The Hard Guy (1930)

An unemployed man hangs around his flat.

Director:

Arthur Hurley

Writers:

Betty Ross (story), Burnet Hershey (adaptation)

Stars:

Spencer Tracy, Katharine Alexander, Arch Hendricks

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Spencer Tracy	...	Guy
Katharine Alexander	...	Ellen (as Katherine Alexander)

Storyline

Married couple Guy and Ellen, who live in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, are having a hard time making ends meet since Guy can't find a job. It is especially difficult for them as they have to worry about providing for their daughter, Doris, who is suffering from vitamin deficiency due to malnutrition. As Guy reads through the want ads in the newspaper often reading of crimes on the street instead, and as he searches through his old army trunk looking for his warm winter coat to pound the pavement while finding other army related items in the trunk, he may have other ideas on how to provide for his family.

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Plot Keywords:

pistol | gun | marriage | husband wife relationship | poverty | 

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Genres:

Drama | Short

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 September 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Tough Guy

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vitaphone Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

6 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Vitaphone)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This short film is available as a bonus on the Warner DVD of Little Caesar.

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Goofs

Guy refers to his automatic handgun as "the old Army revolver".

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Connections

Featured in Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story (2002)

User Reviews

Nice for Tracy Fans

Hard Man, The (1930)

*** (out of 4)

Spencer Tracy, in his third film, plays a Depression-era father who is tired of seeing his young daughter go without. After reading about a robbery in the newspaper, the desperate father goes out with a gun in his hand leaving his wife to fear the worst. This Vitaphone short runs just six-minutes but fans of Tracy will certainly want to see his early performance here. As far as the film goes there's really nothing too special here as it appears this film was made just to see what type of performances the actors could give. As far as Tracy goes I really enjoyed his work here because it contains that intensity that we'd come to expect from the actor and I found it to be rather impressive. The story itself is nothing too special but I thought it was interesting to see the Depression tale as many watching this film were probably feeling the same way Tracy's character does.