Hotel Continental 1932
Scheduled for demolition, Hotel Continental has seen 50 years of romance, intrigue, and tragedy. The last night attracts many nostalgic patrons, including a gangster planning to grab the loot that he hid there many years ago.
Scheduled for demolition, Hotel Continental has seen 50 years of romance, intrigue, and tragedy. The last night attracts many nostalgic patrons, including a gangster planning to grab the loot that he hid there many years ago.
Wealthy Mr. Kennedy shoots his secretary, Channing, during a parlor game, but it turns out the gun was loaded with real bullets. Luckily, criminologist Phillip Montrose is on hand to help the police. When Kennedy quickly ends up dead as well, the police think it's a tidy murder-suicide, but the family lawyer knows of a letter that voiced Kennedy's suspicions about someone who was out to get him. Soon, the cops are on the trail of a ruthless and clever killer who is one step ahead of even Montrose.
Peter has to be married by midnight or else his inheritance goes to his uncle... Who happens to live in a "haunted house".
Young Lena Rivers, who was born out of wedlock, goes to live with a rich uncle. Unfortunately, her uncle's wife and daughter make no secret of their dislike of Lena and that they don't want her in their family.
The south sea island Tonga is full of plantations and scoundrels. Ellen Bradford arrives expecting marriage to respectable and successful plantation owner only to find he is a drunk and gambler. Being the only white woman she is the desire of scoundrels and cut-throats.
Alice Kendall is the darling of her social set, the sons and daughters of millionaires, although Alice's mother has impoverished herself to provide Alice with the luxuries she expects as her right. Mom blows what's left of her fortune to provide the best trousseau that money can buy when Alice marries Fred Garlan, and then wishes Fred lots of luck. Now, Alice is trying to coax Fred into buying her a new sable coat while Fred is busily trying to borrow enough money to keep his business afloat.
The son and daughter of an abusive shopkeeper turn to a medicine show salesman for help.
The queen of a mythical European nation flees to America when a general threatens to overthrow her government.
Joe (Tearle) and Bessie (Ayres), living in sin and just scraping by. Bessie thinks Joe has stolen their meagre savings, so she leaves him and becomes a manicurist eventually marrying a wealthy man who turns out to be stingy and cruel. Joe saves heiress Marion (Mills) from drowning, makes good as a civil engineer and eventually marries her. Joe and Bessie meet again by chance and Joe, in helping her to keep her secret, incurs Marion's jealousy. Bessie, extorted by a former acquaintance in desperation, decides to tell everything to her husband. However, to aid Joe she accuses Wallace (Miljan), with whom Marion is preparing to go away. Finally, Joe and Marion are reconciled, but Bessie learns that the world never forgives a woman who sins even when she has reformed.
Marshals Blackie and Joe, posing as two-gun men, hire on at Markham's ranch. They are after Tulliver and his gang of rustlers. But unknown to the two, Tulliver has planted Thorn on the ranch and he kills the foreman Riggs and puts the blame on Blackie.
Mary Young is a young wife who wants beautiful clothes. Her friend Enid invites her to shop at Madame Francine's, where she meets the Countess de Fragni, an artist, and Mr. Norris, an elderly roué and he invites her to a poker game. She wins and buys an expensive fur coat with the money but tells her husband she won it with a pawn ticket.
In a cantina across the border, Bob Hamlin shoots a man that threatens his friend. He and his pals escape but return that night for the dance as Bob is attracted to Conchita. Running once more from the Rurales, Bob takes Conchita. They escape again only to find themselves pinned down when Buck and his gang of horse thieves attack.
A mad doctor is determined to take revenge on the family he believes is responsible for his daughter's death.
Dave Kent, a commercial aviator, and his mechanic, Skeets Smith, are forced to make an emergency landing in Mexico and find themselves in the hands of La Panthera, a notorious bandit who wishes to overthrow the government and become president of a new republic. Manuel, his chief henchman, obliges them to collect the booty in a robbery, but Kent manages to meet María Valdez, a prisoner--held for marriage to the insurgent leader--who implores his aid. Kent and Skeets are arrested for the robbery and sentenced to death.
Jim Wallace, a young engineer, is engaged by Hammond, manager of an estate in the Northwest, to build flumes for a logging camp, but Donovan, the superintendent, dislikes him and places numerous obstacles in his way. Virginia Coulson, owner of the estate, and her maid Dot arrive, and when Hammond proposes to Virginia, she refuses his declaration in favor of Jim. Later, when Donovan is found murdered, suspicion points to Jim, who is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Hammond gets evidence on the murderer, Goofus, a half wit, and plans to use it to force Virginia to marry him; Goofus wounds Hammond and, seeing he has not killed him, starts a forest fire. Jim, who has escaped from prison with the aid of his friend, Buddy, rescues Virginia from the burning lodge; Goofus confesses to the murder, and Jim is freed.
If you enjoy playing "Spot the Stars", this is the sort of short you'd enjoy. It's full of then-well-known Hollywood players, identified by name, who run through routines. This one, produced by Tiffany, is not particularly good as people run through canned bits, sometimes without much enthusiasm. Robert Woolsey plays a game a solitaire and it's hard to tell whether his bit was written that way or he improvised it to reflect his feelings.
In the small farming community of Spring Valley, young Aurora Lane has caused a scandal by bearing a son by townsman Lucius Henderson, who refuses to marry her or even admit that he's the father. Shunned as a "sinful" woman by most of the town, she turns over her son, Don, to be raised by Miss Julia, the town librarian, who tells the boy that she's his "aunt". Don grows up and goes to college, and when he comes back home the town gossips begin a rumor-mongering campaign. When the town policeman tries to drive Aurora out of town he is found murdered, and Don is arrested for the crime.
Renée (Mae Murray) is the heiress of a Mexican ranch, granddaughter of a woman known for her recklessness and frivolity at night. This first "Mademoiselle Midnight" is banished in the opening scene by Napoleon III at Empress Eugenie's insistence to Mexico. Renee is kept locked at the hacienda at night by her father to prevent her following in her grandmother's wayward footsteps. She falls in love with a visiting American (Monte Blue) but is also pursued by the craven outlaw Manuel Corrales. Miss Murray gets to do some of her trademark dancing, but this one isn't a comedy, despite comic relief provided by Johnny Arthur.
Claire Tree spends the night in the hotel room of her friend and confidante, saying goodbye to him before her impending marriage the following day. When she returns to the hotel with her husband the following night, the house detective accuses her of prostitution and throws them out. Now Claire must explain everything to her unsympathetic husband.
A ranger joins the outlaw gang whose boss he believes is a murderer.