 Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ 1925  N/R, 116 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: Ben-Hur
Director: Fred Niblo
Cast: Ramon Novarro, Francis X. Bushman, May McAvoy, Frank Currier, Myrna Loy, Claire McDowell, Nigel De Brulier, Betty Bronson, Kathleen Key, Carmel Myers, Mitchell Lewis, Leo White, Charles Belcher, Dale Fuller, Winter Hall
Judah Ben-Hur (Ramon Novarro) is falsely accused of a crime by his childhood friend, Massala (Francis X. Bushman), and is imprisoned. Later, Ben-Hur returns to seek vengeance but, instead, becomes a Christian and takes Christ as his savior in this excellent film that took years in the making.
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Billy the Kid 1941   N/R, 94 min.
Genre: Western
Director: David Miller
Cast: Robert Taylor, Brian Donlevy, Ian Hunter, Mary Howard, Gene Lockhart, Lon Chaney Jr., Henry O'Neill, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Frank Conlan, Frank Puglia, Cy Kendall, Ted Adams, Mitchell Lewis, Dick Curtis, Grant Withers
Although Billy the Kid (Robert Taylor) was a cold-hearted murderer, this film sympathizes with his psychotic personality.
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The Last Frontier 1926  N/R, 90 min.
Genre: Western
Director: George B. Seitz
Cast: William Boyd, Marguerite De La Motte, Jack Hoxie, J. Farrell MacDonald, Frank Coghlan Jr., Mitchell Lewis, Gladys Brockwell, Frank Lackteen
Government scout Tom Kirby (William Boyd) and Western legend Buffalo Bill Cody (Jack Hoxie) lead a wagon train through Indian territory when they are attacked. Beth, who was saved by Kirby though her parents were killed, is taken in by a crooked trader (Mitchell Lewis). When the Indians attack the town with a buffalo stampede, Kirby, with assorted Western heroes, arrives to take care of the situation. Remade as a serial in 1932.
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Madame X 1929  N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: Absinthe
Director: Lionel Barrymore
Cast: Ruth Chatterton, Lewis Stone, Raymond Hackett, Holmes Herbert, Eugenie Besserer, John P. Edington, Mitchell Lewis, Ullrich Haupt, Sidney Toler, Richard Carle, Carroll Nye, Claude King
Certainly not the best rendition of the story, but it is a heavy melodrama curio. A bored wife (Ruth Chatterton) is cast into the streets by her husband (Lewis Stone) after he finds out she has been unfaithful. Years later her son (Raymond Hackett), not knowing who she is, defends her on a murder charge. This is the first film to utilize a moving microphone (attached to a fishing pole). The film received Oscar nominations for Best Actress (Chatterton) and Director.
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Mammy 1930 N/R, 83 min.
Genre: Musical
Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Al Jolson, Lois Moran, Louise Dresser, Lowell Sherman, Hobart Bosworth, Stanley Fields, Tully Marshall, Mitchell Lewis, Jack Curtis, Noah Beery
Good musical numbers include "The Call of the South" and "To My Mammy" in this otherwise dated film about a romance among performers in a minstrel show.
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The Sun Shines Bright 1953 N/R, 90 min.
Genre: Drama / Comedy
Director: John Ford
Cast: Charles Winninger, Arleen Whelan, John Russell, Stepin Fetchit, Grant Withers, Milburn Stone, Slim Pickens, Henry O'Neill, Russell Simpson, Ludwig Stossel, Francis Ford, Paul Hurst, Mitchell Lewis, Dorothy Jordan
This remake of "Judge Priest," the moral leader of his family and community, is an uplifting–if not as good as the original–story.
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A Tale of Two Cities 1935  N/R, 121 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Jack Conway
Cast: Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allan, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Basil Rathbone, Blanche Yurka, Henry B. Walthall, Donald Woods, Walter Catlett, Fritz Leiber, H.B. Warner, Mitchell Lewis, Claude Gillingwater, Billy Bevan, Lucille La Verne
This is the best film version of Charles Dickens' story of love and death during the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution. Ronald Colman takes on the role of weary London lawyer Sydney Carton who selflessly saves Charles Darnay (Donald Woods) from the guillotine by taking his place and allowing him to return to Lucie (Elizabeth Allan)–the woman who both men love. An Academy Award nomination was received for Best Picture.
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Waikiki Wedding 1937  N/R, 88 min.
Genre: Musical / Comedy / Romance
Director: Frank Tuttle
Cast: Bing Crosby, Bob Burns, Martha Raye, Shirley Ross, Leif Erickson, Grady Sutton, Anthony Quinn, Granville Bates, Spencer Charters, George Regas, George Barbier, Mitchell Lewis, Nick Lukats, Maurice Liu, Emma Dunn
Tony Marvin (Bing Crosby), a public relations representative for a Hawaiian pineapple company, comes up with the idea of a beauty contest as a publicity stunt. The winner is Georgia Smith (Shirley Ross), and she arrives on Hawaii with her friend Myrtle Finch (Martha Raye). But, Georgia does not like Hawaii and wants to leave. To solve the problem, Tony tries romancing Georgia to convince her to remain. It works! This film's "Sweet Leilani" won the Academy Award for Best Song. Another popular song from the picture was "Blue Hawaii."
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| 1. Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ (1925)
aka: Ben-Hur
2. Billy the Kid (1941)
3. The Last Frontier (1926)
4. Madame X (1929)
aka: Absinthe
5. Mammy (1930)
6. The Sun Shines Bright (1953)
7. A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
8. Waikiki Wedding (1937)
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