Beyond Victory
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''Beyond Victory'' is a 1931 American
pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, 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 censorshi ...
war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...
starring Bill Boyd,
James Gleason James Austin Gleason (May 23, 1882 – April 12, 1959) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter born in New York City. Gleason often portrayed "tough-talking, world-weary guys with a secret heart-of-gold." Life and career Gleason w ...
,
Lew Cody Lew Cody (born Louis Joseph Côté; February 22, 1884 – May 31, 1934) was an American stage and film actor whose career spanned the silent film and early sound film age. He gained notoriety in the late 1910s for playing "male vamps" in films ...
, and
ZaSu Pitts Zasu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas, including Erich von Stroheim's epic 1924 silent film ''Greed'', and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the ...
. While
John Robertson John, Jon, or Jonathan Robertson may refer to: Politicians United Kingdom politicians * J. M. Robertson (John Mackinnon Robertson, 1856–1933), British journalist and Liberal MP for Tyneside 1906–1918 *John Robertson (Bothwell MP) (1867–1926) ...
received directing credit,
Edward H. Griffith Edward H. Griffith (August 23, 1888 – March 3, 1975)F ...
supposedly took extensive re-takes after production ended and the film was deemed not audience ready. Two actresses with major roles in the original version were completely cut from the final release,
Helen Twelvetrees Helen Marie Twelvetrees ( Jurgens; December 25, 1908 – February 13, 1958) was an American actress. She starred in Hollywood films in the sound film era from 1929 to 1939. Many of her roles were of "suffering women". She has a star on the Holly ...
and
June Collyer June Collyer (born Dorothea Heermance, August 19, 1906 – March 16, 1968) was an American film actress of the 1920s and 1930s. Early life Born in New York City, Collyer chose to use her mother's maiden name when she decided to pursue acti ...
. The original screenplay was written by
Horace Jackson Horace Jackson (March 29, 1898 – January 26, 1952) was an American Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of the silent film, silent and sound film eras. Jackson also worked as a set designer early in his career. Life and career Born Horace Ath ...
and James Gleason. While the film might not have made a profit at the box office, it was well received by critics.


Plot

On the Western Front during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, an American battalion advances to the French town of Nevremont, where it is outflanked. Sergeant Bill Thatcher (Bill Boyd) is left in charge of a small
rear guard A rearguard is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more ...
of four men to cover the battalion's retreat before it is cut off. During heavy shelling, Bill tries to comfort his men after each is wounded. The first, "Bud" (Russell Gleason), relates his story of how he joined the military, leaving the family farm to enlist, despite his mother's pleas for him not to become involved in foreign conflicts. As he finishes his story, he dies. The second
doughboy Doughboy was a popular nickname for the American infantryman during World War I. Though the origins of the term are not certain, the nickname was still in use as of the early 1940s. Examples include the 1942 song "Johnny Doughboy Found a Rose in ...
, Lew Cavanaugh (Lew Cody), is a New York playboy who used enlistment as a way to have a final night of pleasure with one of his conquests, never realizing that he would die on a French battlefield. The third American, the unsoldierly Jim Mobley (James Gleason), is not as badly wounded as the other two soldiers and tells his story of his wife's displeasure after he announces his intention to enlist and his own consternation at his inability explain to her why. Thatcher then relates his own story, where he was engaged to a German immigrant back in the United States but did not wed her due to their differences over the "Great War". Shortly after, the Germans attack again, during which Bill and Jim defend their position and blow up a bridge to cover the retreat of their battalion, but are badly wounded. A German soldier tries to bayonet the unconscious Bill but is stopped by another soldier. Both are captured and sent to a German hospital, where Bill is discovered by his erstwhile fiancé, Katherine (Lissi Arna). She saves his life by persuading the German doctor to allow Bill, slowly bleeding to death but not allowed a transfusion because too many German patients are in need of one, to be transfused with her blood. After the
armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...
, with Bill recovered and decorated along with Jim for the defense of Nevremont, they celebrate the end of the fighting with Katherine.


