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Tuesday, July 10, 2018

GUILTY HANDS (1931)

After a two-year shot at directing, Lionel Barrymore gave in to the inevitable, winning an Academy Award playing a defense attorney whose headstrong daughter Norma Shearer falls for his most dangerous client, mob man Clark Gable in A FREE SOUL/’31. (O. J. Simpson’s infamous defense about those ill-fitting ‘gloves’ comes straight out of this film . . . but with a hat!) A huge triumph not repeated in this copycat follow up. Here, Barrymore’s a District Attorney with a headstrong daughter engaged to sleazy client Alan Mowbray, a womanizing sadist Barrymore says he’d kill before letting a marriage take place. And with the creep’s mistress (Kay Francis) one of the many guests on his island retreat for the wedding, he’s got a perfect candidate to take the fall as murderer. Director Woody Van Dyke, in early Talkie mode here, tosses up the occasional startling camera move as cover, but its mostly stiff & stagy, a Dark Old House/Murder Mystery filmed like a play. (Even using old-fashioned theatrical machinery for thunder & lightning effects.) Early on, Kay Francis shows a bit of modern glam & sex appeal, Paramount style (her home studio at the time), but it doesn’t last. Everything creaks, even for 1931, including a corny twist-ending to settle all scores.

WATCH THIS, NOT THAT/LINK: As mentioned above, A FREE SOUL.  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2011/07/free-soul-1931.html

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The film does show a side of Lionel that’s a bit like his glamorous kid brother John. A spark usurped next year by Jack when he came over and joined Lionel @ M-G-M.

CONTEST: What surprising connection could there be between this film & a certain Astaire/Rogers’ musical? Name the film & the specific connection to win a MAKSQUIBS Write-Up of your choice.

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