The Big House (1930 film)
| The Big House | |
|---|---|
Original lobby card depicting Chester Morris and Wallace Beery
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| Directed by | George W. Hill |
| Produced by | no credit |
| Screenplay by | Story and dialogue by Frances Marion Additional dialogue by Joe Farnham and Martin Flavin |
| Starring |
Chester Morris Wallace Beery Lewis Stone Robert Montgomery Leila Hyams George F. Marion J. C. Nugent |
| Music by | no credit |
| Cinematography | Harold Wenstrom |
| Edited by | Blanche Sewell |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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June 24, 1930 |
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Running time
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87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Big House is a 1930 American Pre-Code crime drama film directed by George W. Hill, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and starring Chester Morris, Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone and Robert Montgomery. The supporting cast features Leila Hyams, George F. Marion, J. C. Nugent, Karl Dane and Tom Kennedy. The story and dialogue were written by Frances Marion, with additional dialogue by Joe Farnham and Martin Flavin. Although the primary source is not mentioned in the film's credits, the screenplay was based on the 1926 original story, "The Big House" by Lennox Robinson.
Lon Chaney was originally chosen for the role of Butch, a violent career criminal who rules the prison cellblock. Due to the cancer that eventually resulted in Chaney's death, this role went to Wallace Beery. The movie launched Beery's sound career to new heights; a top supporting actor and frequent leading man in silents, he had been dropped by his previous studio Paramount when sound came in even though he recorded a successful voice test. After The Big House became a hit and his performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role, he became the world's highest paid actor within two years.
Marion won the Academy Award for Best Writing Achievement. Douglas Shearer also won the first Academy Award for Sound. The film was nominated for Best Picture.The Big House was one of the first prison films ever made and was tremendously influential on the genre.
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