Ben G. Kohn Movies
Originally slated for release through Paramount Pictures but ultimately distributed by United Artists, American Empire is a western "special" from Hopalong Cassidy producer Harry "Pop" Sherman. Set during the Reconstruction period, the film stars Richard Dix and Preston S. Foster as Dan Taylor and Paxton Bryce, two longtime friends seeking their fortune in postwar Texas. With the considerable assistance of Dan's sister and Paxton's wife Abby (Frances Gifford), the two comrades establish a thriving cattle business. Alas, Paxton is seized with the ambition to become a emperor in his own domain, thereby alienating himself from Dan and Abby. Only through a profound personal tragedy does Paxton come back to his senses. Ironically, critics in 1942 suggested that the Mexican accent adopted by supporting player Leo Carrillo was more than a little reminiscent of "The Cisco Kid" -- and this was still several years before Carrillo was established as Pancho in the "Cisco" "B"-film and TV series! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Carrillo, Preston S. Foster, (more)
- 1941
In this drama, a female horse trainer works on her grandpa's farm training trotters. Trouble ensues when he is forced to sell his land to a millionaire who endeavors to replace the trotters with regular racehorses. The trainer ends up falling for the new owner. Even though her favorite horse loses the big race, the woman succeeds in getting the owner to return her affections. The grandfather also wins when the couple donates a large amount to his favorite charity, the local community hospital. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Withers, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, (more)
- 1939
In this drama, a waitress leaves her husband after getting sick of being alone while her husband, a commercial pilot, plies his trade. To be near her, he quits his job and joins the state police air service. Unfortunately, he becomes mixed up in an interdepartmental rivalry between road-bound and airborne cops. Later it is the aerial cops that capture a ring of notorious jewel thieves. This causes his wife to respect him and his job and they are happily reunited. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kent Taylor, Rochelle Hudson, (more)
- 1939
In his feature film debut, Glenn Ford plays a department-store clerk who saves up enough money to buy a small patch of land in Arizona. Unable to afford a car, Ford hitchhikes to his new home, and along the way teams up with a transient (Richard Conte) and an illegal alien (Jean Rogers). The girl is torn between both men, but ultimately opts for the clerk. To save the girl from deportation, the clerk marries her, and together they make a new life for themselves in his tiny Arizona homestead. Adapted from a story by Dalton Trumbo, Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence was directed by former silent film star Ricardo Cortez. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Rogers, Raymond Walburn, (more)
- 1938
In this comedy, a milquetoast office clerk is forcibly betrothed to a woman by her overbearing mother. The trouble begins when the man buys a rather erotic statue of a woman. The mother and her daughter are so appalled that they leave. The man loves his statue and soon learns that the model is the daughter of a prominent senator. More trouble ensues when the sculpture becomes the object of a blackmailing scheme. The crooks keep trying to get hold of it, but the clever clerk consistently outwits them. In the end, his gallant efforts win the respect and love of the pretty model. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank McHugh, Jane Wyman, (more)
Despite the title, the plot of Young Fugitives is carried by an oldster. Civil war veterans Harry Davenport and Clem Bevans save a nest egg of $50,000. When Bevans dies, Davenport sets out to find Bevans' son and heir Robert Wilcox. The younger man proves to be a wastrel and cheat, but Davenport decides to reform him. Dorothea Kent, in a brief respite from dumb-blonde roles, plays Wilcox's girl friend. Young Fugitives is based on a short story by Edward James. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Wilcox, Dorothea Kent, (more)
- 1937
A cast of Warner Bros. B-movie players struggles valiantly with a leaden script in this medical drama about foster brothers Steven (Donald Woods) and Jerry Brace (Gordon Oliver) following in their physician father's footsteps. But when Jerry, the natural son, loses two patients on account of drunkenness, he cowardly blames Steven, who is subsequently barred from practicing medicine. Dr. Brace Sr. (Joseph King) suffers a fractured skull in a struggle with Jerry, but the latter is once again too drunk to operate. To the rescue comes the disgraced Steven who not only saves the life of his foster-father but also regains the love of pretty Paula Nordland (Jean Muir). Once a Doctor was an unofficial remake of Alias the Doctor, a 1934 melodrama featuring Richard Barthelmess and Marian Marsh. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Muir, Donald Woods, (more)
- 1937