Cast

* Bill Boyd as Sergeant Bill Thatcher *
James Gleason James Austin Gleason (May 23, 1882 – April 12, 1959) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter born in New York City. Gleason often portrayed "tough-talking, world-weary guys with a secret heart-of-gold." Life and career Gleason w ...
as Private Jim Mobley *
Lew Cody Lew Cody (born Louis Joseph Côté; February 22, 1884 – May 31, 1934) was an American stage and film actor whose career spanned the silent film and early sound film age. He gained notoriety in the late 1910s for playing "male vamps" in films ...
as Lew Cavanaugh *
ZaSu Pitts Zasu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas, including Erich von Stroheim's epic 1924 silent film ''Greed'', and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the ...
as Mademoiselle Fritzi *
Marion Shilling Marion Helen Schilling (December 3, 1910 – November 6, 2004) was an American stage and film actress. She was one of the most famous " B" leading ladies of the 1930s. Biography Marion Helen Schilling was born in Denver, Colorado in 1910. He ...
as Ina *
Russell Gleason Russell Gleason (February 6, 1908 – December 25, 1945) was an American actor who began his career at the very beginning of the talking film era. Born into an acting family, one of his earliest roles was in the 1930 classic film, ''All Quiet on ...
as Russell ("Bud") * Lissi Arna as Katherine *
Mary Carr Mary Carr (née Kenevan; March 14, 1874 – June 24, 1973), was an American film actress and was married to the actor William Carr. She appeared in more than 140 films between 1915 and 1956. She was given some of filmdoms plum mother roles in ...
as Mother * Fred Scott as Fred *
Theodore Von Eltz Theodore von Eltz (November 5, 1893 – October 6, 1964) was an American film actor, appearing in more than 200 films between 1915 and 1957. He was the father of actress Lori March. Von Eltz was a Yale University professor's son. After 12 ...
as Major Sparks (Cast list as per
AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...
database)


Production

The film was announced as part of
Pathé Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French people, French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest ...
's 30-picture schedule for 1930–31 in February 1930. It was considered the premier film of Pathé's schedule for the season. Boyd was attached to the project by the end of February, as part of his new deal with Pathé, in which he would only appear in Pathé "specials". ''Beyond Victory'' was to be the first film of that new deal. James Gleason was added to the cast in a featured role in March 1930. It was the first film for Gleason under his new exclusive long-term contract with Pathé. At the same time, it was revealed that John Robinson would be helming the film. Robert Armstrong was attached to the picture in early April. Also in early April, it was announced that Mauri Grashin had been signed as screenwriter to a long-term contract by Pathé, and ''Beyond Victory'' would be his first project. In June 1930, it was reported that
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 ...
had been signed for a featured role in the film, and Zasu Pitts involvement with the picture as a knife-throwing entertainer was revealed, along with James Gleason's participation. In mid-June, Charles O'Loughlin was announced as the sound engineer on the project, although the final version included work from four sound engineers. ''
The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...
'' reported that the film's producer, E.B. Derr, in conjunction with the director, John Robertson, took an unusual step and had each sequence in the film written by a different screenwriter. The writers included James Seymour, James Gleason,
Lynn Riggs Rollie Lynn Riggs (August 31, 1899 – June 30, 1954) was an American author, poet, playwright and screenwriter. His 1931 play ''Green Grow The Lilacs'' was adapted into the landmark 1943 musical ''Oklahoma!''. Early life Riggs was born on a ...
,
Thomas Lennon Thomas Patrick Lennon (born August 9, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, director, and novelist. He plays Lieutenant Jim Dangle on the series ''Reno 911!'' Lennon is an accomplished screenwriter of several major st ...
, Mauri Grashin, and Garret Fort. The concept was to have five independent stories intertwined around a central theme. In Glason's adaptation, he wrote a role into the final version of the script for himself. By early May pre-production on the film was almost completed. And production on the film had begun by the middle of May. Also in May, the film was scheduled to be released on July 13, 1930. In early June, Robert Armstrong was replaced by
Lew Cody Lew Cody (born Louis Joseph Côté; February 22, 1884 – May 31, 1934) was an American stage and film actor whose career spanned the silent film and early sound film age. He gained notoriety in the late 1910s for playing "male vamps" in films ...
. Armstrong was delayed on the production of ''Railroad Man''. By June 15, 1930, the cast had grown to include William Boyd, Fred Scott, James Gleason, Russell Gleason,
June Collyer June Collyer (born Dorothea Heermance, August 19, 1906 – March 16, 1968) was an American film actress of the 1920s and 1930s. Early life Born in New York City, Collyer chose to use her mother's maiden name when she decided to pursue acti ...
,
Helen Twelvetrees Helen Marie Twelvetrees ( Jurgens; December 25, 1908 – February 13, 1958) was an American actress. She starred in Hollywood films in the sound film era from 1929 to 1939. Many of her roles were of "suffering women". She has a star on the Holly ...
, Zasu Pitts,
Purnell Pratt Purnell Pratt (October 20, 1885 – July 25, 1941) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1914 and 1941. He was born in Bethel, Illinois and died in Hollywood, California. Partial filmography * ''The Great D ...
, and
Bert Roach Egbert "Bert" Roach (August 21, 1891 – February 16, 1971) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 320 films between 1914 and 1951. He was born in Washington, D.C., and died in Los Angeles, California, age 79. Selected filmogra ...
. The following week,
Richard Tucker Richard Tucker (August 28, 1913January 8, 1975) was an American operatic tenor and cantor. Long associated with the Metropolitan Opera, Tucker's career was primarily centered in the United States. Early life Tucker was born Rivn (Rubin) Ticker ...
was added to the cast. Production on the film was almost complete by the end of June. On June 26, the final cast list was reported. Additions to the cast were:
William Holden William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor, and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film ''Stalag 17'' (1953) ...
,
E.H. Calvert Elisha Helm Calvert (born William Helm; June 27, 1863 – October 5, 1941) was an American film actor and director. He appeared in more than 170 films, as well as directing a further 60 titles. Biography He was born William Helm in Madison, Wi ...
, Fred Walton,
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 ...
,
Rockliffe Fellowes Rockliffe St. Patrick Fellowes (17 March 1884 – 28 January 1950),''Who Was Who on Screen'' c.1977 by Evelyn Mack Truitt..Retrieved 22 June 2018 was a Canadian actor born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He starred in films such as ''Regenerati ...
, Helen Baxter, George Stone, Elinor Millard, Ed Deering,
Bert Sprotte Bert Sprotte (9 December 1870 – 30 December 1949) was a German actor. He appeared in more than 70 American films between 1918 and 1938. He was born in Chemnitz, Saxony, and died in Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los ...
, Conrad Seidemann, Paul Weigle, and
Charles Giblyn Charles Giblyn (September 6, 1871 – March 14, 1934) was an American film director and actor of the silent era. He directed nearly 100 films between 1912 and 1927. He also appeared in 23 films between 1914 and 1934. He was one of the foun ...
. Millard was a stage actress, and this movie was her film debut. In addition to the unusual script development strategy used by Pathé, they also employed a U.S. Army Colonel, Frank S. Long, as a technical advisor on the film. A new type of silencer for the camera was employed on the picture, allowing a close-up of Boyd's hand signing a document to pick up the pen's scratching noise on the paper. The film included actual war footage from Pathé's film library, which at the time had one of the most extensive collections of World War I footage. While the film's main cinematography was done by Norbert Brodine, William Dietz was hired to do some special trick photography. By July 11, 1930, production on the film was completed. By the end of the month, the picture was in the editing room. However, on July 23 it was announced that the film was being shelved for the time being, with portions to be re-shot. By August 21, the film was being advertised in major industry journals. In the released version of the film, scenes with Helen Twelvetrees and June Collyer were completely cut. In October it was announced that the film was scheduled for release on November 30, with the film undergoing some large re-shoots under the direction of E.H. Griffith. However, the film went back into the editing room in early December. The film's release date was eventually pushed back to be included in the 1931 release schedule. Pathé cut its planned 20 films for the 1930–31 schedule to 9, with ''Beyond Victory'' scheduled as the last of the nine. The reason cited was Pathé's acquisition by
RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...
. ''Beyond Victory'' was one of three Pathé films which were purchased outright by RKO.


