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 Guide- 1931
In this WW I comedy, several young men decide to join the army. Each one has his own reason for joining up. Songs include: "Forever," "Qui, Qui," "Honey Boy," "Ja, Ja, Ja," "Side by Side." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lotti Loder, Harry Langdon, (more)
- 1930
The Cat Creeps is the first of three talkie versions of John Willard's durable stage melodrama The Cat and the Canary (filmed under its original title in 1927). Twenty years after the death of misanthropic millionaire Cyrus West, the old man's heirs are summoned to the spooky ancestral mansion for the reading of two recently discovered sealed envelopes. The first contains West's will; the second envelope is to be opened only if the terms of that will are carried out. Summoned to the West estate for the "grand opening" are West's grandniece Annabelle (Helen Twelvetrees) and several predatory would-be heirs. On the verge of opening the second envelope, the sinister Lawyer Crosby (Lawrence Grant) disappears behind a secret panel -- only to turn up murdered a few moments later. Is Annabelle --the last person to see Crosby alive -- the guilty party? And what's all this about an escaped lunatic wandering through the ghostly mansion? Alas, The Cat Creeps is evidently a lost film; not even the simultaneously-filmed Spanish version is still extant. Fortunately, the original sound discs have been recovered, allowing future generations to at least hear this landmark "old dark house" chiller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Twelvetrees, Raymond Hackett, (more)
- 1930
In this romance, men board "The Love Boat" (no, not the TV boat) and set sail for China with the hope of buying a Chinese bride. The hero disembarks and immediately finds himself in the midst of an auction of women. There he spies a beautiful girl being sold by her father. The hero saves her. She is taken to San Francisco by a friendly elder. In San Francisco, she immediately snubbed by the local elite. Her old guardian sells her to the Chop Suey King. The hero finds her, rescues her and proposes. His socially prominent family is firmly against the match. The day is saved when the girl discovers that she is not really Chinese. She was only raised by a Chinese family after her missionary parents were murdered. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lupe Velez, Lew Ayres, (more)
- 1930
The Climax is based on the 1909 play of the same name by Edward Locke. Kathryn Crawford plays Adela Donitelli, an aspiring singer who is coached to stardom by Italian voice teacher Golfanti (Jean Hersholt), who'd performed the same miracle for Adela's opera-diva mother. Along the way, our heroine falls in love with Golfanti's son Pietro (John Reinhardt), only to toss the boy aside in favor of handsome Dr. Gardoni (LeRoy Mason). When her voice begins failing her, Adela submits to an operation, to be performed by the brilliant Gardoni. Unfortunately, Gardoni's less-talented assistant bungles the operation, rendering the girl voiceless. Feeling responsible for this tragedy, Gardoni marries Adela, but gallantly steps aside when she regains her voice and renews her romance with Pietro. One suspects that this wasn't believable even in 1930 -- or 1909, for that matter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Hersholt, Kathryn Crawford, (more)
- 1930
In this drama, the children of a recently deceased firefighter are sent to an orphanage. Two other firefighters offered to take the brother and his older sister in, but the authorities demurred and the children are whisked away. Time passes and one day the orphanage catches fire. The fireman rush to put it out and there find their colleague's children. By this time the girl has grown into a young woman and one of the firemen marries her, while his partner also finds a suitable match at the fire station. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anita Louise, James Hall, (more)
- 1930
One of the most ambitious productions ever to emerge from parsimonious Tiffany Studios, Mamba is also one of the few 1930s horror films to be lensed in Technicolor. The story takes place in East Africa, where bestial August Bolte (Jean Hersholt), also known as Mamba, holds the local Zulu population in a grip of terror. Bolte's villainy apparently knows no bounds, extending all the way to his native Germany, where for $40,000 he "purchases" virginal Helen von Linden (Eleanor Boardman) from her greedy mother. En route to Africa, Helen falls in love with ship's captain Karl von Reiden (Ralph Forbes), who vows to rescue the girl from Bolte's slimy clutches. But Bolte proves a near-invulnerable enemy -- at least until the Zulus rise up against him and mete out their own gruesome justice. Only a few existing prints of Mamba are in color; most available copies are black-and-white dupes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Hersholt, Eleanor Boardman, (more)
- 1930
This war drama, set in WW I Germany, is based on a novel by Arnold Zwieg. The story follows the harrowing trials of an escaped Russian POW trying to return to his home country. Along the way the Germans recapture him. Because he wears the dog tag of a late Russian spy, the innocent protagonist is immediately executed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chester Morris, Betty Compson, (more)
