Author Archive: Retro

John Logan leaves his parents and sweetheart in bucolic Happy Valley to make his fortune in the city. Those he left behind become miserable and beleaguered in his absence, but after several years he returns, a wealthy man. But his embittered father, not recognizing him for who he is, plans to murder the newly- arrived “stranger” for his money.

A meek Belgian soldier (Harry Langdon) fighting in World War I receives penpal letters and a photo from “Mary Brown”, an American girl he has never met. He becomes infatuated with her by long distance. After the war, the young Belgian journeys to America as assistant to a theatrical “strong man”, Zandow the Great (Arthur Thalasso). While in America, he searches for Mary Brown… and he finds her, just as word comes that Zandow is incapacitated and the little nebbish must go on stage in his place.

Young “Fatty” Finn and his friends enter their pet goat in a race, but his rival “Bruiser” Murphy lets the goat loose, right before the race.

Independent milkman Jimmy Burke (Johnny Hines) exchanges clothes with a wealthy young man for a costume party. While he’s there he befriends a pretty girl who he thinks is a maid, but is actually Jean Blair, president of the Milk Trust (Sigrid Holmquist). Burke takes her for a ride on his milk wagon and a romance blossoms. Meanwhile, George Fairchild, who manages the Trust (Wyndham Standing), is involved in crooked business deals. Burke catches wind of the schemes and he organizes the independent milkmen, who appoint him president. Fairchild tries to buy him out and Burke discovers that Jean is the Trust’s president. He believes the girl was deceiving him, but she is completely naïve of Fairchild’s machinations. She fires Fairchild, and in retaliation, he poisons the milk being delivered by the independents. Burke destroys the early deliveries and rushes to save Jean, who has been tied to a conveyor belt that is headed for [...]

The simple-minded son of a rich financier must find his own way in the world.

Beau Nash is a “gentleman crook” who headquarters his gang of jewel thieves in a run-down boardinghouse. When one of his gang, Mike, gets arrested, his sister Claire–aka “Lady Byron”–swears to get revenge. The gang frames Donald, the best friend of the detective who arrested Mike, for a jewelry store robbery. The detective gives Donald–and his new love, Claire–a short time to find the thieves and clear his name before he takes him in.

Mrs. Wiggs, a loving mother whose husband has abandoned her, supports her many children and lives in hope of her husband’s return.

Getting Mary Married was tailor-made to the talents of perky Marion Davies. The stepchild (Davies) of a millionaire is required by the conditions of a will to live with the family of her step-uncle, who makes life hell for the poor girl. She can’t even find solace in romance, since she’ll lose her legacy should she ever marry. At last deciding that she cares less for money than for happiness, our heroine defiantly weds. The upshot: the girl ends up as rich as Croesus, while her wicked uncle finds himself broke at fadeout time. The legend that all of Marion Davies’ films were fiascoes doesn’t stand up to such evidence as Getting Mary Married, which in addition to the sprightly performance of the star, boasts an excellent script by Anita Loos and John Emerson, and topnotch direction by the ever-reliable Allan Dwan.

When Empress Catherine of France launches an attack on French Protestants known as Huguenots, the Comte de la Roche saves the life of his enemy, the Huguenot Rupert de Vrieac, by making him an indentured servant in his castle. Rupert falls in love with Yolande, the count’s sister, and finds that his rival for the fair Yolande’s hand is none other than the despicable Duc de Tours, a notorious torturer of Huguenots.