Lazybones (1925), The Freshman (1925), Monkey Business (1931), The Penalty (1920), My Best Girl (1927), You Only Live Once (1937), It's a Gift (1934), The Godless Girl (1929) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Early Hollywood movies.
Storyline: "Lazybones" Steve (Buck Jones) is fawned over by his girlfriend, Agnes (Jane Novak) and doting mother. But, when he saves Agnes' sister from a suicide attempt, this loafer suddenly finds himself raising her secret newborn daughter, Kit. His easy life turns hard when the town assumes she's his illegitimate child. Steve is called to fight in World War I, and when he returns Kit is no longer a picked-on kid but a beautiful woman (Madge Bellamy). Then his love becomes not quite so paternal.
Plot Keywords: silent film, comedy, drama, romance, slice of life, character study, slacker ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Harold Lamb's dream is to go to college and become the most popular student on campus, much like the character Speedy played by actor Lester Laurel in the movie "The College Hero". Accepted into Tate College, Harold plans on emulating Speedy, including giving himself the nickname Speedy, to gain that popularity, not realizing that if he does so, he will be more the buffoon than the hero. To be the most popular student, he will have to outdo the current most popular student, football captain Chet Trask. Unaware Speedy's task is made all the more difficult when one of the upperclassmen, seeing how hard Speedy is trying to impress, does whatever he can to make Speedy look all the more ridiculous, all the while Speedy believing he is achieving his dream. The bully's efforts are made all the more easy as Speedy is able to buy his way to seeming popularity with the small nest egg he was able to accumulate from work. The one thing that Speedy may not be able to buy is his way onto the football team, which he is convinced is the only surefire way to becoming the campus hero, despite not realizing that he truly is not the football type. While Speedy remains unaware how he truly looks to his classmates, Peggy, the daughter of the owner of the rooming house where he is staying, is aware, she who is in love with him, and he with her. The love of a good woman may be able to provide Speedy with a clearer understanding of who he truly should be to impress, and/or get his mind focused on other things other than being everyone's best friend.—Huggo
Plot Keywords: comedy, silent film, campus, college life, american film, classic, 1920s ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: While stowing away on a ship to America, the boys get involuntarily pressed into service as toughs for a pair of feuding gangsters while trying desparately to evade the ship's crew. After arriving stateside, one of the gangsters kidnaps the other's daughter - and it's up to our unlikely heroes to save the day.
Plot Keywords: comedy, absurd, slapstick, classic, 1930s, american film, black and white ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Blizzard, deranged from a childhood operation in which both his legs were perhaps needlessly amputated after an accident, becomes a vicious criminal, and eventually mob leader of the San Francisco underworld. Out for revenge against the surgeon who performed his operation, he undergoes brain surgery which has a chance of altering his anti-social behavior.—Doug Sederberg <vornoff@sonic.net>
Plot Keywords: crime, thriller, drama, mystery, film noir, silent film, revenge ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Joe Merrill, son of the millionaire owner of a chain of 5 and 10 cent stores, poses as Joe Grant, and takes a job in the stockroom of one of his father's stores, to prove that he can be a success without his father's influence. There he meets stockroom girl Maggie Johnson, and they fall in love. This causes problems, because Mrs. Merrill had planned for her son to marry Millicent Rogers, a high society girl.—John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>
Plot Keywords: romance, comedy, silent film, classic, american film, 1920s, romantic comedy ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Joan is the secretary to the public defender in a large city. She is in love with a career criminal named Eddie, and she believes that he is a basically good person who just had some tough breaks. She uses her influence to get him released early, and he tries to go straight after marrying her, but things don't work out, and they both go on the lam.—Tim Horrigan <horrigan@eworld.com>
Plot Keywords: crime, film noir, drama, romance, fugitive, social injustice, justice system ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: The owner of a general store (Harold Bisonette) is hounded by his status-anxious wife ("That's 'Bee-soh-nay'" and "I have no maid you know"). To get some sleep he goes out on the porch where he is tormented by a little boy from the floor above (Baby Dunk) and an insurance salesman down below ("LaFong. Capital L, small a..."). He uses an inheritance to buy an orange ranch through the mail, then drives off with his family for California. The orange grove consists of a withered tree, the ranch house is but a shack, and the car falls to pieces. But a racetrack operator wants the land, so all ends happily.—Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Plot Keywords: comedy, slapstick, classic, 1930s, american film, black and white, family ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: High school students led by the Girl and Boy turn from Christianity toward secret atheistic meetings. When a girl is accidentally killed by a stairway collapse, the Girl and Boy go to reform school where they are treated brutally.—Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Plot Keywords: silent film, drama, crime film, moral dilemma, religious conflict, american film, 1920s ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Tim Kelly is an orphan who runs away after his orphanage burns down. Presumed to be killed in the fire, he is able to roam the streets of New York freely. He meets Max Ginsberg, an old Jewish junk dealer with rheumatism, and the two strike a partnership and a close friendship.—page8701
Plot Keywords: silent film, drama, comedy, family business, father-son relationship, poverty, street life ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A sexy young manicurist living with her older backwoodsman husband in a small Canadian town finds herself attracted to a young, rich and famous divorce lawyer who comes to town on vacation.
Plot Keywords: silent film, comedy, romance, drama, american film, 1920s, black and white ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: In 1432, while François Villon is still an infant, his father dies as a martyr to his devotion to France. François grows up to be a renowned poet, an ardent patriot, and a notorious carouser who is not above criminal acts. During the revels of All Fools Day, he insults Duke Charles of Burgundy, for which King Louis XI, who is afraid of Charles, banishes Villon from Paris. In exile outside the city walls, François looks for ways to protect France from Burgundy's plots. When Charles plans to have one of his associates marry the king's ward Charlotte, Villon successfully disrupts the engagement, but for so doing is sentenced to death. But Villon finds a way to exploit Louis's superstitious nature long enough to give him another chance to serve France, while at the same time seeking the hand of Charlotte.—Snow Leopard
Plot Keywords: silent film, historical drama, biography, adventure, romance, swordplay, medieval ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: John Abbott returns to the desert land he owns, and after being wounded by hired gunman Chick Chance, he is befriended by rancher Andrew Naab and his son, Marvin. Naab's daughter, Marian, falls in love with John but is about to marry Snap Thornton to keep a promise made by her father. She runs away on her wedding day but is captured and held hostage by outlaw Henry Holderness. John, the Naabs and fellow ranchers rush to her rescue.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
Plot Keywords: western, classic film, 1930s, american film, black and white, paramount pictures, adventure ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A telephone operator at an opulent hotel falls in love with a young man who turns out to be a rich oil millionaire.
Plot Keywords: silent film, comedy, romance, american film, 1920s, black and white, female lead ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Ambitious shoe salesman, Harold, unknowingly meets the boss' daughter and tells her he is a leather tycoon. The rest of the film he spends hiding his true circumstances, in the store and later on a ship. Trying to deliver a letter, he later finds himself dangling high above the street on a building's scaffolding.—Herman Seifer <alagain@aol.com>
Plot Keywords: comedy, slapstick, classic, adventure, thrilling, hilarious, american film ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: 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.—Dan Navarro <daneldorado@yahoo.com>
Plot Keywords: comedy, silent film, 1920s, american film, slapstick, black and white, classic film ...
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