Half Marriage (1929)

Director:

William J. Cowen

Writers:

Jane Murfin (writer)
George Kibbe Turner (writer)

Release Date:

13 October 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A young couple marries in secret. Judy's afraid her parents won't approve of Dick and she'll lose her generous allowance...

Plot Keywords:

Accidental Death | Elopement | Architect | Party | Drunkenness

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Olive Borden	...	Judy Paige
Morgan Farley	...	Dick 'Dickie' Carroll
Ken Murray	...	Charles Turner
Ann Greenway	...	Ann Turner
Anderson Lawler	...	Tom Stribbling
Sally Blane	...	Sally
Hedda Hopper	...	Mrs. Page
Richard Tucker	...	Mr. Page

Runtime:

68 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Soundtrack:

After the Clouds Roll By

A Slice of Flapper Life

Okay, so this film would never win any awards, but for the viewer today, it offers a rather interesting example of a film made during the transition to sound period. Viewers get to see a couple of roaring 20's party scenes, great flapper attire, hear a 20's style torch singer, and see a fabulous art-deco style apartment, and that almost makes it worthwhile.

The plot is simple: Two young people marry in secret because her rich family would disapprove of her "poor" up-and-coming boyfriend. However, keeping the marriage a secret leads to interesting complications.

Olive Borden, who plays "Judy" is a cute flapper who with her modern, 1929 morality, insists that slipping across the border to get married on the sly is being done all the time. She suggests to her young hubby-to-be she sell a bracelet from Daddy to finance their housekeeping, and tells "Dickie" that they can even move into her already paid for apartment, since the semester at the art school she attends is over and her roommates are packing to leave. You get the idea that although Judy is a modern young girl, she's still got a bit of the old morality left in her, and I liked that about her character. Dick, on the other hand, is a much more conservative man--insisting they should marry only when he can afford to be the provider.

This movie is an interesting transitional film that deserves a look by people willing to remember that this film was made over 70 years ago. Watch it for the art-deco sets, and the stylish flapperesque clothing worn by the ladies. Catch Hedda Hopper as Judy's snobbish mother and forgive the somewhat predictable ending. I enjoyed this movie.