Albert Ray

Directing

Albert Ray

Born 1897-08-28 · New Rochelle, New York, USA

Albert Ray, born in New Rochelle, NY, attended Townsend Harris Hall and City College of New York. He spent summer vacations as a member of the Vitagraph stock company, on 14th St. in New York City. He appeared in summer stock in White Plains (NY), Florida and the Harlem Opera House in New York City. He directed short subjects for Pathe on the East Coast, went to Hollywood in 1915 and directed Ben Turpin pictures for the Vogue Film Co. and then Sunshine Comedies for Fox. He also acted opposite Ruth Clifford and Mildred Harris at Universal and co-starred with Elinor Fair at Fox. His first feature-length film as director was Scrap Iron (1921) starring Charles Ray (his cousin) for First National, and altogether he directed nine of his cousin's comedies for the studio. He returned to Fox and directed the "Helen and Warren" series and 19 features.

Acting credits

Home poster
7.4

A young woman of humble origins hides her family's lack of wealth and prestige from her boarding school friends.

Home

1919

The Night Riders poster
8.0

A band of Klan-like night riders have been running rampant, and ranch owner Julian Marbolt (Andre Beaulieu) -- who is afflicted with day blindness and can only see in the evening -- offers a reward for the leader's capture.

The Night Riders

1920

Tin Pan Alley poster
7.0

After losing his factory job, virtuoso violinist Tommy Breen is inspired by June Norton, who lives in the same boardinghouse to write his song, "When You Smile with Your Eyes in Mine." Song publisher Simon Berg signs Tommy and the song becomes an enormous success. Success goes to Tommy’s head, he forgets June, surrounds himself with Broadway lowlife, spends extravagantly, and becomes infatuated with Mona Merwin, a musical comedy performer. He hits a rough patch, and June asks Berg to help her save Tommy from himself, so he decreases Tommy's royalty checks. Tommy's Broadway friends desert him when the checks stop coming. Now that Tommy has seen the error of his ways Berg sends him to a country cottage he purchased in Flatbush, where Tommy finds June waiting to marry him.

Tin Pan Alley

1919

Wet and Warmer poster
10.0

Silent comedy featuring the Chaplin-esque Heinie Conklin. The ill-fated Virginia Rappe appears as a hotel guest.

Wet and Warmer

1920

No artwork available
7.0

A telephone supervisor saves a banker's son from a theft charge.

The Ugly Duckling

1920

Vagabond Luck poster
8.0

When jockey Jimmie Driscoll, responsible for making Jim Richardson's horses winners, is fired for being too heavy, he goes to the home of the late Judge Bell, the father of local horse racing. Jimmy is in love with the Judge's daughter Joy, who was left nearly penniless when her father died. Joy's brother Harry writes to her pleading that because he desperately needs money, she should enter the aging Vagabond, the last of the Bell racehorses, in the upcoming annual event. Convinced by crooked bookmaker Spike Bradley that Vagabond will win at twenty-to-one odds, Harry mortgages his half of the house for gambling money. Jimmie discovers that although Vagabond runs horribly on normal turf, she is a "mudder," meaning that she goes into a wild dash on wet ground. After Jimmie and Joy pray for rain, Bradley, learning of Vagabond's condition, threatens the jockey, but Jimmie, riding Vagabond himself in in the rain, wins the race and afterward, Joy's love.

Vagabond Luck

1919

No artwork available
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

A Game Lady

1921

When Do We Eat? poster
NR

Impersonating Little Eva in a third-rate travelling production of Uncle Tom's Cabin fails to earn Nora enough for a square daily meal, and to make thing worse, her stage career comes to a sudden end when the sheriff arrives with a writ of seizure. Nora hops a passing freight but is frightened by a tramp, jumps off, and literally rolls into the town of Wattelville. After being arrested as a suspicious character, Nora is adopted by the kindly Ma Forbes, whose son James works in the local bank. "Pug" Hennessy and "Soup" McCool, two crooks, inveigle the scrupulously honest James into a poker game and, as a result, he is forced to steal $300 from the bank to cover his losses. Impersonating expert safe-cracker Velvet Mary, Nora helps the crooks to break into the bank, but upon opening the safe, she sounds the alarm, and the crooks are arrested. Having learned his lesson, James proposes to Nora, who never again is forced to go hungry.