- 1930
This early musical was filmed in color and centers upon the love affair between a young composer and the woman he wants to marry. Unfortunately the two quarrel and split up, causing her to marry a wealthy man. He also marries, but the union is unhappy because his new wife doesn't understand his love for music. Forty years pass. By then the composer is dead. His elderly ex-flame is seen listening raptly to his music. Later the grandchildren of the star-crossed lovers end up getting married. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alexander Gray, Vivienne Segal, (more)
- 1930
Even allowing for the comparative freedom of the pre-Production Code years, 1930's Hell Harbor was pretty strong meat for its time. The story is set on a remote Caribbean island, entirely populated by descendants of Sir Henry Morgan's pirate crew. Morgan's brutish great-great-grandson Henry Morgan (Gibson Gowland) intends to shower himself with gold and to that end forces his daughter Anita (Lupe Velez) into a marriage with despicable moneylender Joseph Horngold (Jean Hersholt). Coming to Anita's rescue is shipwrecked American sailor Bob Wade (John Holland), whose presence sparks an unchecked riot on the island. The film's most chilling scene finds Morgan. Director Henry King also produced the film through his own Inspiration Pictures Corporation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lupe Velez, Jean Hersholt, (more)
- 1929
Two-reel comedy producer Hal Roach was too busy switching over to sound in 1929 to bother with making feature films, which is one of the reasons that popular Roach star Charley Chase made his first and only starring feature, Modern Love, at Universal. The spindly Mr. Chase plays John Jones, the husband of dress designer Patricia Brown (Kathryn Crawford). For business purposes, Patricia is forced to pretend that she isn't married, leading to all manner of ticklish complications for her hapless husband. John poses as Patricia's butler, waiting until after midnight to try to sneak into his own wife's boudoir -- if the nosy neighbors will let him, that is. Featured in the cast is statuesque comedienne Anita Garvin, one of Charley Chase's favorite co-stars on the Hal Roach lot. That Modern Love apparently no longer exists is a genuine tragedy for comedy lovers in general and Charley Chase fans in particular; although he would later play choice supporting roles in such Roach features as Sons of the Desert and Kelly the Second, this brilliant, underrated funster would never again be afforded the opportunity to carry a picture any longer than two or three reels. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charley Chase, Jean Hersholt, (more)
- 1929
In this romantic romance, the daughter of a deeply religious self-righteous barge captain befriends a worldly tugboat worker. Unfortunately, her strict, domineering daddy, who is so desperate for control that he did not even teach his child to read, tries everything he can to stop the sailor from teaching her about life. The enraged captain beats her and even tries to kill the tugboat sailor. Eventually the father mellows out and allows the two to marry after the sailor saves the captain's barge which was accidently set adrift. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Hersholt, Sally O'Neil, (more)
- 1929
In this comedy-drama, The owner of a cannery tries to avert a potentially devastating strike from his employees. He is assisted by a friendly millionaire who saves the struggling cannery when he makes a large order. Unfortunately, the millionaire is actually an escapee from a local mental hospital. Fortunately, his insanity is but an act. He really is rich, and quite sane. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Hersholt, George Sidney, (more)
- 1929
In this sentimental drama, the son of a Jewish pushcart vendor abandons his roots as he builds himself a successful new life and moves his family to a posh Fifth-Avenue apartment. Though he loves his parents, he is deeply embarrassed by their humble provincial ways and introduces them as his servants when the rich parents of the woman he wants to marry drop by for a chat. His father is terribly hurt. The thoughtless son then boots his sister out because she remains faithful to her lover, an aspiring composer, in spite of his being arrested for burglary. By the story's end, the family has a tearful reconciliation as they gather around the dying patriarch. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Hersholt, Lina Basquette, (more)
- 1928
The Secret Hour was the first of three screen versions of Sidney Howard's Pulitzer Prize-winning play They Knew What They Wanted. The owner of a prosperous California orange grove, Italian-born Tony (Jean Hersholt) decides that he lacks romance in his life. Spotting waitress Amy (Pola Negri) at a roadside café, Tony falls in love with her from afar. Mailing her a proposal of marriage, the self-conscious Tony encloses a photo of his handsome foreman Joe (Kenneth Thomson). Even when Amy finds out the truth, she reconciles herself to going through with her marriage to the crude but likeable Tony. Meanwhile, Joe and Amy meet, and though Joe can't stand the girl at first, eventually they fall in love and marry in secret; before long, Amy is pregnant with Joe's child. Enraged when he finds out what's been going on behind his back, the good-hearted Tony can't bring himself to send Amy away or break up his friendship with Joe, so he agrees to bless their marriage. The Secret Hour underwent several radical changes in the transition from stage to screen (in the Sidney Howard original, Tony marries Amy and is cuckolded by Joe), but this didn't weaken the film as much as Pola Negri's miscasting. In addition to the two subsequent film versions, They Knew What They Wanted was transformed by Frank Loesser into the Broadway musical The Most Happy Fella. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pola Negri, Jean Hersholt, (more)
