
Mary Brian
Actor · 1906 – 2002 · Corsicana, Texas, USA
Mary Brian (born Louise Byrdie Dantzler, February 17, 1906 – December 30, 2002), was an American actress, who made the transition from silent films to sound films. Brian was dubbed "The Sweetest Girl in Pictures." After her showing in a beauty contest, she was given an audition by Paramount Pictures and cast by director Herbert Brenon as Wendy Darling in his silent movie version of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan. There she starred with Betty Bronson and Esther Ralston, and the three of them stayed close for the rest of their lives. Ralston described both Bronson and Brian as 'very charming people'. The studio, who created her stage name for the movie and said she was age 16 instead of 18, because the latter sounded too old for the role, then signed her to a long-term motion picture contract. Brian played Fancy Vanhern, daughter of Percy Marmont, in Brenon's The Street of Forgotten Men, which had newcomer Louise Brooks in an uncredited debut role as a moll. Her first talkie was Varsity, which was filmed with part-sound and talking sequences, opposite Buddy Rogers. After successfully making the transition to sound, she co-starred with Gary Cooper, Walter Huston and Richard Arlen in one of the earliest Western talkies, The Virginian, her first all-talkie feature. In it, she played a spirited frontier heroine, schoolmarm Molly Stark Wood, who was the love interest of the Virginian. Brian co-starred in several hits during the 1930s, including The Royal Family of Broadway, Paramount on Parade, and The Front Page. After her contract with Paramount ended in 1932, Brian decided to freelance, which was unusual in a period when multi-year contracts with one studio were common. That same year, she appeared on the vaudeville stage at New York's Palace Theatre. Also in the same year, she starred in Manhattan Tower. When World War II hit in 1941, Brian began traveling to entertain the troops, ending up spending most of the war years traveling the world with the U.S.O., and entertaining servicemen from the South Pacific to Europe, including Italy and North Africa.Flying to England on a troop shoot, Mary got caught in the Battle of the Bulge and spent the Christmas of 1944 with the soldiers fighting that battle. She appeared in only a handful of films thereafter. Her last performance on the silver screen was in Dragnet, a B-movie in which she played Anne Hogan opposite Henry Wilcoxon. Over the course of 22 years, Brian had appeared in more than 79 movies. She played in the stage comedy Mary Had a Little... in the 1951 in Melbourne, Australia, co-starring with John Hubbard. Like many "older" actresses, during the 1950s Brian created a career for herself in television. Perhaps her most notable role was playing the title character's mother in Meet Corliss Archer in 1954. She also dedicated much time to portrait painting after her acting years.
Movies24
Movie6.6CrimeMysteryCharlie's visit to Paris, ostensibly a vacation, is really a mission to investigate a bond-forgery racket. But his agent, apache dancer Nardi is killed before she can tell him much. The case, complicated by a false murder accusation for banker's daughter Yvette, climaxes with a strange journey through the Paris sewers.
Charlie Chan in Paris
1935 · 22 votes
Movie6.3ComedyHard-working, henpecked Ambrose Ambrose Wolfinger takes off from work to go to a wrestling match with catastrophic consequences.
Man on the Flying Trapeze
1935 · 18 votes
Movie6.8RomanceDramaA bored millionaire wagers his doctor that he can support himself at a working class job for a year without touching his inheritance.
The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss
1936 · 30 votes
Movie5.9ComedyJulie Cavendish comes from a family of great Broadway actors. Her mother Fanny staunchly continues acting. Her boisterous brother Tony is fleeing a breach of promise suit in Hollywood. Her daughter Gwen must decide between going on stage, or settling down in a conventional marriage. Julie is just thinking that it would be nice to retire and get married, when who should turn up but her old beau, Gilmore Marshall, the platinum magnate from South America.
The Royal Family of Broadway
1930 · 14 votes
Movie6.0MysteryDramaA forger is forced to work for a Nazi spy ring. His conscience gets the better of him, though, and he secretly conspires with the FBI to turn over the gang.
I Escaped from the Gestapo
1943 · 5 votes
Movie6.0MusicSeveral members of MGM's 'galaxy of stars' attend an evening of music and a fashion show.
Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove
1934 · 4 votes
Movie7.0ComedyPrince Alexis is the son of the king of a small European country. His duties, though fairly unimportant, nevertheless keep him so busy that he has no time for anything else. One day he meets and falls in love with a pretty young girl and wants to spend as much time with her as possible, but the royal advisers won't allow it, as it would take away from his duties. To make matters worse, his father dies and Alexis becomes king. Frustrated at his position and his inability to spend time with the woman he loves, he comes up with a novel plan to solve his problems.
He's a Prince!
1925 · 1 votes
Movie7.2DramaCrimeEasy-Money Charley, the best fake crippled beggar in New York, loses his beloved dog and adopts a dying prostitute's daughter to fill the empty place in his heart.
The Street of Forgotten Men
1925 · 4 votes
Movie6.4ComedyDramaScotty, an unwilling Navy war hero is cast into the limelight. He wants to get married and be an engineer, but is forced to fulfil the expectations of the public, his employer and his PR agent, which he hates. Although he and his long time girlfriend Janet love each other, they are pressured to marry before they are ready. The strain takes its toll on both of them.
It's Tough to Be Famous
1932 · 5 votes
Movie5.7RomanceDramaMississippi, 1830's. Tom Rumsford comes back to Magnolia Landing, his parents'estate. Having been brought up in the North by Quaker relatives, he just hates violence and accordingly refuses a duel. As this is the only way in the South to settle a dispute between gentlemen, Tom's father is so infuriated by his behavior that Tom has no other choice but leave. Away from Magnolia Landing, Tom learns bravery and returns seven years later as "the notorious Colonel Blake", the terror of the Lower Mississippi.