When Do We Eat?

1918

The Game's Up poster
8.0

Struggling young painter Ruth Elliott has written her Eastern friend Mildred Colburn that she has gained fame in the West as an artist. When Mildred stops to visit on her way to Honolulu, Ruth hires Peter Neyland to pose as her chauffeur for five hours. Peter is actually a wealthy young man who accepts the offer as a lark.

The Game's Up

1919

The Honey Bee poster
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

The Honey Bee

1920

The Punch of the Irish poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

The Punch of the Irish

1920

Love Is Love poster
7.0

Gerry Sands dreams of being an editor but is forced by his employer, locksmith Nick Barket, to crack safes. During a robbery he experiences an epiphany and stops. His sweetheart Polly Ann Kerry is thrilled and gets him work at the hotel where she works, but Red Devlin, the brains behind the burglaries, frames Gerry for theft. In hopes that Gerry will resume the thefts Devlin bails him out, but Gerry leaves town for work on a Western newspaper. Afterwards Polly exposes the crooks, she falls ill. Risking arrest Gerry returns and goes to the police station seeking help locating her. The police captain gives him twenty-four hours’ probation. Upon finding Polly the police captain vouches for Gerry's integrity, and they marry.

Love Is Love

1919

The Kick in High Life poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

The Kick in High Life

1920

The Lost Princess poster
10.0

Samuel Blevins, Jr.'s farm work suffers while he pursues a correspondence course on newspaper reporting. After he leaves the family farm and goes to the city, Ethel Williams, the author of the "Advice to the Lovelorn" column, recommends him to her managing editor who gives him the difficult task of writing a feature article. When Sam fails to think of a good story, Ethel, who now loves him, tells of the lost Princess Marie of Burvania, who is hiding in the United States. Sam's story causes the Archduke of Burvania to search for Marie, who is really Ethel.

The Lost Princess

1919

Words and Music by - poster
8.0

Impresario Thomas Sullivan arrives in Ossawatomie, Kansas, to debut a new musical show written by local boy Gene Harris. After auditioning with a song by her bookkeeper boyfriend Brian McBride Sullivan hires Millicent Lloyd and takes her to New York City, where she becomes a famous singer. Brian, arriving in the city with a new opera, keeps his presence secret from Millicent until he has achieved success. But Harris suffering writer’s block steals Brian's work and presents it to Sullivan as his own. With the help of music publisher Gus Hertz, Brian exposes Harris and reclaims his composition. He and Millicent are reunited, and the opera goes on to enormous success.

Words and Music by -

1919

Be a Little Sport poster
NR

Gerald Faulkner, a young tin-can salesman, has fallen for sexy chorus girl Carlotta La Mere. One day Gerald's wealthy uncle Dunley makes him an offer: if he gets married by the following Saturday, Dunley will give him $100,000. Gerald rushes to propose to Carlotta, who agrees. However, the day before the wedding she asks for a postponement. Complications ensue.

Be a Little Sport

1919

Behind the camera

No artwork available
NR

Karl's so lethargic and sleepy, he dozes off at his club, and nobody notices him for days. To give him some pep, George takes him and their wives camping in the Catskills, but Karl still finds places to snooze away while all have a bad time.

Summer Daze

1932

No artwork available
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

Wake Up

1925

Woman Wise poster
8.0

In Jedda, Persia, American consul George Gage, known as a woman hater, is shocked when his newly arrived assistant, "Billie Baxter," whom he assumes will be a man, turns out to be an attractive woman. Despite his formerly anti-female leanings, George finds himself falling in love with Billie and is jealous when his womanizing friend, Brad Wilson, arrives in Jedda and makes a play for her. At the same time, when the ruling Pasha, Abdul Mustapha, meets Billie, he also becomes smitten and tries to have her brought to his harem. Despite their rivalry, George and Brad join forces and save Billie from the Pasha, after which she decides that George is the man she loves and wants to marry. Considered a lost film.

