Mary Brian

Acting

Mary Brian

Born — Died

1906-02-17 — 2002-12-30

Place of birth

Corsicana, Texas, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

61 titles

Mary Brian (born Louise Byrdie Dantzler, February 17, 1906 – December 30, 2002), was an American actress, who made the transition from silent films to sound films. Brian was dubbed "The Sweetest Girl in Pictures." After her showing in a beauty contest, she was given an audition by Paramount Pictures and cast by director Herbert Brenon as Wendy Darling in his silent movie version of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan. There she starred with Betty Bronson and Esther Ralston, and the three of them stayed close for the rest of their lives. Ralston described both Bronson and Brian as 'very charming people'. The studio, who created her stage name for the movie and said she was age 16 instead of 18, because…

Known for

Meet Corliss Archer poster
8.0

Meet Corliss Archer is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from April to December 1954. The series stars Ann Baker in the title role. The program was an adaptation of the radio series of the same name, which was based on a series of short stories by F. Hugh Herbert.

Meet Corliss Archer

1954

I Was a Criminal poster
8.0

Aka Passport to Heaven. In Prussia shoemaker Voight needs a residence permit to get a job, but can only get a job if he already has a permit. He dons a captain's uniform to order a platoon of soldiers to Koepenick to take over the Town Hall to get his permit.

I Was a Criminal

1941

The Street of Forgotten Men poster
7.2

Easy-Money Charley, the best fake crippled beggar in New York, loses his beloved dog and adopts a dying prostitute's daughter to fill the empty place in his heart.

The Street of Forgotten Men

1925

The Front Page poster
6.4

Hildy Johnson is an investigative reporter looking for a bigger paycheck. When an accused murderer escapes from custody, Hildy sees an opportunity for the story of a lifetime. But when he finds the criminal, he learns that the man may not be guilty. With the help of his editor, Hildy attempts to hide the convict, uncover the conspiracy and write the scoop of his career.

The Front Page

1931

Man on the Flying Trapeze poster
6.3

Hard-working, henpecked Ambrose Ambrose Wolfinger takes off from work to go to a wrestling match with catastrophic consequences.

Man on the Flying Trapeze

1935

Shadows of Sing Sing poster
7.0

Muriel Rossi (Mary Brian), the sister of a racketeer, Al Rossi (Harry Woods), falls in love with Bob Martel (Bruce Cabot), the son of a police detective, Joe Martel (Grant Mitchell). Their love affair causes bot families problems when Bob is framed, but saved as a result of his father's access to police department films.

Shadows of Sing Sing

1933

Film credits

1930s · 34 titles

The Front Page poster
6.4

Hildy Johnson is an investigative reporter looking for a bigger paycheck. When an accused murderer escapes from custody, Hildy sees an opportunity for the story of a lifetime. But when he finds the criminal, he learns that the man may not be guilty. With the help of his editor, Hildy attempts to hide the convict, uncover the conspiracy and write the scoop of his career.

The Front Page

1931

Man on the Flying Trapeze poster
6.3

Hard-working, henpecked Ambrose Ambrose Wolfinger takes off from work to go to a wrestling match with catastrophic consequences.

Man on the Flying Trapeze

1935

Shadows of Sing Sing poster
7.0

Muriel Rossi (Mary Brian), the sister of a racketeer, Al Rossi (Harry Woods), falls in love with Bob Martel (Bruce Cabot), the son of a police detective, Joe Martel (Grant Mitchell). Their love affair causes bot families problems when Bob is framed, but saved as a result of his father's access to police department films.

Shadows of Sing Sing

1933

Charlie Chan in Paris poster
6.6

Charlie's visit to Paris, ostensibly a vacation, is really a mission to investigate a bond-forgery racket. But his agent, apache dancer Nardi is killed before she can tell him much. The case, complicated by a false murder accusation for banker's daughter Yvette, climaxes with a strange journey through the Paris sewers.

Charlie Chan in Paris

1935

Hard to Handle poster
6.9

A hustling public relations man promotes a series of fads.

Hard to Handle

1933

Manhattan Tower poster
6.0

The lives of the residents of a Manhattan apartment building are intertwined with the actions of a crooked investor.

