The Trespasser (1929)

The trial and tribulations of a strong-willed woman who elopes and gives birth out of wedlock without telling her ex-husband.

Director:

Edmund Goulding

Writer:

Edmund Goulding

Stars:

Gloria Swanson, Robert Ames, Purnell Pratt

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview:
Gloria Swanson	...	Marion Donnell
Robert Ames	...	Jack Merrick
Purnell Pratt	...	Hector Ferguson
Henry B. Walthall	...	Fuller
Wally Albright	...	Jack Merrick (as Wally Albright Jr.)
William Holden	...	John Merrick, Sr.
Blanche Friderici	...	Miss Potter - Nurse (as Blanche Frederici)
Kay Hammond	...	Catherine 'Flip' Merrick
Mary Forbes	...	Mrs. Ferguson
Marcelle Corday	...	Blanche - the Maid

Storyline

A stenographer who works for a lawyer falls in love with and marries a wealthy young man. His family has the marraige annulled, after which she gives birth to a child. Her former boss helps her out to ensure the child's welfare, which starts gossip that she is a "kept woman."

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Plot Keywords:

kept woman | working single mother | child born out of wedlock | elopement | chicago illinois | 

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Taglines:

The Romance of a Chicago Stenographer and Her Fight for Her Love and Her Baby! (Print Ad-Telegraph Herald, ((Dubuque, Iowa)) 3 January 1930)

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Gloria Swanson appears in this film with William Holden. She would appear alongside a different William Holden in 1950's "Sunset Boulevard" for which she would also receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination.

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Quotes

Marion Donnell: Mr. Merrick, I married your son because I loved him and thought he loved me. I felt that if he worked on his own for us both it would make a man of him. I put him to the test and he failed me!
Jack Merrick: No Marian!
Marion Donnell: You came here to save your son from a fortune-hunting parasite, well you happen to have saved her instead. Annul the marriage, take him back, I don't want him!

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Alternate Versions

Shot simultaniously in silent and sound versions.

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Connections

Remade as That Certain Woman (1937)

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Soundtracks

I Love You Truly
(uncredited)
Written by Carrie Jacobs Bond
Performed by Gloria Swanson & Robert Ames

User Reviews

The Trespasser review

Swanson looks divine, so she's a lot more believable when pampered by her wealthy boss/lover than down on her luck as a single mum refusing to rely on her even wealthier ex-husband, who is completely unaware they've had a child together. Corny doesn't begin to describe The Trespasser, and the ending is laughable, but Swanson is always worth watching.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 1929 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Trespasser

Filming Locations:

United Artists Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$725,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gloria Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1