IMDb > Dynamite (1929)

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   126 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Cecil B. DeMille
Writers:
Jeanie Macpherson (written by)
John Howard Lawson (dialogue) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Dynamite on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
13 December 1929 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Tagline:
She Denied Him Her Love, So He Took It! She Stole His Name, Tricked Him, Humbled Him and - in the end - Worshipped Him!
Plot:
Wealthy Cynthia is in love with not-so-wealthy Roger, who is married to Marcia. The threesome is terribly modern about the situation... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
NewsDesk:
Full 'Hell's Kitchen' lineup revealed
 (From digitalspy. 7 April 2009, 7:38 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Bickford provides the fireworks more (10 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Kay Johnson ... Cynthia 'Cyn' Crothers
Charles Bickford ... Hagon 'Buddy' Derk
Conrad Nagel ... Roger Towne
Julia Faye ... Marcia Towne
Muriel McCormac ... Katie Derk
Joel McCrea ... Marco, the 'Sheik'
Robert Edeson ... Wise Fool
William Holden ... Wise Fool
Henry Stockbridge ... Wise Fool
Leslie Fenton ... Young 'Vulture' Firing Gun
Barton Hepburn ... Young 'Vulture' Confessing Crime
Ernest Hilliard ... Good Mixer
June Nash ... Good Mixer
Judith Barrett ... Good Mixer (as Nancy Dover)
Neely Edwards ... Good Mixer
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
129 min | USA:126 min (Turner library print)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric System)
Certification:
USA:Passed
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
'Lombard, Carole' was replaced during filming, but can still be seen in the released print. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic (2004) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
How Am I to Know more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful.
Bickford provides the fireworks, 11 April 2004
Author: retro_gal

This film has the distinction of being the great Cecil B. DeMille's first "talkie," and it's just as well since there's nothing else that particularly stands out to make it a memorable production, with the exception of the dynamic Charles Bickford. Unlike its title, this movie ended up being anything but "Dynamite" as the box office at the time, and it's not too hard to see why even decades later. DeMille seemed to have lost his touch during the sound period with this genre, for this tale of the battle-of-the-sexes/bedroom farce fused with class distinction is rather run-of-the-mill. The schoolmarmish-looking Kay Johnson is improbably cast in the role of Cynthia Crothers, an insulated, spoiled, flightly rich girl who is faced with the dilemma her late grandfather's will presents of either marrying before her fast approaching 23rd birthday, or else losing her entire inheritance and being left penniless. This is a problem since the man she's in love with, the desirable and handsome but cash-strapped Roger Towne (Conrad Nagel), is already married, and unable to become divorced "in time" due to his gold-digging, foot-dragging wife, who will only let him go if Cynthia is willing to "pay" big bucks for him. An opportunity presents itself when Cynthia gets wind of a (wrongfully) convicted murderer, Buddy Derk (Charles Bickford), willing to "sell his body" for $10,000 to go for the care of his beloved kid sister. Cynthia takes up this offer and in a desperately-driven and practical yet cold-blooded scheme, marries the soon-to-be condemned man, it seemingly being the only solution to obtain the money from her inheritance to "buy" Roger and wed him as soon as she becomes a widow, but complications ensue when Buddy is discovered to be innocent and is released.

Despite Bickford's 3rd billing, he's the real star of the show, a riveting presence that just about steals every scene he's in. He's perfectly cast both in looks and persona as the gruff, grounded and no-frills Buddy, whose rough exterior shields a teddy bear underneath. Conrad Nagel is appropriate in his part, but that's about it as he's not really given much to do here, and his role could be played by any number of other similarly suavely handsome types. As for Kay Johnson, this is the 2nd and only film I've seen her in (after "Madame Satan"), and again she leaves me wondering how she managed to get those 2 starring roles under DeMille--while a capable performer, it's not of the magnitude to counter her lack of looks and magnetism, and her patrician looks and air, while quite suited to her role in "Madame Satan," is inappropriate in the part of pampered party girl Cynthia, whereas Julia Faye as Roger's wife Marcia, displayed the sort of sexiness and spunk that would've been more apt.

To be fair, aside from Bickford, this movie is not without some saving graces. The "fish-out-of-water" scenes involving a recently released Buddy in his strange new opulent surroundings and Cynthia living in the dreary mining town, are quite amusing in their reactions to worlds which they've never been before, and frankly, have no desire to be in. Keep an eye out for a young and virtually unrecognizable Joel McCrea in a small but noticeable part as Marcia's lover Franco.

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