Jerome Storm Movies
Jerome Storm was somewhere in his early twenties when he was hired as an actor by Triangle Studios in 1915. Soon promoted to director, Storm helmed 14 of Charles Ray's popular vehicles between 1919 and 1920. He continued to direct other stars until 1929. Returning to acting as a bit player in the 1930s, Jerome Storm closed out that decade with a small but worthwhile role in Beau Geste (1939). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1922
On the verge of leaving Fox Studios for MGM, silent romantic star John Gilbert appeared in California Romance. Gilbert plays a soldier-of-fortune, living in pre-statehood California. With the aid of the US cavalry, Gilbert fends off those who would block California's entry into the Union. Along the way, he wins the heart of separatist-sympathizer Estelle Taylor. Director Jerome Storm, who'd previously worked on the popular Charlie Ray vehicles at Ince, wrapped this one up in a fast four reels. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Gilbert, Estelle Taylor, (more)
- 1920
For the thousandth time (or so it seemed to non-fans), Charles Ray plays a bashful bucolic in Alarm Clock Andy. A humble clerk, Ray would like to propose to boss' daughter Millicent Fisher. It's just that he has this nervous stammer-and besides, city slicker George Webb is always beating his time. In tried and true fashion, Ray overcomes his shyness and speech impediment in time to claim Fisher before Webb does. Elements of Alarm Clock Andy later resurfaced in the 1924 Harold Lloyd vehicle Girl Shy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1920
With a title like this one, it's practically a given that this silent picture starred Charles Ray. But this time around, instead of being a homespun rural boy, he's a city guy with homespun ideals. His dream of a home in the suburbs is so strong that he has one built before he tells his fiancee, Betty Graves (Ethel Shannon). But Betty is upset by his presumptuousness and her vision of home life definitely doesn't include a suburban home, so she dumps him. Then Herbert (Wade Boteler) and Sybil (Grace Morse), married friends of the battling pair, split up, and Sybil takes their three children to stay with David. So David and the girl's father, a doctor (Alfred Allen), plot to have the home quarantined -- with Betty in it -- in the hopes that this will enable her to make up with David. Amazingly, instead of driving her completely nuts, this ploy does work (even in the 20s, this idea couldn't possibly have been realistic), and both couples wind up reconciling. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1922
On the whole, John Gilbert's starring vehicles at Fox were not as beneficial to him professionally as his films at MGM. Arabian Love was an exception, but Gilbert was required to emulate another popular star to make the film "click". Essentially a Valentino picture without Valentino, the film casts Gilbert as a young American who, after killing the man who disgraced his sister, joins a band of Arab thieves. Several convenient coincidences later, Gilbert falls in love with the widow Barbara Bedford of the man he has killed. Though Arabian Love proved an enormous step forward in the career John Gilbert, the painfully self-conscious star steered clear of imitations in his later work. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Gilbert, Barbara Bedford, (more)
This second of three movie versions of P.C. Wren's adventure novel Beau Geste is a virtual scene-for-scene remake of the 1927 silent version. We open on the now-famous scenes of a remote, burning desert fort, manned by the dead Foreign Legionnaires, then flash back to the early lives of the Geste brothers. As children, the Gestes swear eternal loyalty to one another and to their family. One of the boys, young Beau (played as a youth by Donald O'Connor), witnesses his beloved aunt (Heather Thatcher) apparently stealing a valuable family jewel in order to finance the Geste home; Beau chooses to remain silent rather than disgrace his aunt. Years later, the grown Beau (Gary Cooper) again protects his aunt by confessing to the theft and running off to join the Foreign Legion. He is joined in uniform by faithful brothers John (Ray Milland) and Digby (Robert Preston), who in turn are pursued by a slimy thief (J. Carroll Naish). The crook is in cahoots with sadistic Legion Sgt. Markov (Brian Donlevy, in one of the most hateful portrayals ever captured on celluloid), who is later put in charge of Fort Zinderneuf, where Beau and John are stationed. When the Arabs attack, Markov proves himself a valiant soldier; it is he who hits upon the idea of convincing the Arabs that the fort is still fully manned by propping up the corpses of the casualties at the guard posts. Beau is seriously wounded, and while the greedy Markov searches for the jewel supposedly hidden on Beau's person, he is held at bay by loyal John. The suddenly enervated Beau kills Markov, then dies himself--but not before entrusting two notes to John, one of which requests that John give Beau the "Viking funeral" he'd always wanted (this is why the fort is in flames at the beginning of the film). After the battle, Digby Geste, a bugler with the relief troops, comes upon Beau's dead body, and appropriates the notes. As it turns out, John Geste is the only one who survives to return to England. He gives his aunt Beau's letter, which explains why Beau had confessed and run off--"a 'beau geste', indeed" comments his tearful aunt. No one missed nominal leading lady Susan Hayward in this essentially all-male entertainment. For years available only in muddily processed or truncated versions, Beau Geste was restored to its pristine glory by the American Film Institute in the late 1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, (more)