Manhattan Tower

1932

The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss poster
6.8

A bored millionaire wagers his doctor that he can support himself at a working class job for a year without touching his inheritance.

The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss

1936

Spendthrift poster
6.0

A profligate, polo-playing playboy (Henry Fonda) is married to a beautiful but superficial heiress (Mary Brian). They divorce, and the wife gets all the money. But the humbled (and impoverished) Fonda finds true love in the arms of Pat Paterson, who cares nothing for material things.

Spendthrift

1936

Captain Applejack poster
7.3

An ordinary man is confronted by gangsters who have reason to believe a treasure is buried somewhere on his property.

Captain Applejack

1931

One Year Later poster
7.2

A man is convicted of killing his boss, whom he suspected of having an affair with his wife. On board the train taking him to prison for his execution are a reporter, who is dying of lung cancer and wants to interview the condemned man--and who also has some inside knowledge of the circumstances of the man's case. Also aboard is the prisoner's wife, who doesn't believe her husband is a killer and desperately wants to talk to him about it but he refuses to speak to her.

One Year Later

1933

Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove poster
6.0

Several members of MGM's 'galaxy of stars' attend an evening of music and a fashion show.

Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove

1934

The World Gone Mad poster
4.8

A district attorney and a reporter try to find the killer of a D.A. who uncovered a massive stock fraud.

The World Gone Mad

1933

Two's Company poster
9.0

The son of a stodgy British earl falls in love with the daughter of an American millionaire businessman. The fathers oppose the relationship.

Two's Company

1936

Blessed Event poster
6.8

A New York gossip columnist feuds with a singer and enjoys the power of the press.

Blessed Event

1932

Song of the Eagle poster
10.0

This drama centers on the fight for certain post-Prohibitionist groups to gain total control over the liquor industry. Much of the tale is focused upon a family endeavoring to keep their little brewery.

Song of the Eagle

1933

The Royal Family of Broadway poster
5.9

Julie Cavendish comes from a family of great Broadway actors. Her mother Fanny staunchly continues acting. Her boisterous brother Tony is fleeing a breach of promise suit in Hollywood. Her daughter Gwen must decide between going on stage, or settling down in a conventional marriage. Julie is just thinking that it would be nice to retire and get married, when who should turn up but her old beau, Gilmore Marshall, the platinum magnate from South America.

The Royal Family of Broadway

1930

It's Tough to Be Famous poster
6.4

Scotty, an unwilling Navy war hero is cast into the limelight. He wants to get married and be an engineer, but is forced to fulfil the expectations of the public, his employer and his PR agent, which he hates. Although he and his long time girlfriend Janet love each other, they are pressured to marry before they are ready. The strain takes its toll on both of them.

It's Tough to Be Famous

1932

The Light of Western Stars poster
5.2

A friend of Dick Bailey is killed by a mysterious assailant, whom Dick suspects to be Stack, who is in league with the crooked sheriff. Out on a spree Dick swears he will marry the first woman he sees, who happens to be Ruth Hammond, sister of his dead friend, arriving to take charge of the Hammond ranch. Revolted by his rough proposal,she fires him as the Hammond foreman and she proceeds to the ranch. Stack informs her he has purchased the ranch for the payment of the back-due taxes, and she relents and rehires Dick and his friends to aid her in her fight against Stack.

The Light of Western Stars

1930

Gun Smoke poster
6.7

Following a killing and robbery in a big city back east, gang leader Kedge Darvas and some of his henchies take a train to a small western town in Idaho, with intentions of hiding out there until things cool down back in Chi or NYC, or wherever they lammed from.They are welcomed with open arms by the citizens under the impression they are there as capital investors with money to spend. Before long, Darvas figures the town is ripe for the taking and sends word for reinforcements, and each arriving train unloads a few suits and snappy-brim hats.Then they get rough, kill Sheriff Posey Meed and rile up the citizens, led by cowhand Brad Farley, who had Darvas spotted for a wrong number just by the way he made moves on Sue Vancey.

