam DeGrasse, cast respectively as the prosecuting and defense attorney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patsy Ruth Miller, Louise Dresser, (more)
- 1933
Adapted from a "drawn from life" novel by Sir Phillip Gibbs, Captured is the story of the men in a German POW camp during World War I. Amongst the allied prisoners are Leslie Howard and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (British), and Paul Lukas (French). Adding to the dramatic intensity is the fact that both Howard and Fairbanks had been in love with the same aristocratic young woman before the war. Instead of serving up slam-bang action sequences, the film is more concerned with detailing the Hell of war and the despair of those who fight it. Not quite in the same league as La Grande Illusion or Stalag 17, Captured is nonetheless worth a second glance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Howard, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., (more)
- 1934
This historical drama recounts the events that led up to the rule of Russia's 18th-century Catherine the Great. Arriving from Germany as a young woman who is to wed Grand Duke Peter, she soon becomes caught up in the court intrigue and marries the lit-fuse duke. As the Grand Duke's mother lays dying, she relates her fears about her son's mental states, leaving Catherine to contend with his irrational and cruel behavior. When he goes too far with his antics, he is overthrown and put to death, though not by her wishes. Soon, however, Catherine is made the new Czaritza and restores order to her country. Elisabeth Bergner stars with Douglas Fairbanks in this British production. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Elisabeth Bergner, (more)
- 1931
This World War I romance stars Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Anthony Bushell as two British officers who happen to be brothers. Both men fall for the same girl (Rose Hobart) while on furlough, resulting in dissention at the Front. What might have been a festival of cliches emerges as a superior drama, thanks to the clever (but unobtrusive) direction of Allan Dwan. In one of his first truly worthwhile roles, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is utterly convincing as a young Briton who must balance duty with desire; Anthony Bashell is far less believable, but can be forgiven his excesses since he later retired from acting to become a director. Previously produced as a silent film, Chances was based on a story by A. Hamilton Gibbs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Anthony Bushell, (more)
- 1981
- R
A profile of Charlie Chaplin, most noted for his lovable "Little Tramp," from his childhood in England through his early career in vaudeville to his stardom in Hollywood. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1958
Why has total stranger Richard Todd shown up at the villa of wealthy Anne Baxter? Why does he claim to be her long-lost brother? Is Todd planning to finagle Baxter out of her inheritance? Is someone going to end up seriously dead? The answers to these questions can be found in Chase a Crooked Shadow, a confounding chiller with more than a few adroit plot twists. Before the film has run its course, we learn that the true villain is not necessarily whom it appears to be--nor is the heroine all that she seems. Chase a Crooked Shadow was based on an 1943 Whistler radio play; the plot was later reworked into no fewer than three American made-for-TV movies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Todd, Anne Baxter, (more)
- 1936
In this British gangster movie, a Chicago gang goes to cool their heels in London. There they try to overtake the town. Meanwhile the mob boss searches for the perfect job. He convinces a millionaire, the owner of a department store, to help his gang rob the store blind. The plot fails and the gangsters battle it out with the bobbies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Cawthorn, Basil Sydney, (more)
- 1961
This is one in a series of entertaining cinematic compilations by Robert Youngson that reviews aspects of the history of film (The Golden Age of Comedy and When Comedy Was King directly preceded this release). As in its predecessors, this compilation looks back on the more distant past. Renowned comics like Charlie Chaplin, Mack Sennet and the Keystone Kops, Fatty Arbuckle, Stan Laurel, and others are featured in some of the best moments in their filmic careers. As for the thrillers, those times when the heroine was tied to the train tracks or the hero's car balanced on the edge of a cliff, they are as hilarious in retrospect as the comedies were to that generation. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1928
No, Dead Man's Curve does not star Jan and Dean-mainly because it was filmed before either one of them was born. The film does star two of Hollywood's youngest and prettiest stars of 1928, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Sally Blane (sister of Loretta Young). Fairbanks plays a grease monkey who discovers a defect in an auto engine being turned out by his employer. But since our hero discovers this only after losing an important race, his boss chalks up the loss to Fairbanks' supposed cowardice. Thus it is that Doug Jr. spends the rest of the film clearing himself, with surreptitious aid from his sweetheart Sally, who happens to be the boss' daughter. Magnificently photographed, especially during the Big Race finale, Dead Man's Curve was scripted by Ewart Adamson, a man usually associated with slapstick comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Kit Guard, (more)
