''Beloved'' is a 1934 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by

Victor Schertzinger Victor L. Schertzinger (April 8, 1888 – October 26, 1941) was an American composer, film director, film producer, and screenwriter. His films include '' Paramount on Parade'' (co-director, 1930), ''Something to Sing About'' (1937) with James C ...

and written by

Paul Gangelin Paul Gangelin (November 7, 1898 – September 25, 1961) was an American screenwriter.Martin p.191 Selected filmography * '' Breed of the Border'' (1924) * ''The No-Gun Man'' (1924) * '' Forever After'' (1926) * '' The Racketeer'' (1929) * '' The ...

and George O'Neil. The film stars John Boles,

Gloria Stuart Gloria Frances Stuart (born Gloria Stewart; July 4, 1910 September 26, 2010) was an American actress, visual artist, and activist. She was known for her roles in Pre-Code films, and garnered renewed fame late in life for her portrayal of Rose ...

Morgan Farley Francis Morgan Farley (October 3, 1898 – October 11, 1988) was an American actor on the stage and in films and television. Career His theatrical career began in 1918 in the stage adaptation of Booth Tarkington's '' Seventeen''. He recre ...

, Ruth Hall,

Albert Conti Albert De Conti Cadassamare (29 January 1887 – 18 January 1967), professionally billed as Albert Conti, was an Austrian-Hungarian-born Italian-American film actor. Life Born in the village of Gorizia (now, part of Italy), Conti achieved mode ...

and

Dorothy Peterson Bergetta "Dorothy" Peterson (25 December 1897 - 3 October 1979) was an American actress. She began her acting career on Broadway before appearing in more than eighty Hollywood films. Early years Peterson was born in Hector, Minnesota, the dau ...

. The film was released on January 22, 1934, by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

Plot

An aristocratic violin prodigy, Carl Hausmann (Boles), escapes

revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

in Vienna in 1848 and flees with his mother Irene (Peterson) to Charleston, North Carolina, where he is drawn to the music of the slaves. He meets a young woman, Lucy Tarrant (Stuart), whom he takes on as a piano student. The couple fall in love but Lucy's father, Major Tarrant (Breese) refuses his permission to marry. Carl emerges from the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

a hero, and in the meantime both Irene and Major Tarrant have died, and the Tarrants are now destitute, Carl and Lucy marry and move to New York, where they survive on a meager income from Carl's piano lessons. Meanwhile he dreams of writing a great "American Symphony". Needing more money he falls in with Judge B. T. Belden (Carle), an unscrupulous showman who exploits Carl's violin ability. Lucy convinces him that this is dangerous to his reputation as a serious musician. The couple moves into a boardinghouse run by Mrs. Briggs (La Verne), where Carl works on his compositions while Lucy supports them. Shamed by remarks about letting his wife support him, Carl gets a job playing piano in a saloon. Lucy becomes pregnant and gives birth to a boy, Charles. Ten years later Carl is working as a piano and violin teacher, but is unable to interest Charles (Woods) in music. In order to earn extra money he reluctantly sells some of his songs to an advertising agent. Meanwhile, Charles gets a young woman, Helen Burroughs (Mercer), pregnant, and is forced by his father to marry her. In an attempt to redeem himself Charles enlists in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, where he is killed. Helen dies giving birth to a son, Eric. Returning from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Eric (Farley) adapts Carl's beloved

Negro Spirituals Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with Black Americans, which merged sub-Saharan African cultural heritage with the ex ...

into

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, including the song ''My Beloved''. He continues to

plagiarize Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...

additional music, featured in stage hits sung by Patricia Sedley (Hall), whom Eric later marries. Carl visits Eric's publisher, Mr. Yates (Clark) who insults him by calling his music a poor imitation of Eric's. Finally, Alexander Talbot (Shaw) of the "Metropolitan Symphony Society", encouraged by a donation from Eric, looks at Carl's ''American Symphony'' and, impressed, agrees to perform it. Reconciled, Eric and Carl attend the performance where Lucy's ghost smiles to hear her husband's work finally performed. During the performance Carl dies, happy that he has at last been recognized.

Cast

* John Boles as Carl Hausmann *

as Lucy Tarrant Hausmann *

as Eric Hausmann * Ruth Hall as Patricia Sedley *

as Baron Franz von Hausmann *

as Baroness Irene von Hausmann *

Edmund Breese Edmund Breese (June 18, 1871 – April 6, 1936) was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. Biography Breese was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Renshaw Breese and Josephine Busby. The Opera House in Eureka Spring ...

as Maj. Tarrant *

Louise Carter Louise Carter (born Betty-Lee Carter; March 17, 1875 – November 10, 1957) was an American stage and film actress. She appeared in 48 films between 1924 and 1940, mostly in maternal supporting roles. Among her roles were the mother of Paul Muni i ...

as Mrs. Tarrant *

Anderson Lawler Anderson Lawler (May 5, 1902 – April 6, 1959) was an American actor and producer in film and theatre who had a career lasting from the 1920s through the 1950s. He began on Broadway before moving to featured and supporting roles in Hollywood ove ...

as Tom Rountree *

Richard Carle Richard Carle (born Charles Nicholas Carleton, July 7, 1871 – June 28, 1941) was an American stage and film actor as well as a playwright and stage director. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1915 and 1941. Carle was born in Som ...

as Judge B. T. Belden *

Lucile Gleason Lucile Gleason ( Webster; February 6, 1888 – May 18, 1947) was an American stage and screen actress. Gleason was also a civic worker who was active in film colony projects. Early life Lucile Webster was born on February 6, 1888, in Pasade ...

as The Duchess * Mae Busch as Marie *

Jimmy Butler Jimmy Butler III (born September 14, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Jimmy Buckets", he is a six-time NBA All-Star, a four-time All-NBA Team honore ...

