yrkconnors-1

Thanks to a friend's discovery of a print, I was finally able to view this little gem from Fox Films. Director Alan Dwan does a great job here and is provided a very good cast, including Brian Donlevy and Claire Trevor (who was to work with Dwan on a half dozen films at Fox--titles like NAVY WIFE and the marvelous ONE MILE FROM HEAVEN). Set in the brutal world of alien smuggling, it tells the story of a hard nosed reporter and a wannabe reporter from society who mix it up as they try to get to the mysterious leader of the gang--men who think nothing of drowning their "human cargoes" in reservoirs or killing cops. This is a fast paced film with a lot of snappy dialogue and Rita Hayworth as an alien who ends up dancing in a club for a vicious killer. Some great character actors including Alan Dinehart and Ralph Morgan help things along nicely. Good "B" made on the cusp between Fox and 20th Century Fox as the closing credits suggest. Must see viewing for Rita fans and those who like good action "B" movies. Bob Connors (yrkconnors@yahoo.com).

Having searched for this title for a very long time, I was ecstatic when I was finally able to acquire a copy, taken from an albeit truncated print (courtesy of Hollywood Television Service). When Dante created his cycles, he left one out--a special place for those executives at HTS (the television arm of Republic Pictures) who, in their infinite wisdom and, compounded by a great display of bad taste, determined that many of the Republic films had to be chopped up to fit into the local TV time slots in the 1950's. Now, we're not talking films with GONE WITH THE WIND running times. We're talking 70 minute films cut to the standard 53m. Do the math!! That's about 20% of the content of the movie!! OK, enough of the rant. I just happen to be a huge fan of Republic films and have seen so many nice little B movies hacked to bits that, after 35 years of serious collecting, I have to let out the frustration. Now to the movie. SPOILERS COMING Portia Merriman is a driven woman. Driven by an all consuming passion to help the downtrodden and poor, especially women. To this end, she's quite successful in her role as a defense attorney feared by the DA's office. But she has a dark side. Some 20 years earlier, she entered into an affair with the son of one of the wealthiest industrialists in the country. The result--a son. But with nothing in the way of resources and a less than stellar pedigree, she reluctantly signs all rights to the boy over to the old man and heads into the sunset. Now, 20 years later, the boy (always told his mother was dead) is returning from England. It's not long before he meets this very nice lady at a social gathering and a strong friendship ensues. But on the boat that brought the boy is a girl who entered the country illegally and is now supposedly marrying the boy's father, a real jellyfish. But when he turns up dead, the old man decides to swing into high gear one more time, report the girl on a moral's charge, then blame her for his son's death. Soon, the hapless young lady is sitting in court charged with murder. But the old man hasn't reckoned on Portia, who this time isn't going to back down. Taking up the legal cudgels, she decides to go after the old man with a vengeance.

Frieda Inescort stars as Portia Merriman and gives a nice performance. Neil Hamilton as her wimp of a lover, Clarence Kolb as the old man (a very nice role for him) and Walter Abel as the DA--a man who secretly loves Portia himself. A solid little B which holds up well even under the surgical knife of the HTS. One can only hope that the complete copy sitting in the UCLA archives will be released--hope does spring eternal. Bob Connors (yrkconnors@yahoo.com).

This film came into my possession just recently because of a print discovery. It stars silent screen heroine Ruth Roland in her first talking film, made three years after her previous silent. She would make one more title in 1935 and pass on (at the age of 44) just two years later.

SPOILERS COMING The listing states a running time of 65m, but it is actually 71m. Roland plays a very unhappy housewife who's only joy in life is her little boy. Married to a pompous ass who prides himself on never losing out to anyone, particularly a woman, she finally has had enough, heads to Reno with her boy and, on the way, meets a former lover. As she waits out her residency, her husband plays her like a Stradivarius and she agrees to return, only to fall into a neatly contrived trap set by him and his paramour. She loses custody of the boy. But just before the final decree, he agrees to take her back, promising a hell on earth scenario which she is willing to endure for the sake of the child. But his lover, expecting marriage, spills the beans and as he flees to get the child, runs off the road into a ravine, thus making the marriage very final. Montague Love plays Roland's husband and a very nasty individual he is. The role is just a touch over the top. Kenneth Thompson plays her former lover, a man willing to be patient and wait for things to come in his direction. The real fun part of this one for me is watching Sam Hardy dressed as an Indian chief and signing "Reno,The Land of the Free" with a male quartet at a party. Not a bad little film, I give it a 7/10. Sono-Art World was only in existence for a short time, but did make some nice titles which were usually a cut above. Bob Connors (yrkconnors@yahoo.com)

