Raymond Schrock Movies

Florence Lawrence, the motion-picture industry's first real movie star, was at the tail end of her popularity when she appeared in Elusive Isabel. Lawrence plays a seductive secret agent for an unnamed Latin nation. Her mission is to clear the path for a takeover of the U.S., engineered by the combined South American powers (the film was made at a time when the U.S. and Mexico were at serious odds with one another). She is deflected from her purpose by American spy Hamilton Grimm (Harry Millarde). Elusive Isabel was based on a jingoistic "preparedness" novel by Jacques Futrelle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The only surprise in putting athletic actor George Walsh in a college picture is that it took his studio, Fox, so long to do it. Buck Simmons (Walsh) is a star athlete on Yale's rowing team. He has gained the animosity of Paul Browning (John Leslie) who is out to get him in any way possible. Nothing sticks until Buck is lured to a notorious roadhouse the night before the big Yale-Harvard match. He goes there in order to save Aida Courtlandt (Jane McAlpine), the girl he loves. But he can't explain away his being there without compromising Aida's name, so he loses his place as stroke oar. Aida, however, comes through and gets him reinstated. Just in the nick of time he jumps in the boat. It's a close race, but as things get real tight between the two teams, Buck pulls ahead and wins the match -- and, of course, the girl. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

After making a hit in the Torchy series of two-reelers, Johnny Hines chose this lively picture as his first full-length comedy. It was one of the year's hits. Young Barnes (Hines) is called "Burn 'Em Up" because of his love for fast driving, both on the track and on the street -- much to the annoyance of the local traffic cops. When Barnes shows no interest in business, he gets in an argument with his father, a millionaire car manufacturer (J. Barney Sherry), and leaves home. Almost immediately he is attacked by a gang of thugs who steal his clothes and toss him, unconscious, into a freight car. When he comes to, Barnes meets two tramps (Edmund Breese and George Fawcett) who adopt him as one of their own. The three of them land in a small town where Barnes falls in love with Madge (Betty Carpenter), the daughter of the town's bank president (Richard Thorpe). He has competition for the girl's affection, however, and his rival is glad to see him falsely arrested for kidnapping a baby. But through a series of adventures and misadventures, Barnes manages to prove his innocence and he winds up in a race which wins him a nice sum of money. This picture was remade as both a serial and a feature in 1934. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Before hitting his stride at MGM later in the 1920s, director Clarence Brown was contracted to make five "Super-Jewels" for Universal. This one, a skillfully handled murder mystery based on the successful play by Rita Weiman, won good notices for Brown, who was still new to directing. When Andrew Prentice (Charles Wellesley) is mysteriously murdered, his foster son, Kenneth Winthrop (Richard Travers), is accused of the crime. Kenneth is put on trial, but circumstantial evidence, some of it offered by his wife, Madeline (Claire Windsor), seems to indicate he is innocent. After he is acquitted, Winthrop's foster brother, Robert Armstrong (Norman Kerry), falls under suspicion. Armstrong, who was in love with Madeline and became insanely jealous when she married Winthrop, is known for his fiery temper. There are others in addition to Armstrong who also become suspects. The revelations contained in a letter that was stolen from the mail reveal the real killer and his unexpected accomplice. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Lively Universal star Herbert Rawlinson may have been past his prime, but he still made a good showing in this pleasant comedy-drama, which had a story written by H.H. Van Loan. Carefree Monte Bixby (Rawlinson) is dismayed to discover that his wealthy grandfather has left him but one dollar -- and given everyone else in the small town where he resides 50 thousand dollars apiece. Along with receiving the dollar, Bixby has to stay in town for the next 30 days. His society sweetheart, Mary Reynolds (Claire Anderson) dumps him when she discovers that he is penniless, but Phyllis Andrews, the grandfather's secretary (Claire Adams), offers to help him out. While Bixby is having trouble getting by, the rest of the town is celebrating its good fortune by closing up shop and celebrating. The place is going downhill, and Bixby realizes how destructive unearned money can be. He resolves to save the town -- and, of course, that's the whole point. The will was a hoax, meant only to teach Bixby responsibility. He winds up getting the full inheritance, and Phyllis' hand. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This adventurous drama of Russia's revolutionary days was based on the stage play by Earl Carroll. Wallace Beery -- at the time one of filmdom's most dependable villains -- has the title of role of Felix Bavu, an illiterate brute who has used the revolution to promote his own power-hungry aims. He encourages the people to pillage the castle of Prince Markoff (Josef Swickard), only because he wants the prince's jewels. Opposing him is Mischka Vleck (Forrest Stanley), an honest revolutionary of less violent disposition. Before the revolution, Vleck worked in the prince's household, and he loves his daughter, Princess Annia (Estelle Taylor). He hides Annia from Bavu, who has decided he wants her for himself. Bavu's efforts to get rid of Vleck are unsuccessful, and Vleck and Annia escape the castle. Bavu follows in pursuit, but the couple manages to escape the strife-ridden country. Now that the revolution has deemed them equals, Annia and Vleck can declare their love for each other. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Driven out of town by the local bully, Universal's rumpled cowboy star Hoot Gibson hops a freight train, only to be declared a hero for shooting a couple of fleeing bank robbers. The noble deed was actually performed by the train's brakeman, but Gibson is made deputy sheriff. Assigned to bring in a couple of cutthroats, Gibson discovers that their ringleader is actually his new girlfriend's wastrel brother (Harold Goodwin). The film's heroine, brunette Beatrice Burnham, also appeared opposite Buck Jones and Tom Mix. She played "Millie Erne" in the 1925 version of Riders of the Purple Sage before retiring from the screen to marry. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Hoot Gibson takes off his cowboy gear and dons a naval uniform in this comedy-drama. Sam Pertune (Gibson) is in love with Mae Day (Laura La Plante, who was Gibson's frequent co-star during this period). However, Mae's father Ezra Day (Howard Truesdell) isn't in love with Mae's romance with Pertune. When the young man comes to call, a fight breaks out and Pertune thinks he has killed Day with a poker. He flees and joins the Navy, but when he discovers that the old man wasn't seriously injured, he decides to go home -- only to find out that leaving the Navy isn't all that easy. Nevertheless, Pertune distinguishes himself when he saves Captain Bristol (DeWitt Jennings) from an insane man's attack. When the captain invites him to his home, Pertune discovers that he is Mae's uncle. Not only does he win Mae, he gets a recommendation to the Naval Academy. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Universal showed off their impressive back lot in this comedy-western starring Hoot Gibson as a cowboy turned movie stunt-man. The plot is something about a visiting Arabian prince (fellow studio western hero William E. Lawrence) but the film mainly functions as an excuse to parade a host of studio stars. Among the Universal contract players playing themselves were Billie Dove, Norman Kerry, King Baggot (the studio's first star), Mary Philbin and Reginald Denny. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Although Rin Tin Tin had appeared before in several films, this Northwoods drama was his first starring vehicle. The story line is fairly typical for its genre, and the famed canine is pretty much the whole show. The Wolf Dog (Rin Tin Tin) is raised by a pack of wolves and becomes pals with Gabriel Dupre, a French trapper (Walter McGrail). He proves his loyalty to Dupre when he attacks "The Fox" (Charles Stevens), accomplice to Shad Galloway, the crooked trading post manager (Pat Hartigan). Galloway wants to get rid of Dupre for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that he wants the trapper's sweetheart, Felice McTavish (Claire Adams), for himself. When it is mistakenly believed that the dog has killed a baby, Dupre is ordered to shoot him. The broken-hearted dog runs away, but after he is cleared, Dupre finds him once again. Ultimately, the Wolf Dog attacks Galloway and kills him. Not only do hero and heroine get together at the fade-out, we also see the dog with a family of his own. Rin Tin Tin certainly wasn't the first dog to achieve stardom; his immediate predecessor was Strongheart who, like Rin Tin Tin, was a German Shepherd. This picture, incidentally, had some competition -- Hal Roach released Call of the Wild starring Buck, a Saint Bernard, at the same time. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Sidney Page (Virginia Valli) is studying to be a nurse. All the young men are in love with her in the small town where she lives, but she becomes fascinated with K. LeMoyne (Percy Marmont), the mysterious stranger who moves into the boarding house belonging to her Aunt Harriet (Myrtle Vane). Sidney's attention is distracted by yet another handsome stranger who comes to her town -- Dr. Max Wilson (John Roche). Although he wins Sidney, Wilson is also seeing his nurse, Carlotta Harrison (Margarita Fisher). When Wilson and Carlotta head for a nearby inn, one of Sidney's other beaus, George Benson (Francis Feeney), shoots him. LeMoyne, it turns out, is Dr. Edwardes, noted surgeon who is in hiding after being accused of manslaughter. Carlotta convinces him to operate on Wilson to save his life. Sidney is impressed by LeMoyne's sacrifice -- he is arrested for the old charge after revealing his identity. When Carlotta confesses on the stand that she was responsible for the deaths, not Edwardes, he is acquitted and he marries Sidney. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Although Clara Bow was not yet a full-fledged star, she had already made a mark by mid-'20s. In this melodrama, said trade paper Motion Picture News, "Clara Bow is cast as the flapper, a role for which she has become quite famous on the screen." For once she is nearly upstaged by experienced character actor and perennial villain Walter Long, who plays a bootlegger. On the evening that society deb Angela Warriner (Bow) debuts, her mother (Myrtle Steadman) discovers that the family is bankrupt. To keep the Warriners afloat financially -- and to keep Angela's parties and social status intact -- Mrs. Warriner convinces her husband, John (Huntly Gordon), to become partners with Benedict (Long), a bootlegger posing as a count. Meanwhile, Angela is being courted by Carl Graham (Forrest Stanley), but Harry Van Alstyne (Robert Agnew) tempts her away with a fun, jazzy lifestyle. Everything falls down with a crash for the Warriner family; John is arrested and sent to prison, and his wife temporarily goes blind from the bootleg booze. This wakes up Angela, however, and she returns to the more sedate romancing of Graham. The story to this picture came from the Saturday Evening Post tale by William MacHarg. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide