Chester M. Franklin Movies

Based on the novel by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, The Yearling is set in post-Civil War Florida. Claude Jarman Jr. plays Jody Baxter, the lonely son of just-getting-by farmers Pa and Ma Baxter (Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman). With all of his siblings dead and buried, Jody yearns to have a pet of some sort. When Pa is forced by circumstances to kill a doe, the animal's fawn-the yearling of the title-is adopted by Jody. The boy's love for the animal does not alter the fact that the fawn is eating all of the Baxters' crops. Sadly, Pa tells Jody that he must kill the yearling before all their crops are destroyed. Jody can't bring himself to do this, so he sets the animal free in the wilds. Time and again, however, the yearling returns to the farm. Finally, Ma Baxter, who'd been against having the fawn on the property in the first place, shoots and wounds the animal. Now, Jody has no choice: rather than see his beloved yearling writhe in agony, he kills it. Though this results in a rift between himself and his family, Jody at last realizes that, by taking the responsiblity of saving the farm at the expense of his own feelings, he has also taken the first step towards manhood. He himself is a "yearling" no more. MGM had intended to film The Yearling in 1941 with a different cast and director, but a series of personality clashes delayed production for five years. Watching the inspired performances of Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman and Claude Jarman Jr., it is nearly impossible to imagine the film with its originally intended cast of Spencer Tracy, Anne Revere and the unknown Gene Eckman. The studio had also intended to lens the film on location in Florida, but in the end it proved more practical and expedient to shoot in the studio and its environs. Oscars went to the Technicolor photography of Charles Rosher, Leonard Smith and Arthur Arling, and to the art direction/set decoration work of Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse and Edwin B. Willis. Originally released at 128 minutes, the film was reissued in a butchered 94 minute version; steer clear of this one and opt for the still-available original. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In an early pro-ecology effort, Jean Parker stars as a girl dwelling in the High Sierras. Awkward with humans, her best friends are the surrounding animals, especially her pet deer and puma. When hunters invade the territory, she struggles to protect the local wildlife. The outdoor photography is this film's principal asset; things grind to a halt whenever anyone opens his or her mouth to speak. Sequoia was based on a novel by Anne Cunningham called Malibu, and was later reissued under that title. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Just before his demotion to the ranks of minor character actors, Monte Blue starred in an above-average series of programmers for Allied Pictures (one of the many forerunners of Monogram). In The Stoker, Blue plays Dick, a wealthy young man who is betrayed by his faithless wife Vera (Natalie Moorehead). Dropping out of sight, Dick goes on the bum along the waterfront, eventually landing a job as a ship's stoker on a vessel bound for South America. He ends up on a below-the-border plantation, where he rescues the pretty owner (Dorothy Burgess) from the skullduggery of bandit leader Santono (Noah Beery Sr.) For an actor who was considered a has-been, Monte Blue gives a persuasively virile performance, though he's a bit thick in the middle to be thoroughly convincing as a "young" hero. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

On something of a "literary binge" in the early 1930s, low-budget Monogram Pictures acquired the screen rights for the well-known Gaborieu detective yarn File 113. Lew Cody stars as urbane Parisian detective Le Coq, who must contend with a bank robbery and blackmail scheme. Le Coq is anxious to get both cases over with in a hurry lest his love life with Mlle. Adoree (Mary Nolan) suffer from neglect. Departing from the Gaborieu original, the film ends with an exciting chase across the roofs of Gay Paree. Clara Kimball Young, who like Lew Cody had been a silent-screen favorite, does her best in an unsympathetic role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

