Raymond Griffith

Acting

Raymond Griffith

Born 1895-01-22 · Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Raymond Griffith was one of the great silent movie comedians. Later in his career, he worked behind the camera as writer and producer. Griffith was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He lost his voice at an early age, causing him to speak for the rest of his life in a hoarse whisper. Griffith claimed that it was the result of his having to scream at the top of his lungs every night in a stage melodrama as a child actor —others have stated that a childhood disease was more likely the cause. Although a few comedy films of his are considered classics, Griffith is almost totally forgotten today. Many of his starring feature films have long since been lost, but probably the best known of his films today is Hands Up! (1926), a Civil War comedy feature directed by Clarence G. Badger, and co-starring Mack Swain, which was entered into the National Film Registry in 2005. Also considered a classic is Badger's Paths to Paradise, a caper film that is in all circulating prints missing its final reel. Like many silent comedians, he had a traditional costume; his was a top hat, white tie and tails, often augmented by a cape and/or walking stick. The coming of sound ended Griffith's acting career, but he did have one memorable role in a motion picture before retiring from the screen, playing a French soldier killed by Lew Ayres in the 1930 Lewis Milestone film All Quiet on the Western Front. He then segued into a writing/producing career at Twentieth Century Fox. Griffith choked to death at the Masquers Club in Los Angeles, California, aged 62, on November 25, 1957.

Acting credits

All Quiet on the Western Front poster
7.8

When a group of idealistic young men join the German Army during the Great War, they are assigned to the Western Front, where their patriotism is destroyed by the harsh realities of combat.

All Quiet on the Western Front

1930

Wet Paint poster
8.0

After a misunderstanding between a well-to-do young man and the girl he wanted to marry, he decides to arbitrarily marry the first random girl that will accept him. This proves harder that he he thought, and late at night and groggy, he gets into his house after some trouble and help from the police, only to realize he's not in his house, but trapped in a strange one with a married woman.

Wet Paint

1926

Wedding Bills poster
8.0

The best man at an upcoming wedding goes to a jeweler to pick up the wedding ring and is also given a bracelet, on approval, worth $25,000. On his way home, a pigeon swoops down and snags the bracelet. The man must track down the pigeon and get the bracelet back so he won't have to pay for it--but that's easier said than done.

Wedding Bills

1927

You'd Be Surprised poster
7.0

A diamond is stolen at a houseboat party given by the district attorney. He gives the thief a chance to return it by putting an empty box on a table and turning out the lights. When the lights are turned back on the box is gone, and the district attorney has a knife in his back and is quite dead. The police and the coroner arrive. There are several attempts made on the life of the coroner. Ruth Whitman is found hiding in a grandfather-clock, holding the gem box. She claims the box was pushed into her hands and she was pushed into the clock. The district attorney's butler/valet tells the coroner he saw who killed his employer and a few minutes later he is also murdered. The mystery deepens.

You'd Be Surprised

1926

Souls for Sale poster
6.3

A young woman hits Hollywood, determined to become a star.

Souls for Sale

1923

Love, Honor and Behave poster
8.0

A young married couple appears before a judge to get a divorce. The wife shows the judge some pictures of her husband with his arms around another woman, as "proof" that he was cheating on her. The husband, for his part, claims that he was just innocently helping the woman and that he was being blackmailed by the photographer who took the picture.

Love, Honor and Behave

1920

Nellie, the Beautiful Cloak Model poster
9.0

Nellie Horton, when mistreated by her father, is taken in charge by Thomas Lipton. She grows up in poverty not knowing her true identity as the heiress to her mother's millions. Upon the death of her benefactor, she becomes a model in a fashionable shop. There she falls into the hands of her mother's unscrupulous nephew, who contrives to do away with her in order to obtain her fortune. ....

Nellie, the Beautiful Cloak Model

1924

The Dawn of a Tomorrow poster
9.0

Expecting to die soon or to go insane, Sir Oliver Holt disappears into the London slums intending to commit suicide; but he is dissuaded by Glad, a cheerful girl whose sweetheart (a burglar called "The Dandy") Sir Oliver has sent to obtain money from his safe. The Dandy discovers Arthur Holt, Sir Oliver's nephew, already looting the safe; and he (The Dandy) is framed for the murder of a policeman.

