''A Soldier's Plaything'' 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 ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film with songs directed by

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...

. Warner Bros. filmed it simultaneously in 35mm and in a

widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratio (image), aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ...

process called Vitascope, but it is uncertain whether the Vitascope version was ever released. The film was planned as a full-scale musical comedy, but most of the musical numbers were cut out before general release in the United States, because the public had grown tired of musicals by late 1930. This accounts for the short length of the film. The complete film was released intact in other countries where audiences still appreciated musicals. It is unknown whether a copy of the full version still exists.

Plot

The story takes place towards the end of the first

World War A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

. Georgie Wilson is gambling with some friends. When one of them accuses him of cheating they get into a fight. When Wilson sees his opponent fall down the stairs he assumes he has died. He escapes with his friend, Tim, before the police arrive by joining a parade of men who are enlisting for the army. They end up joining together as Tim made his mind up that he wants to join the Army. They get into trouble with their captain on numerous occasions, leading him to punish them numerous times by making them stable cleaners. When they are stationed at the German town of

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman military post by Drusus around 8 B.C. Its nam ...

, Wilson meets and falls in love with Gretchen Rittner, daughter of an innkeeper. He is unable to propose marriage to her, however, with a murder charging hanging over his head. Eventually, the man he thought he murdered turns up and this allows Wilson to finally marry Gretchen.

Cast

* Ben Lyon as Georgie Wilson *

Harry Langdon Harry Philmore Langdon (June 15, 1884 – December 22, 1944) was an American comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films (where he had his greatest fame), and talkies.Obituary ''Variety'', December 27, 1944, page 39. Life and career Bor ...

as Tim *Lotti Loder as Gretchen Rittner *

Noah Beery Noah Nicholas Beery (January 17, 1882 – April 1, 1946) was an American actor who appeared in films from 1913 until his death in 1946. He was the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor Wallace Beery as well as the father of prominen ...

as Captain John Plover * Fred Kohler as Hank, poker player *

Lee Moran Lee Moran (June 23, 1888 – April 24, 1961) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. Moran was active in vaudeville before he began performing in films at Nestor Studios in 1909. He transcended the silent film era of motio ...

as Corporal Brown *

Frank Campeau Frank Campeau (December 14, 1864 – November 5, 1943) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1911 and 1940 and made many appearances in films starring Douglas Fairbanks. On Broadway, Campeau appeared in ''Rio Gr ...

as Joe, poker player

Preservation status

Only copies of the cut print released in the United States (without most of the musical numbers) seem to have survived. The complete film, which had a running length of 71 minutes, was released intact in other countries where audiences still appreciated musicals. It is unknown whether a copy of the full version still exists.A Soldier's Plaything

References

External links

* * 1930 films Films directed by Michael Curtiz 1930s English-language films American black-and-white films 1930 comedy-drama films Warner Bros. films American comedy-drama films 1930s American films {{1930s-comedy-drama-film-stub