The following is an overview of 1927 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.
Ernest Torrence was a Scottish film character actor who appeared in many Hollywood films, including Broken Chains (1922) with Colleen Moore, Mantrap (1926) with Clara Bow and Fighting Caravans (1931) with Gary Cooper and Lili Damita. A towering figure, Torrence frequently played cold-eyed and imposing villains.
Charles David Farrell was an American film actor whose height was in the 1920s and 1930s and the Mayor of Palm Springs from 1947 to 1955. Farrell was known for his onscreen romances with actress Janet Gaynor in more than a dozen films, including 7th Heaven, Street Angel, and Lucky Star. Later in life, he starred on TV in the 1950s sitcoms My Little Margie and played himself in The Charles Farrell Show. He was also among the early developers of Palm Springs.
Virginia Valli was an American stage and film actress whose motion picture career started in the silent film era and lasted until the beginning of the sound film era of the 1930s.
Men Without Women is an American 1930 pre-Code drama film directed and written by John Ford, from the script by James Kevin McGuinness. The film also starred Kenneth MacKenna, Frank Albertson, and J. Farrell MacDonald. The sound version is now lost. Only a print of the "International Sound Version", held by the Museum of Modern Art, survives.
John Farrell MacDonald was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. He appeared in over 325 films over a four-decade career from 1911 to 1951, and directed forty-four silent films from 1912 to 1917.
Slave Ship is a 1937 American historical adventure film directed by Tay Garnett and starring Warner Baxter, Wallace Beery and Elizabeth Allan. The supporting cast features Mickey Rooney, George Sanders, Jane Darwell, and Joseph Schildkraut. It is one of very few films out of the forty-eight that Beery made during the sound era for which he did not receive top billing.
The Man Who Came Back is a 1931 American Pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Raoul Walsh, starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. The movie was adapted to screen by Edwin J. Burke from the play by Jules Eckert Goodman.
The Vanguard Press was a United States publishing house established with a $100,000 grant from the left wing American Fund for Public Service, better known as the Garland Fund. Throughout the 1920s, Vanguard Press issued an array of books on radical topics, including studies of the Soviet Union, socialist theory, and politically oriented fiction by a range of writers. The press ultimately received a total of $155,000 from the Garland Fund, which separated itself and turned the press over to its publisher, James Henle. Henle became sole owner in February 1932.
The Fighting Heart is a lost 1925 American silent drama film directed by John Ford.
The Brat is a 1931 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by John Ford, starring Sally O'Neil, and featuring Virginia Cherrill. The film is based on the 1917 play by Maude Fulton. A previous silent film had been made in 1919 with Alla Nazimova. This 1931 screen version has been updated to then contemporary standards i.e. clothing, speech, topics in the news.
The Irish in Us is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, and Olivia de Havilland. Written by Earl Baldwin based on a story by Frank Orsatti, the film is about an Irish family consisting of a mother and three sons: a cop, a fireman, and a boxing promoter. Encouraged to find a real job, the boxing promoter makes one last attempt by promoting a fighter he believes will bring him a fortune. The Irish in Us was released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on August 3, 1935. The supporting cast features Frank McHugh and J. Farrell MacDonald.
Prairie Law is a 1940 American Western film directed by David Howard from a screenplay by Doris Schroeder and Arthur V. Jones, based on a story by Bernard McConville. Released on June 14, 1940, the film was produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures and stars George O'Brien, Virginia Vale, and Dick Hogan.
The Signal Tower is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Clarence Brown and produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. It stars Virginia Valli, Rockliffe Fellowes and Wallace Beery.
Paid to Love is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Howard Hawks and written by Malcolm Stuart Boylan, William M. Conselman, Benjamin Glazer, and Seton I. Miller. The film stars George O'Brien, Virginia Valli, J. Farrell MacDonald, William Powell, Thomas Jefferson, and Hank Mann. The film was released on July 23, 1927, by Fox Film Corporation.
The Spirit of Notre Dame is a 1931 American drama film directed by Russell Mack, written by Walter DeLeon, Robert Keith, Richard Schayer and Dale Van Every, and starring Lew Ayres, Sally Blane, William Bakewell, Andy Devine, Harry Barris and J. Farrell MacDonald. It was released on October 13, 1931, by Universal Pictures.
Shadow of Suspicion is a 1944 American comedy crime film directed by William Beaudine and starring Marjorie Weaver, Peter Cookson and Tim Ryan.
Marriage is a lost 1927 American silent drama film directed by Roy William Neill and written by Gertrude Orr and Elizabeth Pickett Chevalier. It is based on the 1912 novel Marriage by H. G. Wells. The film stars Virginia Valli, Allan Durant, Gladys McConnell, Lawford Davidson, Donald Stuart, and Frank Dunn. The film was released on February 13, 1927, by Fox Film Corporation.
The Family Upstairs is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Virginia Valli, Allan Simpson, and J. Farrell MacDonald. It was based on the 1925 Broadway play of the same name by Harry Delf.
Wolf Call is a 1939 American Western film directed by George Waggner and starring John Carroll, Movita and George Lynn. A New York playboy is sent by his father to investigate his radium mine in Canada.
