Beau Ideal is a 1931 American pre-Codeadventure film directed by Herbert Brenon and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film was based on the 1927 adventure novel Beau Ideal by P. C. Wren, the third novel in a series of five novels based around the same characters. Brenon had directed the first in the series, Beau Geste, which was a very successful silent film in 1926. The screenplay was adapted from Wren's novel by Paul Schofield, who had also written the screenplay for the 1926 Beau Geste, with contributions from Elizabeth Meehan and Marie Halvey.
The film starred Ralph Forbes (reprising his role as John Geste from the 1926 Beau Geste), Loretta Young, and Irene Rich. The other lead, Lester Vail, was making his film debut, after he replaced Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., who had originally been selected for a principal role in the film. Exteriors were filmed on locations in Arizona and Mexico, while the interiors were filmed on the RKO lot in Hollywood, and production took approximately five weeks to film. Post production would take place in November and December 1930, before the film was released on January 16, 1931.
Unfortunately, the film was neither a critical nor financial success, losing over $300,000 for RKO. In addition, reviews for the film were mixed, with most being not kind to the film. Some modern sources also consider the film to be one of the worst produced by RKO that year. Although the film was not a success, it did introduce two technological advancements to film: the concentrator microphone and the Dunning process.
Plot
Lester Vail and Ralph Forbes awaiting death in the prison pitLester Vail & Paul McAllister
The last two surviving members of a French Foreign Legion detachment, who know each other as Smith and Brown, are consigned to a grain pit in the desert to die slowly. As they await death the two soldiers eventually realize that they were childhood friends, John Geste (Ralph Forbes) and Otis Madison (Lester Vail), respectively.
Once they recognize one another, they have a series of flashbacks to their boyhood friendship in England. These memories are followed by Otis' memory of his return to England and discovery that John has joined the French Foreign Legion. While in England, Otis also learns that Isobel Landon (Loretta Young), who he is enamored with, is betrothed to John. Despite his feelings for her, he vows to follow John to Africa and return him to England. He makes arrangements and leaves for the dark continent.
Upon his arrival in Africa, Otis, and his detachment, are ordered to garrison a French fort in the desert. As hardships ensue, his fellow legionnaires begin to mutiny. Otis does not participate in the uprising, instead he attempts to get the other soldiers to cease their rebellion. When the uprising is eventually thwarted, the commanders do not believe Otis' story, and assume that he was part of the rebellion, and send him to a penal detail. While part of that detail, he is again falsely accused, and is thrown into the pit, along with John, which puts them both in the pit where the film begins.
Back in the present, as they are about to die, they are miraculously rescued by a passing band of Arabs. Unknown to the two friends is that the Arabs intend to use them as bait to draw their fellow legionnaires into a death trap. Fortunately for the friends, the girlfriend of the Emir, Zuleika (Leni Stengel), also known as "the Angel of Death", is attracted to Otis. Otis uses that attraction and agrees to marry her, after which Zuleika informs him of an impending attack by the Arabs on the nearby fort, and then helps Otis and John to escape. The two legionnaires race to the fort, and help to repel the Arab attack, which earns both of them their freedom.
Otis now has to face up to his commitment to Zuleika. However, she has now transferred her affections to Major LeBaudy (Hale Hamilton), which allows Otis to be relieved of his matrimonial duties. Free from any entanglements, the two friends return to England. Once there, John releases Isobel from their betrothal, which clears the way for her and Otis to marry.
