Renée Adorée Filmography

Redemption

Actors: John Gilbert, Conrad Nagel, Eleanor Boardman, Renée Adorée, Claire McDowell

Synopsis: Based on Leo Tolstoy's The Living Corpse, Redemption was originally scheduled as John Gilbert's first talkie, but was held from release until distribution of his second, One Glorious Night. The official reason, as handed down by the MGM publicity hacks, was that Gilbert's efforts to tackle a role Read More

Call of the Flesh

Actors: Ramon Novarro, Dorothy Jordan, Ernest Torrence, Nance O'Neil, Renée Adorée

Synopsis: The last of three back-to-back Ramon Novarro musicals, Call of the Flesh (aka The Singer of Seville) casts the star as aspiring opera singer Juan. Juan is advised by his mentor Esteban (Ernest Torrence) that he will never truly be a great singer until his heart is broken. This comes about when our Read More

His Glorious Night

Actors: John Gilbert, Catherine Dale Owen, Nance O'Neil, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Hedda Hopper

Synopsis: Based on Olympia, a 1928 Ferenc Molnar stage soufflé, His Glorious Night has gone down in history as having more or less single-handedly caused the downfall of silent-screen matinee idol John Gilbert, whose ardent declarations of "I love you, I love you" to an overly inert Catherine Dale Owen Read More

The Pagan

Actors: Ramon Novarro, Renée Adorée, Donald Crisp, Dorothy Janis

Synopsis: In this early talkie, a musical, a Polynesian storekeeper bears his chest and sings. He also falls in love with an island girl and rescues her from a lecher who tries to force her into a marriage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Tide of Empire

Synopsis: The last of the major film companies to fully convert to sound, MGM had yet another box-office bomb in Tide of Empire, a would-be epic western set in the days of increasing Yankee influence in hitherto Spanish California. Based on a Peter B. Kyne novel, the film came complete with a synchronized Read More

The Spieler

Actors: Alan Hale, Renée Adorée, Clyde Cook, Fred Kohler, Fred Warren

Synopsis: This crime drama is an early talkie that tells the story of a hard-working woman's attempts to run a clean carnival. It is difficult as criminals have snuck in and regularly cheat the public while selling tickets to the freak show. The crooks are lead by a man who kills someone on a midway. The Read More

Forbidden Hours

Actors: Ramon Novarro, Renée Adorée, Dorothy Cumming, Edward Connelly, Alberta Vaughn

Mating Call

Actors: Thomas Meighan, Evelyn Brent, Renée Adorée, Gardner James, Helen Foster

Cossacks

Actors: John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Ernest Torrence, Dale Fuller, Mary Alden

Synopsis: Based on a Leo Tolstoy novel, The Cossacks centers around Lukashka (John Gilbert), a young Russian man who has no interest in fighting, unlike the other Cossacks around him. Because of his cheery, peaceful ways, he is ridiculed by the others of his village, even though he is the son of Ivan the Read More

The Michigan Kid

Actors: Conrad Nagel, Renée Adorée, Lloyd Whitlock

Synopsis: This silent adventure is best remembered for its spectacular forest fire scenes that were staged and shot by extraordinary cinematographer Stumar. The story is routine and centers on the romantic rivalry between two Alaskan men in love with the same woman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Show People

Actors: Marion Davies, William Haines, Dell Henderson, Paul Ralli, Tenen Holtz

Synopsis: This Marion Davies vehicle was loosely inspired by the career of Gloria Swanson. Davies plays would-be starlet Peggy Pepper, who arrives at the gates of MGM Studios with her dad Colonel Pepper (Dell Henderson) in hopes of becoming a great dramatic actress. Instead, she a scores a hit as an ingenue Read More

Certain Young Man

Actors: Ramon Novarro, Marceline Day, Renée Adorée, Carmel Myers, Bert Roach

Synopsis: The "certain young man" of the title is Lord Gerald Brinsley, played by Ramon Novarro. A carefree young bachelor, Lord Gerald enjoys the company of married women, which makes him exceedingly unpopular with married men. After dallying with such women of the world as Henrietta (Renee Adoree) and Read More

