The Taming of the Shrewd

"The Leather Pushers" were a charming series of comedies based upon the story of a prize-fighter from the Colliers articles by H.C. Witwer. Each episode was self-contained and complete in itself. Formerly wealthy Kane Halliday, finds he must support himself with his fists in the ring after his father goes suddenly broke. A great mix of comedy and action set against the gritty world of the old New York boxing scene.

"The Leather Pushers" were a charming series of comedies based upon the story of a prize-fighter from the Colliers articles by H.C. Witwer. Each episode was self-contained and complete in itself. Formerly wealthy Kane Halliday ( Reginald Denny), fighting as the elegant "Masked Mystery", pays more attention to his flirtation with a chorus girl, Estelle, than his boxing career - frustrating his manager at every turn. Estelle, not realizing her new beau is is actually a prize fighter, is under the mistaken impression that he's a rich playboy, a belief that Halliday does nothing to correct. The manager sets out enlighten her in spectacular fashion!This entry from the series includes some terrific night scenes of New York's Times Square as it appeared in 1922. Titles from other Universal productions are prominently displayed on the theater marquees!

The first film in the first "Leather Pushers" series from Universal.

A Fool and His Money part of the Leather Pushers film series. May be actually titled A Fool and Honey

A Fool and His Money part of the Leather Pushers film series. May be actually titled A Fool and Honey

British comedian Reginald Denny plays a professor who is escorting three different women and needs to make a choice.

Jimmy Wood, a chauffeur, is mistaken for famous racing driver Splinters Wood. Because he is deeply in debt, he enters a race on the advice of Betty Rockford, daughter of a wealthy automobile manufacturer.

Jacob Cohen, who owns a dry goods store, and Patrick Kelly, an Irish cop, are constantly at loggerheads, feuding over anything and everything. Kelly's son, Tim, and Cohen's daughter, Nannie, fall in love despite the bickering of their parents; when they cannot get parental consent for their marriage, they secretly wed.

Two sailors (William Haines and Cliff Edwards) are leaving the US Navy after 10 years. In their spare time, one of them (Haines) invents a carburetor that should increase the speed that powered boats will run, but all they succeed in doing is sinking the Admiral's barge. After discharge, broke and out of work, they find work with a boat builder who wants the fastest race boat in the world. They design the boat, carburetor and the engine but lack of money and the foreclosure of the business hinders their efforts to prove the new design.

Fifteenth entry in the Leather Pushers series of two-reel shorts.

Yulita is known to the inhabitants of one of the South Sea islands as "The Peart of Paradise." Her father, Gomez, a Spanish fugitive from justice, has reared her in ignorance of the evils of the outside world. Piete Van Dekken, the captain of a Dutch schooner and the only other white man the girl has even seen, is infatuated with her.

Bert Lyons returns to the Grainger spread from the "outside world" to find his former employer dead and the ranch in the possession of Calvert, a narcotics smuggler, and Blackie Lopez, a rustler who has his eyes on Molly Grainger, Lyons' sweetheart.

Returning from service in the A. E. F., Dale Garland is given a rousing reception by his townsmen. County political boss Nebo Slayter persuades the community to nominate Dale for sheriff--thinking he can be easily manipulated--against John Millard, the incumbent, who refuses political compromises. Dale easily wins and pledges to give the citizens an honest deal. Millard's daughter, Alice, who is Dale's childhood sweetheart, learns of Slayter's dishonest schemes and sees his men murder a moonshiner for whom they had been furnishing protection.

Released from prison on parole, the "Gas-Pipe Kid" returns to his home in the slums to find his mother dead and his father evicted. He is arrested for beating up the landlord but escapes with the help of Ida Hunt, his sweetheart. Years later he is a baseball star known as Bat Shugrue and is widely idolized by boys who read about his clean living,

Wealthy racing driver Tom Hayden loses his inheritance and his fiancé due to a wacky mishap on his wedding day.

The roots of modern television situatuation comedy can be seen in this Beauty brand film. As American grew the Beauty brand was developed to feature actress Margarita Fisher. Her husband, Haryy Pollard, directed the Beauty films and occasionally acted in them. He plays the husband in this one.

In 1856, slave Eliza plans to marry George with the consent of the Shelbys, her masters, but George's owner prevents the wedding. A few years later, Eliza flees with her son, Harry, after learning the Shelbys plan to hand them over to a crooked creditor to prevent foreclosure. George also escapes and goes on the run while Eliza and Harry are captured and brought back home. Mother and son are separated as George tries to find them both.

This film sticks very closely to the Edna Ferber novel, rather than the musical based on the novel. There are only two major changes from Ferber's book : *Julie in this version is a white woman, not a racially mixed one; therefore she and her husband are not unlawfully married. * Ravenal returns at the end, instead of dying as in the novel

Rufus Billings was born premature and after a lifetime of doctors doting on his frail health he is now a hypochondriac of the first order. Now an adult Rufus has learned his late father has left him $750,000 but he won't inherit the sum for three more years. Rufus is certain he is on death's door and will never last three years so his Doctor arranges for a loan of $100,000 to pay for a live in nurse. Rufus only has to sign over his inheritance to the greedy trio of Clinch, McIntosh and Peck who along with the doctor are confident he'll live long enough to pay his debt.

Lord Harrowby takes out an $100,000 insurance policy to be paid if his wedding to Cecilia Meyrick is cancelled. The insurance company sends Dick Minot to make sure the wedding takes place, but he falls in love with the bride.