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:
James Cagney,
Barbara Stanwyck,
Mary Astor,
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:
William Wellman,
William Wellman
see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: Warner Home Video
: Classics, Drama, Romance, Classic Romance, Classic Drama, Pre-Code, Precode, Documentary, Film
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Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 3: Frisco Jenny/ Midnight Mary (Disc 2 of 4) (1930)
Frisco Jenny (1932)
Along with his films about men in dire straits, Wellman helmed a string of
so-called womens pictures like this one. Ruth Chatterton plays the title
role of Frisco Jenny, a woman orphaned by the 1906 earthquake who becomes
the madam of a prosperous brothel. She puts her son up for adoption, and as
he rises to prominence as district attorney he becomes dedicated to closing
down such houses. When her associate proposes killing the DA, she kills the
associate and must face execution.
Midnight Mary (1933)
Often referred to by film buffs as the only Warner Bros. movie ever made by
MGM , this crime melodrama (based on a story by Anita Loos) was so much in
the Warner mode, that Metro borrowed the services of Wellman, Loretta Young,
and many others to bring it to the screen. Young plays a young woman on
trial for murder, whose story is told in flashback, as she awaits her
verdict. Mary Martin (yes, thats the characters name!) recalls how her
life of desperate poverty led to involvement with gangsters. When she meets
a young lawyer in a brothel, scion of a wealthy and prestigious family, he
helps her turn around her life. But her past catches up with her, and she
chooses to face the consequences rather than cause him scandal. With a
screenplay by the writers of the pivotal Warner Bros. pre-code gems, Baby
Face andFemale (Gene Markey and Kathryn Scola), Midnight
Mary ranks among Wellmans best films of the era.
Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 3: Heroes for Sale / Wild Boys of the Road (Disc 3 of 4) (1930)
Heroes for Sale (1933)
Heroes for Sale, filmed with raw, gritty immediacy by the no-nonsense
Wellman, covers all the Depression-era bases, and puts the spotlight on the
plight of veterans. This is the hard-hitting story of Tom Holmes (Richard
Barthelmess), an unsung war hero left wounded and addicted to morphine whose
struggles make him an American Everyman, a tough hero for a tough time. 75
years after it was first released, Heroes For Sale retains its
unrelenting power to shock and deeply move all who see it.
Wild Boys of the Road (1933)
One of Wellmans most personal and expressive films, Wild Boys of the
Road has achieved legendary status in recent years as one of the most
provocative screen representations of its time. Its the depression, and
Tommy Gordon's mother has been out of work for months. Things get worse in
the neighborhood when his pal Eddie's father loses his job. Not to burden
their parents, the two high school sophomores decide to hop the freights and
look for work. This socially conscience message film helped draw attention
to wandering youths cut adrift by hard times. Frankie Darro, whose acting
career stretched from the 1920s into the 70s, portrays Eddie. And the
actress posing as a boy in the film is played by Dorothy Coonan, who became
the real life Mrs. William Wellman.
Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 3: Other Men's Women/ The Purchase Price (Disc 1 of 4) (1930)
Other Men's Women (1931)
This is the story of a love triangle between two burly railroad men and the
one woman they both desire (Mary Astor). Jack (Regis Toomey), Lilys
husband, is an engineer and is more solid and reliable, while Bill (Grant
Withers) is a carefree ladies' man with an irresponsible streak. Also
featured in secondary roles in this melodrama are James Cagney and Joan
Blondell as a wisecracking waitress. Directed with his signature virile
style, Wellman balances scenes of fraying domesticity with vigorous
vignettes of tough railroad life.
The Purchase Price (1932)
This film is a brisk Wellman mix of comedy and melodrama about torch singer
Joan Gordon (Barbara Stanwyck), who tiring of her relationship with
small-time hood Eddie Fields (Lyle Talbot), flees to North Dakota and
becomes the mail-order bride of down-to-earth farmer Jim Gilson (George
Brent). Their wedded bliss is threatened by Gilson's own stubbornness, a
lecherous neighbor and the reappearance of Fields.
Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 3: Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick / The Men Who Made the Movies (Disc 4 of 4) (1995)
Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick (1995)
William Wellman Jr. served as Executive Producer for this award-winning,
critically-acclaimed documentary portrait of his famous father, ably
explaining why the elder Wellman earned the nickname of Wild Bill.
Narrated by Alec Baldwin, the engrossing documentary is highlighted by a
plethora of rare film clips from Wellmans impressive screen career, as well
as insightful and provocative reflections of Wellman the man, as well as
Wellman the director, from such luminaries as Sidney Poitier, Robert
Redford, Clint Eastwood, Gregory Peck, Richard Widmark and James
Garner.
Through the use of newly photographed and rare archival footage, Wellman Jr.
traces his dads life from his birth in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1896,
through his distinguished World War I career as a flier (which later got him
the job of directing the classic silent film Wings), his start as a mail boy
at Goldwyn, his rise to director in the 20's, his five marriages and stormy
career through the 30's to late 50's, with a total filmography of more than
80 films.
The Men Who Made the Movies (William Wellman) (2007)
Originally produced in 1973 for his ground-breaking PBS miniseries The
Men Who Made The Movies, filmmaker Richard Schickel revisits the subject
of William Wellman, and explores the career and the legend of the
Oscar®-winning screenwriter-director of the original A Star Is
Born (1937). Updated in 2007, this revised program is narrated by Sydney
Pollack, and is primarily constructed around interviews Schickel conducted
with Wellman for the original series. Wellmans wry sense of humor in the
interviews is in full glory here, as he recalls his World War I service as
an aviator, where he first earned the moniker of Wild Bill, a nickname
that persisted in Hollywood due to his "larger-than-life" personality and
lifestyle. A leap-year baby born in 1896 on the 29th of February to a
stockbroker father in Brookline, Massachusetts, Wellman was the
great-great-great grandson of Francis Lewis, one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence. His mother, the former Cecilia McCarthy, was
born in Ireland. Despite an upper-middle class upbringing, the young Wellman
was a hell-raiser. He excelled as an athlete and particularly enjoyed
playing ice hockey, but he also enjoyed less savory pastimes, like
joy-riding in stolen cars at night.
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| Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 3: Frisco Jenny/ Midnight Mary (Disc 2 of 4) (1930) |
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| Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 3: Heroes for Sale / Wild Boys of the Road (Disc 3 of 4) (1930) |
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| Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 3: Other Men's Women/ The Purchase Price (Disc 1 of 4) (1930) |
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| Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 3: Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick / The Men Who Made the Movies (Disc 4 of 4) (1995) |
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