The River of Romance
1929 · 3 votes
MovieFantasy17 self-taught directors come together to give new meaning to their work in the form of 20 new episodes that are part of the feature film "Noisy Silencers", an extrasensory video experience that takes us on a journey through the history of cinema, from the 1880s to the present in a tangle of deliriums of the seventh art.
Movie4.8CrimeThrillerA district attorney and a reporter try to find the killer of a D.A. who uncovered a massive stock fraud.
The World Gone Mad
1933 · 13 votes
Movie7.0ComedyFarmboy Harold moves to the city and there attends high school. Soon he is very popular, his spirited nature causing much excitement on the campus. He joins a fraternity, goes out for football, and directs his class theatrical effort. Instead of a school play, Harold suggests doing a western motion picture. Part of the plot requires them to blow up the dam that has cut off the water supply to Harold's homestead in the country. After the explosion Harold runs away because he is afraid of being arrested, but he returns just in time to win a football game for his team.
Harold Teen
1928 · 2 votes
Movie10.0DramaCrimeThis drama centers on the fight for certain post-Prohibitionist groups to gain total control over the liquor industry. Much of the tale is focused upon a family endeavoring to keep their little brewery.
Song of the Eagle
1933 · 1 votes
Movie10.0AdventureDramaLanding at a Chinese port, tough sea captain Bucklin and his passengers are threatened by a marauding war lord, who intends to kill the captain and hold the others hostage as part of his campaign of destruction against all white men.
Shanghai Bound
1927 · 1 votes
Movie5.5DramaRomanceWellman’s first all-talkie, scripted by Herman Mankiewicz, with arrogant boxer Richard Arlen romancing Mary Brian, then falling for temptress Olga Baclanova (Freaks) on the eve of the big fight.
The Man I Love
1929 · 4 votes
Movie6.5ComedyThree women inherit a 10-ton truck and decide to go into business. Hi jinks ensue.
Danger! Women at Work
1943 · 2 votes
Movie7.0ActionCrimeMuriel Rossi (Mary Brian), the sister of a racketeer, Al Rossi (Harry Woods), falls in love with Bob Martel (Bruce Cabot), the son of a police detective, Joe Martel (Grant Mitchell). Their love affair causes bot families problems when Bob is framed, but saved as a result of his father's access to police department films.
Shadows of Sing Sing
1933 · 1 votes
Movie7.0ComedyRomanceWhile taking a morning workout, young prizefighter Danny Martin encounters Charlotte Hamilton in distress over her balky roadster. Martin wins his fight but is counted a loser by a crooked referee. Later, he is invited to a barbecue at Charlotte's home, but when John Hamilton, who strongly dislikes fighters, learns of Martin's profession, he shows him the door. Danny gives up his career for Charlotte and opens a health resort for obese millionaires. Hamilton and his prospective son-in-law, Penrod, arrive at the resort for treatment, and their indignation and disgust at the treatment provide comic complications. Learning that Danny and Charlotte have already eloped, Hamilton is at first furious, then resigns himself to their happiness.
Her Father Said No
1927 · 1 votes
Movie10.0DramaRomanceMadame Vervier, a sophisticated woman, sends her daughter Alix to live with Owen Bradley's parents in London.
The Little French Girl
1925 · 1 votes
Movie6.4ComedyCrimeHildy Johnson is an investigative reporter looking for a bigger paycheck. When an accused murderer escapes from custody, Hildy sees an opportunity for the story of a lifetime. But when he finds the criminal, he learns that the man may not be guilty. With the help of his editor, Hildy attempts to hide the convict, uncover the conspiracy and write the scoop of his career.
The Front Page
1931 · 89 votes
Movie5.2WesternA friend of Dick Bailey is killed by a mysterious assailant, whom Dick suspects to be Stack, who is in league with the crooked sheriff. Out on a spree Dick swears he will marry the first woman he sees, who happens to be Ruth Hammond, sister of his dead friend, arriving to take charge of the Hammond ranch. Revolted by his rough proposal,she fires him as the Hammond foreman and she proceeds to the ranch. Stack informs her he has purchased the ranch for the payment of the back-due taxes, and she relents and rehires Dick and his friends to aid her in her fight against Stack.
The Light of Western Stars
1930 · 3 votes
Movie4.8ComedyDramaCappy Ricks, a crusty old sea captain, returns home from a long voyage to discover that his family and his business are in chaos--his daughter is set to marry a nitwit that he can't stand, and his future mother-in-law has taken over everything and is set to merge his business with that of a rival company. Worst of all, though, is that she--in the interests of "progress"--has completely automated his beloved ship, "Electra"!. He sets out to put an end to all this foolishness and comes up with what he thinks is a foolproof plan.
Affairs of Cappy Ricks
1937 · 8 votes
Movie7.0WesternGold miner Edd Denmeade loves Lucy Watson, the sister of the official mining claim recorder. Denmeade suspects Watson of killing his father, who after a poker game was shot by a gambler "who shuffles with one hand." The real murderer, Sam Spralls, has convinced Watson that he killed Denmeade and threatens to expose him unless Watson assigns him all the gold claims. Spralls assembles a band of killers to jump the claims when Watson complies. Eventually, Denmeade learns the identity of the killer when he sees Spralls shuffle a deck of cards. He forms a vigilante party and rids the community of Spralls and his gang.
Under the Tonto Rim
1928 · 1 votes
Series1
TV8.0ComedyMeet Corliss Archer is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from April to December 1954. The series stars Ann Baker in the title role. The program was an adaptation of the radio series of the same name, which was based on a series of short stories by F. Hugh Herbert.
Meet Corliss Archer
1954 · 1 votes