''Dynamite'' is a 1929 American pre-Code

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

produced and directed by

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cinem ...

and starring

Conrad Nagel John Conrad Nagel (March 16, 1897 – February 24, 1970) was an American film, stage, television and radio actor. He was considered a famous matinée idol and leading man of the 1920s and 1930s. He was given an Academy Honorary Award in 1940 and ...

Kay Johnson Catherine Townsend Johnson (November 29, 1904 – November 17, 1975) was an American stage and film actress. Family Johnson was born in Mount Vernon, New York. Her father was architect Thomas R. Johnson, who worked in the firm of Cass Gil ...

, Charles Bickford, and

Julia Faye Julia Faye Maloney (September 24, 1892 – April 6, 1966), known professionally as Julia Faye, was an American actress of silent and sound films. She was known for her appearances in more than 30 Cecil B. DeMille productions. Her various roles ...

. Written by Jeanie MacPherson,

John Howard Lawson John Howard Lawson (September 25, 1894 – August 11, 1977) was an American writer, specializing in plays and screenplays. After starting with plays for theaters in New York City, he worked in Hollywood on writing for films. He was the first pres ...

, and

Gladys Unger Gladys Buchanan Unger (September 16, 1884 or 1885 – May 25, 1940) was an American author who also lived in England, and who wrote plays for Broadway and the West End, as well as screenplays for Hollywood. She was the author of well over a dozen ...

, the film is about a convicted murderer scheduled to be executed, whom a socialite marries simply to satisfy a condition of her grandfather's will. Mitchell Leisen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction.

Plot

Coal miner Hagon Derk is sentenced to hang for murder. His only concern is for his young sister Katie, who will be left all alone. Frivolous socialite Cynthia Crothers has her own troubles. By the terms of her grandfather's will, if she is not married by her twenty-third birthday (only a month away), she will not inherit his millions and will be left penniless. She is "engaged" to Roger Towne, but he is married to Marcia. Marcia has her own lover, Marco, and is willing to grant Roger a divorce ... for the right price. The two women haggle behind Roger's back and settle on $100,000. Hagon, desperate to provide for Katie, offers his body for $10,000 in a newspaper ad. Cynthia offers him the money in exchange for him marrying her. He accepts. Just minutes before Hagon's execution though, the real killer is goaded into attacking a man with a gun and is fatally shot. He confesses before dying, and Hagon is released. Hagon goes to see his stunned wife. When her friends show up to party the night away, he sees Cynthia writing a $25,000 check as a down payment to Marcia and discussing the terms of their agreement. Hagon grabs the check stashed in Marcia's garter and shows it to Roger as proof that he has been made a pawn. Roger tells Cynthia that he will settle with Marcia himself, but if Cynthia gives her the check, they are through. Cynthia rips up the check as Marcia threatens to expose the plot. The pair go downstairs where Cynthia reveals that she married another man. When Hagon reveals he is her husband, Cynthia is made a laughingstock. Hagon throws out the partygoers, which frightens the men and arouses the women. Cynthia shows little appreciation for his saving her from the mockery and locks herself in her room. Hagon breaks down her door. After a brief confrontation, Hagon flings $10,000 at her and leaves. When Cynthia is informed that she must actually be living with her husband on her birthday, she drives to his mining town. He refuses to go back to her apartment, so she persuades him to let her stay with him. He agrees on condition that she cook and clean, just like a real wife, and locks up her fancy car in his tool shed. Her first attempt at preparing a meal is a dismal failure. Katie kindly helps out and keeps it a secret from Hagon, but Cynthia confesses. Hagon tells her it is the first honest thing he has seen her do. The next day, while shopping at the local store, Cynthia buys a gift for a young boy. His mother objects, but the child runs away with his present and is hurt in a traffic accident. The doctor says that only a brain specialist in the city can save him, but the boy only has hours to live. Cynthia breaks into the tool shed, speeds away in her car and returns with the specialist. The child is saved. Hagon returns from work to find the door of his tool shed demolished and learns that Cynthia withdrew $2,000 from the bank (to pay the specialist). He assumes that she got tired of his way of life and went to see Roger. When Hagon demands an explanation, Cynthia is too disheartened to reply. She telephones Roger to come for her. However, the child's mother tells Hagon what Cynthia has done. When Roger shows up, he insists on seeing Hagon before leaving. They go down into the mine to find him. A cave-in traps the trio with only fifteen minutes worth of air. Hagon finally confesses he loves Cynthia. Then he realizes there is a way out. He quickly packs a stick of dynamite into a wall; there is another chamber on the other side with enough air to sustain them until they can be rescued. However, without a fuse cap, someone will have to strike the dynamite with a sledgehammer to set it off. After arguing, the two men toss a coin for the privilege. Roger "wins", but Hagon wrestles the sledgehammer away from him. After Cynthia whispers something to Roger, he tells Hagon that Cynthia wants to say goodbye to him. When Hagon goes to Cynthia, he asks her to get on with saying what she needs to say. Confused, she reveals that she said she loves Hagon. With the two safely out of the way, Roger sets off the dynamite and is blown to pieces. As Hagon carries Cynthia into the opened chamber, he tells her that he was wrong about Roger - that he was a brave man after all.

