''Second Choice'' is a 1930 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 ...

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

film released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

and starring

Dolores Costello Dolores Costello (September 17, 1903Costello's obituary in ''The New York Times'' says that she was born on September 17, 1905. – March 1, 1979) was an American film actress who achieved her greatest success during the era of silent movies. ...

and

Chester Morris John Chester Brooks Morris (February 16, 1901 – September 11, 1970) was an American stage, film, television, and radio actor. He had some prestigious film roles early in his career, and received an Academy Award nomination for ''Alibi'' ( ...

. The film is notable as being the first (and only film) in which Dolores Costello sang. It is a

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

film. The film was based on the story by Elizabeth Alexander and was adapted for the screen by Joseph Jackson.

Plot

Vallery Grove (Costello) is in love with Don Warren (Morris), but her mother opposes the match because he is poor and has no social standing. Don decides to terminate his engagement to Vallery after attending a party where he meets a spoiled rich girl who is interested in him. Dolores is later introduced to Owen Mallory (Mulhall) who informs her that Don is now planning to marry the spoiled rich girl. Mallory, who has himself been recently jilted, and Vallery find comfort in each other and eventually Owen proposes to Vallery. She finally accepts, and they elope. Once she is married, Vallery discovers that Don has broken off his engagement. She becomes uncertain about her love for Mallory and while her husband is away on business, she invites Don, who is drunk, into her house.

Cast

as Vallery Grove *

as Don Warren *

Jack Mulhall John Joseph Francis Mulhall (October 7, 1887 – June 1, 1979) was an American film actor beginning in the silent film era who successfully transitioned to sound films, appearing in over 430 films in a career spanning 50 years. Early years Mu ...

as Mallory *

Edna Murphy Edna Murphy (November 17, 1899 – August 3, 1974) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 80 films between 1918 and 1933. Murphy was voted "Most Photographed Movie Star of 1925" by '' ScreenLand Magazine''. For part of ...

as Beth Randall *

Ethlyne Clair Ethlyne Clair (born Ethlyne Williamson, November 23, 1904 – February 27, 1996) was an American actress. Clair was born in Talladega, Alabama. A former New York art student, she appeared mostly in silent film, including three Westerns where ...

as Edith Pemberton *

Charlotte Merriam Charlotte Merriam (April 5, 1903 – July 10, 1972) was an American motion picture actress. Career Bessie Charlotte Merriam was the daughter of army colonel Henry Clay Merriam (1879-1955) and born in Fort Sheridan, Illinois. Her film care ...

as Satterlee *James Clemens as Ned Pemberton *

Edward Martindel Edward Martindel (July 8, 1876 – May 4, 1955) was an American stage and film actor who appeared on Broadway and in more than 80 films between 1915 and 1946. Born in Hamilton, Ohio, he was the son of Dr. and Mrs. Frank Martindell. His s ...

as Herbert Satterlee *Henry Stockbridge as Mr. Grove * Anna Chance as Mrs. Grove *

Louise Beavers Louise Beavers (March 8, 1902 – October 26, 1962) was an American film and television actress. From the 1920s until 1960, she appeared in dozens of films and two hit television shows. She was most often cast in the roles of a maid, servan ...

as Maid ''(uncredited)'' *

Louise Lester Louise Lester (August 8, 1867 – November 18, 1952) was an American silent film actress. She was the first female star of Western films. Biography Lester was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 8, 1867. In 1884, Lester headed the Loui ...

- Bit Role ''(uncredited)''

Music

The theme song was called "Life Can Be So Lonesome" and was sung by Dolores Costello in the picture. It was composed by Al Dubin, Joe Burke and M.K Jerome. The theme song was recorded by

Debroy Somers Debroy Somers (born William Henry Somers; 11 April 1890,1939 England and Wales Register in Dublin – 27 May 1952, in London) was a British twentieth-century big band bandleader. He had trained as a musician at the Duke of York's Royal Military S ...

for Columbia and released as part of series of recordings known as "Talkie Tunes Medley".

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 ...

'' wrote that the director held audiences' attention but said of the film's cast, "Jack Mulhall is miscast as Mallory and gives a halting performance. Miss Costello moves slowly and speaks the pseudo-smart lines with uncertainty. Chester Morris grimmaces as usual and never forgets he is the 'heavy,' and neither does the onlooker." ''

Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'' (formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'') was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1884 to 1992. At one time, the ''Press'' was the second larg ...

'' wrote, "When it doesn't try to take itself too seriously, 'Second Choice' ... is what is known in film trade circle as a fairly good 'program' picture." The newspaper said that some dialogue was sometimes "ridiculous" and sometimes "fairly credible". It complained, "If 'Second Choice' had been made as a straight comedy it would have been a much better picture. The combination of comedy, drama and a tinge of melodrama was a little too much for it to swallow."

Preservation status

''Second Choice'' is now considered a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

. No prints are known to exist.

References

External links

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allmovie/synopsis
*Still photographs from the set of lost film ''Second Choice''
photo#1
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photo#2
{{DEFAULTSORT:Second Choice 1930 films Lost American films Films directed by Howard Bretherton Warner Bros. films American black-and-white films American romantic drama films 1930 romantic drama films 1930 lost films 1930s American films