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
Edited by George Amy
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Release date
  • April 19, 1930 (1930-04-19) (United States)

(Limited release)

Running time
 75 minutes
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 disguises 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, who has been sentenced to death in the electric chair, depends on them getting evidence against Boyd.

Foreign-language versions

Foreign-language versions were made in Spanish (Los Que Danzan), German The Dance Goes On (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 remastered in the 16 mm format by Associated Artists Productions in 1956 and included in a package of vintage feature films syndicated to television stations. A 16 mm print is housed at the Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research.[2] Another print exists at the Library of Congress.[3]

Cast

The Silver Sheet, a studio publication promoting Thomas Ince Productions, April 1924

References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ "Those Who Dance". Wisconsinhistory.org. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  3. ↑ 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
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