Claude Gillingwater
Actor · 1870 – 1939 · Louisiana, Missouri, USA
Tall, balding character actor in US films from 1921 until the year he died, usually portraying obstinate or irascible types. A man so disagreeable on celluloid, Claude Gillingwater's characters seemed to subsist on a steady diet of persimmons. Fondly recalled as the cranky old skinflint whose seemingly cold heart could only be warmed by the actions of a cute little tyke, the tall and rangy Gillingwater invariably played much older than he was. He, with the omnipresent bushy brows, crop of silver hair and perpetually sour puss, had a much more versatile career than perhaps realized -- on both stage and in film. Most assuredly, this caustic screen image he perfected belied a softer, gentler off-screen demeanor for he was a kind and sympathetic gent and devoted husband to wife Carlyn Stiletz (or Stellith). Their only child, Claude Gillingwater Jr., briefly became an actor himself. Sadly, Gillingwater Sr.'s thriving character career ended on a grim and tragic note in 1939. A serious accident on the movie set of the picture Florida Special (1936) (he fell from a platform and injured his back) damaged his health and threatened his career, and the death of his long-time wife Carlyn left him irrevocably depressed. Fearing the possibility of becoming an invalid and wishing not to become a serious burden to anyone, the 69-year-old actor committed suicide at his Beverly Hills home with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Gillingwater left a fine Hollywood legacy and the fun of some of his old films is watching his vinegar turn to sugar. Date of Birth 2 August 1870, Louisiana, Missouri Date of Death 2 November 1939, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California (suicide)
Movies24
Movie6.8HistoryDramaSet against the conditions leading up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, French doctor Alexandre Manette serves an 18-year imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, followed by his release to live in London with the daughter he has never met.
A Tale of Two Cities
1935 · 85 votes
Movie6.9DramaHistoryAfter healing the leg of the murderer John Wilkes Booth — responsible for the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln — Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, considered part of the atrocious conspiracy, is sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to the sinister Shark Island Prison.
The Prisoner of Shark Island
1936 · 62 votes
Movie6.8DramaRomanceA brash young American aristocrat attending Oxford University gets a chance to prove himself and win the heart of his antagonist's sister.
A Yank at Oxford
1938 · 12 votes
Movie6.6HistoryDramaA Polish countess is dispatched by her country to become Napoleon Bonaparte's mistress at the urging of Polish leaders, who feel she might influence him to support Polish independence.
Conquest
1937 · 23 votes
Movie7.0DramaStandish, a wealthy Northerner, deserts his untutored Southern wife shortly after their daughter Primrose's birth, preferring to wed the cultured but haughty Emily. After her mother's death, Primrose is placed in the care of her uncle, who rears her as a refined and educated young lady. Longing for his daughter, Standish sends for her, and although Primrose, deeply resentful of her father, exaggerates the role of the uncouth mountain girl, he and his ward, Jack Wilton, come to love her deeply.
Wild Primrose
1918 · 1 votes
Movie6.6AdventureFamilyCossetted and bored, Barbara Barry is finally sent off to school by her busy if doting widowed soap manufacturer father. When her nurse is injured en route, Barbara finds herself alone in town, ending up as part of radio song-and-dance act Dolan and Dolan sponsored by a rival soap company.
Poor Little Rich Girl
1936 · 21 votes
Movie7.3ComedyRomanceAn heiress takes a job as a department store clerk.
There Goes My Heart
1938 · 15 votes
Movie6.0DramaA professional equestrian marries a polo player from a once-wealthy family, only to face the scorn of his snobbish relatives. When she becomes entangled in a murder trial, she must choose between protecting her reputation and saving the man she loves.
The Woman in Red
1935 · 20 votes
Movie7.0DramaAn American boy turns out to be the long-lost heir of a British fortune. He is sent to live with the cold and unsentimental lord who oversees the trust.
Little Lord Fauntleroy
1921 · 18 votes
Movie5.8ComedyMusicPenny helps her idealistic architect father get his dream of a slum clearance project; The little miss dances with Corporal Jones.
