Categories
  • American black-and-white films
  • 1920s English-language films
  • 1920s American films
  • English-language drama films
    •   Encyclosphere.org ENCYCLOREADER
      supported by EncyclosphereKSF

    Trial Marriage

    From Wikipedia - Reading time: 7 min

    Trial Marriage
    Directed byErle C. Kenton
    Written bySonya Levien
    Produced byHarry Cohn
    StarringNorman Kerry
    Sally Eilers
    CinematographyJoseph Walker
    Edited byPandro S. Berman
    William Hamilton
    Production
    company
    Columbia Pictures Corporation
    Release date
    • March 10, 1929 (1929-03-10)
    Running time
    		7 reels
    CountryUnited States
    LanguagesSound (Synchronized)
    English intertitles

    Trial Marriage is a 1929 American Synchronized sound pre-Code drama film directed by Erle C. Kenton from a story by Sonya Levien. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. Produced by Harry Cohn for Columbia Pictures Corporation, the film was released on March 10, 1929.[1][2] Charles C. Coleman was assistant director.[3] As was the case for the majority of films during the early sound era, a silent version was prepared for theatres who had not yet converted to sound.

    Plot

    [edit]

    As reviewed in a magazine,[4] Constance Bannister (Eilers), a vivacious party girl, is engaged to Oliver Mowbray, who is her thirteenth fiancé. She throws him for Dr. Thorvald Ware (Robards), and they enter into a trial marriage where she finds happiness with him. Conniving society woman Grace (Todd), who wanted the doctor for herself, convinces Connie to go to a charity ball against the wishes of her husband where she dances the "Sally Shuffle"[5] while in a reveling costume. Thorvald dissolves the contract, not knowing that Connie is with child. Grace gets Thorvald and Connie marries Oliver. Years later, they meet again and find that they are all unhappy, so they all divorce and remarry again, with Connie now finding happiness and Thorvald discovering that he is the father of their child.

    Cast

    [edit]
    • Norman Kerry as Oliver Mowbray
    • Sally Eilers as Constance Bannister
    • Jason Robards as Dr. Thorvald Ware
    • Thelma Todd as Grace
    • Charles Clary as George Bannister
    • Naomi Childers as Mrs. George Bannister, 1st wife
    • Rosemary Theby as Mrs. George Bannister, 4th wife
    • Gertrude Short as Prudence
    • Billy Layman (uncredited)
    • Kane Richmond Party Guest (uncredited)
    • Ronald R. Rondell Party Guest (uncredited)

    Music

    [edit]

    The film featured a theme song entitled "I'll Never Forget" by Gus Kahn and Spike Hamilton. The song is sung by Frank Munn on the soundtrack. The song entitled "Dear Little Boy of Mine," composed by Ernest Ball and J. Keirn Brennan, was also featured on the soundtrack.

    Production

    [edit]

    The June 29, 1928 issue of The Film Daily announced that Millard Webb was originally selected to direct,[6] however he was ultimately not involved in the final film.

    Reception

    [edit]

    A negative review from Variety on April 17, 1929 wrote: "An uninteresting story given a trite, long-winded, complicated treatment, with no redeeming features in the picturization."[4]

    Trial Marriage was the first film shown when the State Theater in Lexington, Kentucky, opened on April 20, 1929.[7]

    See also

    [edit]
    • List of early sound feature films (1926–1929)

    References

    [edit]
    1. ^ Trial Marriage. American Film Institute (AFI). Retrieved June 8, 2021.
    2. ^ Edmonds, Andy (1989). Hot Toddy: The True Story of Hollywood's Most Sensational Murder. New York: William Morrow and Company. p. 269. ISBN 0-688-08061-8.
    3. ^ Progressive Silent Film List: Trial Marriage at silentera.com
    4. ^ a b "Film Reviews". Variety. 95 (1). New York City: Variety, Inc.: 22, 25 April 17, 1929. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
    5. ^ "Cinematic Review: Trial Marriage". The Kent Stater. 3 (34). Kent State University. July 13, 1929. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
    6. ^ "Columbia to Make Trial Marriage". The Film Daily. Vol. 44, no. 77. New York City: Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc. June 29, 1928. p. 6. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
    7. ^ Joder Jr., Orville (2016). "State Theater in Lexington, Ky". youtube.com. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
    [edit]


    Stub icon

    This 1920s drama film–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

    • v
    • t
    • e
    This article is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
    Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial Marriage
    Status: article is cached
    Encyclosphere.org EncycloReader is supported by the EncyclosphereKSF