Jean Hersholt Movies
Danish actor Jean Hersholt was already a stage and movie veteran when he arrived in the USA in 1913. An apprenticeship as an extra and bit player led to a long and lucrative silent film career in the '20s, during which time Hersholt was firmly entrenched as the slimiest and most monstrous of movie villains. Towards the end of the silent era, Hersholt began playing nicer characters, still taking on the occasional bad guy or "surprise" killer in murder mysteries. Hersholt's screen image was altered permanently in 1936, when he was cast as Dr. Dafoe, the Canadian obstetrician who delivered the celebrated Dionne Quintuplets, in 20th Century-Fox's The Country Doctor. Plans to create a Dr. Dafoe movie series were blocked by the real Dafoe, but Jean Hersholt was anxious to sustain the characterization of a beneficent, lovable small-town medico; thus Dr. Christian -- named for Hersholt's favorite author, Hans Christian Andersen -- was born. The actor created the role of Dr. Christian on radio in 1937, then commenced a series of six low-budget Christian features for RKO Radio in 1939. Extending the ethics and generosity of Dr. Christian into his private life, Hersholt set up the Motion Picture Relief Fund, which provided medical care and a livable income for actors, directors, and other studio employees who were no longer able to care for themselves. While serving as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Hersholt was lauded with three Academy Awards for his own charity work, and in 1948, he was knighted by King Christian X of Denmark. In 1956, a TV series based on Dr. Christian was produced by ZIV Studios; appearing on the first episode to bestow his practice upon the new Dr. Christian (MacDonald Carey) was Jean Hersholt, who had valiantly agreed to help launch the series even though he was dying of cancer and had wasted away to only 95 pounds. After the actor's death, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was set up to honor conspicuous acts of selflessness and kindness in the movie industry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie GuideA typically moralistic William S. Hart western, The Disciple tells the story of preacher Jim Houston (Hart) who, while ministering to the Godforsaken frontier town of Barren Gulch, loses his wanton wife Dorothy Dalton to the local doctor and gambling-hall proprietor (Robert McKim). Forsaking the ministry after his wife's desertion, Jim escapes to the mountains with their young child (Thelma Salter). The wife, meanwhile, unknowingly arrives at the mountain lodge to find her child near death's door. Her lover, the only doctor in the district, is called for, and he manages to cure the child. The wife now has to make the choice between her lover and home and hearth. She chooses the latter, and peace and tranquility is restored. One of the many vamps of the early silent era, brunette Dorothy Dalton's best-known roles were Queen Anne in The Three Musketeers (1916) and Letty in Moran of the Lady Letty (1929). She retired after doing a version of the old melodrama Leah Kleschna, re-titled The Moral Sinner. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
William S. Hart took a respite from his "good-badman" groove to play a preacher in Apostle of Vengeance. Ministering to one of the toughest towns in the West, Hart is determined never to rely upon physical force. But when forced into a showdown, he is sorely tempted to slap on the old six-shooters. Hart himself directed Apostle of Vengeance, with second-unit assistance from his faithful cohort Clifford Smith. Future stars John Gilbert and Jean Hersholt show up as extras, just as they did in Hart's Hell's Hinges (1916). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This Thomas H. Ince production contained enough plot, incidents and characters for three pictures. William Desmond stars as Prince Carl, ruler of a war-ravaged European kingdom. On the orders of pretender-to-the-throne Michael (Wyndham Standing), Carl is lured into a dank dungeon by Michael's vampish sister, Countess Olga (Bessie Barriscale). Sentenced to be executed on a trumped-up charge, Carl is rescued by Olga, who has fallen in love with him. In retaliation, Michael begins plotting Olga's demise, but she in turn is saved by the timely arrival of Carl, who dispatches the villain with his trusty saber. And the story still has at least three more reels to go! