''Captain Swagger'' is a 1928 American silent

crime drama film In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

directed by

Edward H. Griffith Edward H. Griffith (August 23, 1888 – March 3, 1975)F ...

and stars Rod La Rocque. The film was produced and distributed by the

Pathé Exchange Pathé Exchange, commonly known as Pathé, was an American film production and distribution company, largely of Hollywood's silent era. Known for its groundbreaking newsreel and wide array of shorts, it grew out of the American division of the m ...

company."Details: 'Captain Swagger'."
''The AFI Catalog of Feature Films''. Retrieved: April 10, 2017. Utilizing the RCA Photophone sound-on-film sound system, the film was rereleased in the United States with talking sequences, synchronized music, and sound effects. Captain Swagger lobby card

Plot

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 ...

daring but reckless pilot Hugh Drummond ( Rod La Rocque) who is called "Captain Swagger", is stationed in France. During one fight with the infamous German ace, Baron Von Stahl ( Ullrich Haupt), Hugh shoots him down but due to a sense of chivalry, lands behind enemy lines to pull Von Dictor out of his burning aircraft. Both aviators exchange weapons as a token of friendship. When a German patrol arrives, the Baron even helps Hugh escape. When the war ends, Hugh has trouble establishing himself and after 10 years of a spendthrift life, he goes broke from living beyond his means, and turns to crime in order to make a living. In New York, on his first robbery, however, Hugh meets Sue Arnold ( Sue Carol), an unemployed cabaret dancer, and gallantly escorts her to his apartment rather than robbing her wealthy escort. Hugh and Sue become dancing partners in a cafe. Sue falls in love with Hugh, but worries that he will return to a life in crime when he meets his old nemesis Von Stahl, who really is a thief. Hugh is reformed and with Sue, the two make plans to go through life together.

Cast

* Rod La Rocque as Hugh Drummond ("Captain Swagger") * Sue Carol as Sue Arnold *

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) Ticke ...

as Phil Poole *

Victor Potel Victor Potel (October 12, 1889 – March 8, 1947) was an American film character actor who began in the silent era and appeared in more than 430 films in his 38-year career. Career Victor Potel was born in Lafayette, Indiana in 1889, and hi ...

as Jean * Ullrich Haupt as Baron Von Stahl *

Maurice Black Maurice Black (January 14, 1891 – January 18, 1938) was an American character actor known for his portrayal of mobsters. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1928 to 1938, when he died of pneumonia, four days after his 47th birthday. ...

as Manager, Viennese Club (uncredited) * Ray Cooke as Chauffeur (uncredited) * Charlie Hall as Messenger (uncredited) * William H. O'Brien as Waiter (uncredited)

Production

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

on ''Captain Swagger'' began on June 4, 1928, with location shooting at Clover Airfield, Santa Monica. The aircraft from ''

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expre ...

'' (1927) were used in the production. These included the

Airco DH.4 The Aircraft Manufacturing Company Limited (Airco) was an early British aircraft manufacturer. Established during 1912, it grew rapidly during the First World War, referring to itself as the largest aircraft company in the world by 1918. Ai ...

SPAD S.XIII The SPAD S.XIII is a French biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War, developed by '' Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) from the earlier and highly successful SPAD S.VII. During early 1917, the French designer Louis Bé ...

and

Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qui ...

. The song:"Captain Swagger, All the Girls Adore You," was featured; words and music by Charles Weinberg and Irving Bibo. The film's sets were designed by the art director Edward Jewell.

Reception

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.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 d ...

'', commented on the actors: " 'Captain Swagger' is not only exceptionally entertaining but is also well acted. There are many deft touches in various spots; none of the situations are overdone. Mr. La Rocque plays his part in amiable fashion, giving to it the right amount of humor. Miss Carol, of course, is very pretty and in the rôle of Sue Arnold is more than acceptable." More recent reviews, however, by film historians Stephen Pendo and Michael Paris considered the film "pap".

Preservation status

''Captain Swagger'' is preserved today at the

George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection The George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection in Rochester, New York comprises about 28,000 titles, including features, shorts, documentaries, newsreels, and experimental moving images. The collection is renowned for its holdings of silent f ...

and a Danish Film Institute Archive facility.American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''Captain Swagger''

The Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

. Retrieved: April 10, 2017.

References

Bibliography

* Orriss, Bruce W. ''When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Aviation Film Classics of World War I.'' Los Angeles: Aero Associates, 2013. . * Paris, Michael. ''From the Wright Brothers to Top Gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema.'' Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1995. . * Pendo, Stephen. ''Aviation in the Cinema''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. . * Skogsberg, Bertil. ''Wings on the Screen: A Pictorial History of Air Movies''. London: Tantivy Press, 1987. . * Wynne, H. Hugh. ''The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies''. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987. .

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Captain Swagger 1928 films American silent feature films American aviation films Films directed by Edward H. Griffith Pathé Exchange films American black-and-white films American crime drama films 1928 crime drama films 1920s American films Silent American drama films 1920s English-language films