Two Against the World (1932 film)

Last updated

Two Against the World
Directed by Archie Mayo
Written bySheridan Gibney
Based onthe play A Dangerous Set
by Marion Dix and Jerry Horwin
Produced by Lucien Hubbard (uncredited)
Starring Constance Bennett
Neil Hamilton
Cinematography Charles Rosher
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
The Vitaphone Corp.
Release date
  • September 2, 1932 (1932-09-02)
Running time
69-80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Two Against the World is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Constance Bennett as a woman who tries her best to keep her sister and brother out of trouble. It is based on the play A Dangerous Set by Marion Dix and Jerry Horwin.

Contents

The film, as well as Unashamed (1932), is based on a Philadelphia society murder by Eddie Allen, who killed Francis Donaldson III in an "honor killing". [1]

Plot

Lawyer Dave Norton offers a settlement for the destitute family of a man killed while working for the Hamilton family firm. The upper-class, wealthy Hamiltons gather to decide what to do. They all either vote to fight it in court or, in many cases, simply ignore it. Adele "Dell" Hamilton is an irresponsible socialite who does the latter. However, she and Dave are attracted to each other, despite their very different philosophies of life. He takes her to lunch, and she invites him to an elegant party.

At the party, he receives a cold reception from the rest of the family, who consider him far beneath them, but he astonishes them when it is revealed that his family belongs to their own social class. Bob, Adele's drunkard brother, remains hostile, however, and lies, telling Dave that Dell invited him only to make a fool of him. Dave storms out.

The next day, Dell interrupts an unhappy meeting at Dave's office. She overhears Dave tell his client, Mrs. Polansky, that the Hamiltons' lawyers can postpone the case indefinitely. When the client wonders who will feed her hungry children, Dell gives her $100 and promises her the same every month for as long as the case takes.

One night, Vic Linley wins a great deal of money from Bob. When Dell pleads with Vic to go easy on her brother, he reveals that he is interested in her, having just broken off an affair with her married sister Corinne. Later, Bob finds a vanity case with the Hamilton family seal under a pillow in Vic's bedroom. He assumes it belongs to Dell (rather than Corinne). When he accuses Dell, she pretends it is true in order to protect her sister. Furious and drunk, Bob goes back to Vic's place. Dell chases after him, but is too late. Bob shoots and kills Vic in the elevator. The siblings quickly leave the scene.

Unaware that Bob is the killer, District Attorney Mills agrees to keep the Hamilton name out of the scandal, but public opinion and newspaper reporter Segall will not let the case be forgotten. Blaming Dave for the uproar, Mills forces the lawyer to take over the case as a newly appointed deputy district attorney by threatening to ruin his career. Dell, however, believes he took the job to further his ambitions.

By bad luck, the doorman recognizes Dell when she leaves Dave's office, and she is put on trial. When she is called to the witness stand, however, Dave cannot bring himself to cross examine her too closely and accepts her unconvincing story. However, the doorman catches her in a lie, and the truth mostly comes out (except for Corinne's part in it). Bob is acquitted for defending his sister's honor, and Dell and Dave get back together.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<i>Soap</i> (TV series) American sitcom

Soap is an American sitcom television series that originally ran on ABC from September 13, 1977, until April 20, 1981. The show was created as a nighttime parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. Similar to a soap opera, the show's story was presented in a serial format, and featured melodramatic plotlines including alien abduction, demonic possession, extramarital affairs, murder, kidnapping, unknown diseases, amnesia, cults, organized crime warfare, a communist revolution and teacher-student relationships. In 2007 it was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME", and in 2010, the Tates and the Campbells ranked at number 17 in TV Guide's list of "TV's Top Families".

<i>Flamingo Road</i> (TV series) Prime time tv soap opera (USA)

Flamingo Road is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on NBC. It premiered as a television film on May 12, 1980, and as a series on January 6, 1981, after a rebroadcast of the pilot on December 30, 1980. The show was based on a 1942 Robert Wilder novel of the same name and the 1949 movie scripted by Wilder and starring Joan Crawford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilfred Lucas</span> American actor

Wilfred Van Norman Lucas was a Canadian American stage actor who found success in film as an actor, director, and screenwriter.

