Midnight Alibi

A real First National oddity, in that it's mostly a Damon Runyon comedy, part of a mini-Runyon wave then in Hollywood ("Lady for a Day," "Little Miss Marker"), but it's also a historical romance. There's a lengthy, sentimental flashback to 1880s New York, where the Sky Masterson-ish Barthelmess plays a different character altogether, a glum office boy romancing the boss's daughter. (He looks 30 years too old, and he's not the most natural Runyon hero in the modern sequences, either.) The screenwriter has the right ear for Runyonese, a mixture of modern '30s slang and fanciful preciousness, and it's certainly a handsome production, especially in the flashbacks. But the tone isn't consistent, the resolution is too pat (the title is something of a plot giveaway), and the always-interesting Ann Dvorak looks a little bored in a conventional-leading-lady role.

Lance McGowan (Richard Barthelmess) returns to New York City after a lousy time gambling on a ship. He starts pushing his way around the town's gambling dens and new mob boss Angie Morley has had enough. To make matters worst, he rekindles his shipboard romance with Angie's younger sister Joan Morley. After getting shot at, he escapes into rich recluse Abigail Ardsley's mansion. He looks exactly like Abigail's former beau Robert Anders (Richard Barthelmess). She recounts their story well into the night. Lance tries to make peace with Angie but terrible events unfold. Lance is arrested for Angie's murder.

Richard Barthelmess gives a fine performance as a gangster with some rooting interest. It doesn't mean that this movie is that good or that his character is actually that nice. He's not a great talkie leading man and his star would fade after the silent era. The flashback section is rather dull except for a bit of pre-Code sexuality. The ending is more the end justifies the means rather than poetic justice. I'm not in love with this but it's fine enough.

Midnight Alibi (1934)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Gangster Lance McGowan (Richard Barthelmess) is on a ship heading back to America when he falls in love with the beautiful Joan (Ann Dvorak). The two don't really find out anything about the other but soon McGowan learns that she's the sister of his rival (Robert Barrat) who he robbed soon after getting back on shore. Now McGowan wants to marry the woman but doesn't know how to get past her brother.

MIDNIGHT ALIBI was a "B" picture that happened to be Barthelmess' final film at Warner Bros. It's interesting to note that the actor became a star after appearing in a few D.W. Griffith films and he remained quite popular throughout the silent era and the early part of the decade but his star began to lose its shine and he found his career pretty much over. This film here certainly wasn't a great way to go out but if you're a fan of the actor or in low-budget "B" movies then there's some nice entertainment to be had here.

Barthelmess is certainly the highlight here as he gives a nice performance as the gangster who finds himself conflicted about what his heart is saying and what he should do in his gangster land. I thought the actor was quite believable and didn't just sleepwalk through the part. Dvorak doesn't have much to do but it's always nice seeing her. Barrat is good as the heavy and Helen Lowell is very good in a brief but important role. Helen Chandler is also good in her small part.

The film manages to be entertaining at just 58 minutes even though there's certainly nothing too original or ground-breaking here. This was meant to play under a bigger and better film and as long as you don't expect too much from it you should find it entertaining enough.

Midnight Alibi is a contrived movie, but it is a chance to see Richard Barthelmess one last time as the star of a Warner Bros. movie. Midnight Alibi is the last of 23 movies (if the IMDb listing is correct) Richard Barthelmess starred in under his contract with First National Pictures. For his first movie under contract in 1927, the 150 minute long The Patent Leather Kid, Barthelmess earned an Oscar nomination. By 1934, Jack Warner was his boss, Warner Bros. having taken over First National and Barthelmess' contract.

In 1933, Hal Wallis was running First National as a separate production company with its own slate of movies. After Darryl Zanuck left as head of studio production in 1933, Wallis got Zanuck's job. Zanuck disagreed with how Warner was imposing "temporary" cuts of studio staff salaries while leaving the salaries of top executives untouched. Jack Warner combined First National with Warners Bros. in 1934, so all that remained of First National was just the name that followed, after a dash, Warner Bros. under the Warners logo.

During filming, Barthelmess must have known Jack Warner was not renewing his contract, a contract which expired in March 1934. Midnight Alibi is only 58 minutes long, made cheaply to get one more movie out of an actor who was still on salary. The movie's director, Alan Crosland, like Barthelmess, was on his way out. Warner seems to have let Crosland go within a year of cutting loose Barthelmess, a pretty shabby way to treat the director of The Jazz Singer and Don Juan. For that matter, Ann Dvorak, the co-star, was having problems, trying to avoid appearing in bad movies she thought would ruin her career, and going on suspension as a result. Until Jack Warner put her on permanent suspension.