On Ze Boulevard

Actors: Lew Cody, Renée Adorée, Roy D'Arcy, Dorothy Sebastian

Synopsis: As jaunty as its title, On Ze Boulevard stars Lew Cody in his customary role of a Parisian roue, this time a headwaiter named Gaston Pasqual. Winning a huge sum of money in a football pool, Pasqual tosses aside his rented tux and begins living the life of a spendthrift. Willing to spend any amount Read More

Mr. Wu

Actors: Lon Chaney, Louise Dresser, Renée Adorée, Holmes Herbert, Ralph Forbes

Synopsis: Previously filmed in England in 1919, the barnstorming Harry Maurice Vernon-Harold Owen play Mr.Wu re-emerged as a Lon Chaney Sr. vehicle in 1927. Chaney essays a dual role, as the titular Wu and Wu's honorable grandfather. After a lengthy prologue, it is established that Wu is a powerful Read More

Back to God's Country

Actors: Renée Adorée, Robert W. Frazer, Walter Long, Mitchell Lewis

Synopsis: The frequently filmed James Oliver Curwood yarn Back to God's Country was given reverential treatment in this impressive Universal production. Captain Blake (Walter Long), skipper of a trading vessel, makes his semi-annual trek to a northern seaport in the company of his roughneck crew. Taking a Read More

Show

Actors: John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Lionel Barrymore, Edward Connelly, Gertrude Short

Synopsis: Long believed to be a "lost" film, The Show resurfaced in the mid-1970s, proving to be a real treasure trove for aficionados of director Tod Browning. Ostensibly based on Tenney Jackson's novel The Day of Souls, the film also owes a great deal to Ferenc Molnar's Liliom. John Gilbert stars as Cock Read More

Heaven on Earth

Actors: Conrad Nagel, Renée Adorée, Gwen Lee

Synopsis: Most sources agree that MGM's Heaven on Earth was actually a re-edited version of the 1926 Josef Von Sternberg production The Exquisite Sinner. Both films starred Renee Adoree and Conrad Nagel; both concerned the scion of a silk-manufacturing family who joins a band of gypsies; and both were Read More

Tin Gods

Actors: Thomas Meighan, Renée Adorée, Aileen Pringle, William Powell, Hale Hamilton

Synopsis: With a star-director combination like Tommy Meighan and Allan Dwan, how could Tin Gods not succeed at the box office? After the death of his child in an accident, engineer Roger Drake (Meighan) parts company with his politically ambitious wife Janet (Aileen Pringle). Unable to hold onto a job in Read More

The Black Bird

Actors: Lon Chaney, Renée Adorée, Owen Moore, Doris Lloyd, Andy McLennan

Synopsis: This characteristically grim Lon Chaney/Tod Browning collaboration stars "The Man of a Thousand Faces" in two distinct characterizations. By day, the crippled Bishop of Limehouse (Chaney) is a kindly, beneficent figure, ministering to the needs of the poor and destitute. But by night, the Bishop Read More

La Boheme

Actors: Lillian Gish, John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Edward Everett Horton, George Hassell, Roy D'Arcy

Synopsis: Amidst much fanfare, Lillian Gish was signed to a fabulous MGM contract in 1925 which not only assured her $400,000 per picture but also gave her complete control over her productions, including choice of co-stars and directors. For her inaugural MGM effort, Gish selected La Boheme, the theatrical Read More

Flaming Forest

Actors: Antonio Moreno, Renée Adorée, Gardner James, William Austin, Tom O'Brien

Synopsis: Based on a James Oliver Curwood yarn, the outsized Northwest Mountie adventure The Flaming Forest stars Antonio Moreno as RCMP sergeant David Carrigan. Taking a breather from fighting off Indians, Carrigan must bring headstrong young Roger Audemard (Gardner James) to the authorities to stand trial Read More

Blarney

Actors: Renée Adorée, Ralph Graves, Paulette Duval, Malcolm Waite, Margaret Seddon