<i>Closer to Heaven</i> (musical)

Closer to Heaven is a musical by Jonathan Harvey and Pet Shop Boys. It was premiered in May 2001 at the Arts Theatre in London, opening to mixed reviews, and ran until 13 October 2001. A second production of Closer to Heaven was premiered in Australia in 2005. New off-West End productions premiered in London in 2015 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Windsor</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Kelly Windsor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Emmerdale, played by Adele Silva. The character first appeared on 10 August 1993. Silva portrayed her from August 1993 until November 2000. In February 2005, it was announced that Silva would be reprising her role and she returned in June 2005. Silva left the soap once again in October 2007, and in November 2010, it was announced that Silva would be returning to Emmerdale in February 2011. Silva reprised the role for a period of three months and left again in May 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Windsor</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Scott Windsor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Emmerdale. From 1993 to 1996, Scott was played by Toby Cockerell. In 1996, Scott left the village to join the army and when he returned in 1998, Ben Freeman took over the role and played Scott until early 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Durst</span> American criminal (1943–2022)

Robert Alan Durst was an American real estate heir and a convicted murderer. The eldest son of New York City real estate magnate Seymour Durst, Robert gained attention as a suspect in the unsolved 1982 disappearance of his first wife Kathleen McCormack, the 2000 murder of his long-time friend Susan Berman, and the 2001 killing of his neighbor Morris Black.

Percy Eugene Foreman was a criminal defense attorney from Houston, Texas. Foreman was born near Bold Springs, Texas. Foreman moved to Livingston, Texas, when he was six years old. He was the son of Ransom Parson Hill Foreman and William Pinckney (Rogers) Foreman, a former sheriff of Polk County, Texas. Percy Foreman attended Staunton Military Academy in Virginia for one year, graduated from the University of Texas Law School in 1927, and was admitted to the Texas Bar on January 17, 1928. He went on to become one of the best known trial lawyers in Texas, with the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association creating the Percy Foreman Lawyer of the Year Award in 1984.

<i>Daddys Little Girls</i> 2007 American film

Daddy's Little Girls is a 2007 American film written and directed by Tyler Perry and produced by Perry and Reuben Cannon. The film stars Idris Elba, Gabrielle Union, Louis Gossett Jr., and Tracee Ellis Ross. It tells the story of a lawyer who helps a mechanic in a custody battle against his mean-spirited ex-wife over who will get custody of their daughters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Hennen Morris</span> American lawyer, diplomat and racehorse owner

Dave Hennen Morris was an American lawyer, diplomat, and Thoroughbred racehorse owner who co-founded the International Auxiliary Language Association (IALA).

Elizabeth Catherine Bagshaw was one of Canada's first woman physicians. She was the medical director of the first birth control clinic in Canada, located in Hamilton, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Stinney</span> African-American death row victim (1929–1944)

George Junius Stinney Jr., was an African American boy, who at the age of 14 was convicted, in a proceeding later vacated as an unfair trial, and executed, for the murders of two young girls in March 1944 — Betty June Binnicker, age 11, and Mary Emma Thames, age 7 — in his hometown of Alcolu, South Carolina. He was convicted, sentenced to death, and executed by electric chair in June 1944, thus becoming the youngest American with an exact birth date confirmed to be sentenced to death and executed in the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Leonard</span> American attorney

Mary Leonard was an American attorney and accused murderer in the state of Oregon. A native of France, she was acquitted for the murder of her husband that many believed she had committed. After her trial, she studied law and became the first female lawyer admitted to the bar in the Washington Territory and in the state of Oregon.

"Family Meeting" is the 13th and final episode of the seventh season and the series finale of The Shield. The episode aired on FX on November 25, 2008, and was written by Shawn Ryan and directed by Clark Johnson. The title comes from a line Shane Vendrell calls to his family during the episode.

<i>The Goose Woman</i> 1925 film

The Goose Woman is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Louise Dresser with Jack Pickford as her son. The film was released by Universal Pictures.

<i>Handcuffs or Kisses</i> 1921 film

Handcuffs or Kisses is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by George Archainbaud and starring Elaine Hammerstein, Julia Swayne Gordon, and Dorothy Chappell. It was future Hollywood star Ronald Colman's first film in America. This is presumed to be a lost film.

<i>A Voice in the Dark</i> (film) 1921 film

A Voice in the Dark is a 1921 American black-and-white silent mystery film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Ramsey Wallace, Irene Rich, and Alec B. Francis. The film is based on the play A Voice in the Dark by Ralph E. Dyar.

<i>The Stranger</i> (British TV series) 2020 British mystery thriller miniseries

The Stranger is an eight-part British mystery thriller miniseries written primarily by Danny Brocklehurst and based on the 2015 Harlan Coben novel of the same title. The miniseries premiered on Netflix on 30 January 2020. It stars Richard Armitage, Siobhan Finneran and Hannah John-Kamen. It was filmed in and around Manchester and Stockport.

References

  1. "Real-Life Society 'Honor Slaying' Inspires Two 1932 Films". January 14, 2015.