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The quintessential William S. Hart western, Hell's Hinges stars two-gun Bill as gunslinger Blaze Tracy, "a man wholly evil." When a new preacher (Jack Standing) comes to town, Tracy and saloon proprietor Silk Miller (Alfred Hollingsworth) prepare to kick the "sky pilot" out of town. But while the preacher is weak-willed, his pretty sister (Clara Williams) is firm in her religious resolve. For her sake, Tracy decides to leave the preacher alone. From this point on, the film parallels the redemption of Tracy with the degeneration of the preacher, who is seduced by saloon-strumpet Dolly (Louise Glaum). Drunk and delirious, the preacher leads the townsfolk in burning down his own church! He comes to his senses just in time to be killed by Silk Miller, whereupon Blaze Tracy, exacting a near-Biblical retribution, guns down every nasty character within hailing distance and sets fire to the town. As the evil townspeople scurry about in terror, Tracy walks slowly and determinedly through the blazing inferno. His work done, he helps the girl bury her brother and rides off with her to a better life "over the rim". The direction of Hell's Hinges is credited to both William S. Hart and Charles Swickard, but it's easy to see which of the two had the most creative control. The poetic, larger-than-life qualities of the film are superbly complemented by writer C. Gardner Sullivan's florid subtitles. A 2-reel version of Hell's Hinges, retitled The Devil Dodger, was released to TV in the early 1950s as part of the silent-film retrospective series Movie Museum. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Gambler John Kinkaid (R.A. Calvin) is suspected of stealing $10,000 to finance his Mexican gambling casino. Lady detective Nellie Gleason (Ruth Stonehouse) heads South of the Border, hoping to get the goods on Kinkaid and to retrieve the cash. Quite taken by Nellie, Kinkaid risks arrest to visit her in her Stateside headquarters. By now, Nellie has likewise fallen in love with Kinkaid and cannot bring herself to place him in custody. Ultimately, however, Duty wins out over Passion, and Nellie tearfully sets a trap for the moonstruck Kinkaid. Evidently hoping to have their cake and eat it too, the producers tacked on a happy ending, with the heroine aiding the hero in his daring escape from prison. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
With the assistant of his trusted associate Clifford Smith (who handled most of the second-unit stuff), William S. Hart directed his own starring vehicle The Aryan. Hart plays a westerner who suffers betrayal at the hands of seductive Louise Glaum. Seeking revenge, he resorts to robbery and murder. He is at last redeemed by virtuous Bessie Love. Incredibly, despite his box-office clout, William S. Hart's salary as both actor and director was a paltry $150 per week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William S. Hart
John Ford -- then billed as Jack Ford -- had recently begun directing his own features when he made this Western with Harry Carey. Harry wakes up one morning in jail with a hangover, and is informed by the sheriff that because of his wild behavior the night before he is to get out of town. On the road Harry comes upon an Indian attack, during which a young minister, John Marks (Jean Hersholt), hides his little daughter (Elizabeth Janes) before being killed by his attackers. When the Indians have gone, Harry rescues the little girl, who insists that he dress like her daddy. He obliges, finding a note to John from his sister-in-law Jane (Fritzi Ridgeway) asking him to come to the town of Buckhorn. Harry does as the letter instructs, the child in tow. Jane assumes that he is John at first, but when he gets in a fight with one of the town's bad guys, it becomes clear that he is no minister. Harry, however, is willing to give it a try and he forces the saloon's patrons to attend a sermon, which he gives cowboy-style, guns and all. Unfortunately, the town's ruffians blame Jane for being forced to go to church, and they kidnap her, compelling Harry to shoot it out with the bad guys and rescue Jane. He returns victorious and closes down the saloon. Carey and Ford would make films together for several years, and the blend of action and humor here is typical of their output. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
Jack Mulhall has an unsympathetic role as gunman Chuck Connelly in this melodrama. Killer Connelly begins to think about mending his ways when a Salvation Army girl takes a special interest in him. But he still leads a life of crime until he is sent to do a job on the district attorney. He goes to the DA's home with several accomplices, but at the last moment he decides not to go through with the murder. His three confederates come into the house, determined to finish the job themselves, but Chuck comes to the DA's defense, and as a result loses his life. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
