Esther Howard

Esther Howard

Birth : 1892-04-04, Butte, Montana, USA

Death : 1965-03-08

Profile

Esther Howard
Esther Howard

Movies

Caught on the Bounce
Aunt Tildy
Joe Besser needs money to pay back a loan of $2500 and travels to ask his aunt for the money. She boards the train, along with a man who looks like a wanted bank-robber, and tells Joe she needs $2500 herself and can not help him. Between them they capture the bank robber and split the $5,000 reward.
All That I Have
Mrs. Dalton
Dr. Charles Greyson is a famous and wealthy former surgeon. His nephews have taken him to court to challenge his competency, due to his recent inexplicable gifts of large amounts of cash to the church, and, apparently, to some nefarious scam artists. The film is portrayed as a courtroom drama first painting "Dr. Charlie" as incompetent and easily swindled, then telling his side of events and putting them into context. In the courtroom, and by use of flashback, we hear of Dr. Charlies' move away from impersonal contribution on an institutional level, and preferring to express Christian stewardship directly to people who need it, and by helping spread the word of God by donating to Mission fronts who fight fear, anxiety and destitution around the world. We even find the scam artists having turned a new leaf, and creating new lives for themselves. Message being that all that we are we owe to God, and the profits gained from our God-given abilities require care and thought before sharing.
Caged
Grace (uncredited)
A single mistake puts a 19-year old girl behind bars, where she experiences the terrors and torments of women in prison.
Hellfire
Birdie
Zeb Smith is a gambler with a larcenous streak, but when an itinerant preacher takes a bullet meant for him, Zeb vows to fulfill the preacher's mission of building a church. Frustrated in his attempts to get donations, Zeb attempts to capture fugitive Doll Brown in order to obtain the reward. But he finds that there's more to Doll than meets the eye. When his old friend Bucky McLean shows up gunning for Doll, Zeb sees a chance to redeem them all... one way or another.
The Lady Gambles
Gross Lady
When Joan Boothe accompanies husband-reporter David to Las Vegas, she begins gambling to pass the time while he is doing a story. Encouraged by the casino manager, she gets hooked on gambling, to the point where she "borrows" David's expense money to pursue her addiction. This finally breaks up their marriage, but David continues trying to help her.
Champion
Mrs. Kelly
An unscrupulous boxer fights his way to the top, but eventually alienates all of the people who helped him on the way up.
Homicide
Mrs. Brucker, Landlady
Michael Landers, a police lieutenant, sets out to investigate an intricate murder case. But, the case is closed after the only witness is found dead. Will Michael be able to fathom the mystery?
June Bride
Mrs. Mitchell
A magazine's staff, including bickering ex-lovers Linda and Carey, cover an Indiana wedding, which goes slightly wrong...
The Velvet Touch
Pansy Dupont
After accidentally killing her lecherous producer, a famous actress tries to hide her guilt.
Wedlock Deadlock
Lydia - Betty's Mother
Newlyweds Eddie (Joe DeRita) and Betty (Christine McIntyre) barely moved into their new house before Betty's mother (Esther Howard), aunt (Patsy Moran) and brother (Charles Williams) show up and give every indication of becoming permanent free-loading guests. Dick (William Newell) gives Eddie a plan that will cause his unwanted guests to vacate the premises, by having Dick and his wife, Ruby (Dorothy Granger), move in as Eddie's relatives, and even bigger pests, thereby causing Betty's relatives to move out. The plan works and Eddie and Betty are pleased until Dick announces that he and Ruby have intentions of staying on.
Song of the Thin Man
Sadie (uncredited)
Society sleuths Nick and Nora Charles investigate a murder in a jazz club.
Born to Kill
Mrs. Kraft
Helen Brent has just received a Reno divorce. That night, she discovers her neighbor Laury Palmer and a gentleman caller murdered in Palmer's home. The killer is her neighbor's other boyfriend Sam Wilde, an insanely jealous man who won't abide anyone "cutting in" on him.
Dick Tracy vs. Cueball
