Ralph Ince
1887 - 1937Ralph 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.
The Cave Man
Ralph Ince, Charles L. Gaskill
Ralph Ince, Edith Storey
After her father dies, Chloe, played by Edith Storey, is left alone in the world. She is discovered and taken home to their cave by brothers Dagban and Eric, who vie for her affection in an allegory about “brain vs. brawn.” When “Dagban threatens to do her bodily harm unless she accedes to his intentions” Eric beats up his brother to protect Chloe, and then subsequently leaves the cave he calls home to avoid further conflict. By this point, he has won Chloe’s affection with his kindness and love, and she decides to follow him and “together they continue their journey, seeking happiness in the land beyond the horizon, which joins earth with heaven.”
The Cave Man
The County Fair
Louis King
Hobart Bosworth, Marion Shilling
A Kentucky horse owner hires an ex-jockey, who is now working as a waiter, to train his thoroughbred race horse for an upcoming race. However, a gambling ring that doesn't want the horse entering the race has other plans.
The County Fair
Yellow Fingers
Emmett J. Flynn
Olive Borden, Ralph Ince
Ralph Ince stars as Brute Shane, a South Pacific trader who has adopted native girl Saina (Olive Broden). When Shane rescues English lass Nona Deering (Claire Adams) from white slavers, the jealous Saina begins plotting Nona's demise.
Yellow Fingers
Hurricane
Ralph Ince
Hobart Bosworth, Johnny Mack Brown
Captain Black and his motley crew of pirates are shipwrecked on a South Sea island, where they hold several shanghaied sailors captive. Black observes the ship commanded by Hurricane Martin approaching and conspires to get his men aboard the vessel and seize the cargo.
Hurricane
Wall Street
Roy William Neill
Ralph Ince, Aileen Pringle
A very topical early talkie from low-budget company Columbia Pictures, Wall Street starred Ralph Ince, brother of producer Thomas H. Ince, as Roller McCray, a steelworker turned ruthless tycoon whose tough business methods leads a rival (Philip Strange) to commit suicide. The widow (Aileen Pringle), believing she can ruin Ince by using his own methods, conspires with her husband's former partner (Sam De Grasse), but a strong friendship between Ince and Pringle's young son (Freddie Burke Frederick) changes things dramatically. According to future Three Stooges director Edward Bernds, who worked as a sound mixer on Wall Street, Ince's reaction to his rival's suicidal jump from a window ledge was changed from a sneering "I didn't think he had the guts" to the more respectful "I didn't think he'd do it" due to derisive laughter from the film's crew.
Wall Street
Guilty as Hell
Erle C. Kenton
Edmund Lowe, Victor McLaglen
Richard Arlen is the convicted murderer and Adrienne Ames his sister who believes in his innocence. We see the murder and the framing set-up at the beginning of the film, so there’s no mystery for the audience to solve. Just the pleasure of watching an intricate cat-and-mouse game, with the murderer one step ahead of his pursuers until the final, tense confrontation.
Guilty as Hell
Dynamite Smith
Ralph Ince
Charles Ray, Jacqueline Logan
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
