Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary 1920s Movies
by urbanemovies | created - 05 Mar 2016 | updated - 08 Apr 2023 | PublicOn April 4, 2023, Warner Bros. Entertainment celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding as Warner Bros. in 1923. It released its first film, Where the North Begins (1923), starring Rin Tin Tin, a few months later. Over the next century, Warner Bros. would go on to become one of the original "Big Five" studios and still holds the distinction today as a current "Big Five" member. Its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery is an international conglomerate with a foothold in all facets of entertainment and a nearly 25% global market share. As a result of its hundred-year effort, the WB movie catalog currently includes a whopping 12,500+ feature films.
Which of these select Warner Bros. produced films released between 1923 and 1929 is its greatest accomplishment during the silent and early talkies era?
Discuss the topic here.
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1. The Jazz Singer (1927)
Passed | 88 min | Drama, Music, Musical
The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.
Director: Alan Crosland | Stars: Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland, Eugenie Besserer
Votes: 11,064 | Gross: $7.63M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
2. The Marriage Circle (1924)
Not Rated | 85 min | Comedy
Professor Stock and his wife Mizzi are always bickering. Mizzi tries to seduce Dr. Franz Braun, the new husband of her good friend Charlotte.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Florence Vidor, Monte Blue, Marie Prevost, Creighton Hale
Votes: 1,502 | Gross: $0.81M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
3. Disraeli (1929)
Passed | 90 min | Biography, Drama, History
Prime Minister of Great Britain Benjamin Disraeli outwits the subterfuge of the Russians and chicanery at home in order to secure the purchase of the Suez Canal.
Director: Alfred E. Green | Stars: George Arliss, Doris Lloyd, David Torrence, Joan Bennett
Votes: 1,378
Warner Bros. Pictures production
4. Lady Windermere's Fan (1925)
Approved | 120 min | Comedy
A society woman believes her husband is having an affair, a misconception which may have dire personal consequences for all involved.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Irene Rich, May McAvoy, Bert Lytell, Ronald Colman
Votes: 1,361
Warner Bros. Pictures production
5. Don Juan (1926)
Passed | 110 min | Adventure, Romance
In 16th-century Italy, devil-may-care playboy Don Juan runs afoul of the despotic Borgias.
Director: Alan Crosland | Stars: Jane Winton, John Roche, Warner Oland, Estelle Taylor
Votes: 961 | Gross: $1.92M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
6. Lights of New York (1928)
Passed | 57 min | Crime, Drama, Music
A gangster frames two bootleggers for the shooting of a police officer in New York during the prohibition.
Director: Bryan Foy | Stars: Helene Costello, Cullen Landis, Mary Carr, Wheeler Oakman
Votes: 942 | Gross: $1.20M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
7. The Divine Lady (1928)
Not Rated | 99 min | Drama, History, Romance
The story of the romance between Emma, Lady Hamilton, and British war hero Admiral Horatio Nelson.
Director: Frank Lloyd | Stars: Corinne Griffith, Victor Varconi, H.B. Warner, Ian Keith
Votes: 933
First National Pictures (a WB nameplate) production
* filmed on the Warner Bros. studio lot
8. Noah's Ark (1928)
Passed | 135 min | Drama, War
The Biblical story of Noah and the Great Flood, with a parallel story of soldiers in the First World War.
Directors: Michael Curtiz, Darryl F. Zanuck | Stars: Dolores Costello, George O'Brien, Noah Beery, Louise Fazenda
Votes: 917 | Gross: $1.37M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
9. So This Is Paris (1926)
Passed | 60 min | Comedy
Georgette lives in Paris with her unexciting, effeminate husband, an actor and interpretive dancer. Meanwhile, Suzanne lives across the street and reads romance novels while dreaming of ... See full summary »
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Monte Blue, Patsy Ruth Miller, Lilyan Tashman, George Beranger
Votes: 754 | Gross: $0.11M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
10. Beau Brummel (1924)
135 min | Drama, History, Romance
George Bryan Brummel, a British military officer, loves Lady Margery, the betrothed of Lord Alvanley. Despite her own desperate love for Brummel, she submits to family pressure and marries ... See full summary »
Director: Harry Beaumont | Stars: John Barrymore, Mary Astor, Willard Louis, Carmel Myers
Votes: 537 | Gross: $0.29M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
11. Why Be Good? (1929)
TV-G | 84 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
A flapper with a dubious reputation enjoys a vivacious night of dancing and finds herself romantically linked to her boss.
