Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Spite Marriage

  • 19291929
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 16m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
Buster Keaton in Spite Marriage (1929)
Comedy
An unimpressive but well intending man is given the chance to marry a popular actress, of whom he has been a hopeless fan. But what he doesn't realize is that he is being used to make the ac... Read allAn unimpressive but well intending man is given the chance to marry a popular actress, of whom he has been a hopeless fan. But what he doesn't realize is that he is being used to make the actress' old flame jealous.An unimpressive but well intending man is given the chance to marry a popular actress, of whom he has been a hopeless fan. But what he doesn't realize is that he is being used to make the actress' old flame jealous.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
    • Edward Sedgwick
    • Buster Keaton(uncredited)
    • Lew Lipton(story by)
    • Ernest Pagano(adaptation by)
    • Robert E. Hopkins(titles)
  • Stars
    • Buster Keaton
    • Dorothy Sebastian
    • Edward Earle
    • Edward Sedgwick
    • Buster Keaton(uncredited)
    • Lew Lipton(story by)
    • Ernest Pagano(adaptation by)
    • Robert E. Hopkins(titles)
  • Stars
    • Buster Keaton
    • Dorothy Sebastian
    • Edward Earle
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 33User reviews
    • 17Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos31

    Buster Keaton in Spite Marriage (1929)
    Buster Keaton and Leila Hyams in Spite Marriage (1929)
    Buster Keaton and Dorothy Sebastian in Spite Marriage (1929)
    Leila Hyams in Spite Marriage (1929)
    Buster Keaton and Dorothy Sebastian in Spite Marriage (1929)
    Buster Keaton and Dorothy Sebastian in Spite Marriage (1929)
    Buster Keaton in Spite Marriage (1929)
    Buster Keaton in Spite Marriage (1929)
    Buster Keaton and Pat Harmon in Spite Marriage (1929)
    Buster Keaton in Spite Marriage (1929)
    Buster Keaton in Spite Marriage (1929)
    Buster Keaton in Spite Marriage (1929)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Buster Keaton
    Buster Keaton
    • Elmer Edgemont
    Dorothy Sebastian
    Dorothy Sebastian
    • Trilby Drew
    Edward Earle
    Edward Earle
    • Lionel Benmore
    Leila Hyams
    Leila Hyams
    • Ethyl Norcrosse
    William Bechtel
    William Bechtel
    • Frederick Nussbaum
    Jack Byron
    • Giovanni Scarzi
    • (as John Byron)
    Joe Bordeaux
    • Rumrunner
    • (uncredited)
    Ray Cooke
    Ray Cooke
    • The Bellboy
    • (uncredited)
    Mike Donlin
    Mike Donlin
    • Man in Ship's Engine Room
    • (uncredited)
    Pat Harmon
    Pat Harmon
    • Tugboat Captain
    • (uncredited)
    Sydney Jarvis
    • Man in Audience Next to Elmer
    • (uncredited)
    Theodore Lorch
    Theodore Lorch
    • Actor as 'Union Officer'
    • (uncredited)
    Hank Mann
    Hank Mann
    • Stage Manager
    • (uncredited)
    Charles Sullivan
    Charles Sullivan
    • Tough Sailor
    • (uncredited)
      • Edward Sedgwick
      • Buster Keaton(uncredited)
      • Lew Lipton(story by)
      • Ernest Pagano(adaptation by)
      • Robert E. Hopkins(titles)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Battling Butler
    7.0
    Battling Butler
    A Gasoline Wedding
    6.4
    A Gasoline Wedding
    College
    7.0
    College
    Three Ages
    7.0
    Three Ages
    Go West
    7.1
    Go West
    The Navigator
    7.6
    The Navigator
    The Railrodder
    7.0
    The Railrodder
    The Paleface
    6.9
    The Paleface
    Seven Chances
    7.8
    Seven Chances
    The Love Nest
    6.8
    The Love Nest
    The Beloved Rogue
    7.0
    The Beloved Rogue
    My Wife's Relations
    6.6
    My Wife's Relations

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Buster Keaton wanted this film to be a full talkie, but MGM released it with only a musical score and sound effects. One thing that prevented this picture from being a full talkie was that MGM was late to the sound game and had only one full set of recording equipment at the time. Its Loew's Theater chain also was not yet fully equipped to show sound pictures. Plus, MGM's head of production reasoned Keaton's films were made with a lot of time-consuming improvisations and didn't think the added expense of using valuable, scarce sound equipment was worth it.
    • Goofs
      At one point when Elmer is struggling to get his "unconscious" wife to bed, she reaches up and holds her dress from falling.
    • Quotes

      Trilby Drew: What's that blonde hanging around you for?

      Lionel Benmore: Can I help it if I'm good-looking?

    • Crazy credits
      Rather than appear at the beginning, the MGM roaring lion opening appears after the conclusion of the film, but just before "The End" title, which immediately follows it.
    • Connections
      Featured in Arena: Cinema: Christmas Special (1976)
    • Soundtracks
      I'd Rather Be Blue Over You
      (uncredited)

      Music by Fred Fisher

      Lyrics by Billy Rose

      Played as background music at the cafe

    User reviews33

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Another reason Keaton was the greatest comedian of the 20s!
    The story isn't much, but Buster packs every scene with so many gags that you don't mind. It's easy to see why he was so successful, until MGM stuck him with stories that were totally unsuitable.

    The original score is fantastic, here - it includes a great deal of popular music and makes commentary on the situations, but the meaning will be lost on most modern viewers (I collect records from that period, so I recognize most all of it); even so, it moves the action right along and gives us a rare chance to experience a silent film just as it was presented to contemporary audiences. No cheesy piano accompaniment, here! The sound effects are well done, and used sparingly.

    The shipboard scenes could have been trimmed a bit; they seem to drag. Otherwise, time flies during this movie - you won't regret watching it! Just compare it with the average sound 'comedy' which Hollywood produced until 1932 or so, and you'll realize how they lost the art of making good films for a while. It's a crime that Keaton wasn't given the chance to produce his own talkies, because he might have changed the whole concept of what made a good SOUND comedy! It's a wonder that audiences didn't rebel against the boring, static, yawnful talk-fests that early sound comedies became; maybe the novelty of Talkies really WAS enough to bring them into the theaters.

    I'd haven given this a 10, except for the draggy ship scenes - but the ending is satisfyingly Keatonesque!
    helpful•18
    2
    • Edisone
    • Dec 27, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 6, 1929 (United States)
      • United States
      • None
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Hotel Carmel - 201 Broadway St, Santa Monica, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 16 minutes
      • Black and White

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Buster Keaton in Spite Marriage (1929)
    Top Gap
    What is the Spanish language plot outline for Spite Marriage (1929)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.