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An American Tragedy (1931)

Approved | | Crime, Drama, Romance | 22 August 1931 (USA)
An American Tragedy Poster
A poor factory worker, employed by a wealthy uncle, falls in love with a beautiful heiress but his happiness and promising future are jeopardized by a previous affair with a coworker he impregnated.

Director:

(as Josef Von Sternberg)

Writers:

(novel), (screenplay)

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
... Clyde Griffiths
... Roberta Alden
... Sondra Finchley
... District Attorney Orville Mason
... Samuel Griffiths
... Mrs. Samuel Griffiths
Wallace Middleton ... Gilbert Griffiths
Emmett Corrigan ... Belknap
... Jephson (as Charles B. Middleton)
... Mrs. Asa Griffiths
... Titus Alden (as Albert Hart)
Fanny Midgley ... Mrs. Titus Alden
... Judge
Russ Powell ... Coroner Fred Heit (as Russell Powell)
See full cast »
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Storyline

Having just reached adulthood, Clyde Griffiths has always lamented his lot in life, he the only son of poor missionaries. He has gotten a peripheral view of society life, to which he aspires, in his work as a bellhop at an upscale hotel. If being truthful to himself, he would admit that he lacks moral strength, he often taking the easiest but perhaps not the most ethical path to protect himself. Forced to move from place to place out of circumstance, he ends up in Lycurgus, New York working at the Samuel Griffiths Collar and Shirt factory, Samuel Griffiths his paternal uncle. Not knowing his uncle or his family, Clyde only wants a chance to get ahead, not expecting anything else from his wealthy relations. After an apprenticeship, Clyde ends up as the foreman in the stamping department. Despite a company rule forbidding foremen to fraternize with staff, especially those working in the same department, Clyde begins an affair, a clandestine one out of necessity, with Roberta Alden, who ... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

murder trial | lake | drowning | expectant mother | hotel bellman | See All (20) »

Taglines:

Drama that happens around you everyday - when the wild life of impetuous youth burns away age-old barriers! See more »

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

22 August 1931 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Eine amerikanische Tragödie  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. Its initial telecasts took place in Minneapolis Thursday 11 June 1959 on WTCN (Channel 11), in Seattle 19 August 1959 on KIRO (Channel 7), in Philadelphia 7 December 1959 on WCAU (Channel 10), and in Lowell, Massachusetts 10 March 1960 on WBZ (Channel 4). It was released on DVD 13 July 2015 as part of the Universal Vault Series, and since that time has also enjoyed an occasional airing on cable TV on Turner Classic Movies. See more »

Connections

Version of Lux Video Theatre: A Place in the Sun (1954) See more »

Soundtracks

Nearer My God to Thee
(1856) (uncredited)
Music by Lowell Mason
Played on an organ at the mission
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Slow to start, but gets better
5 January 2004 | by – See all my reviews

Not having read the book, nor seen the Taylor remake, I had no bias when I watched this film the other night on French television. I almost turned it off after the first 20 minutes, it was slow to start and seemed to be going nowhere. However I stuck with it and it was worth it in the end. The court scene was too long and the histrionics of the defence and the prosecution over the top, but I found the characters believable and became involved in the fate of Clyde. Not a film I would want to keep as a classic, but definitly worth watching.
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