- 1919
Bill Henry Jenkins is a typical Charles Ray character, a country boy determined to make good. At first he tries selling electric vibrators, but fails miserably, so he goes to his Uncle Chet (Bert Woodruff) for help. Uncle Chet agrees to hire him as a clerk at his hotel, providing that he doesn't gamble with the guests. But when he meets Lela Mason (Edith Roberts), he is compelled to head for the poker table -- she has come to town to claim a plot of land she has inherited, only to find that it is worthless. To save her a lot of trouble, Bill wins enough money to anonymously buy the property. Later he finds out that there is oil on the land and sells it for well over a million dollars, with the intention of giving Lela the profit. But the crooked real estate agent tries to swindle the sum away, which winds up causing a rift between Bill and Lela. But Bill sets things right by tying the agent up and torturing him with a leftover electric vibrator until he confesses to his wrongdoing. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1919
As might be guessed by the title, The Busher is a baseball film. Charles Ray plays Ben Harding, a country greenhorn who is the hired hand of Deacon Nasby (Otto Hoffman) and pitcher for the local team. A group of major league players and their manager get stuck in town when railroad trouble causes a layover, and they discover Ben's talents. They send him a telegram, asking him to join the team, and his girl, Mazie Palmer (Colleen Moore) bids him a tearful farewell. But success goes to Ben's head and when the hometown folk come to see him play, he screws up the game and loses. The manager fires him and he goes back to work for Deacon and learns to be humble. But all is not lost for Ben -- his successor disappears and he is called into play once again. This time he pitches a great game and ends up victorious. Ray had great support in this film -- not only did he have future star Colleen Moore as his leading lady, John Gilbert, who was also headed for stardom, had a featured role too. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1928
Would you trust an adventurer named "Captain Careless"? Hero Bob Steele bears this curious moniker, though in his case "Careless" translates to "Reckless". When heroine Mary Mabery is shipwrecked on an island inhabited by cannibals, Steele rushes to her rescue. Though he experiences many a life-threatening scrape, there is little doubt that Bob Steele will survive. After all, he wrote the script. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Perry Murdock, Mairy Mabery, (more)
- 1923
Jazz babies and gents danced and partied their way through dozens upon dozens of motion pictures during the Roaring Twenties. After a while, all their plots became interchangeable -- the girls and guys would run wild, but in the end they would realize their parents were right after all, inspiring them to give up their frivolous ways. That's the basic formula in this comedy-melodrama, but there's some Latin American color added to give it a bit of variety. Dancer Theodore Kosloff took the starring role of Richard Forestall, who is engaged to Babs Weston (Eileen Pearcy), the daughter of a rich man (Alec B. Francis). Babs, however, isn't quite ready to settle down, as she proves by getting engaged to two more young men (Ricardo Cortez and Robert Cain). Richard takes off for an island near Cuba where his father (Frank Currier) lives. Babs continues her revelry with her other two suitors and they jump in a plane and head for Havana, where they hope to get more liquor. But the aircraft encounters a storm and is forced to land on the Forestalls' island. Richard puts all of them to work and forces Babs to forego her silly antics. She comes to appreciate his strong and serious nature and her two other boyfriends are out of luck. This film was adapted from the play Other Times by Harold Brighouse. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Theodore Kosloff, Ricardo Cortez, (more)
- 1916
