ThiefHott Too much of everything

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Megamind To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

calvinnme Don't get me wrong. John Gilbert did a great job of acting in this one, because by the time it was over I was completely convinced he was the biggest heel in the history of the world. But then that seldom raises one's star, especially after you have been playing rather complex heroes for years, which is what Gilbert had been doing.Gilbert plays Jerry Stevens, returning from WWI, and all he wants to do is find and marry his girl, Anne (Madge Evans), the thought of which has been keeping him alive and going through his wartime experiences and his injury. But at first meeting she firmly tells him it is over and there is somebody else. Jerry drowns his sorrows in alcohol and escort services. One night while out on the town with one of these escorts, Jerry runs into Anne and her fiancé. Jerry, drunk and angry, introduces the escort (Lois Moran as Dot) as his fiancée. They find a JP who marries them that very night, and the next morning Jerry apologizes for getting Dot caught up in his personal problems and offers to make a big settlement on her in their divorce. The problem is, Dot is in love and refuses any money or any divorce. This is the point where Gilbert's character begins acting like an unredeemable heel. He insults her, calls her an outright prostitute, and just leaves his NYC apartment for his ranch out west to not only ditch Dot but stop drinking.Dot outsmarts him and follows him. The scenes out west are hard to watch with Gilbert being absolutely horrid to Dot, and Dot just letting him walk all over her like some bearskin rug. That may be why they brought the always likable and harmless El Brendel into all of this as Jerry's friend, so there is at least one character you cannot dislike. There are a couple of funny scenes - probably unintentional - where Brendel and Gilbert walk around dressed in the same western outfit, reminding me of a Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy short.In a very early film appearance there is a ranch foreman, Mac, played by Ralph Bellamy who takes a true liking to Dot and shows some contrast to Jerry by treating the girl like a lady. When Mac intervenes when Jerry (Gilbert) gets rough with Dot, Jerry fires him.Gilbert's character sinks to a new low though when shortly thereafter he seduces Dot, acts like he cares, and yet the next morning is STILL talking about divorce. But he has a consolation prize! He'll give her more money than he originally promised for the previous night's use of her private parts. Nothing makes a gal feel like a prostitute more than being treated like one. Well this is the final insult. Dot signs the divorce papers, and takes the next vehicle that comes by off the ranch and back to New York. But what's this? She tore up Jerry's check and gave it back to him? Why, she's a regular girl after all and Jerry goes back to New York begging her forgiveness. What happens? Watch and find out. If I'd been writing the script she would have put a shotgun shell right through his chest at next meeting, but that would ordinarily be murder IF the victim was human.There are several things that just seem odd in this picture. At one point Jerry's society friends all show up at the ranch to tell him that Anne has broken her engagement. They might as well be talking about the weather because Jerry - who is on this self destructive course in the first place because Anne left him - never reacts to this news at all.The other odd thing is that Jerry is supposed to be a severe alcoholic by the time he arrives at the ranch. Yet you will see Gilbert shaking sometimes as though he has the DTs when he is perfectly composed at other times. It makes you wonder how much of this is acting and how much of this shaking is Gilbert succumbing to his own alcoholism.I'd recommend it just as a head scratcher for the film history buff. Why would Gilbert do THIS film after playing a part that was just perfect for him in "The Phantom of Paris"?

lshelhamer This picture features John Gilbert who appears to have suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from WWI, and then marries Lois Moran on the rebound while drunk. She then pursues him across the US to prove she really loves him. El Brendel, "Swedish", not Hispanic as you might suppose from the name, is featured as ethnic comic relief. Perhaps more interesting for latter day viewers is the question of what was so charismatic about John Gilbert to silent screen audiences. While his acting (and voice) is adequate, it's certainly not outstanding, and while handsome, his appearance is leading-man ordinary (does anyone else think his nose is too big when seen in profile?).

Michael_Elliott West of Broadway (1931) ** 1/2 (out of 4) A rather strange drama from MGM about Jerry Seevers (John Gilbert), a man returning from WWI where he was injured and the doctors give him just six months to live. He spends most of his nights in a bottle but things start to change when he "orders" a woman (Lois Moran) and the two are married while he's drunk. At first Jerry wants a divorce but the woman has fallen in love with him and plans to break him from alcohol. If you know anything about this era of Hollywood then you know the legendary stories of Gilbert who was given bottom of the barrel roles at MGM and you've probably heard about his horrible talking voice. If you've actually seen any of the pictures from this era you're going to realize that they really aren't as bad as their reputation and there's really nothing wrong with Gilbert's voice. Is WEST OF Broadway a forgotten masterpiece? Not even close but it's certainly a lot better than its reputation would have you believe. I think the biggest thing going against the film is that the Gilbert character never really gets fully developed. When he meets the young woman he's kind as can be but of course he's drunk. He sobers up the next morning and turns into a complete jerk and I must admit that I never really bought this difference in him and it's really never explained. The entire bit about him dying is only occasionally brought up and at times you wonder if the screenwriter simply forgot about it as it comes in and out of the story without too much logic. The film works better than it probably should due to the two leads and their chemistry together. Whether it's the early cute stuff, the more dramatic moments or the predictable "turn" in the story, the two stars are completely believable in their parts and especially when they're working together as this troubled couple. I thought Gilbert was pretty strong playing the alcoholic and especially in the scenes where he's battling the addiction. The supporting cast includes a wasted Ralph Bellamy playing a cowboy, El Brendel, Madge Evans and Hedda Hopper. The story really doesn't contain anything too original or ground-breaking but it's worth viewing due to the performances and that it does actually look at alcoholism in a serious manor, which wasn't always the case with Hollywood. It's funny that this dramatic look at Hollywood would help finish off the career of Gilbert while another silent legend in D.W. Griffith would have his career end the same year with THE STRUGGLE, another film taking a serious look at alcoholism.

drednm You get the feeling this might have been a bigger picture. The tacked on ending ruins the preceding hour, which showcases John Gilbert, the great romantic idol of silent films. Certainly one of the most controversial figures of the dawn of talkies. Gilbert's great career crashed fast and fatally. His voice was fine, and he was a terrific actor. But he was never able to recover from the debacle of his starring talkie debut in His Glorious Night. Despite terrific performances in Downstairs and Queen Christina (with Greta Garbo) Gilbert made no headway as the 30s moved along. Several of his talkies were downright awful, but West of Broadway isn't bad at all despite the hacked up ending. Gilbert plays a cad who gets married to a woman because his fiancée jilts him. He then spends the rest of the movie trying to unload her. Lois Moran is quite good as the unwanted wife; Madge Evans is the snooty fiancée. El Brendel (playing his usual fake Swede) and Willie Fung as the Arizona houseboy have a funny scene trying to understand each other. Hedda Hopper, Ralph Bellamy, and Frank Conroy co-star. Gilbert was married to stage actress Ina Claire, who happened to be my grandfather's cousin, so I've always felt a connection to John Gilbert. What a tragedy. He should have been as big a star in talkies as he was in silent films.