Reception

The reviews of the film were mixed. ''
The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...
'' called it a "Fairly good war drama", highlighting the good performance of Marion Shilling. However, the magazine issued a retraction a short time later, noting that they meant to compliment the acting work of Lissi Arna, not Shilling. This sentiment was echoed by the ''
Motion Picture Magazine ''Motion Picture'' was an American monthly fan magazine about film, published from 1911 to 1977.Fuller, Kathryn H. “Motion Picture Story Magazine and the Gendered Construction of the Movie Fan.” ''At the Picture Show: Small-Town Audiences a ...
'', which called it a "War picture to talk about...." On the other hand, the ''
Motion Picture Herald The ''Motion Picture Herald'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1931 to December 1972.Anthony Slide, ed. (1985)''International Film, Radio, and Television Journals'' Greenwood Press. p. 242. It was replaced by the ''QP Herald ...
'', described it as a "mixed-up affair, pacifist in theme, and in acting, story, direction and other departments woefully amateurish."


Notes

Despite her scenes being cut, Helen Twelvetrees was part of a tie-in marketing campaign of the film and Outdoor Girl Face Powder. Richard Tucker, playing an American officer overseas in World War I was an actual officer in the
American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...
during the war. James Gleason was also an army veteran, having served during the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
. Schilling's work on the film garnered her a long-term contract with Pathé. Bill Boyd was married to
Dorothy Sebastian Dorothy Sebastian (born Stella Dorothy Sabiston; April 26, 1903The book ''Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory'' gives Sebastian's date of birth as April 26, 1907. – April 8, 1957) was an American film and stage actress. Ear ...
during the filming of the picture, with the couple delaying their honeymoon until the Spring of 1931.


References


External links

* * {{John S. Robertson 1931 films RKO Pictures films Pathé Exchange films American black-and-white films 1931 war films Films directed by John S. Robertson American World War I films American war films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films