Alec B. Francis

Acting

Alec B. Francis

Born — Died

1867-12-01 — 1934-07-06

Place of birth

London, England, UK

Known for

Acting

Credits

60 titles

English born Alec B. Francis (Alec Budd Francis) was, in America, a stage and film actor.

Known for

Film credits

1930s · 10 titles

Mata Hari poster
6.2

A semi-fictionalized account of the life of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer who was accused of spying for Germany during World War I.

Mata Hari

1931

Alice in Wonderland poster
6.1

In Victorian England, a bored young girl dreams that she has entered a fantasy world called Wonderland, populated by even more fantastic characters.

Alice in Wonderland

1933

Arrowsmith poster
6.6

A medical researcher is sent to a plague outbreak, where he has to decide priorities for the use of a vaccine.

Arrowsmith

1931

His Private Secretary poster
5.1

Dick Wallace wants to marry a minister's grand-daughter but his father, who wants him to get work on his company's business, is opposed. She takes a job with the company to prove she's okay.

His Private Secretary

1933

I'll Tell the World poster
7.0

Lee Tracy once again plays a Winchellesque newspaper reporter in Universal's I'll Tell the World. More interested in his sex life than his career, news hawk Brown nonetheless agrees to cover the activities of a European archduke on behalf of his wire service.

I'll Tell the World

1934

Outward Bound poster
6.0

A group of strangers find themselves aboard an unmanned ship, surrounded by fog and uncertain of their destination. As they attempt to make sense of their situation, the group of passengers discover a commonality that changes their perception of the nature of their journey. The film was later remade, with some changes, as Between Two Worlds (1944).

Outward Bound

1930

The Cat's-Paw poster
6.3

Naive Ezekial Cobb, brought up by his missionary father in China returns to America to seek a wife. Corrupt politicians enlist him to run for mayor as a dummy candidate with no chance of winning. Their plan backfires as he wins and embarks upon a reform crusade.

The Cat's-Paw

1934

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

The Case of Sergeant Grischa poster
7.2

This film earned an Oscar nomination for Sound Recording. It is the only film nominated in this category that is among the lost. No negative or print material is known to have survived. Contemporary reviews were scathing, describing the film as a vastly overlong and boring talk-fest.

The Case of Sergeant Grischa

1930

Feet First poster
6.7

An ambitious shoe salesman, Harold, unknowingly meets the boss' daughter and tells her he is a leather tycoon. The rest of the film he spends hiding his true circumstances, in the store and later on a ship. Trying to deliver a letter, he later finds himself dangling high above the street on a building's scaffolding.

Feet First

1930

1920s · 28 titles

3 Bad Men poster
6.9

Three outlaws come to the aid of a young girl after her father is killed.

3 Bad Men

1926

Hollywood poster
9.0

Angela comes to Hollywood with only two things: Her dream to become a movie star, and Grandpa. She leaves an Aunt, a brother, Grandma, and her longtime boyfriend back in Centerville. Despite seeing major movie stars around every corner, and knocking on every casting office door in town, at the end of her first day she is still unemployed. To her horror, when she arrives back at their hotel, she finds that Grandpa has been cast in a movie by William DeMille and quickly becomes a star during the ensuing weeks. Her family, worried that Angela and Grandpa are getting into trouble, come to Hollywood to drag them back home. In short order Aunt, Grandma, brother, boyfriend and even the parrot become superstars, but Angela is still unemployed...

Hollywood

1923

Beyond the Rocks poster
6.0

A young woman dutifully marries an older millionaire and then falls in love with a handsome nobleman-- who'd previously saved her life-- on her unhappy honeymoon.

Beyond the Rocks

1922

The Bishop Murder Case poster
5.4

The murders start with the body of Robin. He is found with a arrow through the heart, but Vance deduces that the body was placed and not found where he was killed. The note found dealing with the murder was part of a nursery rhyme and signed by 'Bishop'. The only witness may have been Mrs. Drukker and Adolph, but they are not talking. As the murders progress, each one is accompanied by a nursery rhyme. It is up to Philo Vance to unravel the clues and unmask the identity of the murderer 'Bishop'.

The Bishop Murder Case

1929

The Sacred Flame poster
3.3

Colonel Maurice Taylor of the Royal Flying Corps is hopelessly injured in an airplane crash immediately following his marriage to Stella. Maurice is non-functional in most of the physical areas of marriage that count, but Stella attends to his other needs faithfully for three years. Then his brother, Colin, shows up from South America, and he and Stella fall passionately in love and are making plans to run away together. Mother Taylor is aware of the romance, as is Nurse Weyland, who is secretly in love with Maurice, and now hates Stella for her careless attitude toward Maurice's patiently-borne sufferings. Maurice is also aware of the affair. He has a talk with his wife and brother. Complications arise.

