"I use people like you to move my piano"!! that's Mayme's put down when big man Blake Greeson tries to chat her up. Esther Ralston may have been the nominal female star but Dorothy Revier as Mayme, a feisty gangster's moll has all the best lines and proves a natural for talkies, unlike poor Esther whose blonde beauty is the only thing in her favour. Her role did her no favours, she plays a high society girl and in a typical early talkies "I have an afternoon appointment with the Queen" style!!
George Bancroft in 1930 was Paramount's top dramatic star and had America eating out of the palm of his hand. This part was tailor made and tapped into Bancroft's brashness and larger than life personality. America has just entered the War and Greeson finds the marching soldiers "mugs" but also finds the country's fervor will slot right into his plans for some easy money. The draft catches up with him but going to war doesn't change his cynical attitude - a certain soldier does though!!
Jerry Pattison (Morgan Farley, playing the role as though he is right in the middle of a Victorian melodrama) suffers from nerves and confesses to Greeson he would give anything to approach war and life with Blake's attitude. Blake takes him under his wing (in a completely non sentimental way) and when Pattinson dies a hero he begs Blake to return to his family to explain how he finally overcame his nerves. On the way to the town Blake meets one of his old associates and is more than keen to use the town as a base to perform a series of robberies. Meeting Jerry's sister Louise stirs some dormant finer feelings in him but while the faithful "Dogey" (Raymond Hatton) understands, the ruthless "Shiv" (Warner Oland) thinks it will be better for all concerned if Blake is rubbed out!!!
Bancroft had ridden to popularity on the crest of a trio of von Sternberg gangster films and made a smooth talkie transition with "Thunderbolt". Sternberg seemed the perfect director for him but "The Mighty", directed by John Cromwell, was inferior to the films he had made before. He was at the height of his popularity and by 1930 he was being paid $5,000 to $6,000 a week. Unfortunately it didn't last - he started to believe his own publicity, his ego became colossal and within a couple of years Paramount had washed their hands of him.
George Bancroft in 1930 was Paramount's top dramatic star and had America eating out of the palm of his hand. This part was tailor made and tapped into Bancroft's brashness and larger than life personality. America has just entered the War and Greeson finds the marching soldiers "mugs" but also finds the country's fervor will slot right into his plans for some easy money. The draft catches up with him but going to war doesn't change his cynical attitude - a certain soldier does though!!
Jerry Pattison (Morgan Farley, playing the role as though he is right in the middle of a Victorian melodrama) suffers from nerves and confesses to Greeson he would give anything to approach war and life with Blake's attitude. Blake takes him under his wing (in a completely non sentimental way) and when Pattinson dies a hero he begs Blake to return to his family to explain how he finally overcame his nerves. On the way to the town Blake meets one of his old associates and is more than keen to use the town as a base to perform a series of robberies. Meeting Jerry's sister Louise stirs some dormant finer feelings in him but while the faithful "Dogey" (Raymond Hatton) understands, the ruthless "Shiv" (Warner Oland) thinks it will be better for all concerned if Blake is rubbed out!!!
Bancroft had ridden to popularity on the crest of a trio of von Sternberg gangster films and made a smooth talkie transition with "Thunderbolt". Sternberg seemed the perfect director for him but "The Mighty", directed by John Cromwell, was inferior to the films he had made before. He was at the height of his popularity and by 1930 he was being paid $5,000 to $6,000 a week. Unfortunately it didn't last - he started to believe his own publicity, his ego became colossal and within a couple of years Paramount had washed their hands of him.