With American opinion divided over the European war in 1915, no fewer than three major motion pictures were conceived with anti-war messages in mind: J. Stuart Blackton's The Battle Cry of Peace, D.W. Griffith's Intolerance and Thomas Ince's Civilization. Set in the mythical kingdom of Wredpryd, Civilization begins with war spreading through the land. Inventor Count Ferdinand (Howard Hickman), against the wishes of his pacifist fiancee (Enid Markey), agrees to commandeer a submarine against the enemy. When his sub blows up, the Count is rescued from eternal damnation by the spirit of Jesus Christ, whose soul enters Ferdinand's body. Ferdinand returns to life, convincing the King of Wredpryd (Herchel Mayal) that he, the king, has divine powers. But Jesus, using Ferdinand as his vessel, shows the king that no man is above the laws of God--and also gives him an up-close-and-personal tour of the bloody battlefield. The King realizes the error of his ways, and declares an end to the battle. Extremely popular during its first year of release (1916), Civilization disappeared from view the moment that the US declared war against Germany. Though its direction is often credited to producer Thomas Ince, Civilization was actually directed by committee: among its helmsmen were Walter Edwards, Raymond B. West, Jay Hunt, Reginald Barker, J. Park Read and David M. Hartford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Howard Hickman, Enid Markey, (more)
- 1929
A bookish Easterner (Hoot Gibson) is shipped off to a Western ranch for toughening up. Once on the ranch, he falls for a tough dame (Eugenia Gilbert) who is falsely accused of murdering her father's enemy. To the strains of "Courtin' Calamity," the former dude shows what he is really made of by capturing the real killer. This commonplace Western was Hoot Gibson's final part in a talkie. Carl Laemmle, the founder of Gibson's studio, Universal, and a great fan of Westerns, was running scared and didn't think outdoor pictures could do well with dialogue. Consequently, he canned all of his cowboy stars shortly after the release of Courtin' Wildcats, and Gibson's career never truly recovered. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hoot Gibson, Eugenia Gilbert, (more)
- 1919
Country boy Ben Trimble (Charles Ray) saves up a thousand dollars and heads out to the big city to make good. But he doesn't make it past the first day before a con man swindles him out of the dough. Desperate and hungry, he winds up becoming partners with a safecracker, and they continue their nightly rounds until the police catch up with them. The safecracker is fatally shot, but before he dies he asks Ben to go to his farm and take care of his two kids. There Ben meets Vera Owen (Margery Wilson) and confesses his past but swears he has gone straight. One day, he sees that the same confidence man who swindled him has come to town and is already working on Vera's dad (Otto Hoffman). So Ben cracks the Owen safe to keep the money out of the con's hands. The family fortune is saved, and Ben's small transgression is excused. This drama did not have the charm usually found in Ray's pictures. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1928
Canine star Rin-Tin-Tin had dozens of movie competitors and imitators. One of the best of these was FBO Studios' Ranger the Dog,, the "hero" of 1928's Dog Law. Ranger races to the rescue when human protagonist Robert Sweeney is framed on a murder charge. The actual killer is Jules Cowles (previously a prominent blackface comedian), whom the faithful Fido chases to the edge of a cliff. Cowles falls to his death, but not before Sweeney has been proven innocent by heroine Mary Mabery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Sweeney, Jules Cowles, (more)
- 1919
Jim Kelly (Charles Ray) works for an express company in a small Midwest town and has developed quite a punch from hefting egg crates around. He has little cause to use it however, as his main interest is Kitty Haskell (Colleen Moore), the daughter of his boss (J.P. Lockner). Another, far slicker, young man is vying for Kitty's attentions also. One day a large amount of money disappears from the express office and suspicion falls on both Mr. Haskell and Jim. Jim, believing that Haskell was the culprit, leaves town, thus focusing the accusations on him and saving his boss's reputation. He winds up working in a fighter's training camp and, through a series of circumstances, winds up in the ring himself. His opponent happens to be his rival from back home. For four rounds Jim takes a beating until he finally lands that "egg-crate wallop." He wins enough money to cover the loss back home, but it turns out he doesn't need to use it, as it is discovered that his opponent was the one who stole the money. This was a typical vehicle for Charles Ray, with the extra-added treat of Colleen Moore as his co-star -- Moore was well on her way to fame and fortune herself. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1928