Charles Hausmann, as a boy *Eddie Woods as Charles Hausmann * Oscar Apfel as Henry Burrows *Jane Mercer as Helen *Lester Lee as Carl, age 10 *

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

as Tommy *

Holmes Herbert Holmes Herbert (born Horace Edward Jenner; 30 July 1882 – 26 December 1956) was an English character actor who appeared in Hollywood films from 1915 to 1952, often as a British gentleman. Early life Born Horace Edward Jenner, (some sour ...

as Lord Landslake *

Lucille La Verne Lucille La Verne (November 7, 1872 – March 4, 1945) was an American actress known for her appearances in early sound films, as well as for her triumphs on the American stage. She is most widely remembered as the voices of the Old Witch in the 19 ...

as Mrs. Briggs * Mary Gordon as Mrs. O'Leary *

Wallis Clark Wallis Hensman Clark (2 March 1882 – 14 February 1961) was an English stage and film actor. Biography Clark was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, the son of William Wallis Clark (1854 - 1930), an engineer. Prior to acting, Clark was an en ...

as Yates *

Josef Swickard Josef Swickard (26 June 1866 – 1 March 1940) was a kingdom of Prussia, Prussian-born veteran stage and screen character actor, who had toured with stock companies in Europe, South Africa, and South America. Career Swickard emigrated to the Un ...

as Revolutionist *

James Flavin James William Flavin Jr. (May 14, 1906 – April 23, 1976) was an American character actor whose career lasted for nearly half a century. Early life The son of a hotel waiter of Canadian-English descent,Flavin's obituary, distributed by United ...

as Wilcox *

Bessie Barriscale Bessie Barriscale (born Elizabeth Barry Scale, June 9, 1884June 30, 1965) was an American actress who gained fame on the stage and in silent films. Early life Barriscale was born Elizabeth Barry Scale in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Irish immig ...

as Mrs. Walkins *Bobbe Arnst as The Dancer *

Fred Kelsey Frederick Alvin Kelsey (August 20, 1884 – September 2, 1961) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. Kelsey directed one- and two-reel films for Universal Film Manufacturing Company. He appeared in more than 400 films betw ...

as Mulvaney *

Otto Hoffman Otto F. Hoffman (May 2, 1879 – June 23, 1944) was an American film actor. He appeared in almost 200 films between 1915 and 1944. He was born in New York City and died in Los Angeles, California, from lung cancer. Hoffman's Broadway credit ...

as Dietrich *

George Ernest George Ernest (born George Ruud Hjorth; November 20, 1921 – June 25, 2009) was an American actor and Office of Strategic Services (OSS) combat photographer/cameraman during World War II. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1930 a ...

as Eric, as a Boy *

Cosmo Kyrle Bellew Cosmo Kyrle Bellew (November 23, 1883–January 25, 1948) was a British/American vaudeville and film actor. Cosmo Bellew in 1925 Biography Bellew, the son of noted silent film actor Kyrle Bellew and Alice Racketrow, was born in London, England, ...

as Doctor *

King Baggot William King Baggot (November 7, 1879 – July 11, 1948) was an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He was an internationally famous movie star of the silent film era. The first individually publicized leading man in Americ ...

as Second Doctor *

Sherwood Bailey Sherwood Bailey (August 6, 1923 – August 6, 1987) was an American child actor and civil engineer. His parents were nonprofessionals. He is most noted for appearing as Spud, the red-headed, freckle-faced bad boy and enemy of the gang in the ''O ...

as Tom, as a Boy *

William H. Strauss William H. Strauss (June 13, 1885 – August 5, 1943) was an American film actor active in the 1920s and 1930s. A character actor he appeared in a variety of supporting roles. By 1928, Strauss had acted on stage and screen for more than 30 ye ...

as Jewish Father *Neysa Nourse as Laurette *Peggy Terry as Alice *

Clara Blandick Clara Blandick (born Clara Blanchard Dickey; June 4, 1876 – April 15, 1962) was an American character, film, stage and theater actress. She played Aunt Em in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939). As a character actress, sh ...

as Miss Murfee *

Margaret Mann Margaret Mann (4 April 1868, in Aberdeen, Scotland – 4 February 1941, in Los Angeles, California), was a Scottish-American actress. Biography Margaret Mann starred in a number of major silent films such as '' Black Beauty'' in 1921 and play ...

as Countess von Brandenburg *

C. Montague Shaw Charles Montague Shaw (23 March 1882 – 6 February 1968) was an Australian character actor, often appearing in small supporting parts in more than 150 films. Shaw was born in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. He began his acting car ...

as Alexander Talbot *

Walter Brennan Walter Andrew Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor and singer. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come and Get It'' (1936), ''Kentucky'' (1938), and '' The Westerner ...

as Stuttering Boarder

References

External links

* {{Victor Schertzinger 1934 films American drama films 1934 drama films Universal Pictures films Films directed by Victor Schertzinger American black-and-white films Films produced by B. F. Zeidman 1930s English-language films 1930s American films