Joseph M. Schenck Movies
Executive producer Joseph M. Schenck was born in Rybinsk, Russia, and emigrated to the U.S. as a child. While growing up in New York, he worked as an errand boy; eventually he wound up owning a pair of drugstores with his brother, Nicholas. In 1908, they opened an amusement park in upstate New York; four years later, they purchased Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey and had become business associates of Marcus Loew, who was chief executive of a burgeoning chain of movie theaters. The two Schencks eventually became high-ranking executives with Loew, the parent company of MGM. In 1917, Joseph Schenck left Loew (Nicholas stayed) to produce films independently. He first signed Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle up for a comedy series to be distributed by Paramount. His most important star during this time was Buster Keaton. In 1924, Schenck was elected the first chairman of the board on the groundbreaking production company United Artists. In 1933, he founded 20th Century with Darryl Zanuk and became its first president; he became chairman of the board when the company merged with Fox in 1935. Schenck encountered hard times in 1941 after he was convicted of income tax irregularities and union payoffs then sentenced to a year in prison; he was released after four months and then returned to 20th Century Fox as an executive producer. For his many distinguished years of service in American cinema, Schenck won an honorary Oscar in 1952. A year later he co-founded the Magna corporation with Michael Todd. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1917
In Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's second independent two-reeler, Fatty goes to the park and flirts with another man's girl (Alice Lake). As a result, he gets a sound thrashing. To explain his injuries when he gets home to his family, he spins a wild tale about how he came to the defense of a little blind woman. The truth comes out a few nights later when he and his folks go to a cinema, and they see that Fatty's escapade in the park has been filmed for posterity. The object of his flirtation is there with her boyfriend, and all mayhem breaks loose. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
This film version of the famed Shakespearean comedy features Laurence Olivier as Orlando and Elisabeth Bergner as Rosalind. As the story goes, Rosalind, smitten by Orlando and not able to get his attention, disguises herself as a boy to more easily remain in Orlando's vicinity. Eventually Orlando grows to like his new friend and Rosalind is stuck playing a boy with a boy with whom she'd rather be a girl. Confusing? Maybe only Shakespeare could come up with the idea, but director Paul Czinner does a fine job executing the concept. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Ainley, Felix Aylmer, (more)
- 1923
The massacre of the Huguenots, previously dramatized in broad strokes by Griffith's Intolerance, served as the basis for director Frank Lloyd's Ashes of Vengeance. Norma Talmadge stars as a Huguenot lass who stands defiant against the persecution of the French royal court. She is protected by Conway Tearle, a French noble who refuses to go along with the de Medici's murderous machinations. Josephine Crowell, who played Catherine de Medici in Intolerance, here repeats the role. Director Lloyd and H. B. Somerville adapted the screenplay of Ashes of Vengeance from Somerville's novel of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Talmadge, Conway Tearle, (more)
- 1919
This two reeler is basically an excuse for Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle to make a mockery of various vaudeville turns and back stage attitudes and antics. It's territory he knew well, since he spent the early years of his career traveling from one small theater to another. The main interest here is that Buster Keaton, who co-starred, stole a couple of gags for later films that he made on his own. The opening shot, in which what appears to be a room is only a set, is strikingly similar to a scene in 1921's The Playhouse. A later gag, where a piece of scenery falls onto Arbuckle, framing him in its second-story window, is repeated on a much, much grander scale in Keaton's 1928 feature Steamboat Bill, Jr. On the other hand, Arbuckle borrowed from Keaton, too -- at one point during the stage show, he throws Keaton at a heckler. Keaton spent his childhood performing on stage with his mother and father, and his father, Joe, was known to use his young son in the same manner for the same reason. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