The Sacred Flame

1929

Rose of the World poster
10.0

When rich Jack Talbot falls in love with not-rich Rose Kirby, he doesn't marry her, fearing his mother's disapproval. Rose later marries Clyde Bainbridge, a rotter who knows that under the terms of a secret contract, Rose will inherit the Talbot iron-works. Rose finds the contract but, mistrusting her husband, does not make use of it.

Rose of the World

1925

A Thief in Paradise poster
6.5

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 caste common-law wife, Rosa, informs Maurice that Philip had been forgiven by his father, and she persuades him to assume Philip's identity and return to the States - The film is now considered a lost film.

A Thief in Paradise

1925

Listen Lester poster
5.0

Widower Colonel Dodge enjoys being single, but when Arbutus Quilty, his former sweetheart, threatens to sue him for breach of promise, he decides its time for him and his daughter Mary to take themselves a little vacation trip to Florida.

Listen Lester

1924

Evidence poster
8.0

Lord Cyril Wimborne, a barrister, divorces his wife, Myra, and takes custody of their child, Kenyon, when he finds her name linked with the profligate Major Pollock. Myra goes into seclusion while Pollock, intending to conceal Myra's innocence, goes to Burma. A few years later Myra sees Kenyon in the park with Mrs. Debenham, a widow with designs on Wimborne. Noting the resemblance between the lady in the park (whom he calls his "princess") and a photograph of his mother, Kenyon invites Myra to dinner at a time when his father, who has curtailed the visits to the park, plans to be away. At the same time Harold Courtenay, an old family friend, sees an opportunity to reunite the estranged couple.

Evidence

1929

Capital Punishment poster
7.0

This is not a Clara Bow vehicle, and yet it is clearly the aspect/asset of Clara Bow which elevates a fairly serious melodrama to a timeless and profound social statement. Opening the film on death row where the handsome youth awaits the chair, a stirring test of the legal system evolves after two elite types conspire to expose its inadequacies. Elite, jaded society lawyer Gordon Harrington fabricates a murder, implicating an entirely "hired" fall-guy, one Dan O'Connor, while the bored playboy-type hides away on a yacht until the points are proven and the legal system has been disgraced. Naturally, something goes wrong, the playboy really turns up murdered, and O'Connor is now the accused, imprisoned murderer scheduled to be hanged.

Capital Punishment

1925

Three Wise Fools poster
10.0

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.

Three Wise Fools

1923

The Spider and the Rose poster
9.0

In Southern California during the Mexican regime, Don Marcello, son of the territorial governor, returns home to find that his father's secretary, Mendozza, has seized power. The coup arouses the anger of the revolutionary faction, which forms an alliance with Don Marcello.

The Spider and the Rose

1923

The Shepherd of the Hills poster
7.0

David Howitt, a stranger, comes among the mountain folk of the Missouri hills and, taken in by an Ozark family, becomes known as The Shepherd because of his gentle and kindly ways. Years earlier, his son betrayed a mountaineer's daughter, and The Shepherd hopes to atone for his error. When a continued drought threatens the people with starvation and ruin, they lose faith in the "miracle man" and mock him, though he begs them to keep the faith.

The Shepherd of the Hills

1928

Evangeline poster
6.5

A young Acadian woman spends years searching for her lost love after the two are separated and forcibly relocated by the British.

Evangeline

1929

Soiled poster
7.0

Chorus girl Mary Brown promises to give herself to playboy cad John Duane in exchange for $2500 so she can pay back a theft her brother made from his employers. Her sweetheart, race-car driver Jimmie, learns about it and gives her a check for $2500, but the check is worthless unless he can win the Big Race that afternoon. He leads through every lap but blows a tire on the last lap and finishes fourth. It appears that Duane will soon be hugging sweet Mary, unless Jimmie can find a buyer for a race-car with a flat tire.

Soiled

1925

The Circle poster
5.4

Elizabeth Cheney has a wealthy husband, social prominence and everything she could want in life . . . except Ted Lutton, the man she loves. She must decide whether to give everything up to follow her heart and run off with Ted.

The Circle

1925

Half-a-Dollar Bill poster
10.0

Captain Duncan McTeague, ashore in Southport, finds a deserted baby boy with a note and half of a dollar bill pinned to its clothing. The note states that the mother hopes some day to return and identify the child with the other half of the dollar bill. McTeague raises the child. When he is four years old, the captain discharges his mate Martin Webber, who seeks revenge by kidnapping the boy.

Half-a-Dollar Bill

1924

North of the Rio Grande poster
10.0

Son of Colonel Haddington, Bob leads a posse against raiders in a settlement. During his absence, one of the prize horses is stolen and his father is killed. Bob swears revenge and becomes known as Velantrie, leader of a band of semi-outlaws, and befriends a priest, Father Hillaire. At a mission, he meets Val, daughter of John Hannon, a wealthy ranch-owner.

