By Vlad Zakh · September 14, 2026
Oscar Apfel was a pioneering director turned prolific Hollywood character actor who appeared in dozens of films in the 1930s. State’s Attorney risks a corrupt, alcoholic lawyer’s political future for a woman, One Man’s Journey discovers a widowed doctor’s quiet life of caring for others, Marianne romances a French girl promised to a soldier, and Helping Grandma scrambles kids to help their adopted grandmother. The Old-Fashioned Way and Quick Millions round out the list.
01 Oscar Apfel features in this early talkie about a French girl already promised to a soldier at the front who finds herself romanced by an American doughboy.
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard · 1h 51m · Rated NR
Rent or buy: Amazon Video
Rent or buy: Amazon Video
02 Oscar Apfel is in this drama about a widowed small-town doctor who slowly discovers that his quiet life caring for others was never the failure he believed it to be.
Directed by John S. Robertson · 1h 12m · Rated NR
03 Oscar Apfel appears in this John Barrymore drama about a brilliant but corrupt alcoholic lawyer who risks his political future when he falls for a woman he's defending in court.
Directed by George Archainbaud · 1h 19m · Rated NR
Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Buy: Apple TV Store
Buy: Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
04 Oscar Apfel is in this Our Gang short where a group of kids scramble to help their adopted grandmother decide who should take over her beloved store.
Directed by Robert F. McGowan · 0h 21m
05 Oscar Apfel is in this W.C. Fields comedy about a travelling vaudeville troupe led by a shameless con artist who stays one step ahead of bill collectors and the sheriff.
Directed by William Beaudine · 1h 11m
Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
06 Oscar Apfel appears in this early Spencer Tracy film about a lazy truck driver who stumbles into racketeering and, through sheer underhanded ambition, becomes an unlikely pillar of the community.
Directed by Rowland Brown · 1h 12m · Rated NR
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