This Day and Age (1933)
This Day and Age (1933)
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC | 4:3 | 720x480 | 6300 kbps | 4.0Gb
Audio: English AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps
01:23:00 | USA | Crime, Drama
DVD5 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC | 4:3 | 720x480 | 6300 kbps | 4.0Gb
Audio: English AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps
01:23:00 | USA | Crime, Drama
Cecil B. DeMille's This Day and Age was perhaps the most Draconian entry in Hollywood's early-1930s "vigilante" film cycle.
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Cast: Charles Bickford, Richard Cromwell, Judith Allen, Harry Green, Bradley Page, Edward J. Nugent, Ben Alexander, Lester Arnold, Michael Stuart, Oscar Rudolph, Mickey Daniels, Fuzzy Knight, George Barbier, Charles Middleton, Warner Richmond, Samuel S. Hinds, Guy Usher, Howard Lang, Louise Carter, Onest Conley, Horace Hahn, John Carradine, Frank Darien, Don 'Red' Barry, Carlyle Blackwell Jr., Wade Boteler, Eddie Boyle, Harry C. Bradley, Veda Buckland, Frank Coghlan Jr.
During Boys' Week at racially integrated North High School, students Steve Smith, Gus Ruffo and Billy Anderson are elected to temporarily hold the city offices of district attorney, judge and chief of police. After Jewish tailor Herman refuses to pay protection money to Louis Garrett, Garrett's gang bombs his store. Herman and the student who was with him survive the blast, but Herman is later murdered by Garrett after he again refuses to pay. Garrett is acquitted of murder charges because he has a perfect alibi. Steve, who had taken the stand during the trial, is humiliated by his experience as a witness because he failed to prove Garrett's guilt. Billy, Gus and Sam Weber decide to investigate for themselves and discover part of a cufflink at the scene of the murder. They break into Garrett's bedroom, but Garrett is tipped off by Morry Dover, a student who is competing with Steve for the affection of Gay Merrick. While at Garrett's club with Gay, Dover introduces her to Toledo, Garrett's thug. Garrett shoots Billy, killing him, and frames Gus for the murder and robbery. After the funeral, Steve blames Gay for telling Dover about the plan to break into Garrett's apartment. He gathers all the student body presidents from neighboring high schools and formulates a plan to arrest Garrett. With the help of hundreds of students, Steve captures Garrett and takes him to a local brickyard for a secret trial. In the meantime, Gay and Dover, in an attempt to redeem themselves, capture Toledo's attentions, although Gay is forced to seduce him. Garrett confesses after the students suspend him over a pit filled with rats, and the mob marches him to city hall, with the assistance of the police, to get a witnessed confession. Meanwhile, the real "big" boss of Garrett's protection racket leaves town. After eluding Toledo, Gay arrives to witness Garrett's arrest. Garrett signs the confession, Gus is released, and Steve, Gay and Dover, sit in a car she temporarily borrowed to get there, listening to a broadcast about themselves until a police officer arrests them for being in a stolen vehicle
This Day and Age (1933)
This Day and Age (1933)
IMDb
1933's "This Day and Age" was certainly an unusual choice for director Cecil B. DeMille, a modern tale of vigilante justice sandwiched between more typical historical assignments such as "The Sign of the Cross" and "Cleopatra." Charles Bickford gets top billing as Louis Garrett, a ruthless gangster well known to authorities, due to his ability to beat the rap every time. After he murders an elderly Jewish tailor much loved at the local high school, then putting a neat frame on an innocent student, the entire student body bands together in an intricate plot to gain a rock solid confession. First, lovely Gay Merrick (Judith Allen) must use her seductive wiles to distract Garrett's number one bodyguard (Bradley Page), while the others kidnap his boss, tie him up, and hold him prisoner over a pit filled with rats! (one wonders how they discovered this weakness, but it's not important). Most of the featured youngsters didn't enjoy successful careers, while certain uncredited ones remained quite busy over the decades, especially Donald Barry and Sidney Miller. Richard Cromwell's career reached a high point here, while Judith Allen went on to play W. C. Fields' daughter in "The Old-Fashioned Way" (reduced to bit parts by 1940). The most interesting billing goes to 'John Peter Richmond,' who would soon permanently change his name to 'John Carradine,' seen (with moustache) only in the opening moments as Assistant Principal Abernathy, who simply announces the names of our most prominent students (this was the only time in the three years he used that name that he was actually billed on screen, 22nd out of 23 players listed). Carradine actually debuted with Richard Cromwell in 1930's "Tol'able David," where he was listed as 'Peter Richmond'; his birth name was 'Richmond Reed Carradine,' but for some reason his mother always called him 'Peter!' Apart from 1956's "The Ten Commandments" (DeMille's last film), Carradine's early work for the director included voiceovers and bits in "The Sign of the Cross," "Cleopatra," and "The Crusades." Other similar efforts from the early 30s included "The Cat's-Paw," where mayor Harold Lloyd conquers big city corruption, and especially "Gabriel Over the White House," where the President himself (Walter Huston) takes the law into his own hands.
~ kevin olzak
This Day and Age (1933)
This Day and Age (1933)