In this comedy-adventure, Jack Calvert (Jack Mulhall) makes a bet that he can make it from Kansas to Constantinople without any financial aid, and without a woman's help. Meanwhile, Betty Calvert (Ruth Stonehouse) is on the run from Reginald (Jean Hersholt), a suitor of whom she is less than fond. Betty has disguised herself as a boy and when she meets up with Jack, they decide to stick together. Their trek takes them through various strange lands, including a cannibal island, but it isn't until they reach Constantinople that Betty reveals that she is a girl. Jack loses his bet but wins a wife. Reginald doesn't lose out, though -- after chasing Betty for the better part of the film, he winds up being named king on the cannibal island and acquiring a harem of native women. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
Director Lynn Reynolds adapted the screenplay of The Greater Law from The Code of the Klondike, a magazine story by Charles J. Wilson Jr.. Myrtle Gonzalez stars as Barbara Henderson, who journeys to Alaska to avenge the reported death of her brother Jimmy (G. M. Rickets). Determined to become a crack shot, Barbara is instructed in the intricacies of gunplay by good-looking prospector Cort Dorian (Lawrence Peyton). Barbara falls in love with Cort, a fact that causes her no end of anguish when she is led to believe that Cort was responsible for her brother's death. Grimly, Barbara challenges Cort to a gun duel, which she wins. Fortunately, Cort recovers from his wounds, while Barbara's brother, who hasn't been killed after all, returns in the company of his new bride "Seattle" Lou (Gretchen Lederer). George Hernandez, the husband of star Myrtle Gonzalez, showed up in a scene-pilfering supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A judge who had taken part in the gold rush of 1849 hires an acting troupe to recreate the experience in this rather fanciful silent Western. The make-believe turns serious when a real gold-mine is discovered nearby and a local girl (Donna Drew) is kidnapped by a nasty gambler (Jean Hersholt). Filmed near San Diego, California, the '49 - '17 is notable for having been directed by a woman, Universal scenario-writer Ruth Ann Baldwin. Miss Baldwin directed or co-directed a handful of feature films, several of which, including this one, featured her husband Leo O. Pierson in important roles. Baldwin returned to screen writing in 1919. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph W. Girard, Leo Pierson, (more)
This amusing film is an absurd blend of two genres popular in the late 1910's -- the western and the mythical kingdom adventure. Jack Mulhall plays Jim, an Arizona cowboy who, along with his college-bred Indian pal (Noble Johnson), strike gold. With their newfound wealth they decide to go to Europe and happen upon the aforementioned mythical kingdom. Jim climbs over the wall to the Queen's palace -- he's never seen a queen before. In fact, he doesn't recognize her (Ruth Stonehouse) when he sees her, but he does fall instantly in love. The Queen, Sylvia, tells him she must marry the dissipated King Ferdinand (Jean Hersholt), who rules the neighboring kingdom; if she doesn't there will be war. Jim and the Indian take at look at the King's forces and tells Queen Sylvia that they're a sorry bunch. He knows a group of rough riders who fought in the Spanish War who could whup them. So Jim sends for his buddies and they vanquish the King's forces, enabling the Queen to marry the cowboy. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
Jack Mulhall stars as the ne'er-do-well son of a US admiral. When Mulhall discovers that his dad's butler is really a German spy, he is handed a golden opportunity to make good. Upon the arrival of "Madame Spy" (Claire DuBrey), Mulhall waylays the lady and assumes her identity-evening gown, mascara and all! One is left with the impression that Madame Spy wasn't meant to be taken as gospel. The film's director was Douglas Gerrard, who ironically spent much of the talkie era playing "sissy" types. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Socialism is given sympathetic, if unrealistic, treatment in this Triangle drama. John Warfield (Joe King) has been raised a socialist and after his father dies, he continues speaking out against wealth and luxury. Goldie Shepard (Claire Anderson), a telephone operator, takes an interest in him and becomes his stenographer. She is angry because her father (Jean Hersholt) was hit and killed by a car in which wealthy Lorraine Van Allen (Alma Rubens) was riding. Guido Garcia (Francis MacDonald), who is something of a fanatic, helps Warfield by funding a home for the poor. Lorraine comes by to speak with Goldie, who wants nothing to do with her. After seeing the good work Warfield is doing, however, she decides to stick around and get involved. Warfield, meanwhile, discovers that he has inherited a fortune and sails to England to claim it. He sends for Goldie and they are married. But her sudden plunge into wealth changes her. She no longer cares about the poor and refuses to accompany her husband back to the States. Garcia arrives, and when he discovers how much trouble Goldie is causing, he kills her and then jumps into the Thames. Warfield returns to America to find Lorraine taking care of his mission. A romance develops and they embark on a life together, helping the poor. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
When her pickpocket father is sent up the river, Nancy (Olive Thomas) has to provide for her younger sisters. She places them in the care of Jonathan Twist (William V. Mong), a jeweler and a fence, then goes to work as a demonstrator in a drug store. There she meets wealthy old Englishman Lord Cleveland and marries him. He dies not long after, and Nancy discovers that she has no title to his fortune. She returns to the States, playing the society dame by day and by night, dressed in boy's clothing, she robs rich people's homes. (However, she gives some of her ill-gotten earnings to the poverty-stricken people she grew up with, showing that she hasn't completely forgotten her roots!) Her skill at burglary inspires the police to put their craftiest detective, Jim Garside (Joe King), on her trail. He's probably not quite so sharp as he appears, since it takes him several weeks to nail Nancy, and that's only after he finds Twist -- who has been fencing the items she's stolen -- dead. He is about to accuse her of the murder when he finds out the real killer has been captured. So instead he falls in love with her. Needless to say, this preposterous film did not do Olive Thomas's career much good. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Forrest, Dolly Dare, (more)
Mary Ann (Shirley Mason) is a drudge who works in a London boardinghouse run by Mrs. Leadbatter (Georgia Woodthorpe). One of the boarders is Lancelot (Casson Ferguson), a handsome young composer who has a problem making ends meet, primarily because he refuses to write commercial music. He befriends Mary Ann and slowly they fall in love. A stranger comes skulking around the boarding house, showing an interest in Mary Ann. It turns out that she has inherited a fortune from her brother, and the stranger is hoping to win her love and marry into the inheritance. Lancelot helps chase him off. He has already asked Mary Ann to be his own housekeeper, but her sudden wealth scares him off. Eventually he writes a composition that becomes a success and he and Mary Ann are united. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
In this Universal programmer, Frank Mayo plays Norman Aldrich, a revenue officer whose beat is the north woods of Maine, near the Canadian border. He runs for legislature and is elected in the last reel. Before that happens, however, he saves townsfolk who are being evicted from their homes, battles smugglers, including saloon keeper Vetal Beaulieu (Jean Hersholt) and saves Beaulieu's daughter Marie (Lillian Rich) from being married off to the villainous David Roi (James Mason). ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
Manson, a servant (Jean Hersholt), comes to work for a curate, William Smythe (Edward Piel). The curate has spent his life pretending to be one of the elite, when he actually worked his way up from the gutter with the help of his brother, Robert Smith, a drain man (Jack Curtis). He now refuses to acknowledge his common beginnings, or his brother. Manson, a powerful believer in the brotherhood of man, teaches the curate about real faith and truth. This picture showed the division between real Christian values and organized religion, something that was not often discussed in its day. It was adapted from the play by Charles Rann Kennedy. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
