Author Archive: Retro

It’s bad enough that Clarice Kendall Andrews, Paula’s irresponsible sister, comes home from celebrating Mardi Gras and drunkenly mentions that she got married during the festivities. What’s worse is the fact that Paula knows that Clarice is still married to an equally irresponsible gigolo. Paula learns that the man Clarice married, Stephen Cormack, has skipped the country and his lawyer, thinking that Paula is Clarice, offers the older woman $5000 to annul the marriage. Paula’s lawyer convinces her to pretend she’s Cormack’s husband until he can get Clarice’s marriage annulled. Paula moves into Cormack’s house and discovers he has two teen-aged children who consider her a gold-digger after their father’s fortune. Meanwhile, Clarice’s husband refuses to have their marriage annulled and tries to blackmail Paula into giving him to $10,000 for his silence.

In this independently-produced film, Tom Willoughby is one of several seafarers shipwrecked on a tropical island. A law unto itself, the island is crawling with murderers, smugglers, forgers, and at least one potential rapist. Tom takes it upon himself to shield heroine Helen Carsons and island lass Taino from harm.

A Man is found murdered at the Lido Country Club and, although several people are under suspicion, including Elaine and Willis Purdy, the police can not find the murderer; but private detective Clay Holt, and his pretty secretary Peggy Cummings unearth the vital clue and bring the killer to justice.

Two pals (Harry Gribbon, Andy Clyde) try to prevent the marriage of one’s daughter.

Schlock-movie producer J. Pierpont Ginsburg, after declaring, in a Yiddish accent, that “talking pictures are in their infantry,” decides to put all of his savings into a big-budgeted musical, starring the sensation of Paris (with a bad French accent), Adore Renee, and a swishy leading man, Reginald Whitlock. Meanwhile, his daughter, Judy Ginsburg, gets involved in a romance with Ginsburg’s Gentile lawyer, John Applegate. His efforts aren’t helped any by the projectionist who mixes up the sound-disc reels, with the images not matching the dialogue and sound effects, during a showing for prospective film buyers and exhibitors.

A girl who is a famous singer in Brazil comes to New York to help clear her brother, who has been charged with arson and murder.

In this murder mystery, sexy blonde film star Irma Gladden is found dead in her car after shooting the last scene in her film, “Falling Star” at Eminent Studios. The suspects are numerous due to her free and easy lifestyle and messy romantic affairs. Among them are Grace Sibley the jealous wife of her director, Warren Sibley, her drunken actor husband, Andre Leighton, her screenwriter boyfriend, Rex Forsythe, and her first husband, Robert Worth. Also on hand to help solve the mystery are visiting reporter Bob Adair, Irma’s secretary, Valerie Christine, and policemen Captain Sommers and Sergeant Delaney.

Vaudeville couple Joe and Sally split on bad terms. Sally, a beautiful and talented young woman, gets a break as a chorus girl in a musical production, and then hits the big time with a song she wrote, which is then used in the big time production. The pr

Although released as an “Allied Pictures Special,” Picture Brides revealed its Poverty Row origins in almost all departments, including casting and choice of material. Waning silent star Dorothy Mackaill was top-billed as Mame, one of five mail-order brides arriving at Lottagrasso, a remote Brazilian gold mining community. The fifth girl, Mary Lee (Dorothy Libaire), is actually there about a job but knowing the reputation of the mining boss, Von Luden (Alan Hale), Mame supplies the girl with a picture of Dave Hart (Regis Toomey) and tells her to pretend to be a bride as well. Hart, meanwhile, is wanted in the States for embezzlement and rejects Mary. During a night of wanton revelry, Dave saves Mary in the nick of time from being ravished by the unscrupulous Von Luden. The villain attacks instead Mataeo (Mary Kornman), the half-breed daughter of the mining community’s doctor (Harvey Clark), who is found dead in a nearby swamp the [...]