Gun Smoke

1931

The Unwritten Law poster
8.0

A film producer is found murdered on a ship, and among the suspects are a young woman whose mother was mistreated by him and his recently fired electrician.

The Unwritten Law

1932

Paramount on Parade poster
5.9

This 1930 film, a collection of songs and sketches showcasing Paramount Studios' contract stars, credits 11 directors

Paramount on Parade

1930

Three Married Men poster
8.0

Jennie Mullins and her fiancé Peter Cary are happily in love but their families are miserable about their relationship. The Carys and Mullinses have been feuding for years over the apparent failure of the Carys' business which was caused by the now-deceased Mr. Mullins. Despite familial pressure to the contrary, Jennie and Peter proceed with their wedding. Just before the wedding, Peter receives advice from his soon-to-be brothers-in-law, Jeff and Bill Mullins. Both men warn him about the drudgery of marriage, ply him with drink, and destroy his fantasy of an ideal, romantic marriage.

Three Married Men

1936

Girl Missing poster
5.2

Showgirls Kay and June are stranded on Palm Beach when they become involved in the case of a fellow chorine who has gone missing on her wedding night.

Girl Missing

1933

Only Saps Work poster
6.0

Rubber-legged comedian Leon Errol made his talkie starring bow in Paramount's Only Saps Work. Based on a play by Owen Davis Sr., the film casts Errol as James Wilson, a kleptomaniac who starts with picking pockets and ends up robbing a bank. Wilson's friend Lawrence Payne (Richard Arlen) inadvertently aids our hero during one of his heists, ending up in deep doo-doo with the law. Before Wilson is able to extricate Payne from his dilemma for the sake of heroine Barbara Tanner (Mary Brian), he pauses long enough to pose as a private eye -- and even gives bellboy Oscar (Stu Erwin) tips on how to spot a crook! If only all of Leon Errol's feature films had been as consistently hilarious as Only Saps Work.

Only Saps Work

1930

No artwork available
6.5

Fantasy of a bank clerk who accepts a deposit of a million too late to put it in the bank and has to guard it over the weekend.

Once in a Million

1936

Monte Carlo Nights poster
5.9

A man wrongfully convicted of murder escapes custody and goes in search of the real killer. The problem is that he only has one clue to go on.

Monte Carlo Nights

1934

Homicide Squad poster
8.0

The police use a gangster's son to get to him.

Homicide Squad

1931

Affairs of Cappy Ricks poster
4.8

Cappy Ricks, a crusty old sea captain, returns home from a long voyage to discover that his family and his business are in chaos--his daughter is set to marry a nitwit that he can't stand, and his future mother-in-law has taken over everything and is set to merge his business with that of a rival company. Worst of all, though, is that she--in the interests of "progress"--has completely automated his beloved ship, "Electra"!. He sets out to put an end to all this foolishness and comes up with what he thinks is a foolproof plan.

Affairs of Cappy Ricks

1937

Killer at Large poster
8.0

A master of disguise poses as a wax figure to rob a safe of its jewels.

Killer at Large

1936

Fog poster
6.5

The murders are committed in swift succession on board a liner crossing the Atlantic in a dense fog, and many of the passengers come under suspicion before the actual killer is bought to justice with the aid of a very substantial "ghost."

Fog

1933

Navy Blues poster
6.0

A sailor bets his friends he can get a date with any woman they choose. They pick out a librarian with glasses and a bookish appearance. When he pursues her, he discovers that she is quite beautiful and that he has competition -- but his rival has more sinister intentions than anyone imagines.

Navy Blues

1937

The Kibitzer poster
5.4

In this comedy, a Yiddish fellow cannot keep from kibitzing into other people's lives. Trouble ensues when he is mistakenly given a huge fortune in stocks that he can spend any way he pleases. At the same time, his daughter has fallen in love with an impoverished, but good hearted boy. When the kibitzer suggests he bet all his money on a dog of a racehorse, the lad does it. Against all odds, the horse wins, and suddenly the young man is quite wealthy.

