Spite Marriage (1929)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Edward Sedgwick
(more)

Writers:

Robert E. Hopkins (titles)
Lew Lipton (story)
(more)

Release Date:

6 April 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Elmer is a dry cleaner. He is madly in love with stage star Trilby Drew; for each of her 35 performances...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Pants Presser | Yacht | Theater | Actor

Cast

Buster Keaton	...	Elmer Gantry
Dorothy Sebastian	...	Trilby Drew
Edward Earle	...	Lionel Benmore
Leila Hyams	...	Ethyl Norcrosse
William Bechtel	...	Nussbaum
Jack Byron	...	Scarzi (as John Byron)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ray Cooke	...	The Bellboy (uncredited)
Pat Harmon	...	Ship Captain (uncredited)
Sydney Jarvis	...	Man in audience next to Elmer (uncredited)
Theodore Lorch	...	Actor as 'Union Officer' (uncredited)
Hank Mann	...	Stage Manager (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Tough Sailor (uncredited)

Directed by
Edward Sedgwick
Buster Keaton		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Robert E. Hopkins		titles (as Robert Hopkins)
Lew Lipton		story
Ernest Pagano		adaptation (as Ernest S. Pagano)
Richard Schayer		writer

Produced by
Buster Keaton	....	producer
Edward Sedgwick	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Fritz Stahlberg		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Reggie Lanning

Film Editing by
Frank Sullivan

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Costume Design by
David Cox

Production Management
Lawrence Weingarten	....	production supervisor (uncredited)

Stunts
Gil Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Rose	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
George Gordon Nogle	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
William Axt	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Edward Cupero	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Richard Schayer	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Joseph M. Schenck Productions (for)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1929) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Joseph M. Schenck Productions

Trivia:

Buster Keaton's final silent feature, as well as the final film in which MGM allowed him any creative control.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the dressing-room scene while attempting to trim the hair for his false beard, Elmer accidentally severs the left-hand shoulder strap of his vest and has no time to repair it. When we see him hurriedly changing back into his smart clothes after the performance, both straps are still whole.

Movie Connections:

Featured in So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM (2004) (TV)

Buster Keaton and Dorothy Sebastian

Slow to start, but Spite Marriage (Keaton's final silent film) builds to an exciting and funny finale.

Buster plays a pants presser who falls for a local stage actress (Dorothy Sebastian). He sees the play so many times he has it memorized and gets a chance to replace an actor who is wanted by the cops. Many funny bits as Buster makes a shambles of the play.

To get even with her leading man (Edward Earle) who is seeing a snappy blonde (Leila Hyams), Sebastian marries Buster. They run into the actor and his new bride and Sebastian gets soused and thrown out of the restaurant. Back in their room Buster has a hard time getting Dorothy up on the bed (hilarious scene).

Through a series of plot twists Buster ends up on a yacht (with Sebastian) and runs into all manner of comedy situations.

Keaton is in top form and Dorothy Sebastian has what is probably her most memorable film role. They make quite a pair (and yes they were lovers at this point).