The Bad Man (1930 film)

The Bad Man is a 1930 American Pre-Code Western film starring Walter Huston which was produced and released by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros.[1] The movie is based on Porter Emerson Browne's 1920 play of the same name and is a sound remake of the 1923 silent version of the same name.[2] The film stars Walter Huston and features Dorothy Revier, Sidney Blackmer and James Rennie.

The Bad Man
Directed byClarence G. Badger
Written byHoward Estabrook
C.H. Towne
Porter Emerson Browne
Produced byRobert North
StarringWalter Huston
Dorothy Revier
James Rennie
O. P. Heggie
Sidney Blackmer
Myrna Loy
CinematographyJohn F. Seitz
Edited byFrank Ware
Music byLeonid S. Leonardi
Production
company
Distributed byFirst National Pictures
Release date
  • September 13, 1930 (1930-09-13)
Running time
77 Minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Walter Huston plays the part of a notorious Mexican bandit. James Rennie plays as the man who once saved his life. When Rennie is unable to pay the mortgage on his ranch and is in risk of losing everything, Huston determines to help him. Sidney Blackmer, who has reason to believe that there is oil on Rennie's property, attempts to swindle Rennie and buy the property from him for a low price. Huston soon discovers that Rennie is in love with Blackmer's wife, played by Dorothy Revier, and consequently has Blackmer shot so that they can pursue their romance. Huston then robs a bank and uses the money to pay off Rennie's mortgage. Having the ranch securely in his hands, Rennie is now free to marry Revier. As Huston says goodbye to the couple, he is overtaken by the Texas Rangers and shot.

Preservation

An incomplete nitrate print of this film—8 of 9 reels—survives in the UCLA Film and Television Archive. The entire film is in danger of being lost, however, if the film is still not preserved as of January 2021 or at some point the near future. The film may have already begun to decompose since it was last reported in 2007.

Original version and remake

The film, based on a 1920 play, was originally filmed in 1923 with Holbrook Blinn, who had originated the role in the 1920 Broadway production which ran for a whopping 342 performances.[3] The film was remade in 1940 as The Bad Man with Wallace Beery as Pancho Lopez and a supporting cast including Lionel Barrymore, Laraine Day, and Ronald Reagan.

Foreign-language versions

Two foreign-language versions of the 1930 version of The Bad Man were made. The Spanish version was titled El hombre malo, while the French version was titled Lopez, le bandit.

Cast

References
  1. The AFI Catalog of Feature Films 1893-1993:The Bad Man, afi.com; accessed August 9, 2015.
  2. The American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films: 1921-30 c.1971 by The American Film Institute
  3. The Bad Man as produced on Broadway at the Comedy Theatre, August 30, 1920 to June 1921; IBDB.com
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