If a silent film had the word "fangs" in the title, it usually meant that the film starred a dog (or sometimes, that the film was a "dog"). Fangs of the Wild spotlights still another Rin Tin Tin wannabe, this one named Ranger. Human heroine Blossom Williams (Dorothy Kitchen) is forced to marry nasty Rufe Anderson (Syd Crossley, normally seen in slapstick comedy roles). Blossom wants to bring her pet dog Ranger along for the honeymoon, but Rufe hates the mutt and tries to kill it at every opportunity. When handsome Larry Holbrook (Sam Nelson) tries to protect Blossom, Rufe puts Larry on his "hit list." It is giving nothing away to reveal that the villain is thwarted by faithful old Ranger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ranger, Dorothy Kitchen, (more)
- 1923
The career of William Russell was on the wane when he starred in this cheaply-made comedy melodrama. Russell, a serious, manly type, was miscast as author Vance McPhee. McPhee's doctor orders him to take a rest, so he decides to spend some time at his mountain lodge. But when he arrives he finds a strange girl (Carmel Myers) is already there. When she asks him to protect her, it's obvious that any rest on McPhee's behalf is about to fly out the window. The girl doesn't explain exactly why she needs protection but a gang of villainous types descend on her and McPhee, and he is compelled to not only come to her aid, but to also save his own skin. After much intrigue, mystery, several disappearances and panicked servants -- not to mention all the times McPhee winds up battling with his fists -- the girl's story is finally revealed. She's Florence Brown, in possession of a box of valuable patents which belong to her father. Now that he's saved Florence and the patents, McPhee is really exhausted. His doctor, believing that perhaps his diagnosis was off, suggests that McPhee cure himself with some romance. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Russell, Tom Wilson, (more)
- 1919
This silent feature has all the qualities one would expect of a Charles Ray vehicle -- excitement, humor and loads of entertainment value. Ray is Andy Fletcher, a small-town boy who loves to tinker with mechanical things, especially cars. He has a sweetheart, Alice (Wanda Hawley), but her banker father (Willis Marks) views Andy's handiwork dubiously. This changes when crooks rob the father's bank, and Andy goes after them. With the help of his little Ford, Andy actually nabs the villains. He also wins the girl's hand, and a promise from her father for a new car. Greased Lightning, and the other films Ray made of this ilk, were perfect showcases for the charm Ray exuded on screen. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1935
After nearly a decade of nominal "leading lady" roles, Carole Lombard landed her first genuine starring vehicle with Hands Across the Table. Reasoning that the way to a man's heart is through his cuticles, Regi Allen (Carole Lombard) takes a job as a manicurist at a fancy barbershop, unabashedly admitting that she hopes to use this position to snag a rich husband. Sure enough, Regi's charms prove irresistable to Allen Macklyn (Ralph Bellamy) a wealthy and charming invalid, who knows that the girl is a golddigger but doesn't care. The other man in Regi's life is Theodore "Ted" Drew III (Fred MacMurray), who though born into a wealthy family is stone broke, and on the verge of marrying a rich debutante (Astrid Allwyn) to replenish his lost fortune. Hoping to briefly escape this fate and his other financial problems, Theodore hides out in Regi's apartment. It is, of course, a platonic relationship: Having been burned in the past, Regi doesn't want to get romantically entangled with a pauper, while Ted is already promised to someone else. But, as is often the case in 1930s comedies, things don't quite turn out the way that either Regi or Ted expect. Full of delightful, unexpected touches, Hands Across the Table proved to be a major boost for Carole Lombard's career, and didn't exactly do any harm to up-and-coming Fred MacMurray either. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, (more)
- 1922
Three years before they made Hollywood history as the stars of King Vidor's World War I epic The Big Parade, John Gilbert and Renée Adorée appeared together in this melodrama -- ironically, yet another depiction of the Great War. Gilbert played twin brothers, Jacques and Honoré, both fighting in France. But Honoré, a lieutenant, panics and flees from the front and Jacques, wearing his brother's uniform, is decorated for valor in his stead. After the Armistice, Jacques goes to Paris where he confronts his cowardly brother. Honoré hatches a plan to murder his twin, but the scheme backfires and he is himself killed. Jacques, meanwhile, finds happiness with his brother's mistreated wife Moira (Adorée). Not surprisingly, Fox re-released this minor effort after the worldwide success of The Big Parade (1925). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1927
Polly (Pauline Garon) and Gert (Gertrude Short) are a pair of lingerie models, ever on the prowl for boyfriends. When the girls "steal" the sweethearts of vaudeville's Dotty Sisters (Lillian Hackett, Jean Van Vliet), the Dottys retaliate by getting our heroines fired. Polly and Gert then turn the tables by kidnapping the sisters, swiping their costumes and going on stage in their stead. The girls' performance is atrocious, but the audience is in stitches, and soon Polly and Gert are signed to a long-term contract as a comedy act! Ladies at Ease was undoubtedly inspired by the career of the Cherry Sisters, who from all accounts were the least-talented duo ever seen on any American stage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pauline Garon, Gardner James, (more)
