Whom the Gods Destroy

One of the gaps in my movie viewing has always been Columbia films of the 1930s. Fortunately, some of these titles are now starting to appear on DVD, and none was more welcome than Walter Lang's "Whom the Gods Destroy". Superbly edited by longtime Columbia contractee Viola Lawrence in a style obviously influenced by contemporary Russian and avant garde and featuring an astonishing "Titanic" scene in which lavish studio footage is cleverly intercut with stock material from E.A. Dupont's "Atlantik" (1929), "Whom the Gods Destroy" is one of the few films to indelibly brand its hero a coward. The only other one I can call to mind is John Huston's equally powerful "Red Badge of Courage" (1951) (which at present is available on a most disappointing DVD which contains only the familiar 69-minute cutdown and not so much as a single foot of the shelved scenes). In "Whom the Gods Destroy", the hero's cowardice is even more despicable, although three or four minutes have been censored from the shipboard and beach scenes in the 2009 DVD, considerably lessening their impact. Nonetheless, Walter Connolly acquits himself with honor, while young Robert Young is luckily called upon to be inadequate – which he is!

Walter Connolly is a big shot Broadway producer who loves, in no particular order, the theater, his wife Doris Kenyon, and his son (played at various ages by Scotty Beckett, Macon Jones, and Robert Young). He's planning on a trip to London with wife and child, but first he has to retool his forthcoming production; by the time he can go, the school year has begun, and Miss Kenyon wants to stay with the boy.

So Connolly goes alone, and the ship sinks. Connolly gives his life preserver to a lady, and is helping the crew make sure it's women and children, when he has an attack of nerves, puts on an abandoned lady's coat and survives. There's mockery aplenty for the coward, but no one knows who he is. He is succored by Hobart Bosworth (in a small but typically beautiful performance). By the time he gets back to New York, there's a plaque on his theater proclaiming him a hero. He's ashamed, and hides, eventually becoming a puppeteer for tyrannical Henry Kolker.

Then his son quits college to produce his own play, and it's an embarrassing flop.

We're so used to Connolly in comedy roles, it's hard not to be astonished at his fine performance here. This being a Columbia movie, it's clear that director Walter Lang didn't have an extravagant budget, but his cast is a fine one, with Maidel Turner, Rollo Lloyd, Akim Tamiroff, and Walter Brennan in small roles. Young is appropriately callow. It's a little too sentimental for my taste, but certainly well done.

"Whom the Gods Destroy" is a wonderful movie. It was tragic, intelligent, and moving with a stellar performance from Walter Connolly. This was a story of sacrifice that wasn't your typical sacrifice tale.

John Forrester (Walter Connolly) was a brilliant stage play producer. He gave everything to his craft. The only thing more valuable to him than his productions was his wife Margaret (Doris Kenyon) and his young son Jack.

When John sailed to Europe the ship collided with something that damaged it catastrophically. The whole ship had to be abandoned. In the melee John gave his life belt (not called a life vest) to a female passenger. As all the women and children were being evacuated John stood and reflected on his wife and son. The next time we saw John he was being carried from a lifeboat in a women's overcoat on the shores of Ireland or Scotland (I'm guessing based upon the accents). For that he was heavily ridiculed by the locals. He was so ashamed he didn't even give his real name, he gave the name Eric Jann (pronounced yan).

John wanted to get back to his home and his family, but he was too ashamed. It didn't help matters that back home he was being heralded as a hero. He was believed dead in New York; how was he going to show his face in New York without being labeled a coward?

It was a doozy of a predicament that had me completely hooked. He was overwhelmed by his thoughts of ridicule, jeers, and public criticism. He would bring shame to himself and his family. I certainly wanted to know what he'd do.

Walter Connolly turned in a pleasant performance as the torn producer. He struck me as a professional actor in an industry plagued by amateurs. It wasn't just his age, it was his entire presence.

I don't want to insult the writers by giving so much praise to Connolly. I loved this story. In an era where more than half the movies were about high-society and their trivialities, this movie seemed so much heavier.

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John Forrester (Walter Long) is a rich and very successful Broadway producer. He takes a trip to Europe and leaves his wife and young son behind. Unfortunately, on his way back, the ship sinks! At first, John is very noble and gives his life jacket to a woman who hasn't got one. But, when the boat is near sinking, he does something very cowardly...he dresses as a woman to get aboard a lifeboat. Once ashore, this is discovered and most of the rescuers hate his guts. Some time passes, as John is quite ill following the wreck but eventually he decides to return home to let them know he's okay. But when he arrives at his theater, he sees a memorial to this 'great man' who gave up his lifejacket for another....and now he's worried his real actions might come out and destroy his career and family. So he decides it's better to be a dead hero than a coward and disappears...creating a new life for himself.

Over the years, John keeps contact with his son's progress...watching in the wings as he graduates and other events during the boy's life. Now, John Jr. Is in trouble....he tries to be a producer just like his dad...but he's an utter failure. What can John Sr. Do to help his boy without exposing himself and his shame?

The plot to this film is incredibly original and unusual...and this is the movie's greatest strength. Additionally, while Walter Connelly was known as a supporting actor, he's very good here in the lead. My only quibbles are logical ones. John Sr. Returns to help his son and he looks very much like he did long ago except for a new beard. Wouldn't you think the son would have seen photos of his sainted dad and recognized him?? Plus, how long can this pretense be maintained? Still, if you turn off your brain and just watch, it's a dandy old film.

I only rented this very obscure movie because I was honoring Robert Young as Star of the Week, so imagine my surprise to discover an incredibly acted tearjerker with an interesting directing style. Walter Connelly is not a household name, but if you recognize his face, it'll most likely be from It Happened One Night, where he played Claudette Colbert's father. Talk about hidden talents-Walter can act!

Walter starts the film as a successful Broadway producer, and he sails on a Titanic-esque ocean liner that crashes into unexpected debris and sinks. While the women and children are being helped into lifeboats, Walter panics. He thinks of his loving wife and adoring little son at home, and in a moment of desperation, he dons women's clothes and gets into a lifeboat. As it turns out, all the men go down with the ship, and when the women get rescued, Walter develops pneumonia. No one knows his name, so no one can get word to his family that he's survived.

Walter finally makes it back to New York, and he sees that his wife Doris Kenyon is in mourning, praising her hero husband who helped save lives before sacrificing his own. There's a bronzed likeness of him at the theater with an engraved similar sentiment. Walter feels sick, and in his intense shame and fear of what would happen to his family if he made his survival story known, he retreats into the shadows.

I won't tell you any more of what happens, only that it's an incredibly sad and touching story. Bring out a box of Kleenex when you watch Whom the Gods Destroy. Walter's transformation from boisterous millionaire to hopeless, homeless dishwasher is nothing short of incredible. After you watch this hidden gem, you'll be filled with admiration for a man whose greatest claim to fame was saying, "I haven't the faintest idea," after Claudette Colbert runs away from her wedding.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There are several scene transitions that have spinning camerawork or montages faded over one another, and it will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"