Cast

as Roger Towne *

as Cynthia Crothers * Charles Bickford as Hagon Derk *

as Marcia Towne * Muriel McCormac as Katie Derk * Joel McCrea as Marco * Robert Edeson as First Wise Fool * William Holden as Second Wise Fool * Henry Stockbridge as Third Wise Fool * Leslie Fenton as Young "Vulture" Firing Gun *

Barton Hepburn Barton Hepburn (February 28, 1906 – October 9, 1955) was an American actor who specialized in drama and comedy. Early life Hepburn was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was heir to a New York banking fortune. He was a son of Charles Fi ...

as Young "Vulture" Confessing Crime * Ernest Hilliard as Good Mixer *

June Nash June C. Nash (May 30, 1927 – December 9, 2019) was a social and feminist anthropologist and Distinguished Professor Emerita at the City University of New York (CUNY). She conducted extensive field work throughout the United States and Lati ...

as Good Mixer *

Judith Barrett Judith Barrett (born Lucille Kelley, February 2, 1909 – March 10, 2000), also known as Nancy Dover, was an American film actress of the late 1920s and through the 1930s, up until 1940. Early life Born and raised in Venus, Texas, Barrett was on ...

as Good Mixer * Neely Edwards as Good Mixer * Marjorie Zier as Good Mixer * Rita La Roy as Good Mixer * Tyler Brooke as The Life of the Party * Clarence Burton as Police Officer * Jim Farley as Death Row Police Officer * Robert T. Haines as The Judge * Douglas Scott as Bobby Smith * Jane Keckley as Bobby's Mother *

Blanche Craig Blanche Craig (January 6, 1866 – September 23, 1940) was an American actress. Biography Blanche Craig was born on January 6, 1866, in Cutler, Maine. She appeared in films such as '' The City of Illusion'' (1916), '' The Accidental Honeymoon' ...

as Neighbor (Mrs. Johnson) * Mary Gordon as Neighbor at Store *

Ynez Seabury Ynez Seabury (June 26, 1907 – April 11, 1973) was an American actress of the stage, silent and early sound film era. She began her career as a child actor, making her screen debut in D. W. Griffith's ''The Miser's Heart'' (1911). She appea ...

as Neighbor (Mrs. Johnson's daughter) *

Scott Kolk Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saska ...

as Radio Announcer * Fred Walton as Doctor Rawlins *

Wade Boteler Wade Boteler (October 3, 1888 – May 7, 1943) was an American film actor and writer. He appeared in more than 430 films between 1919 and 1943. Biography He was born in Santa Ana, California, and died in Hollywood, California, from a heart ...

as Mine Foreman (uncredited) *

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...

as Coal Miner (uncredited)

Production

''Dynamite'' was DeMille's first full-length sound film (a silent version was also released simultaneously), and casting the right actors (with adequate voices) proved a difficult process. Development began on the heels of the release of his previous film, '' The Godless Girl'', which had featured hastily added sound footage (now currently unavailable for viewing) and which had been a

box-office disappointment A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...