- 1954
This anthology is comprised of three stories. In the first a naive American tycoon boards the famous Orient Express and finds himself victimized by con-artists until a helpful train guard comes to aid him. The second tale centers on an impoverished Irishman's daughter who wants to marry the son of a miserly Scottsman. She and he are told they cannot marry, but the Irishman steps in and saves the day. The third tale centers upon a Norwegian artist who kills his own brother. It is his own wife who sees that he gets his come-uppance. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Emerging Chaplin profiles the talent of the best-known actor of silent comedy, Charles Chaplin. Follow the emergence of Chaplin's genius, from his early films, to his stint at Mack Sennett's Keystone studios, to his classics: Kid Auto Races, The Bank, The Tramp, The Rink, and Easy Street. Highlights include a look at Chaplin's enduring portrayal of the Tramp, a short, shabby man with a black moustache who waddled his way into the hearts of Americans. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. narrates this look at the comedian's extraordinary gifts, expressive grace, and perfect timing. ~ Sally Barber, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
- 1929
In this courtroom drama, a man is sentenced to death for jealously murdering the man who flirted with his wife. Unfortunately, the condemned man is innocent. He is saved from the chair by the revelation that the real murderer is the governor's son. The innocent man and his wife are soon reunited. Unfortunately for the killer, his father is so devastated by his son's action that he kills him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chester Morris, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., (more)
- 1954
Forever My Heart appears to have been fashioned from two half-hour episodes of TV's Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Presents. Fairbanks produced this 52-minute effort, and appeared in both of the short playlets offered herein. The first story takes place a hundred or so years ago; a male and female prisoner in the Tower of London plot their escape, but when the time comes, only one of them is able to make the break to freedom. In the second story, a woman of loose morals begins to imagine that the ghost of her sister has materialized to condemn her. The biggest "name" in the cast outside of Fairbanks is Anouk Aimee as the heroine of the second story. Forever My Heart was directed by Leslie Arliss and Bernard Knowles, both regular contributors to Fairbanks' TV anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1945
One of producer Joseph Levine's earliest projects, Gaslight Follies is a compilation of silent film footage narrated by Metropolitan Operan stalwart Milton Cross. Unlike the more respectful compilations of Robert Youngson (The Golden Age of Comedy, Laurel and Hardy's Laughing 20s etc.), Follies mocks its silent material, re-editing the old footage to make it look as ridiculous as possible, then adding stupid sound effects and inappropriate music. The film's vintage Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Keystone Kops clips are presented in a manner that robs them of all their entertainment value (Chaplin is rendered utterly unfunny, a remarkable "achievement"). The film concludes with a lengthy excerpt from East Lynne, an old-fashioned and overly sentimental melodrama which nonetheless does not deserve the cruel and condescending treatment Joseph Levine has given it here. Gaslight Follies was put together in the mid-1940s, an era in which silent movies were regarded as "antiques", worthy only of derisive laughter; as such, this compilation is a must to avoid. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
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The man who assembled the remarkable documentary George Stevens: A Filmaker's Journey had the benefit of knowing the subject intimately: the film was written, produced and directed by George Stevens Jr. Utilizing pristine-quality filmclips and interviews, Stevens Jr. details Stevens Sr.'s rise from silent-film cameraman to one of the top producer/directors in Hollywood. We are treated to snippets of Stevens' camerawork on the Laurel and Hardy films at Hal Roach Studios, then we are transported to his salad days as a feature director at RKO. Among the films highlighted from this first chapter of Stevens' directorial life are Alice Adams (1935), Swing Time (1936) and Gunga Din (1939) (one would like to have heard a bit more background info concerning Stevens' Wheeler and Woolsey comedies). Next we find Stevens as an autonomous entity at Columbia Pictures, producing and directing such classics as The More the Merrier (1943). The war years are thoroughly covered via Stevens' vivid color footage of the invasion of Europe. The last stages of Stevens' Hollywood career is traced through generous portions of A Place in the Sun (1951), Shane (1953), Giant (1956) and The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). The many interviewees include Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Warren Beatty. As an added filip, A Filmmaker's Journey includes rare home-movie sequences showing George Stevens at home and at work--all filmed with as much care and professionalism as Stevens' "mainstream" pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Stevens, Jr., George Stevens, (more)
