Henry B. Walthall: Film Reviews--The Talkies 1935-1936
A Tribute Page to the Silent Film Star

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Lobby card for Mine with the Iron Door.

Note on the grading system: The "Walthall Factor" Grade is not an evaluation of Henry B. Walthall's acting skills as he never gave a bad performance even when the film, and his part in it, was lame. The Walthall Factor is a combination of Walthall's time on screen, the treatment of his role (was the character he played worthy of his talents), and--ultimately--whether or not I enjoyed watching him in the role (it is, after all, my website).

 

"Step right up folks and embark on a journey through Hell.
And after you've toured the DMV, you can visit Dante's Inferno."

 

• Dante's Inferno (Released August 23, 1935) I often do not watch films straight through, especially when they are lengthy, but this one I could not turn off. The story is fast-paced and riveting and the acting is excellent! Walthall plays Pop McWade, a carney who sells "a glimpse of Hell and a few suggestions on how to keep out of it." His carnival attraction is called Dante's Inferno and includes portraits and tokens of sinners in history. An ex-stoker James Carter (Spencer Tracy) stumbles upon McWade and his Inferno and--inspired by a portrait of Alexander the Great--sets out to "build Pop the biggest Hell on earth" (marrying Pop's niece in the process-- the uncle of the bride is better looking than the groom). Of course, Carter finagles, threatens, bribes, and cheats his way into his own personal hell. Not even the destruction of the Inferno (injuring Pop, who was guiding the visitors as Virgil) and the suicide of the building inspector Carter bribed, could turn the ex-stoker around. Only disaster on his pleasure steamship that endangers his son causes Carter to see the light with the predictable exchange between him and his wife at the end: "All I have to offer you is my love," "That's all I ever wanted."
  
  Anyway, Walthall looks GREAT in this film! It would have been nice to see him in the final scenes, but you can't have everything, I guess. The only thing that prevents this film from being an A+ is the rather lengthy Hell fantasy scene. A couple minutes would have been sufficient (you've seen one doomed soul, you've seen them all). I also find it a little humorous that all the residents of Hell are really buff. Where did they rehearse, in the P90X studios? I learned from an online review found @ http://movieclassics.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/dantes-inferno-1935/ that Tracy hated the film and called it the worst film ever made (I'm more apt to give that nod to Me & My Gal but I'm sure there are plenty worse films than that). Anyway, I thought it deserved an A, so that shows how much I know. Walthall Factor: A Film Grade: A
  

   

  
  "Now where did I leave the keys to my Renault?"
  As Dr. Manette with Ronald Colman (on the
  far right, of course) in A Tale of Two Cities.

   

• A Tale of Two Cities (Released December 25, 1935) In this classic story, Walthall plays Dr. Manette who has been locked up for 18 years by the aristocracy. He pleads for the life of Charles Darnay (son of a hated monarch, but a sympathizer of the revolution and husband to Manette's daughter). This film is one of my all-time favorites, mostly due to the excellent performance by Ronald Colman as Sydney Carton. I've seen it many times. It is a true classic. Walthall Factor: B+ Film Grade: A+
  

   

  
  Dr. Garden eyes his son's murderer...or does he?

   

• The Garden Murder Case (Released February 21, 1936) In this murder mystery, Walthall plays Dr. Garden whose son dies in a freakish horse racing accident. Henry enters the film at approximately the 15-minute point and promptly passes out upon seeing who he thinks killed his son. Detective Philo Vance (Edmund Lowe who was also Chandu the Magician) is eager to speak with Dr. Garden because he thinks he may hold the key to the case. When Dr. Garden awakens, however, he declares only figurative reasons for blaming wealthy gambler Edgar Loew Hammle (who has also been killed by this time) for the death of his son. Vance looks elsewhere and, despite being a suspect in Hammle's murder, Walthall is nowhere to be seen during the last half of the film. The top female suspect in the case seems nauseatingly affected even when she is being escorted to jail. Walthall Factor: B- Film Grade: B-

   

  
  "I'm too sexy for this website. Just look at it!
  No audio or video effects! It doesn't even have wallpaper!"

   

• The Mine with the Iron Door (Released May 6, 1935) I searched long and hard for this film, and boy was it worth it. The film itself is a little slow going, but Henry is excellent as the archeologist David Burton. Burton has taken in a young woman (Marta) and her father. In love with Marta, Burton hopes to keep her, as well as the gold treasure he secretly discovered behind the iron door, sheltered from the greed and evil of the world. A young man (Richard Arlen, who played Henry's son in Wings), who has acquired the Arizona property where Burton resides, travels to the area in search of the elusive treasure. The young man and Marta soon fall in love. The rage and jealousy in Burton's eyes set the stage for the climactic scene when Burton takes Marta to the mine to kill her, repeating the words, "every man kills the one he loves." Wonderful part. Henry should have played more of these sexy evil-doer roles. The plot is based on the novel written by Harold Bell Wright. A site dedicated to Wright is run by Gerry Chudleigh who has a page showcasing many of the lobby cards for the 1952 rerelease of this film. There are several colorized photos of Henry here, so check it out at http://www.hbw.addr.com/minemv1936.htm . Walthall Factor: A Film Grade: B+

   

  
  "I've been shot! Quick! Retrieve the secret war
  plans I've concealed in my body cavity!".

