Del Cambre Movies
- 1949
The gestation of Arctic Fury is more interesting than the film itself. In 1936, pioneer cinematographer Norman Dawn joined forces with Universal head Carl Laemmle to produce Tundra, a semidocumentary account of the life of Alaska's "flying doctor," Thomas Barlow. When the Laemmle regime collapsed at Universal, cameraman/co-director Dawn received funding from Burrough-Tarzan productions, an independent firm set up by Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs. After seven months' location filming in the Yukon and Arctic Ocean region, Dawn filled the gaps in the film's continuity with snippets from SOS Iceberg (1933) and newly-shot scenes of former football coach Del Cambre (as Dr. Barlow) and trained bears Tom and Jerry. In 1949, 13 years after the release of Tundra, the film was purchased by Plymouth Productions. Most of the location footage and the Del Cambre re-enactments were retained, but a new subplot, directed by Dan Riss and featuring Eve Miller and Gloria Petroff as Dr. Barlow's wife and daughter, was grafted onto the proceedings. Merrill McCormick, who'd played a crusty old trapper in Tundra, was rehired to repeat his role and provide linking narration. This "new" film, retitled Arctic Fury, was distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Del Cambre, Eve Miller, (more)
- 1936
The Burroughs-Tarzan corporation, the folks who brought you the 1934 Guatemala-based serial The New Adventures of Tarzan, set their sights northward in Tundra. Del Cambre plays an airborne doctor who crashes in the frozen wastes while transporting medicine. His life is saved by a pair of mischievous bear cubs, whom he "adopts." After six reels of scenery, the filmmakers return to the plot, with Cambre tackling an epidemic in a remote Alaskan village. On the whole, the "acting" from the Eskimo bit players has more conviction than the performances of such smoked hams as Wally Howe, Earl Dwyre and Jack Santos. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Del Cambre, William Merrill McCormick, (more)
- 1935
Adapted from one of Dashiell Hammett's best novels, The Glass Key is a lively and straightforward melodrama of political corruption and urban intrigue. George Raft plays Ed Beaumont, the right-hand man to genial ward heeler Paul Madvig (Edward Arnold), who wants to clean up his political act. On the eve of a major election, Madvig is implicated in a murder, and it's up to Beaumont to help him out. Intimately involved in the case is Janet Henry (Claire Dodd), the sister of the murdered man and the daughter of "above reproach" Senator Henry (Charles Richman). Though no babe-in-the-woods, Beaumont is in for quite a few disillusionments as he pursues his investigation, though he does rather better romantically than the redoubtable Madvig. The Glass Key was remade (and improved) in 1942, with Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake and Brian Donlevy; neither version, however, has as much bite and vitriol as the Hammett original. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Raft, Edward Arnold, (more)