The Kibitzer

1930

The Runaround poster
8.0

Filmed in an early Technicolor process, The Runaround tells the story of Broadway dancer Evelyn who refuses to play the gold-digging games indulged in by her fellow chorines

The Runaround

1931

Only the Brave poster
7.0

Cooper is a Union Army officer who after being jilted by girlfriend, Virginia Bruce, volunteers on what could be a suicide mission. He volunteers to go behind enemy lines disguised in Confederate gray as a staff officer to Robert E. Lee. He's to ride to a certain plantation which is a local brigade headquarters and deliberately let himself be caught with maps showing false Union troop positions. Of course, the penalty, then as now, is execution.

Only the Brave

1930

1920s · 21 titles

The Street of Forgotten Men poster
7.2

Easy-Money Charley, the best fake crippled beggar in New York, loses his beloved dog and adopts a dying prostitute's daughter to fill the empty place in his heart.

The Street of Forgotten Men

1925

The River of Romance poster
5.7

Mississippi, 1830's. Tom Rumsford comes back to Magnolia Landing, his parents'estate. Having been brought up in the North by Quaker relatives, he just hates violence and accordingly refuses a duel. As this is the only way in the South to settle a dispute between gentlemen, Tom's father is so infuriated by his behavior that Tom has no other choice but leave. Away from Magnolia Landing, Tom learns bravery and returns seven years later as "the notorious Colonel Blake", the terror of the Lower Mississippi.

The River of Romance

1929

He's a Prince! poster
7.0

Prince Alexis is the son of the king of a small European country. His duties, though fairly unimportant, nevertheless keep him so busy that he has no time for anything else. One day he meets and falls in love with a pretty young girl and wants to spend as much time with her as possible, but the royal advisers won't allow it, as it would take away from his duties. To make matters worse, his father dies and Alexis becomes king. Frustrated at his position and his inability to spend time with the woman he loves, he comes up with a novel plan to solve his problems.

He's a Prince!

1925

Black Waters poster
8.0

A mad captain poses as a cleric to murder people aboard a fogbound ship.

Black Waters

1929

Under the Tonto Rim poster
7.0

Gold miner Edd Denmeade loves Lucy Watson, the sister of the official mining claim recorder. Denmeade suspects Watson of killing his father, who after a poker game was shot by a gambler "who shuffles with one hand." The real murderer, Sam Spralls, has convinced Watson that he killed Denmeade and threatens to expose him unless Watson assigns him all the gold claims. Spralls assembles a band of killers to jump the claims when Watson complies. Eventually, Denmeade learns the identity of the killer when he sees Spralls shuffle a deck of cards. He forms a vigilante party and rids the community of Spralls and his gang.

Under the Tonto Rim

1928

The Virginian poster
5.8

A good-natured cowboy who is romancing the new schoolmarm has a crisis of conscience when he discovers his best friend is engaged in cattle rustling.

The Virginian

1929

Peter Pan poster
6.9

Peter Pan enters the nursery of the Darling children and, with the help of fairy dust, leads them off to Never Never Land, where they meet the nefarious Captain Hook.

Peter Pan

1924

The Man I Love poster
5.5

Wellman’s first all-talkie, scripted by Herman Mankiewicz, with arrogant boxer Richard Arlen romancing Mary Brian, then falling for temptress Olga Baclanova (Freaks) on the eve of the big fight.

The Man I Love

1929

Shanghai Bound poster
10.0

Landing at a Chinese port, tough sea captain Bucklin and his passengers are threatened by a marauding war lord, who intends to kill the captain and hold the others hostage as part of his campaign of destruction against all white men.

Shanghai Bound

1927

Beau Geste poster
6.4

Brothers Beau, John and Digby Geste join the Foreign Legion, where they fall under the rule of tyrannical Sergeant Markoff. Beau and John are assigned to Fort Zinderneuf, where Markoff tries to break their spirit, aware of a dark family secret concerning a fabulous jewel one of them carries. As tensions rise, Arabs attack the fort and rivalries must be thrown aside in a desperate battle for life.