Cast
Loretta Young at Forbes' court-martialLeni Stengel as Zuleika
The precursor to Paramount Pictures, Famous Players–Lasky Corp, produced the film Beau Geste, in 1926. It was based on P. C. Wren's novel of life in the French Foreign Legion. The second book in the series, Beau Sabreur, was made into a film in 1928, starring Gary Cooper, also by Paramount.[8] While Beau Sabreur was unconnected to Beau Geste, having completely different characters, this third film was billed as the sequel to the first film, having many of the same characters. Like the other two films, this movie was based on the Wren novel of the same name, which had been released in 1928.[1][9][10] RKO purchased the rights to the novel in July 1930,[11] and Herbert Brenon, who had directed Beau Geste, became the first person attached to the project.[12]
In August it was announced that Ralph Forbes would reprise his role of John Geste, which he had originated in the original film.[13]
In the beginning of September it was announced that Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. would have a leading role in the film, on loan from Warner Brothers; also announced to the cast were Ralph Forbes and Leni Stengel.[14] In September 1930, RKO hired an Arab chieftain, Abdeslam ben Mohammed, as a technical consultant for the film. Initial reports also indicated that he would appear in the film, but no sources credit him with appearing.[15][16] By mid-September, however, Fairbanks, originally scheduled to play the role of Otis Madison, was recalled by Warner Brothers prior to the start of filming, so that he could star in a scheduled sequel to The Dawn Patrol (which was never made).[17] He was replaced by Lester Vail, who was making his screen debut.[18][19][20] Vail had a very short-lived career, making a total of only eight films in 1931 and 1932.[21]
French Foreign Legion marching through the desert
Also in September, it was decided that the film would use the same location as the earlier Geste film, in Yuma, Arizona.[22] Besides the Yuma location, some location filming was done in the Sonora Desert in Mexico,[23] as well as studio work on the RKO lot in Hollywood. Later in September, Otto Matieson, Paul McAllister, Hale Hamilton, and Don Alvarado were announced as joining the cast.[24][25] Ray Lissner, who was the assistant director on this picture, also wrote the only song in the film, the marching song of the French Foreign Legion,[26] however it appears the song did not appear in the final version of the film.[1] In late September it was announced that Noah Beery, Jr. would be part of the cast, interesting in the fact that his father had been part of the cast of Beau Geste[27]
Production on the film began in late September 1930,[28] and would finish in late October.[29] Two new technological improvements were inaugurated in this film. The "Dunning Process" was used to adapt the film for foreign-language versions.[30] The concentrator microphone was developed by RKO to be used in productions to filter noise in exterior shots, was first used during this film's production.[1][23] In addition to Brenon directing and Schofield writing both films, J. Roy Hunt was the cinematographer on both the 1926 Beau Geste and this film.[1] Editing for the film was done during November and December 1930 by Brenon.[4][31]Max Steiner would finish the score for the film by December 22, 1930.[5]
Reception
Beau Ideal was produced on a budget of $707,000, however the film never caught on with audiences, and ended up losing $330,000 for RKO, in a year when the studio would lose over $5.5 million.[7][32] While an unmitigated financial disaster, reviews of the film at that time were mixed. Mordaunt Hall, film critic for The New York Times, gave the film a poor review, calling it "...scarcely a tribute to the audible screen".[33] According to some sources, the film was considered "...the most wretched picture turned out by the studio in what was, generally, to be a very poor year."[34]Variety also gave it a less than favorable review, calling it "ordinary program stuff."[35] However other reviews were much more favorable, with The Film Daily calling it a "Stupendous Foreign Legion production with stout direction and excellent photography". They criticized the story as weak, but also praised the acting of the mostly male cast, and singled out Loretta Young's strong performance.[36] And Photoplay magazine called the a "spectacular sequel to Beau Geste, and complimented the acting.[37]
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. was an American actor, producer, and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best-known for starring in such films as The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), Gunga Din (1939), and The Corsican Brothers (1941). The son of Douglas Fairbanks and stepson of Mary Pickford, his first marriage was to actress Joan Crawford.
Ralph Forbes was an English film and stage actor active in Britain and the United States.
Beau Geste is an adventure novel by British writer P. C. Wren, which details the adventures of three English brothers who enlist separately in the French Foreign Legion following the theft of a valuable jewel from the country house of a relative. Published in 1924, the novel is set in the period before World War I. It has been adapted for the screen several times.
Percival Christopher Wren was an English writer, mostly of adventure fiction. He is remembered best for Beau Geste, a much-filmed book of 1924, involving the French Foreign Legion in North Africa. This was one of 33 novels and short story collections that he wrote, mostly dealing with colonial soldiering in Africa.
Herbert Brenon was an Irish-born U.S. film director, actor and screenwriter during the era of silent films through 1940.
Beau Hunks is a 1931 American Pre-Code Laurel and Hardy film, directed by James W. Horne. The title is a reference to the Beau Geste trilogy ; to the line in Beau Sabreur where Buddy says '"Sure thing, Son Hank — if a gang of Touareg Bohunks couldn't, French troops couldn't.. .. I s'pose it is us he's after?"'; or to bohunk, a common ethnic slur of the time in the United States. At 37 minutes, it is the longest Laurel and Hardy short. The French Foreign Legion scenario was reused in The Flying Deuces with Charles B. Middleton again playing their commanding officer.