Director: William A. Seiter | Stars: Colleen Moore, Neil Hamilton, Bodil Rosing, John St. Polis
Votes: 559
First National Pictures (a WB nameplate) production
* filmed on the Warner Bros. studio lot
12. Lambchops (1929)
8 min | Short, Comedy, Musical
After briefly struggling to find the audience behind the camera, George and Gracie bring their vaudeville act to the big screen. Throughout their exchange, Gracie's goal is to convince George that she's smart, not dizzy.
Director: Murray Roth | Stars: George Burns, Gracie Allen
Votes: 522
Vitaphone Varieties (a WB nameplate) production
* filmed on the Brooklyn Vitaphone sound stage
13. Show of Shows (1929)
Passed | 128 min | Comedy
In 1929, the studio gave the cinema its voice and offered audiences a chance to hear their favorite actors and actresses from the silent-screen era. For the first time, they can be heard in... See full summary »
Director: John G. Adolfi | Stars: Frank Fay, William Courtenay, H.B. Warner, Hobart Bosworth
Votes: 470
Warner Bros. Pictures production
14. Seven Footprints to Satan (1929)
Passed | 60 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A young man of society wants to make an expedition to Africa, but his fiancée asks him for help with one of her father's guests shortly before his planned departure. Her suspicions about ... See full summary »
Director: Benjamin Christensen | Stars: Thelma Todd, Creighton Hale, Sheldon Lewis, William V. Mong
Votes: 481
First National Pictures (a WB nameplate) production
* filmed on the Warner Bros. studio lot
15. When a Man Loves (1927)
Passed | 111 min | History, Romance
A nobleman studying for the priesthood abandons his vocation in 18th Century France when he falls in love with a beautiful, but reluctant, courtesan.
Director: Alan Crosland | Stars: John Barrymore, Dolores Costello, Warner Oland, Sam De Grasse
Votes: 416 | Gross: $0.89M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
16. Old San Francisco (1927)
Passed | 88 min | Drama, History, Romance
In San Francisco, a villainous land owner with underworld connections seeks to steal the property of an old Spanish family.
Director: Alan Crosland | Stars: Dolores Costello, Josef Swickard, Anders Randolf, Charles Emmett Mack
Votes: 410
Warner Bros. Pictures production
17. On with the Show! (1929)
Passed | 104 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A musical advertised as the first 100% natural color, all-singing production. The plot concerns a wide-eyed former hatcheck girl who takes the place of a rebellious star.
Director: Alan Crosland | Stars: Arthur Lake, Betty Compson, Joe E. Brown, Sally O'Neil
Votes: 373
Warner Bros. Pictures production
18. Clash of the Wolves (1925)
Passed | 74 min | Adventure, Family, Romance
A fire in the mountains drive a wolf pack into a nearby desert where they will terrorize the local residents.
Director: Noel M. Smith | Stars: Rin Tin Tin, Nanette, Charles Farrell, June Marlowe
Votes: 426 | Gross: $0.51M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
19. The Better 'Ole (1926)
Passed | 95 min | Comedy, War, Drama
The adventures of Old Bill and his friends Bert and Alf in the trenches of the first World War.
Director: Charles Reisner | Stars: Syd Chaplin, Harold Goodwin, Jack Ackroyd, Edgar Kennedy
Votes: 288 | Gross: $1.25M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
20. The First Auto (1927)
Passed | 75 min | Comedy, Drama
Hank owns horses, stables horses and races horses. He favorite horse always wins and he is prosperous and will known. His son (Bob), however dreams only of the future of the horseless ... See full summary »
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: Barney Oldfield, Patsy Ruth Miller, Russell Simpson, Frank Campeau
Votes: 277
Warner Bros. Pictures production
21. The Beau Brummels (1928)
TV-G | 9 min | Short, Comedy
A happy and hilarious couple (also known as "The Beau Brummels") perform "While Strolling Through the Park" and "Don't Forget to Breathe or Else You'll Die."
Votes: 266
Vitaphone Varieties (a WB nameplate) production
22. The Singing Fool (1928)
Passed | 105 min | Drama, Musical
A singing waiter and composer (Al Jolson) loves two women (Betty Bronson, Josephine Dunn), conquers Broadway and holds his dying son, singing "Sonny Boy."