Battling Butler has to be the strangest of Buster Keaton's silent features. Based on the musical comedy of the same name, the film casts Keaton as wimpy millionaire Alfred Butler, who goes on a vacation in the mountains in the company of his faithful valet (Snitz Edwards). While communing with nature, Alfred falls in love with a beautiful young girl (Sally O'Neil), who barely acknowledges his existence. Without his master's knowledge, the valet tries to smooth the path of romance by telling the girl that Alfred is, in reality, boxing champion Battling Butler (Francis McDonald). The real champ, a mean-spirited sort, gets wind of this deception and decides to allow Alfred to continue the charade, fully intending to mop the floor with the puny millionaire in the boxing ring. But on the night of the big fight, Alfred suddenly gets tired of being pushed around and turns into a savage opponent, leaving the bullying Butler positively groggy. At this point our hero discovers that the girl would have loved him whether he was Battling Butler or not, and all ends well. Played as traditional Keaton comedy for most of its running time, Battling Butler goes dramatic with a vengeance in the climactic fight scene, with Keaton really giving his ring opponent a going over. The final scene is all the more powerful because it is so completely unexpected; if it surprises today's audiences, one can only imagine the effect it had on Buster Keaton's fans way back in 1926. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buster Keaton, Sally O'Neil, (more)
While Barbra Streisand played musical-comedy star Fanny Brice in Funny Girl and Funny Lady, the closest Brice ever came to playing a Streisand-like role on film was in the 1930 comedy-drama Be Yourself. The Rose of Washington Square is cast as Fanny Field, the long-suffering girlfriend of no-account, gin-swilling prizefighter Jerry Moore (Robert Armstrong). After sacrificing everything to advance Jerry's career, Fanny is "repaid" when Jerry dumps her in favor of femme fatale Lillian (Gertrude Astor). Our heroine gets her revenge by telling Jerry's ring opponent to "go after" her man's nose, which was recently reconstructed by plastic surgery. As a result, Jerry loses the bout, but comes to his senses, returning to Fanny for good. Highlights include Brice's takeoff of "Dante's Inferno" and her song solo "Cookin' Breakfast for the One I Love," co-written by her then-husband Billy Rose. Unfortunately, the public didn't respond to Be Yourself, and Fanny Brice never again starred in a film, though she appeared as supporting player and guest performer from time to time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fanny Brice, Robert Armstrong, (more)
- 1934
This second and final "Bulldog Drummond" film to star Ronald Colman, finds the famed sleuth in the midst of a sinister plan orchestrated by Warner Oland. Damsel in distress Loretta Young reports that her wealthy and influential uncle is missing, but all those concerned insist that the uncle never existed, and that Young is out of her mind. Drummond suspects that she's telling the truth, and that the uncle's disappearance is tied into political intrigue of some sort or other. Before the rousing climax, Drummond, the heroine, and Drummond's pal Algy (Charles Butterworth) are repeatedly kidnapped, imprisoned, and threatened with certain death. Counterpointing the film's plot twists (a bit too convoluted to relate in full here) is a comic subplot involving the continually interrupted honeymoon of Algy and his frustrated bride (Una Merkel). Unfortunately, Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back is currently unavailable on television or on videocassette. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ronald Colman, Loretta Young, (more)
The silent comedy feature College stars Buster Keaton as a scholarly young man who doesn't know beans about sports. When he arrives in college, Buster finds that all the Big Men on Campus are jocks. To impress pretty coed Anne Cornwall, Buster tries and fails to join all the school teams. Even when he attempts to take a job at the campus soda fountain, Buster is a washout. Through the kindness of dean Snitz Edwards, Keaton is placed on the varsity rowing team where, despite several clumsy moments, he manages to win the big race. This infuriates his athletic rival Harold Goodwin, who seizes Cornwall and runs off with her. In racing to her rescue, Buster is compelled to repeat all the sports activities at which he'd previously failed--and does so, magnificently. He bursts into Goodwin's dorm room and saves Cornwall from the usual worse-than-death fate. Hero and heroine kiss--at which point this lighthearted film takes a sudden, chilling turn. As always, Buster Keaton performs his own stunts in College, except for the pole-vaulting bit, which was accomplished by Olympic champ Lee Barnes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buster Keaton, Anne Cornwall, (more)