Synopsis: Set sometime during the 19th century, Blarney deals with the exploits of Irish prizefighter James Carabine (Ralph Graves). Aspiring to become the greatest bare-knuckle boxer in the world, Carabine stows away on a boat bound for America. On the verge of being discovered, our hero is rescued by Read More

The Exquisite Sinner

Actors: Conrad Nagel, Renée Adorée, Paulette Duval, Frank Currier, George K. Arthur

Synopsis: Josef von Sternberg had been the original director of Exquisite Sinner, but MGM was dissatisfied with the picture and refused to release it. When the film finally surfaced in 1926 (a full year after its completion), it had been radically altered by staff director Phil Rosen. Adapted by Alice Duer Miller Read More

The Big Parade

Actors: John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Hobart Bosworth, Claire McDowell, Claire Adams

Synopsis: The Big Parade was designed as a modest programmer concerning one young man's disillusionment in the face of war. When the MGM executives took a look at the projection-room rushes, they gave director King Vidor the go-ahead to film an all-out "spectacular", which ended up running 13 reels and Read More

Parisian Nights

Actors: Elaine Hammerstein, Gaston Glass, Lou Tellegen, William J. Kelly, Boris Karloff

Synopsis: The performance of the up-and-coming Renée Adorée stands out in this routine melodrama. In fact, she overshadows the two stars, Elaine Hammerstein and Lou Tellegen. Adele La Rue, an American sculptress in Paris (Hammerstein), asks Jean Ballard (Tellegen) to pose for her. Ballard is an Apache -- a Read More

Excuse Me

Actors: Norma Shearer, Conrad Nagel, Renée Adorée, John Boles, Bert Roach

Synopsis: Norma Shearer and Conrad Nagel star in this farce based on the successful stage play by Rupert Hughes. Lieutenant Harry Mallory (Nagel) wins a promotion for his valor and is ordered to go to the Philippines. His fiancée, Marjorie Newton (Shearer), wants to go with him so they decide to get Read More

Man and Maid

Actors: Lew Cody, Harriet Hammond, Renée Adorée, Paulette Duval, Alec B. Francis

Synopsis: For this romantic drama, author and Hollywood tastemaker Elinor Glyn began with the premise that a woman does one of three things to a man: she elevates him, degrades him, or bores him to death. Then Glyn does the obvious by introducing three women -- one to represent each possibility -- into the Read More

Exchange of Wives

Actors: Eleanor Boardman, Lew Cody, Renée Adorée, Creighton Hale

Synopsis: This mildly amusing comedy, based on a play by Cosmo Hamliton, was light on plot and just a touch racy (at least for the silent era). The lively John Rathburn (Lew Cody) is married to the more sedate Margaret (Eleanor Boardman). Their next-door neighbors have the opposite situation -- Elise Moran Read More

Defying the Law

Actors: Lew Cody, Renée Adorée, Josef Swickard, Buddy Post

Synopsis: This odd program drama seemed out of pace with the Roaring Twenties, and is only redeemed by its excellent cast. The Southern California coast made an adequate backdrop for the story, which was supposed to take place in San Francisco. Michelo Bresca (Josef Swickard), an old Italian-American man Read More

Women Who Give

Actors: Barbara Bedford, Frank Keenan, Renée Adorée, Robert W. Frazer, Joseph J. Dowling

Synopsis: This drama was based on the novel Cape Cod Folks by Sarah P. McLean Greene. Jonathan Swift (Frank Keenan) is a wealthy fish packer who resides in a New England fishing village with his son, Noah (Eddie Phillips), and daughter, Emily (Barbara Bedford). Noah is in love with Becky (Renee Adoree), the Read More

Bandolero

Actors: Pedro de Cordoba, Renée Adorée, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Gordon Begg

Synopsis: Director Tom Terriss took his cast and crew to Cuba and Spain to give this romantic drama authentic exteriors. Character actor Pedro de Cordoba stars as Dorando, an officer of the Spanish army. When his wife is killed as the result of an attack by the lascivious Marques de Bazan (Gustav Von Seyffertitz Read More