Over 70 years later, it seems pretty incredible that Jack Warner would get rid of his stars, his production head (Zanuck) and much of the creative talent behind the camera while his studio was turning out about 48 movies a year in the pre-Code years of 1931-1933, movies made on shoe string budgets but with quality production values.

Richard Barthelmess movie fans did not figure into Jack Warners' equation. Barthelmess had a contract that paid him around $250,000 a year and allowed him to act like a producer in choosing the subject and script of his movies. His run of independence ran out when his contract was up. The same went for Ruth Chatterton, who was let go the same time as Barthelmess. William Powell, like Chatterton another actor Warners had raided from Paramount in 1931 (when Paramount was going into receivership), didn't renew his expiring contract, claiming he wanted to take roles on his own, at $60,000 per picture. Powell then signed with MGM, where he stayed on contract for 15 years. Warner Bros. was not a nice studio to work for, it was run like a sweatshop unless you had an ironclad contract like Barthelmess had.

The subject matter of Midnight Alibi, dealing in part with the old lady's dream of happiness lost, is an appropriate subject in one way. At Warners in the early 30s, the studio had a repertory company of actors turning out movies that have stood the test of time, directors Roy Del Ruth, Mervyn LeRoy and William Wellman were turning out 3 or 4 movies a year. Yet, in the space of year, from when Zanuck left Warners, Warners lost directors, actors (Loretta Young is another one who left) and writers. Much of the talent that left stopped working in Hollywood. Roy Del Ruth continued directing for 25 years but did not make movies again like those pre-Code classics he directed rapid fire at Warner Bros.

IMDb shows the release date of Midnight Alibi as July 15, 1934. From a recent article I read, Sunday, July 15, 1934 was the effective date when Production Code Administrator Joe Breen actually started censoring movies to conform with his rigid and puritanical views on life, completely detached from reality. One great movie career effectively ends at Warner Bros. with the release of Midnight Alibi, while the career of Joe Breen, an enemy of degenerate art (degenerate art is the term Nazis applied to art, especially from Jewish artists, not in conformance with Nazi beliefs), begins.

Returning from Europe to New York City, suave Irish gangster Richard Barthelmess (as Lance McGowan) falls in love with sexy Ann Dvorak (as Joan Morley), then learns she's the kid sister of rival gambling crime lord Robert Barrat (as "Angie the Ox"). When accused of Mr. Barrat's murder, Mr. Barthelmess receives assistance from wealthy old Helen Lowell (as Abigail "The Old Doll" Ardsley). Barthelmess had taken refuge in Ms. Lowell's unlocked mansion during an attempt on his life. Barthelmess, who resembles a lover from Lowell 's past, may receive a "Midnight Alibi" from the old woman…

Based on a Damon Runyon story ("The Old Doll's House"), "Midnight Alibi" helped mark the end of Richard Barthelmess' reign as a top Hollywood star. It was the last film Barthelmess made under his lucrative contract with Warner Bros…

Barthelmess will always be remembered for his performances in three extraordinary films; "Broken Blossoms" (1919), "Way Down East" (1920), and "Tol'able David" (1921). He continued to be a popular player; peaking again during the transition from "silent" to talking films, Barthelmess was in Quigley Publications' "Top Ten" box office stars for 1928 (at #8), 1929 (#7), and 1930 (#8). But, by 1934, the films made by one of the industry's highest-paid stars weren't making any money…

So, for "Midnight Alibi", the budget for a Barthelmess picture was necessarily lowered; nevertheless, director Alan Crosland and cameraman William Rees make it look classily miscast…

There is a charming flashback to the year 1888, with Barthelmess (as Robert Anders) romancing beautiful young Helen Chandler (the younger version of present-day "Old Doll" character). In this vignette, Barthelmess wears a moustache and more attractive hairstyle; for some odd reason, he and the studio preferred a make-up style which made Barthelmess look like he was posing for pasty 1920s publicity photographs. The difference in Barthelmess' appearance (and performance) is startling. If he weren't so miscast and made-up, Barthelmess might have successfully extended his stardom…

***** Midnight Alibi (7/14/34) Alan Crosland ~ Richard Barthelmess, Ann Dvorak, Helen Lowell, Helen Chandler