- 1917
This two-reeler by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle involves a man (Arbuckle) who escapes from his battle-axe wife Agnes Neilson by disappearing into Coney Island. There, he encounters Al St. John and the two of them vie for the girlfriend (Alice Mann) of Buster Keaton. This scrambled plot is merely an excuse for a vast array of timeless gags. It's entertaining enough to watch these three clowns turn the amusement park upside down, but what's really notable about Coney Island is Keaton's performance. His face hasn't yet frozen into its familiar deadpan, and he mugs throughout the film almost as much as Al St. John! ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
- 1920
In Buster Keaton's second two-reel comedy to be released, he is golfing (though not very well) with a group of socialites. He knocks himself out and while unconscious, an escapee from a nearby prison exchanges his uniform with Buster's clothes. When Buster comes to, he finds himself on the lam from dozens of prison guards. Buster evades them -- until he dashes right into the prison. There he runs into one of his golfing friends (Sybil Seely), who is the warden's daughter. The girl finds his prison garb a hilarious joke until her father mentions that Buster (according to the number on his sleeve) is to be hanged that day. With the help of an elastic band, the girl saves him from this fate, but then Buster has to overcome a prison riot and a huge, brutish fellow convict (Joe Roberts). He is successful, and for his trouble, is awarded the job of assistant warden. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buster Keaton, Sybil Seely, (more)
- 1922
Although Cops is one of the all-time great two-reelers, its creator, Buster Keaton, never thought much of it. He felt it was just a run-of-the-mill chase film, which suggests that perhaps Keaton was his own worst critic -- the chase is what gives the film its brilliance. The film's beginning is a portent of things to come: Keaton longingly looks at his girl Virginia Fox through what appear to be prison bars. In reality, it's the gate to the mansion where she lives. The girl sends Keaton away, telling him not to return until he is a success in business. Keaton attempts to do so, acquiring, through convoluted means, a horse, wagon, and a load of stolen furniture. Somehow he drives his wagon into the middle of a policeman's parade, where an anarchist's bomb falls in his lap. Carelessly, he lights his cigarette with it and throws it away. It explodes in the middle of the parade, and suddenly Keaton is pursued by every cop in the city. The surrealistic vision of Keaton, small and alone, evading these hundreds upon hundreds of policemen is unforgettable. The filmmaker was both athlete and comic, and here he makes maximum use of both talents, racing down streets, playing a balancing act on a ladder, and casually grabbing hold of a car as it flies past, all in an attempt to evade the cops. When it was first released, this comic short confused many people -- its subtle statements (including its blend of humor and politics) went over the head of the average filmgoer of the '20s. But those same qualities make Cops a classic today. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buster Keaton
- 1923
Deft light comedienne Constance Talmadge seems woefully out of place in this historical drama of 17th century England. It was based on the Elizabeth Ellis novel, Barbara Winslow -- Rebel. Barbara Winslow (Talmadge) helps her rebel brother, Rupert (Ray Hallor), escape from the king's forces by disguising herself as him. Captain Prothero (Conway Tearle) captures her, but he has fallen for Barbara's charms so he lets her go. As a result they are both arrested and imprisoned. A secret door is found in the prison and all those who are locked up escape. Barbara manages to get pardons for herself and Prothero by giving up some papers exposing a plot that threatens the king. Prothero must leave the country, and Barbara gladly gives up her titled fiancé, Sir Peter Dare (Charles Gerrard), to go with him. Happily, Talmadge was cast in very few dramas -- those were generally left to her sister, "emotional actress" Norma Talmadge. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Constance Talmadge, Conway Tearle, (more)
- 1922