A remake of a 1914 D.W. Griffith potboiler, The Battle of the Sexes is a highly entertaining, if cautionary, tale of a middle-aged family man, J.C. Judson (Jean Hersholt), who despite his devotion to wife and offspring falls for what is obviously a gold digger, Marie Skinner (Phyllis Haver). When Mrs. Judson (Belle Bennett) and her grown children, Ruth (Sally O'Neil) and Billy (William Bakewell), confront him with the awful truth, Judson refuses to give up his inamorata and instead moves out of the home. A desperate Ruth, gun in hand, seeks a showdown with Marie, but their confrontation is interrupted by the latter's handsome but feckless boyfriend, Babe Winsor (Don Alvarado), who in drunkenness begins to court the pretty Ruth. Judson walks in on this tender scene and immediately employs a double standard, condemning his daughter for bringing shame upon his house. A violent argument between a jealous Marie and Babe forces him to face the truth, however, and a chagrined Judson returns to home and hearth, begging for forgiveness. Beautifully restored and released on DVD in 2000, The Battle of the Sexes benefits from a wonderful new score performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Hersholt, Phyllis Haver, (more)
- 1928
In this comedy, a wealthy matron is terribly upset when she learns that her socialite son is planning to marry a blue collar girl. Upon hearing the dreadful news, the irate mother immediately cancels her vacation in Europe, disguises herself, and takes up residence in her cousin's boardinghouse. There she encounters a dashing, sophisticated thief and discovers that he is planning to rob her lovely home in Washington Square. She and her maid quickly return to the endangered home and find the house awash with people. Among them are her son and his fiance, the would-be thief, and many reporters and cops. Appalled at the thought of scandal, the quick-thinking mother immediately congratulates the young couple and introduces the crook as her "art broker." In this way, peace is restored and all are happy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Hersholt, Alice Joyce, (more)
- 1928
Anne Nichols' Broadway comedy Abie's Irish Rose was almost universally panned when it opened in 1923. But despite the moans and wails of the critics (notably Robert Benchley, who turned his weekly drubbing of the play into an art form), the Nichols piece ended up as one of the longest-running plays in American theatrical history. Inevitably, the play spawned innumerable imitators, many of which had been committed to film long before the movie version of Abie's Irish Rose was released in April of 1928. It will be recalled that the story concerns the "mixed" romance between Jewish Abie Levy (Charles Rogers) and Irish Rosemary Murphy (Nancy Carroll). Taking into consideration the ethnic antagonism between the Levys and the Murphys, the road to the altar for Abie and Rosemary is a rocky one. Even after the couple is married, an argument rages between the parents over whether the first grandchild will be raised as a Jew or a Catholic. Fortunately, Providence takes a hand in matters when Rosemary thoughtfully gives birth to twins. Holdovers from the original Broadway cast include Bernard Gorcey as family attorney Isaac Cohen; Gorcey, the father of Leo Gorcey, is best remembered today as Louie Dumbrowski, the gullible sweet-shop proprietor in the Bowery Boys comedies of the 1940s and 1950s. Completed as a silent film, Abie's Irish Rose was released with a brief talkie sequence, padding the running time out to an ungainly 120 minutes. Though no classic, the original Abie's Irish Rose was far better than the phlegmatic and outdated 1946 remake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles "Buddy" Rogers
- 1927
The Wrong Mr. Wright was based on a stage comedy by George Broadhurst. Jean Hersholt stars as the bumbling son of a wealthy teddy-bear manufacturer. While staying at a fancy hotel, Hersholt is wrongly suspected of stealing $10,000 by an overzealous house detective. Sexy Enid Bennett is dispatched to extract a confession from the hapless Hersholt. Instead, she falls in love with him, and together hero and heroine track down the real culprit. The film relies on Jean Hersholt's skill at mimicry and make up for its biggest "yocks." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Hersholt, Enid Bennett, (more)
- 1927
