Alias Jimmy Valentine
| Alias Jimmy Valentine | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jack Conway |
| Written by | O. Henry (story:A Retrieved Reformation) Paul Armstrong (play) A. P. Younger (adaptation) Sarah Y. Mason (writer) Joseph Farnham (intertitles) |
| Starring | Lionel Barrymore William Haines |
| Music by | William Axt |
| Cinematography | Merritt Gerstad |
| Editing by | Sam Zimbalist |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | November 15, 1928 |
| Running time | 8 reels; 2176 meters (silent version) 8 reels; 2378.35 meters (part-talkie version) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | *Silent English dialogue (part-talkie version) |
Alias Jimmy Valentine is a 1928 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film directed by Jack Conway, and starring William Haines, Leila Hyams, Lionel Barrymore, and Karl Dane. It is sourced from the O. Henry story,A Retrieved Reformation which was turned into the 1910 play Alias Jimmy Valentine by Paul Armstrong. The play toured in travelling production companies making it extremely popular. It was revived on Broadway in 1921.[1] Released on 15 November 1928, the film was MGM's first all-talking movie. Two previous film versions were made in 1915 and in 1920 at the old Metro Studios with Bert Lytell. This film is now considered a lost film.[2] However a private collector in England is rumored to own a 35mm nitrate print.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Cast
- William Haines - Jimmy Valentine
- Lionel Barrymore - Doyle
- Leila Hyams - Rose
- Karl Dane - Swede
- Tully Marshall - Avery
- Howard C. Hickman - Mr. Lane
- Billy Butts - Bobby
- Evelyn Mills - Little Sister
- Dolores Brinkman - Chorus girl
- Johnny Hines - Bit part
[edit] Plot
Jimmy Valentine is the alias of an infamous safe cracker who has just been sentenced to prison for four years for his crimes. He does not stay locked up for long, though, as he is released after ten months. When he is released, he packs his state of the art, custom robbery tools and commits several more robberies. Ben Price, the detective who put him away the first time is called to the case, but although he knows it is Jimmy, (because of the style the crimes were committed with.) he cannot find him. Jimmy has actually fled and he is currently in the small town of Elmore, Arkansas, with plans to rob the local bank there.
However, he finds himself love struck by the banker's beautiful daughter, Annabel Thomas, and begins to fall in love with her. In order to get such a beautiful girl, he decides to turn over a new leaf and give up his criminal career and take another alias, Ralph D. Spencer. "Ralph" opens a shoe making store and is very successful in doing so. He even begins to like his new life, and easily wins Annabel's heart, becoming engaged to her. He writes a letter to an old friend, and tells him to meet him in Little Rock, where he will give him his robbery tools he doesn't need anymore. On the day of the exchange, however, the banker shows the town his new safe, that cannot be broken into. Annabel's nieces are amazed at the sheer size of it, and begin to walk in and out of it.
Unfortunately, one accidentally shuts the door, locking the other inside. Everyone panics, as the banker has not set the combination yet, and Annabelle begs "Ralph" to do something. This is hard for Valentine, as Ben Price has also tracked him down, and watches to see his decision. As Jimmy has tried so hard to start over, he finds himself making a very difficult decision. However, he decides that there is only so much air in the safe, and if he does not take action, the terrified child may suffocate. Valentine pulls out his bag of tools and breaks the safe open in a matter of seconds, amazing the banker, and saving the child. (He ironically broke his own record in his haste.) Jimmy knows that since he has revealed his identity, he must leave. As he is leaving, he decides that he may as well go to prison and he surrenders to Ben. However, Ben, who knows that Valentine has truly changed, tells Jimmy he should go to Little Rock, and leaves, pretending that he never saw him.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Alias Jimmy Valentine at IMDB
- Alias Jimmy Valentine at TCM Movie Database
- Alias Jimmy Valentine; allrovi.com / synopsis
- Alias Jimmy Valentine lobby card
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