Beau Geste

1926

Her Father Said No poster
7.0

While taking a morning workout, young prizefighter Danny Martin encounters Charlotte Hamilton in distress over her balky roadster. Martin wins his fight but is counted a loser by a crooked referee. Later, he is invited to a barbecue at Charlotte's home, but when John Hamilton, who strongly dislikes fighters, learns of Martin's profession, he shows him the door. Danny gives up his career for Charlotte and opens a health resort for obese millionaires. Hamilton and his prospective son-in-law, Penrod, arrive at the resort for treatment, and their indignation and disgust at the treatment provide comic complications. Learning that Danny and Charlotte have already eloped, Hamilton is at first furious, then resigns himself to their happiness.

Her Father Said No

1927

The Big Killing poster
7.0

The Beagles and the Hickses are two mountain families that have been feuding all their lives. The Hickses come up with a plan to get rid of their enemies once and for all by hiring two sharpshooters to finish them off. Turns out that the "sharpshooters" aren't quite all they're cracked up to be, resulting in some unintended consequences.

The Big Killing

1928

The Prince of Tempters poster
9.0

Francis, the result of a clandestine marriage between the Duke of Chatsfield and a peasant girl, after being raised in a monastery following his parents death assumes his title but falls victim to a pair of schemers leading to much heartache before all is set aright before the fadeout.

The Prince of Tempters

1926

Behind the Front poster
6.2

During World War I a young man joins the army and winds up befriending another young recruit, not knowing that it's the same pickpocket who stole his watch. After finishing basic training, the two are sent to the front lines in France, where they wind up in trouble with the MPs, getting involved with some cute French girls and "volunteering" for a dangerous front-line mission, and their antics result in their endangering the armistice.

Behind the Front

1926

Someone to Love poster
8.0

A poor but honest sheet-music salesman is parted from his wealthy fiancée when she mistakenly comes to believe he’s nothing but a gold digger. But circumstance places him on the board of an exclusive girls’ school, where he can prove his integrity as well as his love. This film is believed lost.

Someone to Love

1928

Harold Teen poster
7.0

Farmboy Harold moves to the city and there attends high school. Soon he is very popular, his spirited nature causing much excitement on the campus. He joins a fraternity, goes out for football, and directs his class theatrical effort. Instead of a school play, Harold suggests doing a western motion picture. Part of the plot requires them to blow up the dam that has cut off the water supply to Harold's homestead in the country. After the explosion Harold runs away because he is afraid of being arrested, but he returns just in time to win a football game for his team.

Harold Teen

1928

Brown of Harvard poster
5.5

Tom Brown shows up at Harvard, confident and a bit arrogant. He becomes a rival of Bob McAndrew, not only in football and rowing crew, but also for the affections of Mary Abbott, a professor's daughter.

Brown of Harvard

1926

The Air Mail poster
9.0

Russ Kane obtains work as a pilot in the airmail service with the purpose of robbing the mails. However, during his training period at the Reno field, he becomes imbued with the spirit of the service and dedicates himself to getting the mail through.

The Air Mail

1925

More Pay - Less Work poster
8.0

Albert Gran and E.J. Ratcliffe are warring San Francisco shipping magnates; Mary Brian is Gran’s daughter and Charles (Buddy) Rogers is Ratcliffe’s athletic son. The result is a swift, exhilarating comedy, full of laughs and a nonchalant charm.

More Pay - Less Work

1926

Running Wild poster
6.5

Cowardly Elmer Finch is browbeaten by his wife, daughter, fat son and the family dog. After hypnosis he is domineering. He enters a contract with a fifteen-thousand dollar payoff, so his courage can last beyond the hypnosis.

Running Wild

1927

The Enchanted Hill poster
9.0

Lee Purdy, the owner of a ranch on "Enchanted Hill," is subjected to repeated attacks by unknown assailants. He meets Gail Ormsby, the owner of the neighboring Box K Ranch, and the two are immediately attracted to each other. Ira Todd, Gail's crooked foreman, fills her head with lies about Lee, whom she unjustly comes to hate. In a pitched battle between the men from Enchanted Hill and those from the Box K, Todd's men are routed. Lee then learns that Todd (in league with a banker who knows that there is gold on Lee's land) has attempted to frighten him off by means of the repeated attacks. The law steps in, and Lee and Gail renew their courtship. A lost film.

The Enchanted Hill

1926

Series credits