Filthy Flora, Dripping Dagger Proprietor
A police detective uses his girlfriend to track down a homicidal maniac.
Without Reservations
Sarah (uncredited)
Kit Madden is traveling to Hollywood, where her best-selling novel is to be filmed. Aboard the train, she encounters Marines Rusty and Dink, who don't know she is the author of the famous book, and who don't think much of the ideas it proposes. She and Rusty are greatly attracted, but she doesn't know how to deal with his disdain for the book's author.
The Falcon's Alibi
Gloria Peabody
A society sleuth sets out on the trail of a society matron's lost jewels.
A Letter for Evie
Mrs. Edgewaters
Evie's co-workers at the uniform shirt factory, and her almost-fiancée's inability to kiss, inspire her to slip a letter into a size sixteen-and-a-half shirt for some anonymous soldier. It's received by "Wolf" Larson, who immediately throws it away, but his sensitive, dreaming--and short--buddy John McPherson snags it, and begins a correspondence with Evie, pretending to be Wolf. But things get complicated when Evie wants to meet her tall, handsome soldier. And even more complicated when Wolf sees Evie and likes what he sees.
Adventure
Woman with Mudgin in bar
A rough and tumble man of the sea falls for a meek librarian.
Detour
Holly
The life of Al Roberts, a pianist in a New York nightclub, turns into a nightmare when he decides to hitchhike to Los Angeles to visit his girlfriend.
The Great Flamarion
Cleo
A beautiful but unscrupulous female performer manipulates all the men in her life in order to achieve her aims.
Murder, My Sweet
Jesse Florian
After being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
Sally (uncredited)
A small-town girl with a soft spot for American soldiers wakes up the morning after a wild farewell party for the troops to find that she married someone she can't remember.
Idle Roomers
Hazel's Roommate (uncredited)
The stooges are working as bellboys in a large hotel when a side show promoter shows up with 'Lupe', a wild wolfman who promptly escapes. The stooges try to capture the wolfman by playing music to calm him, but music makes the wolfman go berserk and soon the stooges are the ones trying to run away. The boys end up caught in an elevator with the wolfman who shoots them into the sky.
True to Life
Woman (uncredited)
A writer for a radio program needs some fresh ideas to juice up his show. For inspiration, he rents a room with a typical American family and begins to secretly write about their true life antics. The show becomes a big hit, but he begins to feel guilty about his charade when he falls in love with the family's pretty older daughter.
The Palm Beach Story
Wife of Wienie King
A New York inventor, Tom Jeffers, needs cash to develop his big idea, so his adoring wife, Gerry (Geraldine), decides to raise it by divorcing him and marrying an eccentric Florida millionaire, J. D. Hackensacker III.
Jackass Mail
Dancehall Girl
An unknowing orphan idolizes the horse thief/mail robber who has shot his father.
My Favorite Blonde
Mrs. Topley
Larry Haines, a mediocre vaudeville entertainer, boards a train for Los Angeles. Aboard, he meets an attractive, blonde British agent carrying a coded message hidden in a brooch—and is being pursued by Nazi agents.
Sullivan's Travels
Miz Zeffie
Successful movie director John L. Sullivan, convinced he won't be able to film his ambitious masterpiece until he has suffered, dons a hobo disguise and sets off on a journey, aiming to "know trouble" first-hand. When all he finds is a train ride back to Hollywood and a beautiful blonde companion, he redoubles his efforts, managing to land himself in more trouble than he bargained for when he loses his memory and ends up a prisoner on a chain gang.
The Lady from Cheyenne
Landlady
Fictionalized story of the 1869 adoption of women's suffrage in Wyoming Territory. In the new-founded railroad town of Laraville, Boss Jim Cork hopes to manipulate the sale of town lots to give him control, but Quaker schoolmarm Annie Morgan bags one of the key lots. Cork's lawyer Steve Lewis tries romancing Annie to get the lot back, finding her so overpoweringly liberated she leaves him dizzy. Still, Steve attains his nefarious object...almost...then has cause to deeply regret having aroused the sleeping giant of feminism!