North of the Rio Grande

1922

Tramp, Tramp, Tramp poster
5.9

A poor cobbler's son enters a $25,000 cross-country hiking contest sponsored by the footwear company that has nearly bankrupted his father. He also has fallen in love with the girl on the company's billboards, the competition's daughter, and her sweet inspiration keeps him tramping along.

Tramp, Tramp, Tramp

1926

Outwitted poster
8.0

After being captured by T-Man Jack Blaisdell and sentenced to 20 years of hard labor on a counterfeiting rap, Tiger McGuire is sprung from jail by his old gang. Vowing to get even with Jack, Tiger kidnaps the young man's fiancée, Helen (Holmes), bringing the girl to his hideout, a fancy yacht owned by Lucy Carlisle.

Outwitted

1925

Is Divorce a Failure? poster
8.0

Directed by Wallace Worsley.

Is Divorce a Failure?

1923

The Street Called Straight poster
9.0

Directed by Wallace Worsley.

The Street Called Straight

1920

What's a Wife Worth? poster
8.0

After Bruce Morrison marries Rose Kendall, he receives information that his father is gravely ill, and not to tell him of Bruce's marriage because the father has picked Jane Penfield to be his son's wife. Jane's brother Murray, however, learns of the marriage and demands money to keep the news from Bruce's father.

What's a Wife Worth?

1921

The Terror poster
7.5

Guests at an old English manor house are stalked by a mysterious killer known only as "The Terror".

The Terror

1928

The Mad Whirl poster
6.6

A teenager with permissive parents gets too caught up in wild parties and the fast life.

The Mad Whirl

1925

Sally in Our Alley poster
10.0

Sally, a girl of the tenements, is being raised by three bachelor foster-fathers, a pawnbroker, an organ-grinder and a peddler, and is very happy preparing their meals and keeping the house, while the old men bask in the attention she gives them. However, this happy home is broken up when Sally wealthy aunt appears on the scene and takes Sally back to her luxurious penthouse in order to give her the advantages of money and social position. But Sally's heart is back across the river with her plumber sweetheart, Jimmie Adams.

Sally in Our Alley

1927

High Steppers poster
9.0

Perryam is going through a round of bad luck; he is thrown out of school and loses at love. In search of a change, he heads for London, where he meets Audrey Nye, a former jazz baby who has gotten a responsible job on a newspaper. She helps Perryam get hired as a reporter.

High Steppers

1926

Mary of the Movies poster
8.0

Mary's kid brother needs an operation and, in order to pay for it, Mary goes to a Hollywood studio and applies for a job as an actress. Mary is given a job as a waitress in the commissary, and gets to meet 40 actors, actresses and directors, none of whom tip big enough to enable Mary to earn enough money to pay for an operation. Will Mary become an actress and make some big money?

Mary of the Movies

1923

1910s · 21 titles

The Cross Bearer poster
NR

Cardinal Mercier protects the altar of his church from desecration when German forces invade the Belgian city of Louvain during World War I. Although the soldiers commit widespread atrocities, the cardinal does his best to protect the townspeople.

The Cross Bearer

1918

Lord and Lady Algy poster
7.0

Lord and Lady Algy separate amicably after he breaks his promise not to gamble again on the horses. When the wife of soap magnate Brabazon Tudway, is courted by Algy's philandering elder brother, Algy tries to help his brother escape Tudway's wrath by hiding Mrs. Tudway in his apartments. Tudway discovers her there ....

Lord and Lady Algy

1919

No artwork available
NR

Dick Seymour is fortunate in having a nice father and a nice girl as sweetheart. Money is coming to him. But, tempted by woman and wine on the great White Way of New York, he falls down badly. His money is in Paris. In that city he goes from bad to worse and is accused of murder. From jail and death there seems no escape. But his father and sweetheart have been loyal to him and he is proved innocent of the crime and saved. He finds happiness by shunning bad company and bad habits.

The Model

1915

Playmates poster
6.5

A short film about the friendship between a little girl and a stray dog.

Playmates

1912

Vanity Fair poster
9.5

In early 19th century England, ambitious and ruthless orphan Rebecca Sharp advances from the position of governess to the heights of British society.

Vanity Fair

1911

The Gilded Cage poster
NR

In The Gilded Cage, Alice Brady plays Princess Honore, who falls in love with a handsome prince who doesn't know her true identity (nor does she know his).