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Al Jolson, Betty Bronson, Josephine Dunn, Arthur Housman
Votes: 279 | Gross: $10.90M
Warner Bros. Pictures co-production
23. Broadway Babies (1929)
Passed | 86 min | Drama, Musical
A Chorus girl who is in love with her stage manager is led to believe that he is in love with another young woman, so, she agrees to marry a bootlegger instead.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Alice White, Marion Byron, Sally Eilers, Charles Delaney
Votes: 227
First National Pictures (a WB nameplate) production
* filmed on the Warner Bros. studio lot
24. Baby Rose Marie the Child Wonder (1929)
8 min | Short, Musical
Rose Marie, aged five or six, sings three numbers in the Vitaphone sound stage decorated as an elegant drawing room. "Heigh Ho, Everybody, Heigh Ho," "Who Wouldn't Be Jealous of You," and "... See full summary »
Director: Bryan Foy | Star: Rose Marie
Votes: 220
A Vitaphone Varieties (a WB nameplate) production
* filmed on the Brooklyn Vitaphone sound stage
25. The Sea Beast (1926)
136 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
This silent movie is based on Melville's classic Moby Dick. Ahab and his brother compete for the affections of minister's daughter Esther. But the great white whale has been eluding the ... See full summary »
Director: Millard Webb | Stars: John Barrymore, Dolores Costello, George O'Hara, Mike Donlin
Votes: 218 | Gross: $0.80M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
26. Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929)
Passed | 101 min | Comedy, Musical
Three Broadway chorus girls seek rich husbands.
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: Nancy Welford, Conway Tearle, Winnie Lightner, Ann Pennington
Votes: 212 | Gross: $5.54M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
27. Three Women (1924)
83 min | Drama
A frivolous middle-aged socialite is suddenly put upon to have her daughter live with her. Her conniving paramour dumps her for her daughter, leaving her young boyfriend crushed.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Pauline Frederick, May McAvoy, Marie Prevost, Lew Cody
Votes: 240 | Gross: $0.75M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
28. So Long Letty (1929)
64 min | Comedy, Musical
Uncle Claude comes to the Ardmore Beach Hotel to see Tommy and his wife. At the hotel, with his two granddaughters Ruth and Sally, Uncle Claude meets a wise talking employee named Letty ... See full summary »
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Charlotte Greenwood, Claude Gillingwater, Grant Withers, Patsy Ruth Miller
Votes: 189
Warner Bros. Pictures production
29. Say It with Songs (1929)
Passed | 95 min | Drama, Musical
Joe Lane kills another man in a fistfight after learning that the man has made improper advances towards his wife. Joe goes to prison for the murder. When Joe gets out of prison, he visits ... See full summary »
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Al Jolson, Davey Lee, Marian Nixon, Holmes Herbert
Votes: 156
Warner Bros. Pictures production
30. Glorious Betsy (1928)
Passed | 80 min | Drama, History
The real-life courtship, marriage, and forced breakup of Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, and his rich wife from the American south, Elizabeth Patterson. Napoleon did not approve of the union and fixes him up with another girl.
Director: Alan Crosland | Stars: Dolores Costello, Conrad Nagel, John Miljan, Marc McDermott
Votes: 158
Warner Bros. Pictures production
31. The Barker (1928)
Passed | 80 min | Drama
A carnival barker wants his son to become a lawyer, but his son gets side-tracked into joining the carnival too.
Director: George Fitzmaurice | Stars: Milton Sills, Dorothy Mackaill, Betty Compson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Votes: 123
First National Pictures (a WB nameplate) production
* filmed on the Warner Bros. studio lot
32. The Desert Song (1929)
Passed | 123 min | Action, Musical, Romance
The Desert Song is a 1929 American Pre-Code operetta film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring John Boles, Louise Fazenda, and Myrna Loy.
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: John Boles, Carlotta King, Louise Fazenda, Johnny Arthur
Votes: 126
Warner Bros. Pictures production
33. Where the North Begins (1923)
75 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A German Shepherd puppy is "adopted" by a wolf pack in the snowy and frozen Great North and raised by them as one of their own. A few years later he comes upon a fur trapper and saves the ... See full summary »
Director: Chester M. Franklin | Stars: Rin Tin Tin, Claire Adams, Fred Huntley, Walter McGrail
Votes: 135 | Gross: $0.86M
Warner Bros. Pictures production
34. Main Street (1923)
90 min | Drama
The arrival of pretty Carol Milford in the staid Midwestern town of Gopher Prairie really shakes up the locals.
Director: Harry Beaumont | Stars: Florence Vidor, Monte Blue, Harry Myers, Robert Gordon
Votes: 19
Another 1920s Warner Bros. Production Not Listed
Warner Bros.' Main Street (as the pictured example)
35. General Crack (1929)
Passed | 97 min | Action, Drama, History
A nobleman marries a gypsy woman, but while at court he falls in love with a princess.
Director: Alan Crosland | Stars: John Barrymore, Lowell Sherman, Marian Nixon, Armida
Votes: 74
Warner Bros. Pictures production
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