The Great McGinty
Madame Juliette La Jolla
Told in flashback, Depression-era bum Dan McGinty is recruited by the city's political machine to help with vote fraud. His great aptitude for this brings rapid promotion from "the boss," who finally decides he'd be ideal as a new, nominally "reform" mayor; but this candidacy requires marriage. His in-name-only marriage to honest Catherine proves the beginning of the end for dishonest Dan...
Boobs in the Woods
Mrs. Clyde
Andy's annoying brother-in-law Gus gets him fired from his job, and then tag-a-longs on a vacation with Andy and his wife.
Alex in Wonderland
Blanche - Fred's Wife
In this Warner Bros. short film, Alex visits his sister Belinda and her husband Fred. It looks like Alex is going to be around for a while, much to Fred's displeasure. Alex in is New York to look for a job and he sees an ad for a champagne salesman. He decides to crash a swank party given by railroad tycoon J.D. Swinnerton and his wife. Alex has his own zany way of getting an introduction to the man. Mayhem ensues when several of the guests come as Robin Hood and one of them is a jewel thief.
Ride, Cowboy, Ride
Cactus Kate Ramsey
Dinny and his cowhand friends rescue Laura from a runaway stagecoach after it is robbed by outlaw Pancho Dominguez and his gang. Dinny is attracted to Laura, who isn't interested in him at all. The climax arises when Pancho's gang raids the town and robs the bank.
The Gracie Allen Murder Case
Florist
The zany plot follows nitwit Gracie Allen trying to help master sleuth Philo Vance solve a murder.
Broadway Serenade
Mrs. Fellows
A married singer, pianist/composer team are struggling to hit it big in New York. Finally, they audition before a Broadway producer, but the producer only wants the singer, leaving the husband without a job and feeling a failure.
Swing, Sister, Swing
Miss Fredericks
In this musical comedy, two star-struck small town kids head for the Big Apple and become famous for their jitterbug act. Their fame doesn't last long, but they had fun anyway. Songs include: "Baltimore Bubble," "Gingham Gown," "Just a Bore," "Wasn't It You," "Kaneski Waltz" (Frank Skinner, Charles Henderson).
Marie Antoinette
Streetwalker (uncredited)
The young Austrian princess Marie Antoinette is arranged to marry Louis XVI, future king of France, in a politically advantageous marriage for the rival countries. The opulent Marie indulges in various whims and flirtations. When Louis XV passes and Louis XVI ascends the French throne, his queen's extravagant lifestyle earns the hatred of the French people, who despise her Austrian heritage.
Scandal Street
Birdie Brown
Joe McKnight temporarily leaves his fiancée, Nora Langdon, for an expedition in a South American jungle. Nora gets a position as librarian in the small town of Midberg, where she boards with the Smith family. Nora is befriended by her next-door neighbor Austin Brown, who, unknown to his wife, is engaged in a moneymaking scheme with James Wilson.
Stand-In
Mrs, Mack
An east coast efficiency expert who stakes his reputation on his ability to turn around a financially troubled Hollywood studio receives some help from a former child star who now works as a stand-in for the studio.
Partners in Crime
Mrs. Wagon
Detective Hank Hyer investigates a blackmail case involving a candidate for mayor.
Dead End
Neighbor with Coarse Voice (Uncredited)
Mobster "Baby Face" Martin returns home to visit the New York neighborhood where he grew up, dropping in on his mother, who rejects him because of his gangster lifestyle, and his old girlfriend, Francey, now a syphilitic prostitute. Martin also crosses paths with Dave, a childhood friend struggling to make it as an architect, and the Dead End Kids, a gang of young boys roaming the streets of the city's East Side slums.
Rhythm in the Clouds
Mrs. Madigan
Judy Walker is a poor songwriter who, through mistaken identity, gets her songs played on the radio.
M'Liss
Rose
The third film version of the Bret Harte tale, starring Anne Shirley as a miner's daughter in a small town who falls for a handsome young schoolteacher.
Klondike Annie
Fanny Radler
A San Francisco singer flees Chinatown on murder charges and poses as a missionary in Alaska.
Stars Over Broadway
Mary Sporesgate
An aggressive agent turns a hotel porter into an overnight sensation.
It Always Happens
Mrs. Clyde
While on a business trip, Andy accidentially gets into a compromising position with the wife of a client.
The Misses Stooge
The Hostess
Thelma and Patsy get a job working for a magician.
The Best Man Wins
Mamie
A diver saves his best friend's life but loses his own arm in doing so. Later, unable to find work because of his missing arm, he is forced to go to work for a criminal searching for lost treasures. Meanwhile his friend, who has since become a policeman, finds himself assigned to break up the crook's operation and bring in his gang--including the man who saved his life.
Ready for Love
Aunt Ida
In this fluffy romance, a young woman fights against the narrow-minded residents of her small town. The trouble begins when a young woman flees her boarding school to stay with her retired aunt, a former actress, who try as she might, has never been welcomed into the snobbish community in which she resides. The young woman too, is shunned and ends up being victimized in witchcraft trial and ducked into a pool of water.
Sweepings
Violet's Madame (Uncredited)
Daniel Pardway, starting with almost nothing after the great Chicago fire, builds the biggest department store in town. He wants to pass on the business to his three sons and daughter, but has to deal with their lack of interest or aptitude.
Below the Sea
Lily
A wealthy woman funds an underwater expedition to explore for marine life, but what she doesn't know is that her "colleagues" have other intentions.
Grand Slam
Mary
A Russian waiter in New York City becomes a national celebrity after he develops a "system" for winning at contract bridge.
The Iron Master
Mrs. Stillman
The wealthy owner of an iron foundry dies, and his greedy heirs are outraged when they find out that he left his entire estate not to them but to the foreman of his foundry.
Rackety Rax
'Sister' Carrie
Gambler/racketeer "Knucks" McGloin takes note of just how much money and action (aside from the game itself) takes place around and about the annual Rose Bowl football game, and decides this is one sweet proposition and could be even sweeter if one had his own college and football game and had a large say beforehand as to the outcome of any game this team had. So he ups and creates his own college---Carnasie after his own neighborhood. His gangster rival. Gilatti, thinks this give McGloin a definite inside advantage and, if there is one thing a gambler can't abide, it is that someone has an inside advantage and they are not that someone. Gilatti gets himself a college football team. Education marches on.
Tee for Two
Louisa
A musical revue in which a golfer is knocked unconscious by a golf ball and dreams that the Country Club is loaded with beautiful girls.
Winner Take All
Ann, Joan's Friend
Overworked boxer Jim goes to a health ranch in New Mexico to recover where he falls in love with Peggy and her sickly son. Once recovered, Jim leaves to return to the ring. Can their romance survive the distance?
Merrily We Go to Hell
Vi
A drunken newspaperman, Jerry Corbett, is rescued from his alcoholic haze by an heiress, Joan Prentice, whose love sobers him up and encourages him to write a play, but he lapses back into dipsomania.
The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood
Mrs. Maggie Kelly
The Cohens and the Kellys invade a Hollywood studio after Kitty becomes the darling of the studio.
A Fool's Advice
Mrs. Prescott
An elevator operator invents a machine that he believes can help to defeat a corrupt politician in the city's upcoming mayoral election.
Ladies of the Big House
Clara Newman
A woman tries to save her husband from the electric chair after both are sent to prison for a murder they didn't commit.
The Yellow Ticket
Prisoner
A young Russian girl is forced into a life of prostitution in Czarist Russia, and she and a British journalist find their lives endangered when she reveals to him information regarding the social crimes rampant in her country.
The Vice Squad
Josie
A diplomat is blackmailed by crooked vice cops into helping them frame prostitutes.
Ship Ahoy
The Mother
Two sailors get romantically involved with a mother and daughter.