''Grumpy'' is a 1930 American
pre-Code
Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...
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 ...
directed by
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head of ...
(in his directorial debut) and
Cyril Gardner
Cyril (also Cyrillus or Cyryl) is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Greek name Κύριλλος (''Kýrillos''), meaning 'lordly, masterful', which in turn derives from Greek κυριος ('' kýrios'') 'lord'. There are various vari ...
, and released by
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
. The screenplay by Doris Anderson is based on a play by
Horace Hodges and Thomas Wigney Percyval. A
Spanish-language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a global language with more than 500 million native speakers, mainly in the Am ...
version entitled ''Cascarrabias'', written by
Catalan
Catalan may refer to:
Catalonia
From, or related to Catalonia:
* Catalan language, a Romance language
* Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia
Places
* 13178 Catalan, asteroid ...
writer Josep Carner Ribalta (1898–1988) and directed by Gardner, was released by Paramount the same year. The film is a remake of a
1923
Events
January–February
* January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory).
* January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
of the same title.
Plot
The titular character is a temperamental but lovable retired
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
barrister now living in the country with his granddaughter Virginia. Ernest Heron, Virginia's beau, returns from
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
with a valuable diamond, and that night he is attacked and the gem is stolen. The only clue to the perpetrator's identity is a
camellia
''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controvers ...
Ernest is found clutching in his hand.
Suspicion falls upon Chamberlin Jarvis, an acquaintance of Virginia who was a houseguest at the time, and Grumpy follows him when he returns to the city, where he tries to sell the diamond to Berci. Knowing Jarvis is a suspect, Berci turns him away, and the thief, frightened by a confrontation with Grumpy, eventually returns to the country, returns the jewel, and is arrested.
Cast
*
Cyril Maude
Cyril Francis Maude (24 April 1862 — 20 February 1951) was an English actor-manager.
Biography
Maude was born in London and educated at Wixenford and Charterhouse School. In 1881, he was sent to Adelaide, South Australia, on the clipper ship ...
..... Grumpy Bullivant
*
Phillips Holmes ..... Ernest Heron
*
Frances Dade ..... Virginia Bullivant
*
Paul Lukas
Paul Lukas (born Pál Lukács; 26 May 1894 – 15 August 1971) was a Hungarian actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his performance in the film '' Wat ...
..... Berci
*
Paul Cavanagh
William Grigs Atkinson (8 December 1888 – 15 March 1964), known professionally as Paul Cavanagh, was an English film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1928 and 1959.
Life and career
Cavanagh was born in Felling, ...
..... Chamberlin Jarvis
Production
The film marked George Cukor's debut as a
film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...
. Exteriors were filmed in
Kernville, California. Interiors were filmed at Paramount's
Astoria Studios
The Kaufman Astoria Studios is a film studio located in the Astoria section of the New York City borough of Queens. The studio was constructed for Famous Players-Lasky in 1920, since it was close to Manhattan's Broadway theater district. ...
in
Queens, New York
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long Is ...
.
External links
*
''Cascarrabias'' at IMDB
1930 films
1930 crime drama films
Films set in London
Remakes of American films
Sound film remakes of silent films
Films directed by George Cukor
Paramount Pictures films
Films directed by Cyril Gardner
American crime drama films
American multilingual films
American black-and-white films
Films shot at Astoria Studios
1930 multilingual films
1930s English-language films
1930s American films
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