Buster Keaton is a boy who wants to marry his sweetheart (a pre-stardom Renee Adoree). But her practical father (Joe Keaton -- in real life, Buster's father) wants to know, "How will you support her?" Buster swears he will go to the city to make good, adding, "If I am not a success I'll come back and shoot myself." The father generously offers to loan him his gun, should that come to pass. And so Buster is off, writing letters home of his adventures. His girl reads that he is working at a hospital. She imagines him as a master surgeon. In reality, he is a veterinary assistant. Then he writes that he is cleaning up on wall street. But he not the tycoon that his girl believes he is -- as a sanitary engineer, Buster is literally "cleaning up." Next he is making his theatrical debut. His girl pictures him on stage as Hamlet. Instead, Buster is actually an extra who is so disruptive that the star haughtily walks off the show. He ends up being chased by the town's police force (in scenes similar in tone to Keaton's two-reeler, Cops, released six months earlier). Finally, a bruised and battered Buster is delivered, via mail, back home to his girl and her father. Obligingly, the father hands the boy a gun, and he and his daughter go into another room while he does the job. But Buster can't even do this right -- he misses. Several fragments of Daydreams are missing and replaced by stills shot while it was being filmed. But it is lucky that the two-reeler exists at all -- the only known copy of it was found in Czechoslovakia. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buster Keaton
- 1930
This drama chronicles the rise of a famous Madame from casino hostess to king's mistress. Her story begins as she is being fished from a pond by her future lover. Next she is seen as a hostess in the gambling house. She then becomes the King's mistress. Meanwhile she continues to carry on with her first love. They are together until death. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1922
Although it sounds ludicrous to slap a black wig on vivacious blonde Constance Talmadge and try to pass her off as a Chinese maiden, somehow it worked in this picture, which was based on the famed play by Samuel Shipman and John B. Hymes. Talmadge didn't look particularly Asian -- and it really shows when she's hugging some real Chinese children -- but her personality managed to carry the humorous parts of the film well enough so that this could be overlooked. Helping out was Warner Oland, who practically stole the show -- although he is of Swedish birth, he made a career of playing Asians (and actually looked the part). In the early 1930s his name was synonymous with fictional detective Charlie Chan, who he played in a series of films. Ming Toy (Talmadge) is about to be sold into slavery when she's saved by Billy Benson, a handsome young American (Edward Burns). She lands in San Francisco, where Charlie Yong, the king of Chinatown (Oland) decides he wants her for himself. His attempts to kidnap her are foiled by Benson, who takes her home. His parents (Winter Hall and Lillian Lawrence) are horrified at the thought that their son is in love with an Asian woman. But it turns out that Ming Toy is really a white girl, stolen from a missionary couple (which explains why she looked so strange next to all the other Chinese folks), so the parents give the young couple their blessing. This picture was remade as a talkie in 1930, this time starring fiery Latina Lupe Velez as the Chinese girl. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Constance Talmadge
Eternal Love was the last silent film of star John Barrymore and director Ernst Lubitsch; thereafter, both men would concentrate exclusively on talkies. Based on Der Konig der Bernina, a novel by Jakob Christopher Beer, the story is set in the Swiss Alps in 1812. Both forced into loveless marriages, sweethearts Marcus (John Barrymore) and Ciglia (Camilla Horn) continue to carry on a clandestine romance. When Marcus is falsely accused of murdering Ciglia's husband, the two lovers escape into the Alps, with the angry villagers close at their heels. With no other recourse, Marcus and Ciglia elect to commit suicide, walking hand in hand into the path of an avalanche. Filmed on location in the Canadian Rockies, Eternal Love was a most uncharacteristic venture into doom-and-gloom for director Lubitsch, who was never quite so dour again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Barrymore, Camilla Horn, (more)
- 1918