The mystical novels of Vicente Blasco-Ibanez were much prized by ambitious silent filmmaker Rex Ingram, who filmed two of them in the 1920s, both ostensibly vehicles for his actress wife Alice Terry. The first of the two, Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, was infinitely more successful than the second (Mare Nostrum), a fact that can be attributed to two little words: Rudolph Valentino. The quintessential Latin Lover stars as Julio, the scion of a wealthy Argentinian family. During the years prior to World War I, Julio's relatives relocate to Germany and France, with Julio opting for the latter country, where he opens an art studio. Here he carries on a torrid affair with Alice Terry, the wife of an attorney. When World War I breaks out, Terry joins the Red Cross and her husband enlists in the army, while the carefree Julio avoids involvement in the conflict. Only when visited by the spectres of the Four Horseman--war, conquest, famine, and death--does Julio don a uniform. His death is a symbolic sacrifice on behalf of Ms. Terry, whose husband has been blinded in the war: and, in an additional symbolic grace-note, Julio dies at the hands of his own cousin, now a German officer. The film's Big Money sequence was the one in which Rudolph Valentino danced the forbidden tango in a dingy, smoke-filled Argentinian cantina. That's what made him a star, not all that mumbo-jumbo about fate, destiny, and Four Horsemen. Proof that Valentino and not Blasco-Ibanez was the principal drawing card of this film was the 1962 remake, in which Glenn Ford portrays Julio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rudolph Valentino, Alice Terry, (more)
The Man of the Forest was one of a seemingly endless stream of Zane Grey novels that were brought to the screen. Carl Gantvoort makes a rather colorless hero, and he's up against two impressive villains: Robert McKim and Jean Hersholt. Ailing ranch owner Al Auchincloss (Harry Lorraine) sends for his two nieces, Helen and Bo Raynor (Claire Adams and Charlotte Pierce), who are his heirs. Milt Dale, who lives in the forest (Gantvoort), comes down to help round up the cattle, and a romance springs up between him and Helen. This does not please Harvey Riggs (McKim), who is trying to get control of the ranch. Riggs gets help from bootlegger Lem Beasley (Jean Hersholt), who sends his henchmen to kidnap the girls. Dale, meanwhile, has been framed to keep him out of the way, but he still manages to rescue Helen and Bo. Beasley's attempt to poison Auchincloss is foiled when he is shot by Las Vegas, a cowboy (Frank Hayes). The bad guys are put to rout, and Dale can continue his romance with Helen. This story was filmed again in 1926 and 1933. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carl Gantvoort, Claire Adams, (more)
Mary Pickford had recently put out a couple of mediocre pictures and her latest, Little Lord Fauntleroy, wasn't an immediate hit with her audience (although it would gross over a million dollars -- an enormous sum in those days -- some fans initially voiced disappointment in the film). It was time for Pickford to pull out a sure thing, and a remake of 1914's Tess of the Storm Country made a lot of sense. Tessibel Skinner is the kind of character her audiences loved -- the ragged but spunky young girl who is willing to make a great sacrifice. And Pickford had been very disappointed with Edwin S. Porter's primitive direction in the earlier version. So she bought the rights to the 1909 Grace Miller White novel and went about making it the right way. The result was an enchanting, if overlong, film. Tess is the daughter of a squatter (Forrest Robinson), and the rich man (David Torrence) who owns the land is dying to get rid of them and the other squatter families. Tess is just as determined to make sure they all stay. The man's son, Frederick Graves (all-American leading man Lloyd Hughes), is on her side. When Frederick's sister Teola (Gloria Hope) becomes pregnant out of wedlock, Tess protects her by claiming the child as her own. She is ostracized and the infant is refused baptism, so Tess sneaks into the church and does her own ritual. Eventually the truth comes out, the elder Graves learns some humility, and all ends well. Tess was a big hit and wound up grossing almost as much as Little Lord Fauntleroy. It also changed the life of Lloyd Hughes and Gloria Hope -- they fell in love on the set and later married. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Pickford, Lloyd Hughes, (more)