While the silent comedy team of Karl Dane and George K. Arthur made some very entertaining films in the latter half of the 1920s (Rookies, for example, was a winner), this feature didn't quite live up to the duo's potential. That said, having Dane play a big, dumb hotel detective and placing the boyish, diminutive Arthur in the role of a bellhop was inspired casting. The two of them are rivals for the heart of Lois, a typist at the hotel where they are working (Marceline Day). There's a jewel thief at the hotel and for all his bragging, Dane can't seem to get a handle on solving the case. Determined to win Lois and show up Dane, Arthur gets on the case himself. Their investigation takes both of them to a strange house miles outside of town which contains trap doors and secret passageways. The thief, who has been posing as a professor of Egyptology, is finally rounded up, and the jewels recovered -- by the bellhop. He and Lois walk off together, leaving the hotel detective -- whose presence has more often hindered than helped -- to suffer the scorn of the cops. There are a few truly amusing moments, most notably when Arthur dresses up as a maid and can't get Dane to stop pawing him. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Peter the Great was one of the dog stars to come in the wake of other successful canine luminaries as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart. There isn't much to the story of this United Artists picture -- as usual with pictures like this one, the dog's the whole show. Bob Blake (Frank Hagney) murders Hadley, a prospector, and takes over his cabin. Blake, however, cannot make friends with Hadley's dog, Arno (Peter the Great). Arno clearly dislikes him, so he sells him to Dave Wright (George Sherwood), a doctor. Hadley's daughter, Polly Ann (Frances Teague), shows up and Wright rescues her from Blake's attack. The evildoings of the villain are not over yet -- he convinces the villagers that Wright is the one responsible for Hadley's murder. Wright manages to prove himself innocent and forces Blake to confess. Blake escapes from the lockup, however, and is pursued by Arno, who is still determined to avenge his master's death. This he does by driving Blake over a precipice. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Laura Bailey (Winifred Bryson) is the mistress of wealthy George Belmont (Charles Clary), and she is scared of losing her meal ticket. She goes to a psychic, Professor Gregorious (Eric Mayne), who tells her he sees death and disaster lurking around her. Shortly thereafter, Laura's sister, Sylvia (Lucille Ricksen), runs off with Belmont's son, Hugh (John Harron, the brother of Griffith protégé Robert Harron). Belmont is furious because he thinks that Laura orchestrated the elopement. He offers his mistress 20 thousand dollars to separate her sister from Hugh, but she refuses. When Belmont is found murdered, Laura becomes a suspect, as does Slug Gorman (George Cooper), a thug found nearby. They're convicted before the real killer is sussed out by the district attorney (Clarence Geldert). ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Although Rin Tin Tin had appeared before in several films, this Northwoods drama was his first starring vehicle. The story line is fairly typical for its genre, and the famed canine is pretty much the whole show. The Wolf Dog (Rin Tin Tin) is raised by a pack of wolves and becomes pals with Gabriel Dupre, a French trapper (Walter McGrail). He proves his loyalty to Dupre when he attacks "The Fox" (Charles Stevens), accomplice to Shad Galloway, the crooked trading post manager (Pat Hartigan). Galloway wants to get rid of Dupre for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that he wants the trapper's sweetheart, Felice McTavish (Claire Adams), for himself. When it is mistakenly believed that the dog has killed a baby, Dupre is ordered to shoot him. The broken-hearted dog runs away, but after he is cleared, Dupre finds him once again. Ultimately, the Wolf Dog attacks Galloway and kills him. Not only do hero and heroine get together at the fade-out, we also see the dog with a family of his own. Rin Tin Tin certainly wasn't the first dog to achieve stardom; his immediate predecessor was Strongheart who, like Rin Tin Tin, was a German Shepherd. This picture, incidentally, had some competition -- Hal Roach released Call of the Wild starring Buck, a Saint Bernard, at the same time. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Although the spirited Bebe Daniels was sorely miscast as a long-suffering orphan in this comedy-drama, she somehow managed to pull it off. Nancy (Daniels) works for a cruel couple, the Kellys (James Gordon and Vera Lewis). Mrs. Kelly has turned her into a drudge, while the alcoholic Mr. Kelly tries to force himself on her. When she can take it no longer, she sneaks into a car owned by Jack Halliday (Edward Sutherland), a wealthy young man she once met. When he arrives home and finds her, he lets her stay since his parents are gone and loans her his sister's clothes. But Jack's fiancee, Elizabeth Doane (Helen Holly) is not at all thrilled with the situation and wires his father. Jack's parents return and they convince Nancy that there is no place in their world -- or Jack's -- for her, and that she must return from where ever she came. She leaves while Jack is away, but when he discovers she is gone, he rushes after her just in time to save her from the drunken Mr. Kelly. After that he and Nancy quickly drum up a minister and wed. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

One year shy of the scandal that would destroy her film career, Mary Miles Minter starred in the mystical romantic drama All Souls Eve. Minter plays a dual role, as the wife of a famous sculptor and an Irish maid. When one of the ladies dies, her soul is transmuted to the other. Jack Holt plays the sculptor, while one of the supporting roles is essayed by Clarence Geldert, in whose honor a Chicago-based theatrical award would later be named. All Souls Eve was adapted from a play by Anne Crawford Flexner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bebe Daniels is charming in this light comedy, based on a Saturday Evening Post story by Grace Lovell Bryan. Rowena Jones (Daniels) is a coat-check girl who dreams of being wealthy like the patrons of the establishment where she works. She thinks she has her chance when rich William Vaughn (Edward Martindel) asks her out to dinner. She happily accepts, but before her date, she meets Prince (Jack Mulhall), a nice young man who she mistakes for a chauffeur. He's actually wearing an aviator's outfit and is at least as rich as Vaughn, but he lets her believe what she wants and drives her home in his limousine. They get along famously, but when he proposes marriage, Rowena's mother refuses to allow it, since she feels her daughter has a chance with Vaughn. The dinner with Vaughn, however, proves to be a disaster -- mainly because his wife (Helen Dunbar) shows up. So Rowena decides to accept Prince's proposal, and when she arrives at the mansion where she thinks he works, she is surprised to discover it actually belongs to him. A few years later, Mulhall would once again play a rich man who pretends to be one of his own employees, this time with Colleen Moore in Orchids and Ermine. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp was another of Fox's lavishly produced "Sunset Kiddies" series, wherein most of the principal roles were enacted by children. In this case, Aladdin is portrayed by juvenile performer Francis Carpenter, while other key roles were filled by such stars-in-the-making as Virginia Lee Corbin, Gertrude Messenger and Buddy Messenger and Lewis Sargent. The film was by no means a parody: the youthful performers played their parts with utmost sincerity, and most effectively. As was traditional in the "Sunset Kiddies" films, a few adult performers were scattered throughout the proceedings, notably Elmo Lincoln, the screen's first Tarzan, who here portrayed the towering Genie of the Lamp. Unfortunately, none of the "Sunset Kiddies" efforts is currently available for reappraisal. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi