Those Who Dance
| Those Who Dance | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | William Beaudine |
| Produced by | Robert North |
| Screenplay by | Joseph Jackson |
| Story by | George Kibbe Turner |
| Starring |
Monte Blue Lila Lee Betty Compson |
| Cinematography | Sid Hickox |
| Editing by | George Amy |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 75 mins. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Those Who Dance is a 1930 American Pre code crime film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. and directed by William Beaudine. It stars Monte Blue, Lila Lee, William "Stage" Boyd and Betty Compson and is a remake of a 1924 silent film that starred Bessie Love and Blanche Sweet.[1] The story, written by George Kibbe Turner, was based on events which actually took place among gangsters in Chicago.
Synopsis
Monte Blue plays as a police detective who is after a famous gangster (played by William Boyd). He disguses himself and lives in the very house of the famous gangster by pretending he is an out of town gangster who has just murdered someone. He pretends he is the sweetheart of an innocent girl (played by Lila Lee) who suspects her brother has been framed for murder by Monte Blue. Blue's moll, played by Betty Compson, is also in on the conspiracy as she had become fed up with his cheating, lying and brutal treatment. The life of Lee's brother depends, who has been sentenced to the chair, depends on them getting evidence against Boyd.
Foreign Language Versions
Foreign Language Versions were made in Spanish (Los Que Danzan), German (Der Tanz Geht Weiter) and French (Contre-Enquête). They are all apparently lost. Also apparently lost is the original 1924 silent version upon which the 1930 versions were based.
Pre-Code Material
The film contains a lot of pre-code material. Some examples include: Lila Lee's character is called "a professional virgin." Two unmarried couples live together, with the unspoken understanding that this is not true love forever, just a temporary situation for the sake of convenient sex for all parties concerned and hot meals on the table for the men as long as the situation lasts. There is also a gay reference about a man being "that way" about Tim Brady (played by William Janney), etc.
Preservation
The film survives complete. It was transferred unto 16mm film by Associated Artists Productions in the 1950s and shown on television. A 16mm copy is housed at the Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research.[2] Another print exists at the Library of Congress.[3]
Cast
- Lila Lee - Nora Brady
- Monte Blue - Dan Hogan
- William "Stage" Boyd - Diamond Joe Jennings
- Betty Compson - Kitty
- William Janney - Tim Brady
- Wilfred Lucas - Big Ben Benson
- Cornelius Keefe - Pat Hogan
- DeWitt Jennings - Captain O'Brien
- Gino Corrado - Tony
- Bob Perry - Bartender
- Charles McAvoy - Prison Guard
- Kernan Cripps - Detective
- Richard Cramer - Steve Daley
- Harry Semels - Hood
- Nick Thompson - Hood
References
- ↑ White Munden, Kenneth (1997). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1921-1930. University of California Press. p. 802. ISBN 0-520-20969-9.
- ↑ "Those Who Dance". Wisconsinhistory.org. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
- ↑ Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress by The American film Institute, c. 1978