. Numerous actors were screen-tested by assistant Mitchell Leisen by December 18, 1928, and apart from

Ricardo Cortez Ricardo Cortez (born Jacob Kranze or Jacob Krantz; September 19, 1900 – April 28, 1977) was an American actor and film director. He was also credited as Jack Crane early in his acting career. Early years Ricardo Cortez was born Jacob K ...

and

Monte Blue Gerard Montgomery Blue (January 11, 1887 – February 18, 1963) was an American film actor who began his career as a romantic lead in the silent era; and for decades after the advent of sound, he continued to perform as a supporting player ...

, most of them were B-movie actors. Male actors tested but passed over included Buck Jones,

Bob Custer Bob Custer (born Raymond Anthony Glenn, October 18, 1898 – December 27, 1974) was an American film actor who appeared in over 50 films, mostly Westerns, between 1924 and 1937, including ''The Fighting Hombre'', '' Arizona Days'', '' The La ...

Jason Robards, Sr. Jason Nelson Robards (December 31, 1892 – April 4, 1963) was an American stage and screen actor, and the father of Oscar-winning actor Jason Robards Jr. Robards appeared in many films, initially as a leading man, then in character roles an ...

, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Dean Jagger and

. Actresses tested but passed over included

Carmelita Geraghty Carmelita Geraghty (March 21, 1901 – July 7, 1966) was an American silent-film actress and painter. Early life The daughter of screenwriter Tom Geraghty, she was the sister of writers Maurice and Gerald Geraghty. Her father wrote scenarios ...

, Merna Kennedy, Leila Hyams,

Dorothy Burgess Dorothy Burgess (March 4, 1907 – August 20, 1961) was an American stage and motion-picture actress. Family, education Born in Los Angeles in 1907, Burgess was a niece of Fay Bainter. On her father's side, she was related to David C. Montgome ...

and Sally Blane. His final selections were Charles Bickford and Kay Johnson, primarily known for their stage work. Leisen reportedly tried to interest DeMille in up-and-coming

Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in screwball comedies. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard 2 ...

for Johnson's role; allegedly, she can be glimpsed in the surviving versions of the film.Cady, Brian
''Dynamite''
"Film Article" at

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...

(TCM), Turner Broadcasting System, a subsidiary of Time Warner, Inc., New York, N.Y. Retrieved January 24, 2018. Filming of ''Dynamite'' began on January 29, 1929, and lasted until April 30. Scenes for the silent version were shot beginning on May 28 and ending on June 5. Charles Bickford would later describe the script as "'a mess of corn' with terrible dialogue."Louvich, Simon; Cecil B. DeMille: a life in art; Thomas Dunne, New York, 2007; p. 290

Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet, writer, critic, and satirist based in New York; she was known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. From a conflicted and unhap ...

, who was living in Los Angeles at the time, was commandeered to pen the lyrics for an original song for ''Dynamite''. Her third try, titled "How Am I To Know", and set to music by Jack King, was accepted and featured in the film's prison sequence; after that introduction into the film, the music is used in a foxtrot form by a pianist in an impromptu party given at Johnson's home just after Bickford arrives there (and is hustled out of sight of the guests), a subsequent sequence in the mining town where Johnson teaches Bickford to dance (and they almost kiss) to music coming from Bickford's radio, and also under the film's "The End" credit.

Reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reviewer

Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.Hall, Mordaunt (1929)
"THE SCREEN; Cecil De Mille's First Talker. A Noble Scoundrel"
''Dynamite'' review, ''

'', December 28, 1929. Retrieved January 24, 2018. "Even in the work of the performers, there are moments when they are human beings and then, at times, they become nothing more than Mr. De Mille's puppets", "behaving strangely and conversing in movie epigrams". Nonetheless, Hall approved of the efforts of Johnson ("an accomplished actress") and Bickford ("a splendid performance"), though he could not say the same of Nagel ("does not act up to his usual standard").

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dynamite (Film) 1929 films 1929 romantic drama films American romantic drama films American black-and-white films Films about capital punishment Films directed by Cecil B. DeMille Transitional sound films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1920s English-language films 1920s American films