Jean Hersholt stars in this Universal "jewel," which was based on the Broadway success by John B. Hymer and Leroy Clemens. A professional gambler (Hersholt) comes to a small town and is mistaken for the new deacon. He decides that this is as good a front as any, and sticks around to swindle the villagers at cards. But the Deacon has a heart of gold, and when Phylis, a girl he has befriended (June Marlowe), falls in love with reformed crook Jim Adams (Ralph Graves), he decides to help them out. Adams tries to make some money in a prize fight, but he is cheated out of his earnings and falsely accused of robbery. The Deacon beats out the crooked promoter (Ned Sparks) in a card game, clears Adams' name and gives Phylis the money as a wedding present. Since the sheriff has finally figured out his game, the Deacon makes a getaway. This story was filmed once again in 1940. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Hersholt, June Marlowe, (more)
- 1927
Even without the benefit of sound, The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg seems to be inundated by Franz Lehar's unforgettable songs. Director Ernst Lubitsch fashioned a gloriously schmaltzy, delightfully artificial rendition of the 1924 Lehar opera, which in turn was based on the 1902 play In Old Heidelberg. Ramon Novarro plays the title role, an ever-carousing young monarch who falls in love with ebullient barmaid Norma Shearer. Fully willing to forsake his crown for her sake, Novarro chooses duty over love when his country is threatened with revolution. He tries to let Shearer down gently, but it is clear that she will never quite get over her summer romance. Such is the genius of Ernst Lubitsch that the 1927 version of Student Prince seems a lot more alive and far less dated than the 1954 Technicolor remake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ramon Novarro, Norma Shearer, (more)
- 1926
This melodrama -- one of the last gasps from Associated Exhibitors -- features an excellent cast, with Jean Hersholt taking most of the kudos. Railroad builder James Travers (George Nichols) wants his pretty daughter, Anne (Virginia Valli), to marry Herbert Landis, a young engineer (Eugene O'Brien). Unfortunately, Anne loves Landis...like a brother, and his rival, Hilary Fenton (Bryant Washburn), stands ready to snatch her up. Ole Bergson, the camp boss (Hersholt) is pals with Landis and is determined to help him win the girl. Disguised as a notorious bandit, Bergson kidnaps Anne so that Landis can rescue her and win her admiration. But the real bandit, Black Blanchette (Boris Karloff), happens to be hiding in the cabin where Bergson takes Anne. Fenton proves to be a coward, and Landis fights not only the bandit, but a raging forest fire to save Anne. Needless to say, Anne discovers she loves Landis as more than a brother and they are united. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia Valli, Eugene O'Brien, (more)
- 1926
First filmed in 1915, the time-honored Albert Chevalier stage success My Old Dutch was remade (this time sans Chevalier) in 1926. May McAvoy stars as Sallie Brown, young costermonger (street peddler) who sells her fish and vegetables in the streets of London. With the help of her hard-working husband Joe (Pat O'Malley) she endeavors to pay for a fancy education for her son David (Cullen Landis). The boy grows up ashamed of his low-born parents but at the last moment realizes how much they've done for him and rescues the couple from the poor farm. My Old Dutch was filmed a third time as a Betty Balfour vehicle in 1934. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- May McAvoy, Pat O'Malley, (more)
- 1926
The Greater Glory was adapted by June Mathis from The Viennese Medley, a novel by Edith O'Shaughnessy. Set during WWI, the film focuses on the changes wrought by the war upon a "typical" European family. Specifically, the story zeroes in on the two prettiest family members, Fanny (Anna Q. Nilsson) and Corinne (May Allison). Corinne is a separated from her sweetheart early in the proceedings, but promises to be faithful. Not so Fanny, who becomes the mistress of an odious war profiteer. In the end, Fanny is redeemed by True Love, while Corinne, though worn down by poverty and deprivation, likewise enjoys a happy ending. The travails of the two heroines are reflected by recurring superimposed appearances of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, whose scenes were filmed in Technicolor. Running nearly 30 reels (or six hours!) in its original form, The Greater Glory was eventually released at a more manageable 2-hour length. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Conway Tearle, Anna Q. Nilsson, (more)
- 1926
This typically delightful Colleen Moore vehicle was one of several produced by the actress' then-husband, First National executive John McCormick. Moore stars as Ferdie Schmidt, the daughter of German delicatessen owner Pop Schmidt (Jean Hersholt). Growing to dislike her aromatic surroundings, Ferdie understandable balks when Pop arranges for her to marry sausage manufacturer Peter Halitovsky (Arthur Stone). Defying her father, she attends a local dance, where she meets and falls in love with Jack Dugan (Malcolm McGregor), whom she assumes is a wealthy stockbroker. Actually, Jack is a stock boy in a department store, but Ferdie continues to date him anyway, if only out of defiance against her father. Intending to marry the girl, Jack begins salting away his earnings, hoping to go into business for himself. You guessed it: The business Jack buys is Halitovsky's sausage factory, whereupon Pop Schmidt gives his blessings to Ferdie's choice in husbands. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colleen Moore, Jean Hersholt, (more)