   

• Hearts in Bondage (Released May 26, 1936) As in Judge Priest, Henry Walthall plays a Virginian. In this case, he is Commodore Buchanan who leaves the Union Navy in favor of the Confederacy. The film is short (although, I think my version may have been edited) and fast-moving. The storyline centers around Kenneth Reynolds who was former Union commander of the ironclad Merrimac dishonorably discharged for sparing the ship against orders to have it destroyed and thus leaving it to fall into the hands of the enemy. Reynold's uncle designs the Monitor and Kenneth is able to board it as a member of the volunteer force for a square-off with the Merrimac. Complicating things, the Merrimac is commanded by Kenneth's girlfriend's brother. Commodore Buchanan is injured during an earlier battle and is not included in the final scenes. One more criticism: The actor playing Lincoln (Frank McGlynn Sr.) didn't seem right. Rather than towering over everyone, the actor is almost as tall as the main character and not that much taller than the leading girl. He played Lincoln many times in his career, though, so what do I know? Walthall Factor: B Film Grade: B

   

  
  "And I propose that we shoot all jaywalkers."

   

• The Last Outlaw (Released June 19, 1936) Walthall gets quite a large role in this humorous western starring Harry Carey. Walthall is sheriff Cal Yates who has become a victim of modernization as a young go-getter has taken over the reigns and Yates is relegated to listening to complaints from old ladies. Famed bank robber Dean Payton is released from prison and seeks his old pal Yates, only to be disheartened by the many changes to the town. The best scene is where Payton and Yates are in a movie theatre and Payton encounters the talkies for the first time "Oh, they talk now." After the town bank is hit again by a modern band of robbers, Payton and Yates set out to capture the crooks by recreating Payton's own capture 25 years earlier. They also must save Payton's daughter who was kidnapped after she and the man who raised her while Payton was locked up attended to one of the crook's gunshot wounds. Once the robbers are apprehended the old fashioned way, Yates seems a shoe-in for re-election as sheriff. This film has that charming Mayberry humor. The one thing that bothers me is that the murder of the doctor (the man who raised Payton's daughter) by the thugs is completely ignored. The young woman accepts Payton as her father without a second thought. Very odd, but a fun movie nonetheless. Walthall plays a prime role from beginning to end, which makes the film even better. Sadly, it was released two days after Walthall's death. Walthall Factor: A Film Grade: A
  

   

  
  Mad scientist Marcel creating tiny dogs by
  simultaneously shrinking electrons in
  order to...oh, just watch the film.

   

• The Devil Doll (Released July 10, 1936) Henry Walthall's role in The Devil Doll may be the last part he completed. In this film, Walthall plays the mad scientist Marcel who escapes from prison with the main character (played brilliantly by Lionel Barrymore). Marcel works with his sinister-looking wife to create a race of doll-sized humans with active brains so that the earth could support six times as many people. I am not sure why Marcel thinks this plan is such a good idea (I'd fancy a world with fewer people myself). Anyway, Walthall is superb in this role as a haggard and obsessive scientist (I hope it was the makeup that made him look so frail and not his physical state, although he would not survive the year). Unfortunately, Marcel only lives through the first 13 minutes of the film after which he dies of an apparent heart attack, then Barrymore's character tells Marcel's wife, "Perhaps it's for the best." Well, it was not for the best, and the Walthall Factor grade is thus affected. The movie itself is very good with special effects that were quite innovative for its time. Barrymore's character takes on the disguise of an old lady and uses Marcel's creation (a doll-sized woman) to exact revenge on the men who ruined him and caused his daughter's resentment. The "devil doll" scenes are impressive down to the finest detail (she even adjusts her footing while walking across a bed). Walthall Factor: B Film Grade: A-
  

   

  
  Possibly Henry B. Walthall's last screen shot. His
  eyes seem to reveal satisfaction and contentment
  in a very successful life.

   

• China Clipper (Released August 22, 1936) China Clipper was Henry B. Walthall's last film and he leaves on a very high note. Walthall plays airplane engineer Dad Brunn who is pushed to the limit by Dave Logan, a man obsessed with starting a trans- Pacific mail route. Curiously, "Dad" Brunn is not the father of any character in China Clipper just as "Pop" McWade is not the father of any character in Dante's Inferno. I read in one review (see http://us.imdb.com/Title?0027445#comment), that Walthall looked very haggard in this film. After obtaining a copy, I only agree to a point. Walthall was ill obviously as he reportedly collapsed during the taping of China Clipper and did not live to see the finished product; however, save for being extremely thin, I think he appears very vibrant in his scenes (of course, who knows what was left on the cutting room floor?). The one scene where Walthall looks particularly frail is the scene where an exhausted, overworked Brunn tries to convince Logan to allow him rest. Walthall's convincing performance is probably more a result of his brilliant acting skills. The obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle states that the "script required Dad Bruin [sic] to drop dead as the clipper plane takes off for China." Ironically, Walthall's own failing health led to a change in the script so that the main character is notified of Brunn's death via telegram. From newspaper accounts, I gathered that Henry was working at the Alameda base of the Pan-American Airways under the constant care of nurse Margaret Flaherty. When his condition worsened, Henry was brought back to his home in the San Fernando Valley via boat. After a few days, physicians had him transported to the Pottenger Sanitarium at Monrovia. He failed to respond to treatment and died at around 5:35 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17, 1936. Two accounts state that his wife and daughter did not arrive in time to say their good-byes. The Los Angeles Times, however, noted that his family visited him the day before. Approximately three weeks passed between leaving for home and his death. Despite having to leave the set, Walthall's character is in many scenes during the first half of the film. One rather spooky scene shows Brunn being told by his doctor that he must avoid work or he will die and Brunn deciding not to take his advice (probably similar to what was going on in Walthall's real life). China Clipper is definitely worth seeking out not only because it's Walthall's final film, but because it is suspense-filled and very well done. Fortunately, this once hard-to-find film has become much more readily available in the last few years. Walthall Factor: A Film Grade: A
  
  

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