Writing

Ruth Cummings

Born — Died

1894-04-04 — 1984-12-06

Place of birth

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Known for

Writing

Credits

15 titles

American screenwriter and actress.

Known for

Daybreak poster
4.3

An Austrian soldier must choose between a wealthy fiancee and a new girl who takes his fancy.

Daybreak

1931

Without Benefit of Clergy poster
9.0

A British engineer in India takes a simple native girl as his bride, an act which defies social strictures and leads to tragedy.

Without Benefit of Clergy

1921

The Mysterious Lady poster
7.3

A beautiful Russian spy seduces an Austrian military officer in order to obtain secret plans. When she falls in love with him, both are placed in danger.

The Mysterious Lady

1928

A Woman of Affairs poster
6.5

Childhood friends Diana, Neville and David are caught in a love triangle as adults. Diana and Neville have long been smitten with each other, but her father disapproves of the relationship, resulting in her eventual marriage to David. It's not long after their wedding, however, that tragedy strikes, sending Diana on a downward spiral. When Neville reappears in her life, will he be able to save her from her own misery?

A Woman of Affairs

1928

Love poster
5.7

In Imperial Russia, Anna Karenina falls in love with the dashing military officer Count Vronsky and abandons her husband and child to become his mistress.

Love

1927

The Masquerader poster
7.8

John Loder looks exactly like his cousin, John Chilcote, who is a member of Parliament. Because of his dissolute ways, Chilcote collapses, and Loder is called in to take his place so that the family honor can remain unsullied. Loder's masquerade is so successful that no one suspects him of being an impostor, not even Chilcote's estranged wife, Eve. Loder distinguishes himself with his actions, both in public and private, while the real Chilcote sinks further into the gutter until he finally dies. Loder decides to remain as John Chilcote, and marries Eve, who, up until Loder reveals his true identity, has believed she was falling in love with her husband all over again.

The Masquerader

1922

Film credits

Behind the camera

Daybreak poster
4.3

An Austrian soldier must choose between a wealthy fiancee and a new girl who takes his fancy.

Daybreak

1931

The Mysterious Lady poster
7.3

A beautiful Russian spy seduces an Austrian military officer in order to obtain secret plans. When she falls in love with him, both are placed in danger.

The Mysterious Lady

1928

A Woman of Affairs poster
6.5

Childhood friends Diana, Neville and David are caught in a love triangle as adults. Diana and Neville have long been smitten with each other, but her father disapproves of the relationship, resulting in her eventual marriage to David. It's not long after their wedding, however, that tragedy strikes, sending Diana on a downward spiral. When Neville reappears in her life, will he be able to save her from her own misery?

A Woman of Affairs

1928

Love poster
5.7

In Imperial Russia, Anna Karenina falls in love with the dashing military officer Count Vronsky and abandons her husband and child to become his mistress.

Love

1927

Environment poster
9.0

The rehabilitation of "Chicago Sal," a lady crook, is seemingly realized when probation officers send her to the country home of Steve MacLaren to work off money stolen from him by her partner. She falls in love with MacLaren and is accepted as a member of the household. Unable to resist the temptation, however, she leaves the farm with two former colleagues when they come to visit her. MacLaren follows her to the city. She commits a crime; he helps her escape but is himself arrested for vagrancy and sent to jail. Sal returns to the country and promises to wait for him.

Environment

1922

Wild Orchids poster
6.3

A prince in Java tries to seduce his visitor's wife, but he's discovered.

Wild Orchids

1929

Lovers poster
10.0

Young José lives with his guardian, Don Julian, a middle-aged diplomat recently married to young Felicia. Society gossips in Madrid find the situation increasingly scandalous.

Lovers

1927

The Bridge of San Luis Rey poster
8.0

This first cinematic version of the classic book is a part-talkie, although the only surviving print is silent (housed in the George Eastman House, Rochester, NY). It is a straight-forward telling of the intermingled lives of a group of strangers doomed to die in a collapsing bridge accident. The Art Direction, paltry and unremarkable, surprisingly won an Oscar over the far more remarkable work nominated in THE IRON MASK. The special effect scene of the lovers plummeting with the bridge into the chasm is unforgettable and remarkably done.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

1929

The Tower of Lies poster
10.0

After his beloved daughter leaves for the city to pay off his debt, an old farmer goes mad when her letters become less frequent and it is suspected she may be using her body to get the money.

The Tower of Lies

1925

The Masks of the Devil poster
8.0

Baron Reiner, a charming though unscrupulous Viennese aristocrat, becomes infatuated with Virginia, an innocent schoolgirl who is engaged to his best friend, Manfred. In order to seduce the girl, Reiner finances an oceanographic expedition for Manfred that takes him away for months (TCM).

The Masks of the Devil

1928

By Candlelight poster
5.7

Josef is valet for Count von Rommer and well-trained in his master's philandering ways. Mistaken for the Count by Marie, a maid he thinks is an aristocrat, Josef shows her a merry time at the Count's Monte Carlo villa. Meanwhile, the Count escapes a situation with Countess von Rischenheim when her count husband makes an unscheduled appearance, by posing as the butler.

By Candlelight

1933

The Perfect Tribute poster
7.0

The day after his Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln meets a wounded Confederate soldier in a hospital. The blinded rebel, not knowing his visitor's identity, regales him with memorized lines from the speech.

The Perfect Tribute

1935