The Painted Desert is a 1931 American pre-Code Western film released by Pathé Exchange. Produced by E. B. Derr, it was directed by Howard Higgin, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Tom Buckingham. The picture stars low-budget Western stars William Boyd and Helen Twelvetrees, and most notably features an unshaven young Clark Gable in his talking film debut. The film was shot mostly on location in Arizona.
Beau Geste is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Herbert Brenon and based on the 1924 novel Beau Geste by P. C. Wren. Ronald Colman stars as the title character.
Millie is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by John Francis Dillon from a screenplay by Charles Kenyon and Ralph Morgan, based on a novel of the same name by Donald Henderson Clarke. The film was an independent production by Charles R. Rogers, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, after their acquisition of Pathé Exchange. It stars Helen Twelvetrees in one of her best roles, with a supporting cast that includes Lilyan Tashman, James Hall, Joan Blondell, John Halliday and Anita Louise.
Beau Sabreur is a 1928 American silent romantic adventure film directed by John Waters and starring Gary Cooper and Evelyn Brent. Due to the public apathy towards silent films, a sound version was also prepared. While the sound version has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. Based on the 1926 novel Beau Sabreur by P. C. Wren, who also wrote the 1924 novel Beau Geste. Produced by Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation and distributed by Paramount Pictures, only a trailer exists of this film today. The released feature version is a lost film.
The Royal Bed is a 1931 American pre-Code satirical comedy film produced by William LeBaron and distributed through RKO. The film was directed by and starred Lowell Sherman, along with Mary Astor and Anthony Bushell. The screenplay was adapted by J. Walter Ruben based on the 1928 play by Robert E. Sherwood titled The Queen's Husband. It would be one of a handful of RKO pictures which was produced in both English and French language versions.
Paul Schofield was an American screenplay writer who worked on 44 films between 1920 and 1940, some directed by famous directors such as D. W. Griffith, John Ford, Archie Mayo, Frank Lloyd, and Herbert Brenon.
Transgression is a 1931 pre-Code American drama film directed by Herbert Brenon, using a screenplay written by Elizabeth Meehan, adapted from Kate Jordan's 1921 novel, The Next Corner. The film stars Kay Francis, Paul Cavanagh, and Ricardo Cortez, and deals with the romantic entanglements of a wealthy English businessman, his wife and a Spanish nobleman.
White Shoulders is a lost 1931 American pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by Melville W. Brown and starring Mary Astor and Jack Holt, with major supporting roles by Ricardo Cortez and Sidney Toler. The film was produced and distributed by RKO Pictures. The screenplay by Jane Murfin and J. Walter Ruben was adapted from Rex Beach's short story, The Recoil.
Beyond Victory is a 1931 American pre-Code war film starring Bill Boyd, James Gleason, Lew Cody, and ZaSu Pitts. While John Robertson received directing credit, Edward H. Griffith supposedly took extensive re-takes after production ended and the film was deemed not audience ready. Two actresses with major roles in the original version were completely cut from the final release, Helen Twelvetrees and June Collyer. The original screenplay was written by Horace Jackson and James Gleason. While the film might not have made a profit at the box office, it was well received by critics.
Suicide Fleet is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Albert S. Rogell, written by Lew Lipton and F. McGrew Willis, and starring William Boyd, Robert Armstrong, James Gleason, and Ginger Rogers. It was released on November 20, 1931, by RKO Pictures.
The Big Game is a 1936 American sports drama film directed by George Nicholls, Jr. and produced by RKO Radio Pictures, which released the film on October 9, 1936. The screenplay was written by Irwin Shaw, adapted from the 1936 novel of the same name by Francis Wallace. The film stars Philip Huston, James Gleason, June Travis, Bruce Cabot and Andy Devine. Huston (1908–1980) was a respected New York stage actor, who also had prominent roles in a number of motion pictures and, later, acted in television productions, as well.
Beau Ideal is a 1927 novel by P. C. Wren. It was the second sequel to his 1924 novel Beau Geste.
Beau Sabreur is a 1926 novel by P. C. Wren. It was the first sequel to his 1924 novel Beau Geste and was turned into a film in 1928.
Lester Vail was an American actor of the stage, screen, and radio from the 1920s through the 1940s. In addition to acting in all three mediums, Vail also saw success as director on the Broadway stage, as well also being a producer of radio programs.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