The Gilded Cage

1916

Robin Hood poster
5.0

Robin Hood is a 1912 film made by Eclair Studios when it and many other early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based in Fort Lee, New Jersey at the beginning of the 20th century. The movie's costumes feature enormous versions of the familiar hats of Robin and his merry men, and uses the unusual effect of momentarily superimposing images different animals over each character to emphasize their good or evil qualities. The film was directed by Étienne Arnaud and Herbert Blaché, and written by Eustace Hale Ball. A restored copy of the 30-minute film exists and was exhibited in 2006 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Robin Hood

1912

Troublesome Secretaries poster
4.8

A frustrated, protective father tries to stop his secretaries from falling in love with his charming daughter, Betty. He hires two secretaries— only for them to be in on the practical jokes Betty plays on her father.

Troublesome Secretaries

1911

No artwork available
7.0

John Sprague, a promising young minister, wins the love and hand of a simple country girl, Margaret. Her father does not view the match favorably because of Sprague's rather advanced ideas on social relations and pleasure. He had earlier encouraged an amateur theatrical performance in which Margaret had made a success as Juliet.

Coming Home

1914

A Woman's Way poster
NR

Marion Livingston, daughter of General Livingston, boss of the Elsinore coal mines, rescues Jack Stanton, a young superintendent of the mines, from a mob of miners led by Jim Saunders, who were enraged at his having ordered them to work after it had been found that the mine is dangerous. Jack's brother, Harold, a young district attorney, comes to visit him and falls in love with Marion.

A Woman's Way

1916

No artwork available
10.0

Dr. Alexander is dedicated to his young wife Isabel, but she craves a more exciting life and the company of younger people. This creates a rift between them with Isabel becoming increasingly distant. At a social gathering, she meets the artist Jack Welby and is drawn to him. As their relationship deepens, she considers eloping with him.

Duty

1914

A Hungry Heart poster
NR

Vivacious little Gilberte, known as Frou Frou, is the daughter of M. Brigard, a retired merchant, who has as his companion in a life of gaiety, Comte Paul de Valreas, a much younger man. Both the Count and Henry de Sartorys are in love with Frou Frou, and when De Sartorys asks for the hand of Frou Frou, M. Brigard refers him to Louise, the elder daughter, who is in charge of the household. To Louise, who loves de Sartorys, comes the first anguish of her life, when he confides his love for Frou Frou. However, she confers with her little sister who agrees to marry De Sartorys. Paul also asks for Frou Frou's hand, but Brigard refuses, stating he is too jolly a companion to be trusted as a son-in-law.

A Hungry Heart

1917

After Dark poster
NR

A baronet's son marries a barmaid in order to qualify under the inheritance terms of a will.

After Dark

1915

The Wishing Ring: An Idyll of Old England poster
5.8

Giles Bateson gets expelled from college for misconduct. His angry father, the Earl, sends him a message: "Never let me see you again until you have earned a half crown and proven yourself worthy of confidence."

The Wishing Ring: An Idyll of Old England

1914

Flame of the Desert poster
7.0

An Englishman goes undercover posing as an Egyptian sheik in order to infiltrate a conspiracy to throw off British rule. An English woman complicates things by falling in love with the sheik, unaware of his true identity.

Flame of the Desert

1919

The Heart of a Hero poster
5.0

This is a visualization of the life of patriot Nathan Hale which is based on a play by Clyde Fitch. Robert Warwick plays Nathan (and does a fine job) and Gail Kane the girl whom he loves (Alice Adams).

The Heart of a Hero

1916

Miss Petticoats poster
NR

Miss Petticoats stops a runaway horse, saves a wealthy woman from death, is rewarded with position as a private secretary. Society shuns her. She goes abroad; then see how she becomes the acknowledged daughter of a French Count and falls heir to a title.

Miss Petticoats

1916

No artwork available
7.0

The employees of Harrison's mine have been out on strike for a long time. The men wait for him until he is leaving his office in the evening. They try to state their case but he entirely ignores them. They attack him. In terror, he flees before them, escaping by entering the home of a poor widow with two children.

A Reformed Santa Claus

1911

The Marionettes poster
1.0

Fernande de Ferney, a young French girl, has spent her time between the convent and the country home of her uncle, where she has learned to passionately love Roger, the son of the Marquise de Monclars. He marries her for her fortune, but does not value what he has so lightly won until she profits by the lesson taught in the little marionette play written by their friend, Nizerolles, and finds that men are much like marionettes.

The Marionettes

1918

Lola poster
NR

A scientist resurrects his dead daughter, only to realize she now lacks a soul.

Lola

1914

Saved from the Titanic poster
4.8

A young woman tells her parents and fiance (in flashback) about the recent sinking of the Titanic and her experiences as a passenger during the disaster. Her intended marriage now faces a new hazard because her fiance is a sailor and her parents have just been reminded of the dangers of the sea. Premiering in the United States just 29 days after the event, it is the earliest dramatization about the tragedy.

Saved from the Titanic

1912