The Dawn of a Tomorrow

1924

Open All Night poster
8.5

Therese Duverne (Viola Dana) is bored with her even-tempered husband, Edmond (Adolphe Menjou). Isabelle Fevre (Gale Henry) suggests that Edmond go to the bicycle races and stay out all night. Then she takes Therese there and introduces her to manly Petit Mathieu, one of the racers (Maurice B. Flynn). Since he has just quarreled with his sweetheart, Lea (Jetta Goudal), he is glad to have Therese's attention and offers to run away with her after he wins the six-day race. Lea, meanwhile, is spending her time with Edmond. Therese eventually decides she doesn't care for brutes like Mathieu, and Edmond gains a temper and wins his wife back. Lea and Mathieu are reunited, while Isabelle goes back to helping her own alcoholic sweetheart, Igor (Raymond Griffith), break into the movies.

Open All Night

1924

The Follies Girl poster
8.0

The relatives of dying Edward Woodruff, Nina Leffingwell, her brother Frederic, and her cousin Basil, whom she wants to marry, scheme to inherit Woodruff's wealth. Since Woodruff continually calls for an imagined granddaughter, the child of his daughter who died before they could patch up a quarrel which estranged them, Nina gets Doll, a Follies girl, to impersonate the granddaughter, try to endear herself to Woodruff, and thus inherit the money. Doll would then be paid off and the relatives would get the inheritance. When Doll's administrations cause Woodruff to recover, Nina sends for Woodruff's grandson Ned, whom he disowned for marrying beneath him, hoping that Ned will send Doll away. When Ned seems to fall in love with Doll, Nina tells Woodruff that Ned and Doll are secretly meeting in the estate lodge. Woodruff investigates and finds that Doll and Ned are married and have a baby boy. Delighted, Woodruff forgives Ned.

The Follies Girl

1919

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

Time to Love poster
10.0

Alfred Sava-Goiu, who, after being dumped by his sweetheart, philosophically decides to end it all by jumping into the Seine. Instead, he lands in a passing boat owned by the Countess Elvire. Falling in love with his savior, Alfred returns the compliment by rescuing the Countess from a precipitous waterfall.

Time to Love

1927

The Surf Girl poster
6.0

Many different people go swimming at a pool at Coney Island.

The Surf Girl

1916

Hands Up! poster
5.6

Jack, a southern spy during the Civil War, must try to capture a shipment of gold. His task is complicated by the two sisters, Native Americans, and a firing squad.

Hands Up!

1926

White Tiger poster
5.3

Three crooks pull off a magnificent crime. As they're forced to hide out together they slowly begin to distrust each other.

White Tiger

1923

Forty Winks poster
8.0

The Butterworth family attorney Gaspar Le Sage, and a suitor for the hand of Eleanor Butterworth, persuades a beautiful adventuress, Annabelle Wu, to help him steal the official plans for the coastal defense of California from Eleanor's brother, Lieutenant Butterworth.

Forty Winks

1925

No artwork available
7.0

The doctor prescribes fresh air for a man with a bad cold. His wife is determined to comply with the doctor's orders even if it kills him.

The Sleeping Porch

1929

Changing Husbands poster
7.0

A bored rich housewife wants to go on the stage, but her husband won't let her. When she meets a despairing actress who looks exactly like her, she suggests they swap places for a little while, giving the actress a break while the rich husband is out of town. But the rich husband comes back early, causing havoc for the actress, plus the rich housewife is finding herself attracted to the actress's boyfriend.

Changing Husbands

1924

Red Lights poster
7.0

A mysterious figure attempts to keep a daughter from reuniting with her father.

Red Lights

1923

Trent's Last Case poster
8.0

Who killed the vicious millionaire Sigsbee Manderson? Not that pretty wife of his, surely? Philip Trent investigates.

Trent's Last Case

1929

Miss Bluebeard poster
6.7

Director Frank Tuttle's 1925 silent mistaken-identity comedy, adapted from the 1923 play "Little Miss Bluebeard", stars Bebe Daniels.

Miss Bluebeard

1925

Paths to Paradise poster
6.2

Two thieves discover a professional and personal relationship when individual heist plans are thrown together by circumstance.