After the success of the 1919 picture The Miracle Man, producers made quite a number of films about faith-healers in hopes of duplicating its box office returns. This one is no classic -- considering the weak plot, it's a surprise that it came off so well. Joe Laird (Carl Gantvoort) is a hardworking young businessman who works his way up in the company, eventually becoming the private secretary of boss Adam Breed (Robert McKim). But life at home isn't so sweet -- he has a cynical, ungrateful wife, Gladys (Betty Brice), who is less than thrilled when Laird's mother, May Caroline (Claire McDowell), moves in. Gladys laughs at May's claim that she is a faith healer, but then she cures grandson, Bobbie (Frankie Lee), who is crippled. And when the boss's daughter Vivian (Claire Adams) injures her back while trying to rescue Ella, the Lairds' little girl (Mary Jane Irving), from a tree, May gets down to praying once again and heals her. None of this has any effect on Gladys, who runs off with a lover, leaving a note that says, "If my going wounds you, get your mother to heal it." In a way, that's just what happens because after Vivian's recovery, she and Laird fall in love. Gladys is killed, which conveniently gets her out of the way so that the couple can marry. This picture was based on the story by Clara Louise Burnham; the directing credit went to Benjamin B. Hampton "and associates" -- whatever that meant. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carl Gantvoort, Claire McDowell, (more)
When Zane Grey's novel, Wildfire, was filmed here, it somehow turned into a hoary Drury Lane-style melodrama, set in the West instead of England. While chasing an unruly colt through the hills, Lin Slone (Carl Gantvoort) is knocked unconscious. Lucy Bostil (Claire Adams]) finds him -- a stroke of luck, since her father (Charles Arling), who owns a stable, has a formidable rival in the villainous Bill Cordts (Harry L. Van Meter). Cordts will do anything to make sure his horse beats out Bostil's in the next race, including drugging the steed. Slone has trained his colt, named Wildfire, to carry a rider, and he gives him to Lucy, providing she ride it in the race. She does, and Wildfire wins. But the story's not over yet -- in one last bit of villainy, Cordts and his half-wit accomplice, Joel Creech (a not-very half-witted Jean Hersholt), kidnap Lucy. Sloan, of course, heads into the mountains and rescues her for the requisite ending clinch. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claire Adams, Carl Gantvoort, (more)
Although this drama, "suggested by" the book by Stewart Edward White, takes place in the lawless post-gold rush San Francisco of the 1850s, its theme is pretty typical: a political boss runs rampant and makes things difficult for the upstanding district attorney. Nevertheless, much attention was given to period detail and the cast was well chosen, even though none of them were big stars. District attorney Milton Keith (Carl Gantvoort) is trying to convict gangster Charles Cora (Omar Whitehead) on a murder charge. However, Ben Sansome (Robert McKim, in yet another villain role), a powerful a political boss, makes sure that he gets off. When the acquittal comes through, a vigilante committee comes together but before they can take justice into their own hands, another murder is committed. This time, suspicion falls on Calhoun Bennett (George Hackathorne), the brother of Keith's fiancee, Nan (Claire Adams). But Keith has an ally in Kraft, a small time underworld character who is in his debt (the tiny, funny-faced Snitz Edwards). With Kraft's help, Calhoun is cleared and Sansome is caught before he is able to set sail for Mexico. Sansome and Keith come to blows, and after Keith wins the fight, he brings the boss and his men to justice. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carl Gantvoort, Claire Adams, (more)
With a screenplay by Howard Hawks and direction by Jack Conway, this Mexican border tale couldn't possibly have been anything less than a vigorously rugged production. The all-star cast, including some of the best-known villains of the day (Noah Beery and Walter Long among them), adds to the film's manly tone. Richard Dix stars as a first lieutenant working under Colonel Patterson (J. Farrell McDonald), who is on the trail of some drug smugglers on the Mexican border. Colonel Patterson has been keeping watch over a cantina, where the goings-on seem to be particularly suspicious. The first lieutenant is in love with a girl (Helene Chadwick), whose father (Hardee Kirkland) works for the U.S. government. At the cantina, the lieutenant finds himself strangely attracted to a sultry Mexican girl, but when he finds her outfit hidden away in a deserted cabin, he realizes it was the Farrell girl. His discovery leads him to believe she is part of the smuggling ring. It turns out that she was actually helping her father, but both she and the lieutenant are captured by the smugglers. The U.S. cavalry comes to the rescue in a exciting climax. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helene Chadwick, Richard Dix, (more)