In cinema's first few decades it was common for Caucasians to play Asian roles, and here Norma Talmadge is San San, the daughter of a Chinese mandarin (in fact, no Asians hold any major roles in this film). San San is in love with John Worden (Thomas Meighan), the secretary of the U.S. consulate, and they secretly marry. But while Worden is away, her status-seeking father gives her to the emperor (L. Rogers Lytton). But when the emperor finds out she has a child, he has her killed. The little girl, Toy (played as an adult by Talmadge), grows up and escapes from China to be a Red Cross nurse in Manila. There she meets Lieutenant Philip Halbert (Reed Hamilton) and they fall in love. However, Halbert's boss is Worden and he forbids them to marry. After sending Halbert away on a mission, Worden falls ill and is nursed back to health by Toy. He discovers that Toy is his own daughter and, remembering his own tragic young romance, changes his mind and gives his blessing to the couple. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
With this delightful film, Buster Keaton rivals Charlie Chaplin for comic poetry and pathos. Keaton's character, known only as Friendless, is a Midwestern boy who is down on his luck. After an abortive attempt to get by in the city, he follows Horace Greeley's advice to "Go West, young man!" As a result, Friendless winds up on a cattle ranch and is about the most unlikely cowboy imaginable (in fact, he never does trade in his porkpie hat for a ten-gallon). Various bits of comic business abound; standouts include the milking scene and a card game in which Friendless accuses a player of cheating. The sharpie tells The Great Stone Face "When you say that -- smile!" More importantly, Friendless finds true love -- not with the rancher's daughter (Kathleen Myers) but with Brown Eyes, a cow who seems nearly as out of place in the herd as Friendless does on the ranch. Cow and boy become devoted, but Brown Eyes is headed for the slaughterhouse. Friendless resolves to rescue her, sneaking on the train that's taking her and thousands of other cattle to the Los Angeles station. The herd escapes from the cattle cars at the destination and runs amok through downtown L.A.; it is then up to Friendless to round them up. Look closely during the hilarious stampede scene -- Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle plays a part in drag, and Keaton's father also has a bit in a barber shop. With the help of a costume shop, Friendless saves the day...and his cow. Go West is Keaton's most heartfelt film, and certainly one of his most underrated. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buster Keaton, Howard Truesdell, (more)
- 1918
Long believed lost, the Fatty Arbuckle two-reeler Good Night, Nurse resurfaced in fragmentary form in the late 1970s. Seeking refuge from a torrential storm, Fatty ends up befriending an organ grinder and a street dancer and takes them home with him. His wife arrives, assumes that Fatty has been staging a drunken party, and bundles her husband off to the local sanitarium to take the liquor cure. Here he finds himself at the mercy of overenthusiastic doctor Buster Keaton, who looks and acts more like a butcher, and goofy intern Al St. John. After much hectic running about, Fatty escapes from the doc's clutches, only to get mixed up in the problems of pretty patient Alice Lake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
- 1925
On a train traveling from the West, Grenfall Lorry, an American (Eugene O'Brien), meets the mysterious and beautiful Yetive (Norma Talmadge). By the time they reach their destination of New York, they are deeply in love, but Yetive is called back to the European principality of Graustark where she lives. Lorry follows after her and discovers that she is a princess who is being pushed into a loveless marriage with Gabriel, a neighboring prince (Marc McDermott). Gabriel sends his henchman Dangloss (Roy D'Avey) after Lorry, who wounds him in a battle. Dangloss is spirited out of the country and the American is accused of murder. He is convicted and sentenced to death, but Yetive helps him to escape. At the border, Lorry finds Dangloss and brings him back just in time for the wedding ceremony between Gabriel and Yetive. Gabriel is disgraced, and Yetive's desire to wed Lorry wins the approval of her countrymen. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norma Talmadge, Eugene O'Brien, (more)
Al Jolson's "comeback" picture Hallelujah, I'm a Bum is an offbeat Depression-era concoction with script by Ben Hecht and S.N. Behrmann and music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Jolson plays a genial hobo who wanders happily around Central Park, neither seeking nor accepting honest employment. He is imbued with a sense of responsibility when he rescues pretty Madge Evans from committing suicide. Evans, suffering from amnesia, falls in love with Jolson, completely forgetting her "regular" beau, mayor Frank Morgan. When she regains her memory she heads back to Morgan, leaving Jolson sadder but wiser, and prompting him back to his carefree existence. Much of the dialogue is spoken in rhyme, in the manner of an operetta--though there's nothing Romberg-like about such lyrical phrases as "Hoover's Cossacks." Former silent-film comedy star Harry Langdon has some choice moments as Egghead, a communist streetcleaner, while composers Rodgers and Hartshow up in unbilled cameos. Because the word "Bum" has different connotations in different lands, this film was released in England as Hallelujah, I'm a Tramp. The reissue version, titled Heart of a Tramp, has been severely re-edited, doing considerable damage to the carefully interwoven rhyming dialogue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Jolson, Madge Evans, (more)
