''Second Choice'' is a 1930

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

film released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

and starring Dolores Costello and Chester Morris. The film is notable as being the first (and only film) in which Dolores Costello sang. It is a lost film. The film was based on the story by Elizabeth Alexander and was adapted for the screen by Joseph Jackson.

Plot

Vallery Grove (Costello) is in love with Don Warren (Morris), but her mother opposes the match because he is poor and has no social standing. Don decides to terminate his engagement to Vallery after attending a party where he meets a spoiled rich girl who is interested in him. Dolores is later introduced to Owen Mallory (Mulhall) who informs her that Don is now planning to marry the spoiled rich girl. Mallory, who has himself been recently jilted, and Vallery find comfort in each other and eventually Owen proposes to Vallery. She finally accepts, and they elope. Once she is married, Vallery discovers that Don has broken off his engagement. She becomes uncertain about her love for Mallory and while her husband is away on business, she invites Don, who is drunk, into her house.

Cast

* Dolores Costello as Vallery Grove * Chester Morris as Don Warren *

Jack Mulhall John Joseph Francis Mulhall (October 7, 1887 – June 1, 1979) was an American film actor beginning in the silent film era who successfully transitioned to sound films, appearing in over 430 films in a career spanning 50 years. Early years Mu ...

as Mallory *

Edna Murphy Edna Murphy (November 17, 1899 – August 3, 1974) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 80 films between 1918 and 1933. Murphy was voted "Most Photographed Movie Star of 1925" by '' ScreenLand Magazine''. For part of her ...

as Beth Randall * Ethlyne Clair as Edith Pemberton * Charlotte Merriam as Satterlee *James Clemens as Ned Pemberton *

Edward Martindel Edward Martindel (July 8, 1876 – May 4, 1955) was an American stage and film actor who appeared on Broadway theatre, Broadway and in more than 80 films between 1915 and 1946. Born in Hamilton, Ohio, he was the son of Dr. and Mrs. Frank ...

as Herbert Satterlee *Henry Stockbridge as Mr. Grove * Anna Chance as Mrs. Grove * Louise Beavers as Maid ''(uncredited)'' * Louise Lester - Bit Role ''(uncredited)''

Music

The theme song was called "Life Can Be So Lonesome" and was sung by Dolores Costello in the picture. It was composed by Al Dubin, Joe Burke and M.K Jerome. The theme song was recorded by Debroy Somers for Columbia and released as part of series of recordings known as "Talkie Tunes Medley".

Reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote that the director held audiences' attention but said of the film's cast, "Jack Mulhall is miscast as Mallory and gives a halting performance. Miss Costello moves slowly and speaks the pseudo-smart lines with uncertainty. Chester Morris grimmaces as usual and never forgets he is the 'heavy,' and neither does the onlooker." ''

Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'', formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'', was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for over a century, from 1884 to 1992. At the height of its popul ...

'' wrote, "When it doesn't try to take itself too seriously, 'Second Choice' ... is what is known in film trade circle as a fairly good 'program' picture." The newspaper said that some dialogue was sometimes "ridiculous" and sometimes "fairly credible". It complained, "If 'Second Choice' had been made as a straight comedy it would have been a much better picture. The combination of comedy, drama and a tinge of melodrama was a little too much for it to swallow."

Preservation status

''Second Choice'' is now considered a

lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...

. No prints are known to exist.

References

External links

*
allmovie/synopsis
*Still photographs from the set of lost film ''Second Choice''
photo#1
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photo#2
{{DEFAULTSORT:Second Choice 1930 films 1930 lost films 1930 romantic drama films 1930s American films 1930s English-language films American black-and-white films English-language romantic drama films Films directed by Howard Bretherton Lost American romantic drama films Warner Bros. films