Claude Gillingwater
Tall, balding character actor in US films from 1921 until the year he died, usually portraying obstinate or irascible types. A man so disagreeable on celluloid, Claude Gillingwater's characters seemed to subsist on a steady diet of persimmons. Fondly recalled as the cranky old skinflint whose seemingly cold heart could only be warmed by the actions of a cute little tyke, the tall and rangy Gillingwater invariably played much older than he was. He, with the omnipresent bushy brows, crop of silver hair and perpetually sour puss, had a much more versatile career than perhaps realized -- on both stage and in film. Most assuredly, this caustic screen image he perfected belied a softer, gentler off-screen demeanor for he was a kind and sympathetic gent and devoted husband to wife Carlyn Stiletz (or Stellith). Their only child, Claude Gillingwater Jr., briefly became an actor himself. Sadly, Gillingwater Sr.'s thriving character career ended on a grim and tragic note in 1939. A serious accident on the movie set of the picture Florida Special (1936) (he fell from a platform and injured his back) damaged his health and threatened his career, and the death of his long-time wife Carlyn left him irrevocably depressed. Fearing the possibility of becoming an invalid and wishing not to become a serious burden to anyone, the 69-year-old actor committed suicide at his Beverly Hills home with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Gillingwater left a fine Hollywood legacy and the fun of ...
The Captain Hates the Sea (1934)
Alcoholic newspaperman Steve Bramley boards the San Capador for a restful cruise, hoping to quit drinking and begin writing a book. Also on board are Steve's friend Schulte, a private detective hoping to nab criminal Danny Checkett with a fortune in stolen bonds. ... (more)
Alcoholic newspaperman Steve Bramley boards the San Capador for a restful cruise, hoping to quit drinking and begin writing a book. Also on board are Steve's friend Schulte, a private detective hoping to nab criminal Danny Checkett with a fortune in stolen bonds. ... (more)
Ticket to Paradise
(1936)
A man on his way to closing a million dollar deal has an accident and gets amnesia. (more)
A man on his way to closing a million dollar deal has an accident and gets amnesia. (more)
The Prisoner of Shark Island
(1936)
Three Wise Fools (1923)
Sydney Fairchild, the daughter of a woman who was once loved by three bachelors, surprises the men with a visit. Findley, Trumbull, and Gaunt honor their former sweetheart's last request by becoming Sydney's guardians. (more)
Sydney Fairchild, the daughter of a woman who was once loved by three bachelors, surprises the men with a visit. Findley, Trumbull, and Gaunt honor their former sweetheart's last request by becoming Sydney's guardians. (more)
Back Page
(1934)
A former New York reporter (Peggy Shannon) is hired as editor of a failing, small town newspaper in California. (more)
A former New York reporter (Peggy Shannon) is hired as editor of a failing, small town newspaper in California. (more)
A Thief in Paradise (1925)
Years of failure and bad luck have made Maurice Blake a beachcomber on an island in the Samoas, earning a precarious living by diving for pearls with Philip Jardine, the disinherited son of a San Francisco millionaire. When Philip is killed by a shark, his half ... (more)
Years of failure and bad luck have made Maurice Blake a beachcomber on an island in the Samoas, earning a precarious living by diving for pearls with Philip Jardine, the disinherited son of a San Francisco millionaire. When Philip is killed by a shark, his half ... (more)
Just Around the Corner
(1938)
Penny helps her idealistic architect father get his dream of a slum clearance project; The little miss dances with Corporal Jones. (more)
Penny helps her idealistic architect father get his dream of a slum clearance project; The little miss dances with Corporal Jones. (more)
The Gorilla (1927)
An ape is suspected of committing a series of murders. (more)
An ape is suspected of committing a series of murders. (more)
Mississippi (1935)
A young pacifist after refusing on principle to defend her sweetheart's honor and being banished in disgrace, joins a riverboat troupe as a singer, acquires a reputation as a crackshot after a saloon brawl in which the villain of the piece accidentally kills ... (more)
A young pacifist after refusing on principle to defend her sweetheart's honor and being banished in disgrace, joins a riverboat troupe as a singer, acquires a reputation as a crackshot after a saloon brawl in which the villain of the piece accidentally kills ... (more)
Winds of Chance (1925)
A love triangle set against the turn-of-the-century gold rush. (more)
A love triangle set against the turn-of-the-century gold rush. (more)
Dumb-bells in Ermine (1930)
In a small town in Virginia, Faith Corey, daughter of a socially prominent family, meets and falls in love with Jerry Malone, a prizefighter, though her straitlaced mother wants her to marry Siegfried, a spellbinding "missionary reformer." Though Grandma Corey ... (more)
In a small town in Virginia, Faith Corey, daughter of a socially prominent family, meets and falls in love with Jerry Malone, a prizefighter, though her straitlaced mother wants her to marry Siegfried, a spellbinding "missionary reformer." Though Grandma Corey ... (more)
The Show-Off (1934)
Aubrey cons Amy into thinking he's a railroad bigwig. When he loses his job he takes one wearing a sandwich board. After he helps Joe sell his patent for a good price and an old railroad deal comes through, he's back on top and ready to marry Amy again. (more)
Aubrey cons Amy into thinking he's a railroad bigwig. When he loses his job he takes one wearing a sandwich board. After he helps Joe sell his patent for a good price and an old railroad deal comes through, he's back on top and ready to marry Amy again. (more)
Tess of the Storm Country (1932)
When Captain Howland decides that his daughter Tess is getting a bit to old to continue to go to sea with him, they move into a small cottage on the coast of Maine, but not for long. A local millionaire, Frederick Garfield, lays a false claim to the property and ... (more)
When Captain Howland decides that his daughter Tess is getting a bit to old to continue to go to sea with him, they move into a small cottage on the coast of Maine, but not for long. A local millionaire, Frederick Garfield, lays a false claim to the property and ... (more)
The Avenger (1933)
A disgraced former District Attorney plots his revenge on the members of a criminal gang who had him framed and sent to prison. (more)
A disgraced former District Attorney plots his revenge on the members of a criminal gang who had him framed and sent to prison. (more)
Unknown Blonde (1934)
An unprincipled hustler who makes his living getting--or making up--evidence in divorce cases finds that he's framing his own daughter. (more)
An unprincipled hustler who makes his living getting--or making up--evidence in divorce cases finds that he's framing his own daughter. (more)
The Woman in Red
(1935)
A polo player's wife becomes the mystery woman in a Long Island horsy-set murder trial. (more)
A polo player's wife becomes the mystery woman in a Long Island horsy-set murder trial. (more)
Together We Live (1935)
A ham-handed cautionary fable against communism, the film concerns a group of Civil War veterans who are appalled by the burgeoning radical movement in America. (more)
A ham-handed cautionary fable against communism, the film concerns a group of Civil War veterans who are appalled by the burgeoning radical movement in America. (more)
Florida Special (1936)
A Florida-bound train is filled with romance and intrigue in this comedy. Among the passengers is a millionaire bon vivant carrying $1 million in diamonds. (more)
A Florida-bound train is filled with romance and intrigue in this comedy. Among the passengers is a millionaire bon vivant carrying $1 million in diamonds. (more)
Counterfeit (1936)
A cop goes undercover to infiltrate and break up a counterfeiting ring. (more)
A cop goes undercover to infiltrate and break up a counterfeiting ring. (more)
Running Hollywood is a comedy short. (more)