Maria Alba

William Cagney — James's younger brother, in his only starring role — plays Bob Mason, a carefree socialite who poses as a detective to impress a girl and promptly gets himself suspected of a real murder. With the police on one side and the actual killer on the other, Bob has to solve the case to clear his own name, helped along by Marion Burns as the girl he is trying to win. A poverty-row quickie from Monogram directed by silent-comedy veteran Vin Moore, it coasts on Cagney's easy charm and a plot that never sits still for its sixty-odd minutes. The film is in the public domain.

Comedy · Mystery

Douglas Fairbanks's final starring film sends the great swashbuckler out on a high note. Yachting playboy Steve Drexel accepts a bet that he can't survive alone on a deserted South Seas island with nothing but his dog — then proceeds to build a radio, a waterslide, and an elegant treetop penthouse out of salvaged wreckage and sheer ingenuity. When a fleeing dancer (Maria Alba) washes ashore and is dubbed "Saturday," the wager becomes a romance. Made when Fairbanks was nearing fifty, the film still showcases the effortless athletic charm that defined silent-era adventure, now with sound-era wisecracks. Released through United Artists, the company he co-founded, its copyright was not renewed. It is in the public domain in the United States.

Adventure · Comedy · Romance