A growing source of silent era film information. This listing is from The Progressive Silent Film List by Carl Bennett. Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

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	Louise Brooks and Richard Arlen (center). Photograph: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Cast: Wallace Beery [‘Oklahoma Red’], Louise Brooks [Nancy, the girl], Richard Arlen [Jim, the boy], Robert Perry [‘The Arkansaw Snake’], Roscoe Karns [‘Lame Hoppy’], Edgar ‘Blue’ Washington [‘Black Mose’]; H.A. Morgan [Skinny], Andy Clark [Skelly], Mike Donlin [Bill], Johnnie Morris [Rubin], George Kotsonaros [Baldy], Jacque Chapin (Jack Chapin) [Ukie], Robert Brower [‘Blind’ Sims], Frank Brownlee [a farmer], Guinn ‘Big Boy’ Williams [the bakery wagon driver], Harvey Parry

Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation production; distributed by Paramount Pictures Corporation [A William A. Wellman Production; A Paramount Picture]. / Produced by William A. Wellman. Screenplay (scenario) by Benjamin Glazer and Jim Tully, from the novel Beggars of Life by Jim Tully. General manager, West Coast production, B.P. Schulberg. Production supervision by Benjamin Glazer. Assistant director, Charles Barton. Photographed (cinematography) by Henry Gerrard. Film editor, Alyson Shaffer. Intertitles written by Julian Johnson. Presented by Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky. / © 21 September 1928 by Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation [LP25642]. Released 22 September 1928. / [?] Movietone 35mm spherical 1.20:1 format and/or Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format? Western Electric Movietone sound-on-film synchronized sound system. / The production was shot on 18 May through 18 June 1928. The film’s soundtrack may have been restricted to music, sound effects and a song by Beery. The film was also released in the USA in a silent version (at 7504 feet) by Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation in 1928. / Silent film, with talking sequences, synchronized music and sound effects.

Drama.

Reviews: [Photoplay, April 1929, page 8] The low-down on hoboes. Good entertainment. And hear Wallace Beery sing a song!

Survival status: Print exists in the George Eastman Museum film archive [16mm preservation positive, 35mm preservation positive (optically enlarged from the 16mm print)]; sound sequences soundtracks are presumed lost.

Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].

Keywords: Crime: Murder - Death: Murder - Families: Foster parents - Law: Enforcement: Police: Detectives - Railroads - Rape (Attempted) - Synchronized sound film - Tramps - Transportation: Trains

Listing updated: 22 September 2024.

References: Film credits, film viewing : Brownlow-Parade pp. 166, 169, 172, 432; Edelman-Baseball p. 29; Everson-American pp. 310s, 330; Geduld-Birth p. 242; Paris-Brooks pp. 558-559 : Photoplay-192904 p. 8 : Website-AFI; Website-GEM.

Home video: Blu-ray Disc, DVD.