Man's Mate

Actors: John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Noble Johnson, Wilfred North, Thomas Mills

Synopsis: John Gilbert and Renee Adore star with Noble Johnson and Wilfred North in this average melodrama. Scenes shift from Paris to Normandy and contrasts the underground urban grime with the pastoral beauty of the rural region. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide Read More

The Eternal Struggle

Actors: Renée Adorée, Earle Williams, Barbara La Marr, Pat O'Malley, Wallace Beery

Synopsis: This Northwest melodrama was based on the novel The Law Bringers by G. B. Lancaster. Andree Grange (Renée Adorée), the daughter of the local cafe owner (Josef Swickward), is engaged to marry Sergeant Neil Tempest (Earle Williams) of the Northwest Mounted Police. But she falls in love with one of Read More

Six-Fifty

Synopsis: This homespun little drama is nicely done, though unoriginal. Dan and Hester Taylor (Orville Caldwell and Renée Adorée) are a young married couple who make their home in the country. Dan is struggling as a farmer, and although Hester loves him, she yearns for something more. That "something more" Read More

Daydreams

Actors: Buster Keaton

Synopsis: Buster Keaton is a boy who wants to marry his sweetheart (a pre-stardom Renee Adoree). But her practical father (Joe Keaton -- in real life, Buster's father) wants to know, "How will you support her?" Buster swears he will go to the city to make good, adding, "If I am not a success I'll come back Read More

Monte Cristo

Actors: John Gilbert, Estelle Taylor, William V. Mong, Robert McKim, Ralph Cloninger

Synopsis: aka The Count of Monte Cristo Much of John Gilbert's early work as a leading man was done at the Fox Studios. He made nineteen pictures for the company, but only two are still in existence -- this adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel, and 1923's Cameo Kirby. As Edmond Danton, and later as the Read More

The Count of Monte Cristo

Self-Made Man

Synopsis: The title to this comedy is self-explanatory, and while the plot -- which came from a Saturday Evening Post story -- is nothing new, William Russell adds a bit of verve. Jack Spurlock (Russell) puts business before pleasure, and his hedonistic life causes his father -- a Wall Street financier Read More

Mixed Facts

Actors: William Russell, Renée Adorée, DeWitt Jennings, Charles French

Synopsis: This comedy-melodrama made a poor vehicle for William Russell, even though he had a dual role. Jimmy Gallop, who sells fire extinguishers, is the exact double of Judge Granger, who is running for mayor (both are played by Russell). Even the Judge's girlfriend, Miss Sayre (Renee Adoree), mistakes Read More

Honor First

Synopsis: Three years before they made Hollywood history as the stars of King Vidor's World War I epic The Big Parade, John Gilbert and Renée Adorée appeared together in this melodrama -- ironically, yet another depiction of the Great War. Gilbert played twin brothers, Jacques and Honoré, both fighting in Read More

West of Chicago

Actors: Charles "Buck" Jones, Renée Adorée, Philo McCullough

Synopsis: In this silent Western "whodunit," a very young Buck Jones stars as Conroy Daley, a young man whose uncle offers him a job on his ranch. When Con arrives, he learns that the uncle (Charles French) has been murdered. Not only that, but a mysterious stranger (Otto Matiesen) is impersonating Con. The Read More

Made in Heaven

Actors: Tom Moore, Helene Chadwick, Molly Malone, Kate Lester, Al Filson

Synopsis: Tom Moore stars in this light comedy. He is Tom O'Gara, who arrives in New York from Ireland and takes a job as a fireman (instead of the stereotypical policeman like most movie Irishmen of the silent era). One night, while fighting a fire, he saves Claudia Royce (Helene Chadwick), the daughter of Read More

Strongest

Synopsis: Author Georges Clemenceau, who was known as "the tiger of France," adapted his own novel to the screen while recovering from an attempt on his life. Harle (Harrison Hunter) pays far more attention to the factory he owns than to his wife Claire (Florence Malone). She finds a sympathetic soul in Read More