Woman Wise

1928

A Thief in the Dark poster
7.0

Ernest, a young drifter, joins a troupe of mystics led by a Professor Xeno in a carnival. Ernest learns that his colleagues are burgling homes in districts they pass through. Ernest sets about to expose Xeno and his cohorts.

A Thief in the Dark

1928

No artwork available
9.0

Cliff Bowes and Eddie Nelson in a Cameo comedy produced by Educational.

Welcome Danger!

1925

The Intruder poster
4.6

A murder is committed aboard a cruise ship just before it sinks in a storm. The survivors, including the killer, land on a mysterious jungle island.

The Intruder

1933

No artwork available
10.0

Virginia Vance's father wants her to marry a count who has a couple of sidekicks to help him rob his hosts. Miss Vance, however, is engaged to Cliff Bowes. When she introduces him to father, he dislikes him because Cliff has blown up his car. Quite by accident, of course.

Weak Knees

1925

No artwork available
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

Look Out

1925

No artwork available
NR

A Albert Ray directed comedy short starring Al St. John & Aileen Cook where Al tries to fix his inferiority complex by visiting a fortune teller.

Harem Scarem

1932

Lawless Land poster
5.4

Jeff arrives in town to see the Sheriff only to find him just killed. The culprit is Clay Wheeler. When Jeff becomes friendly with Letty, Clay sends his man Ortega to kill him. Jeff foils the attempt and gets him to confess that Clay was the killer. With only old-timers Lafe and Bill to help, Jeff heads after Clay and his gang.

Lawless Land

1937

Dizzy Doctors poster
7.4

The Stooges get jobs selling "Brighto", what they think is cleaning fluid. After ruining a cop's uniform and a new car, they discover Brighto is actually medicine. Taking their sales pitch to a hospital, they get into more trouble and must leave on the run when the head of the hospital turns out to be the owner of the car they ruined.

Dizzy Doctors

1937

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Permit Me

1925

Dancing Man poster
6.5

A dancing gigolo gets involved with a wealthy lady and her young step-daughter, and murder is the result.

Dancing Man

1934

Dancing Man poster
6.5

A dancing gigolo gets involved with a wealthy lady and her young step-daughter, and murder is the result.

Dancing Man

1934

No artwork available
8.0

A young woman marries a man she detests in order to save her father from a murder charge.

The Marriage Bargain

1935

Molly and Me poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

Molly and Me

1929

Everyman's Law poster
8.0

Texas Ranger Johnny, poses as a hired gunman called The Dog Town Kid in order to infiltrate the outlaw gang, to uncover a plot by a crooked lawman, Sheriff Bradley, and a large landholder, Jim Morgan against the smaller ranches and the homesteaders.

Everyman's Law

1936

No artwork available
8.0

A slapstick comedy starring Cliff Bowes & Virginia Vance.

Ship Shape

1925

Call of the West poster
8.0

Nightclub entertainer Violet La Tour collapses during a performance in Sagebrush, Texas, and is taken to the ranch of Lon Dixon. They fall in love and are married. Feeling deserted when Lon joins a posse in search of rustlers, she returns to New York. There, she is wooed by her agent, Maurice Kane, but confirms her love for Lon when he comes to claim her.

Call of the West

1930

No artwork available
9.0

Two bumbling detectives help a stage actress who has been receiving threatening letters.

Stage Frights

1935

No artwork available
10.0

Andy prepares to give a speech to an organization of cat lovers.

It's the Cats

1934

Everybody's Baby poster
8.0

The Jones family encounters new theories of childrearing when an author arrives in town to lecture on the topic.

Everybody's Baby

1939

West of Singapore poster
10.0

Tropical "heat" drives a man into the arms of a disreputable tramp, making things tough for the woman who really loves him.

West of Singapore

1933

No artwork available
10.0

An author's wife threatens to send him out to work unless he sells a story. Finding a publisher who will accept only true stories, the author proceeds to unravel his own past: As a notorious criminal, with his wife as accomplice, he commits robberies, is pursued and captured, escapes, and eventually reforms. Excited by the story, the publisher prepares to buy it. Overcome by his success, the author announces that his wife had been a much "dirtier crook" than himself, and he is about to reveal the details of her life when she overhears him and spoils the scene.

Honesty – The Best Policy

1926