In the South Seas, Seaman Duke (John Wayne) boards a whaler, and asks the owner, Capt. Drew (Montague Love) and his daughter Janet (Diana Gibson) to look after the pearls he's gathered. Drew, who's dying, persuades Duke to marry Janet to prevent her from marrying crewman Rand (Moroni Olsen), who's thereafter suspicious of Duke. When the crew learns Duke knows where more pearls are, they want to go after them, but Duke sides with Janet, who's after whales, though he's still opposed by Rand. Eventually, incited by Blackie (Maurice Black), the crew mutinies, forcing Rand and Duke to work together. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Diana Gibson, (more)
- 1935
In this drama, a young boy earns the trust of an especially skittish colt and they form a special bond. Trouble ensues when the lad finds himself between two arguing brothers. One wants to save the little horse and the herd he runs with, while the other brother wants to exploit the mustangs. The boy uses his charm to convince them to do it his way. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Rogers, John Farrell MacDonald, (more)
- 1935
Manhattan Moon is predicated on the notion that French songstress Yvonne (Dorothy Page) is so busy with her career that she has to hire a look-alike, Toots Malloy (also Dorothy Page) to take her place at social functions. While posing as Yvonne, Toots makes the acquaintance of the singer's boss, raffish but likeable self-made nightclub proprietor Dan Moore (Ricardo Cortez). As expected, Dan can't understand why the real Yvonne is so cool to his advances after the phony Yvonne was so receptive. By the time Dan has figured out who's who, he's fallen in love with Toots for herself rather than who she represents. The Universal Pictures typecasting system all but demanded that Henry Armetta and Luis Alberni appear in all of the studio's nightclub pictures; they do so here. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ricardo Cortez, Dorothy Page, (more)
- 1935
Tobu (Edmund Lowe) and Nick (Jack Holt) are championship scuba divers who fall out when Tobu loses his arm saving Nick's life. Tobu then gets mixed up with jewel thieves, warning Nick to butt out of his business. The two former friends dive into the depths during the climax, though only one emerges from the water. Also appearing Best Man Wins is Bela Lugosi, who does not don scuba gear at any time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Jack Holt, (more)
- 1933
The Lady from Nowhere is manicurist Polly (Mary Astor) who is the wrong girl at the wrong place when a gangland murder occurs. Taking it on the lam, Polly is pursued by both the gangsters and the police. The cops could have taken a little time to put a tail on the suspected murderer, but why let logic get in the way of a good story? Equally illogical is the decision by the fugitive Polly to pose as a small-town heiress as a means of getting her hands on some getaway money. Since such a ploy could serve only to reveal her whereabouts to the villains, it's surprising that heroic newspaperman Earl (Charles Quigley) comes to Polly's rescue instead of chastising her with a "Geez, what a dummy!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Astor, Charles Quigley, (more)
- 1929
The gruff but lovable Wallace Beery starred in this Zane Grey adaptation from Paramount. He plays the prototype outlaw with a Heart of Gold, sacrificing his own life for the happiness of two young people in love. The young lovers were played by relative newcomers Jean Arthur and Phillips Holmes. Arthur had been spotted by Paramount while working in Grade-"Z" independent westerns and as a co-ed in The Poor Nut (1927). She was to enjoy a legendary career as a sophisticated comedienne, but the Jean Arthur of Stairs of Sand was still the squirrel-like little brunette who had decorated obscure westerns such as Drugstore Cowboy (1925) and Tearin' Loose (1926). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wallace Beery, Jean Arthur, (more)
- 1929
Despite the creative input of producer David O. Selznick and director William A. Wellman, Chinatown Nights was just so much chop suey. In her first (and last) talking-picture appearance, silent screen queen Florence Vidor plays Joan Fry, a San Francisco socialite who ruins her reputation when she falls in love with Chinatown gang boss Chuck Riley (Wallace Beery). When she fails to convince Chuck to quit the rackets, the couple splits up. Unable to return to her own social class, unlucky Joan ends up as a streetwalker (albeit a very glamorous one!) Realizing that he is responsible for the girl's present sorry state, Chuck promises to reform, and together he and Joan leave Frisco to start life anew. In later years, the long-retired Florence Vidor described Chinatown Nights as "absurd," citing producer Selznick's decision to team her with the rough-hewn Wallace Beery as its biggest absurdity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wallace Beery, Florence Vidor, (more)
- 1928
A groom's heart breaks when he discovers that his new wife loves another. To ease his pain, the husband joins the Army and ships out to fight WW I in France. There he meets a charming young woman and falls in love. She too loves him and selflessly cares for him after he becomes mute and deaf after a serious injury. Later she returns to the states to continue caring for him until he recovers. As soon as he does, he gives his cheating wife the boot and settles down with his new, true love for a lifetime of happiness. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice White, Mildred Harris, (more)
