Post by rmichaelpyle on May 4, 2010 8:58:49 GMT -6
I watched a really good newspaper story from 1932 called "The Honor of the Press" with Edward J. Nugent, Rita La Roy, Dorothy Gulliver, Wheeler Oakman, Russell Simpson, and others. My first observation should be that Eddie Nugent - an actor who has fallen through the cracks and probably is nearly unknown to most anybody, even those on this board - made at least 81 films in less than ten years (1928-1937), then didn't appear in any more, yet died in 1995 at the age of 91! Not only did he make over 80 films, but he was the ostensible lead in most of them! Edward J. "Eddie" Nugent??? Well, how about Dorothy Gulliver? She made nearly 100 films in a career that lasted for 50 years, but she's really only remembered for appearing in serials and low-budgets for a couple of decades. And Rita La Roy? Well, she supposedly was born in France, but some research shows that she was actually born in Idaho, made about 50 films over less than twenty years, then got out of the business. Gulliver died at age 89 and La Roy at over 90! Long-lived, but forgotten actors and actresses.
Here's a film directed by none other than B. Reeves "Breezy" Eason for a no-name production company called Fanchon Royer and distributed by States Rights company Mayfair. It's the kind of picture nearly nobody remembers, but it still delivers a good story and some fine moments. Wheeler Oakman as the publisher of the newspaper is wonderful as the crook of the piece. He was famous as a crook in movies. The kind of guy you just loved to hate. Russell Simpson has been voted by some cognoscenti of the movies as the greatest actor in the history of film. Most casual watchers of films have probably never heard of him, but most would definitely recognize him if they watch a lot of early films. He plays the editor of the newspaper where Nugent works as a newly hired cub reporter, and he's good as usual.
This one has racketeering and robberies going on, the newspaper being on the spot constantly when they occur, and lots of other suspicious things. It's a good yarn, probably modeled a little bit on "The Power of the Press" (1928), a film which also had Oakman play the heavy. Both of those films together were recently for sale through Grapevine.
Recommended, though don't expect a pristine print. It's got a lot of scratches and dents, but it plays just fine. Reminds me of going to a night at someone's house and watching 16mm films with a group of people - hopefully movie addicts - while consuming a few drinks and having some small talk at the same time - hopefully all about forgotten actors and actresses - like Nugent, Gulliver, La Roy, Simpson, Oakman, and the like.
Here's a film directed by none other than B. Reeves "Breezy" Eason for a no-name production company called Fanchon Royer and distributed by States Rights company Mayfair. It's the kind of picture nearly nobody remembers, but it still delivers a good story and some fine moments. Wheeler Oakman as the publisher of the newspaper is wonderful as the crook of the piece. He was famous as a crook in movies. The kind of guy you just loved to hate. Russell Simpson has been voted by some cognoscenti of the movies as the greatest actor in the history of film. Most casual watchers of films have probably never heard of him, but most would definitely recognize him if they watch a lot of early films. He plays the editor of the newspaper where Nugent works as a newly hired cub reporter, and he's good as usual.
This one has racketeering and robberies going on, the newspaper being on the spot constantly when they occur, and lots of other suspicious things. It's a good yarn, probably modeled a little bit on "The Power of the Press" (1928), a film which also had Oakman play the heavy. Both of those films together were recently for sale through Grapevine.
Recommended, though don't expect a pristine print. It's got a lot of scratches and dents, but it plays just fine. Reminds me of going to a night at someone's house and watching 16mm films with a group of people - hopefully movie addicts - while consuming a few drinks and having some small talk at the same time - hopefully all about forgotten actors and actresses - like Nugent, Gulliver, La Roy, Simpson, Oakman, and the like.