Paths to Paradise

1925

Fine Clothes poster
8.0

The owner of a London clothing store is driven out of business, but later makes a triumphant return.

Fine Clothes

1925

The Day of Faith poster
8.0

Jane Maynard opens a mission in memory of philanthropist Bland Hendricks. John Anstell, son of a powerful and selfish millionaire, Michael Anstell, falls in love with Jane, to the old man's disapproval. Anstell tries to undermine Jane's work by hiring reporter Tom Barnett to write an unfavorable story about the mission.

The Day of Faith

1923

Behind the camera

Baby Face poster
7.2

A young woman uses her body and her sexuality to help her climb the social ladder, but soon begins to wonder if her new status will ever bring her happiness.

Baby Face

1933

Ladies They Talk About poster
6.1

A moll, imprisoned after participating in a bank robbery, helps with a breakout plot.

Ladies They Talk About

1933

Girls About Town poster
6.6

A dynamic duo in silk and ermine entertain hick businessmen looking for a good time while in Manhattan.

Girls About Town

1931

Hotel for Women poster
7.5

Guests at a women's residence club help a jilted small-town girl turn to modelling.

Hotel for Women

1939

Poor Little Rich Girl poster
6.6

Cossetted and bored, Barbara Barry is finally sent off to school by her busy if doting widowed soap manufacturer father. When her nurse is injured en route, Barbara finds herself alone in town, ending up as part of radio song-and-dance act Dolan and Dolan sponsored by a rival soap company.

Poor Little Rich Girl

1936

The Village Chestnut poster
6.5

Comedy and romantic shenanigans set in a one-classroom school.

The Village Chestnut

1918

Day-time Wife poster
6.0

When a young wife discovers her husband of two years is involved with his beautiful secretary, she applies for a job as secretary to a business rival.

Day-time Wife

1939

Broadway Thru a Keyhole poster
6.3

Racketeer Frank Rocci is smitten with Joan Whelan, a dancer at Texas Guinan's famous Broadway night spot. He uses his influence to help her get a starring role in the show, hoping that it will also get Joan to fall in love with him. After scoring a hit, Joan accepts Frank's marriage proposal, more out of gratitude than love. The situation gets even stickier when she falls for a handsome band leader during a trip to Florida. Can she tell Frank she's in love with someone else?

Broadway Thru a Keyhole

1933

Going Up poster
9.0

Going Up (1923)

Going Up

1923

Down on the Farm poster
5.8

The day starts off as any normal day on Roach's farm, where Teddy, the farmhouse dog, is doing more productive work than everyone else combined. But the day changes when Roach's farmhand sees an opportunity to be the knight in shining armor to Louise, Roach's daughter, who he wants to marry.

Down on the Farm

1920

God's Gift to Women poster
4.8

A notorious womanizer sets his sights on a pretty American tourist, only to be told by his doctor that he must give up all romance for his health.

God's Gift to Women

1931

Wife, Doctor and Nurse poster
7.0

Social butterfly marries Park Avenue doctor and learns that his nurse is in love with him.

Wife, Doctor and Nurse

1937

Bought! poster
8.0

Working-class girl dreams of living a better life and forsakes her friends when she has a chance to break into high society.

Bought!

1931

The Yankee Consul poster
9.0

A whale of a comedy thriller. It's a Niagra of roaring laughter Faster Than the Wind!

The Yankee Consul

1924

Expensive Women poster
5.7

A wealthy young woman struggles to find love while surrounded by possible suitors.

Expensive Women

1931

Three Blind Mice poster
6.1

Three sisters take their small inheritance and move from Kansas to California in search of rich husbands. To start with, Pamela poses as a socialite and Moira and Elizabeth pretend to be her staff.

Three Blind Mice

1938

The Crossroads of New York poster
7.0

A young man from the country travels to the city to find his fortune. Although he has a letter of introduction from his wealthy uncle, the best job he can find is that of a street cleaner. He catches the eye of his landlady, who somehow manages to get the man to propose to her, but he then falls in love with a pretty young socialite, and when his rich uncle dies finds himself being sued by a gold-digging vamp who wants to her her hands on his inheritance.

The Crossroads of New York

1922