Just Around the Corner
1938 · 13 votes
Movie6.5DramaFamilyAn orphan is provisionally adopted by the manager of a hotel populated by show business people. The hotel's owner doesn't like the entertainers and wants the girl returned to the orphanage.
Little Miss Broadway
1938 · 16 votes
Movie6.0MusicComedyIn this musical set in swingin' Manhattan, an heiress plans a ballet in the famous Moonbeam ballroom located atop a 100-story skyscraper. Unfortunately, the attending audience is quite bored until someone starts the place swinging. Musical numbers include: "Blame It on the Rhumba," "Where Are You?" "Jamboree," "Top of the Town," "I Feel That Foolish Feeling Coming On," "There's No Two Ways About It," "Fireman Save My Child"
Top of the Town
1937 · 5 votes
Movie7.0DramaNewlyweds experience marital problems when the wife's highly successful job as an attorney overshadows her husband's stagnant career.
Ann Carver's Profession
1933 · 4 votes
Movie3.3DramaAn unprincipled hustler who makes his living getting--or making up--evidence in divorce cases finds that he's framing his own daughter.
Unknown Blonde
1934 · 4 votes
Movie7.0ComedyMusicA young girl and her uncle who run a traveling medicine show lend their efforts to salvage an old plantation.
Can This Be Dixie?
1936 · 1 votes
Movie6.8MusicComedyA young pacifist, after refusing on principle to defend her sweetheart's honor and being banished in disgrace, joins a riverboat troupe as a singer, acquires a reputation as a crackshot after a saloon brawl in which the villain of the piece accidentally kills himself with his own gun, falls in love with his former fianceé's sister and finally bullies an apprehensive family into accepting him.
Mississippi
1935 · 8 votes
Movie6.4ComedyAlcoholic newspaperman Steve Bramley boards the San Capador for a restful cruise, hoping to quit drinking and begin writing a book. Also on board are Steve's friend Schulte, a private detective hoping to nab criminal Danny Checkett with a fortune in stolen bonds. Steve begins drinking, all the while observing the various stories of other passengers on board, several of whom turn out not to be who they seem to be.
The Captain Hates the Sea
1934 · 7 votes
Movie4.8DramaRomanceThe son of a ruthless meatpacking king goes through a number of changes in ideals and motivations as he reluctantly inherits the mantle and falls in love.
I Loved a Woman
1933 · 14 votes
Movie7.0ComedyRomanceOn the eve of her wedding Lady Kay Rutfield runs off aboard her sloop. A storm carries her out to sea and she is rescued by a passing rumrunner bound for the Long Island Sound. Once they arrive in the States, Kay makes her escape and hides in the deserted mansion of Jimmy Winter. Jimmy is due to marry the following day. He comes home to the mansion unexpectedly, and finds Kay, who persuades him to let her pose for a night as his wife.
Oh Kay!
1928 · 1 votes
Movie5.3ActionRomanceStephen Ghent, a mineowner, falls in love with Ruth Jordan, an arrogant girl from the East, unaware that she is the daughter of his dead partner. Ruth is vacationing in Arizona and Mexico with a fast set of friends, including her fiancé, Edgar. Manuella, a Spanish halfbreed hopelessly in love with Ghent, causes Ruth to return to her fiancé when she insinuates that Ghent belongs to her. Ghent follows Ruth, kidnaps her, and takes her into the wilderness to endure hardship. There she discovers that she loves Ghent, and she discards Edgar in favor of him.
The Great Divide
1929 · 7 votes
Movie6.3ComedyDramaA young woman hits Hollywood, determined to become a star.
Souls for Sale
1923 · 22 votes
Movie6.3DramaCrimeA cop goes undercover to infiltrate and break up a counterfeiting ring.
Counterfeit
1936 · 4 votes
Movie10.0ThrillerHorrorAn ape is suspected of committing a series of murders.
The Gorilla
1927 · 1 votes
Movie8.0DramaA scorned woman dreams of revenge on the man who betrayed her.
You Can't Buy Everything
1934 · 2 votes