The Silver Lining

Interesting social drama about a spoiled heiress (Maureen O'Sullivan) who owns slum tenements but doesn't care about fixing them up. A boy falls through the rotten stair railing and smashes on to floor. He's paralyzed. Good-hearted Kate (Betty Compson) is also a tenant and does something illegal (prostitution?) to help the boy but gets arrested on the same night that O'Sullivan gets drunk at a party and wanders away from her apartment into the city park where's she's mugged and then picked up for prostitution because she has no identification.

The two women serve 30 days and become friendly with a kindly lawyer (John Warburton) who decides to help them "reform." Of course O'Sullivan falls for him, but he thinks she's a Jane Doe. Compson also falls for him but he only has eyes for O'Sullivan.

Stark lesson in reality for O'Sullivan, who tells her society friends she's been away at a "sanitarium" for a rest cure. But she's determined to mend her ways, pay back her friends, and hold onto the lawyer. Can she do it? O'Sullivan is good as the spoiled society girl, and Compson steals all her scenes as street-smart Kate. Warburton is OK. Co-stars include Montagu Love (the uncle), Mary Doran (fellow prisoner), Martha Mattox (matron), Wally Albright (the boy), Grace Valentine (his mother), and Cornelius Keefe (society boyfriend).

An interesting film for O'Sullivan the same year as her debut as Jane in the Tarzan series. The beginning of Compson's descent from top studios in cheaper films, but she still has star power. Oddly, this film was released through United Artists by Patrician Pictures.

Maureen O'Sullivan is a rich young lady, thanks to her dead father. He took care of people. She just spends the money. The chickens are coming home to roost. Not only do her rich friends tell her off. She wanders off in an alcoholic haze, and gets picked up with a switched purse. She's booked for 30 days and makes a fuss at first. But Betty Compson, is also in for 30 days, covering up for the mother of a child who has been badly injured in one of Miss O'Sullivan's neglected tenements. When attorney John Warburton shows up to talk to Miss Compson, Miss O'Sullivan does everything but growl like a cat in heat. And he likes her too. At least he likes the woman he sees. He has some unkind remarks about the owner of slum buildings.

The copy I looked at was in terrible condition, but it's an interesting movie for the cast and the director.. That's James Cruze, once a major player. However self-indulgence had hit him hard, and the talkies were rough going for his particular mix of urban realism and sentimentality. His slide was not abrupt, and he bumped along with a few successes as his opportunities wilted. Here he can still manage a good cast, an excellent crew including cinematographer Robert Planck -- not that I could see much beyond the shape of his fine group compositions -- and distribution through United Artists.

O'Sullivan's character evolves from an irresponsible partying heiress to a reformed and socially responsible landlord in this short film. She does this with the help of street smart tenement girl Compson and her social activist guy-friend Warburton.

Some of the plot is developed by the obvious fact that both O'Sullivan and Compson are interested in Warburton for more than his social activism.

We see both ladies survive 30 day sentences, which appear to be the standard court punishments from the stern judge. However, Warburton and Compson don't know that O'Sullivan is really the absent landlord that is neglecting the welfare and safety of the tenants. How will they react when they find out their new friend is actually the cause of all their despair?

O'Sullivan overplays her wild side early on but Compson is masterful at subtle facial expression throughout. Warburton is just......there.

The film has a good depression-era feel. Not a great film, but not that bad either.