Ralph Ince
Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ralph Ince (January 16, 1887 – April 10, 1937) was an American pioneer film actor, director and screenwriter whose career began near the dawn of the silent film era. Ralph Ince was the brother of John Ince and Thomas H. Ince. Ralph Waldo Ince was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the younger of three sons and a daughter raised by English immigrants, John and Emma Ince. Sometime after his birth Ince moved to Manhattan where his entire family was engaged in theater work; his father as a musical agent and mother, sister Bertha and brothers, John and Thomas as actors. Ralph Ince studied art with cartoonist Dan McCarthy and for a while worked as a newspaper cartoonist for the New York World and later magazine illustrator for the New York Mirror and The Evening Telegram. At times over his acting and directing career Ince would continue to contribute cartoons to popular magazines of the day. Early on in his career Ince, who had done some stage acting as a child, was a member of Richard Mansfield's stock company playing parts in The College Widow and Ben Hur. Around 1906 Ince became an animator in the fledgling film industry working for Winsor McCay, but soon turned to acting and joined Vitagraph Studios where he became known for his portrayals of Abraham Lincoln in a series of one reel films. Ince began directing at Vitagraph around 1910 and was officially advanced to the director’s chair in 1912, though he still continued to act in many of his films and throughout his career. Ince would go on to direct some 171 films between 1910 and 1937 and appear in approximately 110 films over nearly the same time period.
Known For
A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?
Little Caesar
Canadian Mountie Philip Curtis is telling Josephine McCloud, with whom he is in love, about a hermit who once saved his life and nursed him back to health. Josephine remains impassive until Philip tells her the hermit's name: Peter God. At the mention of his name, Josephine begs Philip to find Peter and take him a letter she had written to him. Puzzled but not wanting to deny anything to the woman he loves, he sets out to find Peter, but when he does he discovers that Josephine has a connection to Peter that Philip knew nothing about.
The Destroyers
Tammany Burke, young owner of a giant roller coaster, is fighting heavy odds against a syndicate led by financial baron Hughey Cooper. Assisted by his sweetheart, Joan, and her father, Jingles Wellman, formerly a clown, Burke prepares for a sabotage of his machine by syndicate hirelings. In the midst of a great battle the riot squad arrives to arrest the troublemakers, and Burke and his sweetheart are left in happy possession of their roller coaster.
Coney Island
Two friends working a jungle oil field clash when one marries a lady of the evening.
Flaming Gold
Lane and Diane are a young married couple living in a coastal town whose lives are about to be torn apart by an old book of magic.
Hell Bound
Two Hollywood stuntmen compete for the same pretty extra.
Lucky Devils
Gladstone Smith, a fearful young reporter, gets on the wrong side of a murderous criminal and flees to Alaska, along with the killer's wife, who is equally frightened of her husband. But the murderer pursues them to the frozen north and Gladstone must overcome his cowardice in order to overcome his nemesis.
Dynamite Smith
Chorus girl Teena Johnson may be "hard-boiled," but she's no golddigger. Thus, when the father of her wealthy sweetheart Kyle Stannard tries to buy her off, Sally refuses the money. She sticks by Kyle even after he is disinherited and forced to go to work. The financial strain on the young couple's marriage eventually takes its toll, and before long they separate, with Sally returning to the chorus line to square her husband's debts.
Hardboiled
The lovely and wealthy Gladys Barnes is pursued by many young men though she favors the persistent Earle. Her head is turned when her father tells her a foreign Count has written with the request to marry her. An amateur artist Gladys paints a portrait of the Count from a photo but the young men at the studio first tease her and then decide to play a joke on her and her father. Sending a telegram that he is arriving early they all dress as different versions of the Count and comic complications ensue until Gladys realizes her folly and returns to Earle.
Count 'Em
Muriel Flemming secretly marries Graydon Burton before he heads West to make his fortune. Later, when he is about to board a train to return to his wife, he is accused of a murder that was actually committed by crooked attorney Herman Slade.
The Combat
Wallace Phillips is tricked out of his share of his father's fortune by his brother Gordon. Wallace changes places with his brother and manages to fool even Gordon's wife. A lost film.
After Midnight
A prosecutor quits his job and becomes a defense attorney when he finds out that a man he got convicted and executed was actually innocent.
The Mouthpiece
A legendary lawman and his cohorts set out to restore order to the dangerous streets of Tombstone, Ariz.
Law and Order
Two golddiggers go fishing for millionaires in Havana.
Havana Widows
A cautionary tale for aspiring flappers. Five of six reels survive.
Reckless Youth
Civilian Mary Dane and falsely imprisoned Bud Leonard love each other. Lou Rinaldo, who framed Bud to get Mary, and escape-minded King Callahan want to keep him in stir, but convict Bertie and the others, even including the Warden, set events in motion to prove that love and justice will prevail. NB: Prisoner numbers given in lieu of character names in many cast lists for this film do not match the numbers shown on the characters' uniforms, when these can be seen at all, and are not used in dialogue at all.
Numbered Men
A gambler falls for a fake countess.
Men of Chance
A wealthy woman moves to Appalachia to educate illiterate mountaineers, but gets caught up between two feuding families.
Her Man
Based on the David Belasco stage production of the Max Marcin play in which heavyweight-champion Jack Dempsey played the role of the fighter, Tiger: This "behind-the-scenes look of a heavyweight-championship fight" looks much like all of the other boxing films in which the Champ gets involved in a frame-up and is asked to take a dive.
The Big Fight
A bootlegger falls apart when his wife leaves him.