- 1921
The plucky little guy that comedian Buster Keaton portrayed throughout most of his two-reel silents is just about out of pluck here. After being fired by his boss and jilted by his girlfriend, there seems to be nothing left but to end it all. And even that won't go right -- try as he might nothing works (and hilariously so). Throwing himself in front of a streetcar fails. He lamely tries to hang himself. The "poison" he swallows is someone's bootleg liquor stash. Desperately he throws himself in front of an oncoming pair of headlights, but it's not a car, it's two motorcycles that navigate easily around him. Suicide is forgotten when he somehow gets involved with a scientific search for an armadillo, which leads him to a country club. Notorious bandit Lizard Lip Luke (Joe Roberts) terrorizes the club's patrons, but Buster saves the day and the girl (Virginia Fox). "Now no one can stand in the way of our getting married!" he tells the young lady. "Except my husband over there," she retorts. Out of luck once again, Buster dons a swim suit, climbs up to the highest diving platform and jumps. Missing the pool completely, he goes through the tile and vanishes. "Years later" reads the title card, and we see the country club pool, overrun by weeds from misuse. The hole is still there, though, and Buster promptly emerges, a Chinese wife and two Chinese-American kids in tow. Out of all the two-reelers he made, Keaton said that Hard Luck was his favorite, and he claimed that performing the high dive was the greatest thrill of his life. Unfortunately, the end of Hard Luck has deteriorated with time (although the rest of the film is mostly intact), and apparently only fragments of it exist. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Buster Keaton, Virginia Fox, (more)
- 1924
This silly farce was typical Constance Talmadge material. She has great support here, with the suave Ronald Colman as her co-star (the two of them, along with director Sidney Franklin, would team up a year later for another film, Her Sister From Paris). Samuel C. Adams, an American millionaire (Albert Gran) brings his daughter, Dorothy (Talmadge), to England to see a specialist about her heart trouble. So that she won't be hounded by press and fortune hunters, Dorothy makes herself up to look extremely ugly. Lord Paul Menford (Colman) spies her without the hideous makeup job and falls in love with her immediately. He poses as his uncle, a heart specialist, so that he has a chance to meet Dorothy. While he's getting to know her, his agent is selling her father the Menford estate. Menford finally admits the ruse and later that night, he gets drunk and goes home -- only he has forgotten that he no longer lives at the Menford estate. He crawls into his old room to find Dorothy there. When a friend arrives the next morning, Menford introduces Dorothy as his wife to avoid a scandal. They decide to get married for real, but a misunderstanding splits them up. The rift, however, doesn't last long -- Mr. Adams tricks the couple into reconciling. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Constance Talmadge, Ronald Colman, (more)
- 1925
Constance Talmadge was at the peak of her career when she made this comedy; she was also near the end of her career. The star would only make a handful of films after this one before retiring in lieu of switching over to talkies. Helen Weyringer (Talmadge), a nice but slightly dowdy housewife, has a sister, La Perry (also Talmadge), who is a notorious dancer. When Helen has an argument with her husband Joseph (Ronald Colman), she walks out on him. She runs into her sister and they plot to vamp Joseph and teach him a lesson. Posing as La Perry, Helen flirts outrageously with Joseph until he can no longer resist her charms. Joseph's friend Robert (George K. Arthur) falls for her too. After much trickery, Helen as La Perry convinces Joseph to run away with her. Only then does he discover that he has been carrying on with his wife. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
