''Blaze o' Glory'' is a 1929 American musical war film directed by

George Crone George Crone (1894–1966), also known as George J. Crone, was an American director and editor, whose career spanned both the silent and sound film eras. He began his career cutting the silent film '' Let's Be Fashionable'' in 1920. Between that f ...

and

Renaud Hoffman Renaud Hoffman (1895–1952) was a German-born American film director, screenwriter and producer of the silent and early sound era. He directed the 1929 musical ''Blaze o' Glory''.Bradley p.76 Selected filmography * '' Strangers of the Night ...

. It stars

Eddie Dowling Eddie Dowling (born Joseph Nelson Goucher; December 11, 1889Date and year of birth as per baptismal records of Precious Blood church, Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where Dowling was christened — February 18, 1976) was an American actor, director, ...

and

Betty Compson Betty Compson (born Eleanor Luicime Compson; March 19, 1897 – April 18, 1974) was an American actress and film producer who got her start during Hollywood's silent era. She is best known for her performances in ''The Docks of New York'' and ...

. The soundtrack survives.''Blaze o'Glory'', soundtrack, as part of Vitaphone collection at archive.org
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Plot

At the stand of his murder trial, defendant Eddie Williams recounts his experiences. In 1917, he had a successful Broadway stage career and marriage to Helen Williams. However, with the

American entry into World War I American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry ...

he was sent to the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

and debilitated by

poison gas Many gases have toxic properties, which are often assessed using the LC50 (median lethal dose) measure. In the United States, many of these gases have been assigned an NFPA 704 health rating of 4 (may be fatal) or 3 (may cause serious or perman ...

when saving an

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...

soldier. After returning home Eddie becomes

unemployed Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the referen ...

, while to his chagrin Helen is able to hold a job. After finding Helen in an affair with her employer Carl Hummel, he shoots Hummel in a fit of rage. The District Attorney reveals that Helen only entered the relationship to gain the job to support Eddie, and they reconcile. Although Eddie confessed to the murder, the jury acquits him.

Cast

as Eddie Williams *

as Helen Williams *

Frankie Darro Frankie Darro (born Frank Johnson, Jr.; December 22, 1917 – December 25, 1976) was an American actor and later in his career a stuntman. He began his career as a child actor in silent films, progressed to lead roles and co-starring roles ...

as Jean Williams *

Henry B. Walthall Henry Brazeale Walthall (March 16, 1878 – June 17, 1936) was an American stage and film actor. He appeared as the Little Colonel in D. W. Griffith's ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915). Early life Henry B. Walthall was born March 16, 1878 on a ...

as Burke *

William B. Davidson William Beatman Davidson (June 16, 1888 – September 28, 1947) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 300 films between 1915 and 1947. Early life Davidson was born in Dobbs Ferry, New York. He attended Columbia University, w ...

as District Attorney (credited as William Davidson) *

Ferdinand Schumann-Heink Ferdinand Schumann-Heink (born 9 August 1893 – 15 September 1958) was a prolific character actor with over 65 films to his credit. Though most of his films were uncredited roles, he wrote the screenplay for the 1930 film ''Mamba''. During t ...

as Carl Hummel *Eddie Conrad as Abie *Frank Sabini as Tony *Broderick O'Farrell

References

External links

* * 1929 films 1929 musical films American musical films American black-and-white films Films directed by Renaud Hoffman American World War I films Western Front (World War I) films Films about chemical war and weapons Courtroom films 1920s American films {{musical-film-stub