This supposedly "lost film" is definitely not lost, although sources say only a partial nitrate print exists in the UCLA archives. Charles "Buddy" Rogers stars as a young American in London. Once a millionaire, he's lost everything due to losing his racehorse and the efforts of a gangster. Working as a waiter, he falls for a lovely young girl who's aunt wants her to marry wealth (as they are down to "enough for just one more season"). Then it's boy chases girl as he tries to get a riding job for the big cross country race. The film also benefits from a nice performance by Frances Dee, a lovely actress who graced some early Paramount treasures. Bob Connors (yrkconnors@yahoo.com)

FORGOTTEN WOMEN is an interesting title on a number of levels. First, it's listed as lost, but a recently discovered print gets it off that list. It's a title listed as a Liberty Picture. Actually, it was a Monogram production directed by Richard Thorpe, a man who would carve out a long, successful career at MGM. It's also a title linked in a curious way to THE MAD PARADE, a 1931 Liberty Picture directed by William Beaudine, another man with a very long career in Hollywood as a director and also as an actor (about 46 titles). MAD PARADE started out as a Paramount picture to star Ruth Chatterton, Fay Wray and Jean Arthur but the studio scrapped the project and sold the footage it had to Liberty which then hired Evelyn Brent, Marceline Day and Lilyan Tashman to appear. The film was re-issued in 1936 as FORGOTTEN WOMEN. Thus the confusion. Oddly enough, William Beaudine appeared for the 46th and final time as an actor in the Monogram FORGOTTEN WOMEN!!

Spoilers coming. This title must had been re-issued at some point and the print I had access to is titled WOMEN IN HIS LIFE. Set in Hollywood, it tells the story of two women, one a former star now relegated to bit parts, and a young woman with aspirations of hitting the big time. Her boyfriend, a reporter, gets a big break when the old lady, thru somewhat nefarious means, secures information that a notorious gangster from the East is buying into a studio. Passing the information on to the boy, she tells him to take credit for the story and his position will be secure at the paper (thus causing a marriage between the two young people). But the boy quickly moves up the ladder and soon falls under the spell of the boss' daughter. When his former girlfriend reads of their engagement, she decides to link up with the gangster with near tragic results.

Beryl Mercer gives a nice performance as the has been actress hoping for another chance at fame and fortune. Rex Bell is somewhat wooden as the young reporter and Marion Schilling, one of my favorites, is the young boy's love interest and a girl who wants a career, but secretly longs for husband and the white picket fence.

All in all, I'd give this one a 6/10. A rare title, but lost no more. Bob Connors (yrkconnors at yahoo.com)

About five months ago a friend purchased prints at an estate sale and this was one of them!! THIS MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS!!!!! A young flier, blinded in the war, has his girlfriend informed of his death, returns home and takes a job at an airfield. Harboring a great hatred for the industrialist who built the plane he crashed in, he often speaks of someday being able to kill him. When a chance meeting with a wealthy man forms a bond which eventually leads to an operation which restores his sight, the boy then learns who his benefactor is--but also finds out that the older man's new wife is the boy's former girlfriend. The acting is a bit static. James Kirkwood, who had a long career in films, plays Tullock the industrialist and gives a decent performance as a man who has everything, but at the same time, nothing. Ferdinand Schumann-Heink plays the blinded boy. Heink had a 20 year career in films, playing a large number of uncredited roles. All in all I'd give this one a 6 out of 10. But anytime you can erase a title from the "lost" list, it's a good thing. Bob Connors (yrkconnors@yahoo.com)

Richard Dix has always been one of my favorites, so it's no surprise that I was elated when I literally stumbled across this title, taken from 16mm. While the RKO logo and main title card are missing, the cast and tech credits are intact. It's a pretty pedestrian story of "Lucky" Larry Sheldon, a Manhattan gambler and man about town who is always locking horns with his main rival "Ace" Martin, nicely played by Matthew Betz. But when Martin murders Lucky's partner, Sheldon seeks revenge. Thinking he's murdered a man, he flees and takes up residence in a small town under an assumed name until he finally has to dispatch Martin, who's also moved there and runs a crooked gambling hall. One of the highlights of the film is a knock-down, drag-out fight in a locked room. Director George Archainbaud employs some interesting shots taken from an overhead camera to give the illusion that we're viewing the fight from a seat on the ceiling. All in all not a bad film--not one of Dix's best, nor worst. But certainly worth a look if you can find it, if for no other reason than its rarity. Always nice to come across a treasure like this. Bob Connors.