- 1928
One of Rin-Tin-Tin's many competitors, Ranger starred in this low-budget dog adventure produced by poverty row company FBO. Ranger's mate, Lady Julie, is murdered by a hunchbacked masked bandit, and the avenging canine spends five reels tracking him down. The villain proves to be one Steve Benton (Albert J. Smith), the evil brother-in-law of lovely Marion (Jane Reid). Law of Fear was directed by former actor Jerome Storm. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1934
Adapted by director Paul Sloan from the novel by Will James, Lone Cowboy is an "outdoors" epic tailored to the talents of young Jackie Cooper. Actually the title character is not played by Cooper but by character actor Addison Richards, cast as a grizzled old rodeo rider named Dobe Jones. Placed in charge of Eastern lad Scooter O'Neal (Cooper), Dobe forms a strong friendship with the kid, but this does not dissuade him from his main purpose in life -- to track down his runaway wife Eleanor (Lila Lee) and her lover Jim Weston (Gavin Gordon). Finally catching up to the errant couple, Dobe shoots and kills Weston, a violent outburst that also seriously wounds Scooter. Evidently a more sombre ending was planned for Lone Cowboy than the hastily tacked-on happy denouement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Cooper, Lila Lee, (more)
- 1923
John Gilbert felt his talents were being wasted at Fox, and he was very vocal about his feelings towards the studio. But this film, made about a year before he moved over to MGM, gave him a rare opportunity to play an interesting character. Jaca Javalie (Gilbert) is a thief and a swindler who robs the rich. For a year he has been planning a major heist of a collection of jewels belonging to millionaire Theodore P. Banning (Wilton Taylor). To make inroads into Banning's world, he pretends to be an evangelist and accumulates a number of converts. His plans go awry, however, when he falls in love with Banning's daughter Nanette (Billie Dove). His relationship with the girl changes him into an honest man, and Banning, realizing the young man intends to go straight, protects him from the law. Featured in a bit part as a dancer is Julanne Johnston, who would make her small mark on cinematic history playing Douglas Fairbanks' leading lady in The Thief of Baghdad. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1935
In this comedy with musical numbers set in the Old South, Bing Crosby plays a singer (talk about a casting stretch!) from Philadelphia named Tom Grayson, who has fallen in love with Southern heiress Elvira Rumford (Gail Patrick). Tom wants to marry Elvira, but a man called Major Patterson (John Miljan) has announced his desire to do the same, and he challenges Tom to a duel to decide who will have Elvira's hand. Tom is not at all agreeable to this idea, which leads Elvira's father (Claude Gillingwater) to proclaim Tom to be a coward and deny him permission to wed his daughter. Elvira's sister Lucy (Joan Bennett), who is infatuated with Tom, thinks that he's merely being sensible, but Tom thinks that Lucy is too young for a serious relationship. In need of work and not especially welcome in the Rumford's community, Tom takes a job performing on a riverboat piloted by the blustery Commodore Orlando Jackson (W.C. Fields). One night, Tom finds himself in a barroom brawl with a man named Captain Blackie (Fred Kohler), who dies accidentally from a shot fired by his own gun. Hoping that his infamy will draw crowds, Jackson begins billing Tom as "The Singing Killer." Tom comes to realize that Lucy may be the right woman for him after all, but Lucy is not interested in a man with blood on his hands, and now Tom must convince her that he's not a killer at all. Noted gambling aficionado Fields has a hilarious poker-playing bit, and he steals most of his scenes from the rest of the cast. Mississippi was loosely based on the play "Magnolia" by Booth Tarkington. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bing Crosby, W.C. Fields, (more)
- 1918
When heroine Enid Bennett leaves the small rural community of her birth, she is the epitome of sweet innocence. When she returns home after four months in the Big City, she is something else again. The girl's newfound poise and sophistication throws the community into a tizzy; after all, anyone so "worldly" must also be terribly wicked, right? Well, they're wrong. The girl is just as virtuous now as she was "then," and she proves as much before the "End" title is flashed on the screen. The supporting cast of Naughty, Naughty included director Earle Rodney and stage soubrette Marjorie Bennett, who would still be playing character roles well into the 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
