Sweepings (1933)

Daniel Pardway, starting with almost nothing after the great Chicago fire, builds the biggest department store in town. He wants to pass on the business to his three sons and daughter, but ... See full summary »

Director:

John Cromwell

Writers:

Lester Cohen (novel), Lester Cohen (screenplay),

Stars:

Lionel Barrymore, Eric Linden, William Gargan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lionel Barrymore	...	Daniel Pardway
Eric Linden	...	Freddie Pardway
William Gargan	...	Gene Pardway
Gloria Stuart	...	Phoebe
Alan Dinehart	...	Thane Pardway (as Allan Dinehart)
Gregory Ratoff	...	Abe Ullman
Helen Mack	...	Mamie Donahue
Lucien Littlefield	...	Grimson
George Meeker	...	Bert Pardway
Ninetta Sunderland	...	Abigail Pardway
Esther Muir	...	Violet

Storyline

Daniel Pardway, starting with almost nothing after the great Chicago fire, builds the biggest department store in town. He wants to pass on the business to his three sons and daughter, but has to deal with their lack of interest or aptitude.

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Plot Keywords:

department store | seduction | chicago illinois | family relationships | gunshot wound | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 April 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

Duas Gerações

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

William Gargan, who plays the oldest brother Gene here, would play Uncle Thane Pardway in the 1939 remake titled "Three Sons."

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Connections

Version of Three Sons (1939)

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Soundtracks

"Good King Wenceslas"
(uncredited)
Traditional Christmas carol
Modern lyrics by J.M. Neale (1853)
Sung and played as background music at Christmas

User Reviews

Early talkie is adult in story but flawed in technique...

SWEEPINGS is an early sound film directed by John Cromwell and starring LIONEL BARRYMORE as a man who builds an empire for his children, only to see it crumble when they show no interest in inheriting or running the department store business.

After a promising start, it begins to sag toward the last half-hour and shows its age with the primitive stage bound look of too many talky scenes. So much time is covered that all of the incidents had to be compressed in order to cover the wide span. An effective use of montages does show the director striving for more advanced techniques.

Someone else has mentioned Max Steiner's "full bodied score" but there is no such thing. Whatever underscoring there is, is kept to a minimum and the film has a tone that is more somber than dramatic because of the mostly silent music soundtrack.

As a character study of an ambitious man who becomes embittered by his situation, Barrymore is excellent and ERIC LINDEN is good as the son who admits he has no ambition. WILLIAM GARGAN, GEORGE MEEKER, GREGORY RATOFF and GLORIA STUART are just satisfactory in lesser roles.

Summing up: Overall effect is not as striking as it should have been, given that the story is really a timeless one.