Numbered Men(Warner Bros.) (1930)

Length (Vitaphone) 6584. Feet Running Time 73 Minutes _ Bernice Claire, Raymond Hackett and Men’ at the WITH THE WARDEN’S APPROVAL? William Holden in Numbered Theatre. Cut No. 13 Cut 30c Mat roc SYNOPSIS (Not for Publication) Mary Dane is young, pretty and red-headed, and when Bud Leonard, in prison doing a ten-year stretch for counterfeiting, tells his fellowprisoner Bertie Gray that she has promised to wait for him, the cynical Bertie scoffs. Louw Rinaldo, meanwhile, is making a play for Mary, having framed Bud on the counterfeiting charge, just as years before he framed “King” Callahan, a very vicious and mean big convict now in the same prison. At the opening of the story the warden of the prison has been working out an honor system and having promoted Bud, Bertie and others into a “good conduct room” and library, where they can spend leisure time in some comfort and no conversational restrictions, he arranges for them and others to work on the road gang. Mary gives Rinaldo the slip and goes to work in a farmhouse where the convicts often come to eat while working on the road. On the warden’s honor system they have a fine time. The very day that Mary is about to see Bud in this way, as she has planned, two things happen. First, Rinaldo, having traced Mary, comes to the farmhouse, and recognizes Bud and Bertie, the latter having been his partner in counterfeiting. He sneaks away without being seen by them, with a plan in his head to tempt Bud to escape and have him caught or possibly shot in his attempt to get away. Second, Callahan heads a jail break at the prison itself, and takes to the PRINTED IN U.S. A. hills after shooting the man who helps him make the escape. The warden comes to the hills with his posse on Callahan’s trail, also being forced to cancel the comparative freedom of the road gang because of the break. Meanwhile Rinaldo, with some difficulty, talks Mary into the tdea of trying to persuade Bud to escape. She meets Bud for the first time outside of the prison visiting room since his tncarceration, and after the first embrace tries to make him plan an escape. He will not listen, so she locks him into a closet when it is time to go back to camp. At the same moment the warden and his men arrive searching for Callahan, and there is pandemonium. Bertie suggests that the convicts themselves search for Callahan, and if they succeed in bringing him in, they do not lose the privilege of the honor system. When they leave to search for the convict, Callahan himself comes in and demands food from Mary. He also struggles with her, and hears Bud trying to break from the closet. The warden and his men arrive in time to prevent him from shooting the closet full of holes, but he holds them off with dynamite until Bud blows his way out of the closet with a shotgun and shoots at him. Callahan shoots Rinaldo, and is himself killed. Both men knew that Bud was “framed,” and now Mary is in despair because it seems that there is no one left who can prove tt and release him. Bertie the counterfeiter NATIONAL PICTURES Here is a romance that answers the question that has headlined newspapers for over Aw-yearsi———S 2 WHAT CAUSES JAIL RIOTS? It is timely. It is romantic. It tells the inside story. Full of _ stirring action. Crammed with thrilling moments. It is heman entertainment that every moviegoer is craving for. % then speaks up and declares that he will “preach” on Rinaldo to save Bud, although it means an extra ten years in prison for him. He will not even let Mary kiss him in payment for the great sacrifice he makes, but she slips up and does it anyway, and he goes off with the happy crew of convict “trustees,” smiling wistfully because he knows that in two weeks or a little more, Bud will be free and two young lovers will be happy. THE Mary Dane Bud Leonard Warden Lansing -action itself a when, throug? ge Reese ete Rayraond Hackett ee ee “‘Vully Marshall Lemuel Barnes... King Callshan 5 yp ee Ralph Ince Lou Minato... = ee WMaurice Black See Wiliam Holden ee Blan he Frederici hive. -Midier = iene see oN Gorge Cooper 1 eee ae re ee Oar Ee SAGES Fre eric Howard ADNONE REG. TRADE MARK eS Raymond fe 1 a 9 ar a = ful climax. “NUMBERED MEN” OFFERS PUNCHY DRAMA AT THE ....... THEATRE Hackett Powerful NS = ™ dramatic mnedy iid pathos, it comes to a réally Se eee Get the All-Talking TRAILER and start running it NOW! ila anal pry with an unusual background, that ‘ * National’s “‘Numbered Men’”’ at the Awnam; ta power Conrad Nagel, Bernice Claire and Raymond Hackett are featured, Nagel getting a very unusual part that is powerful and yet has no love element. In the end he makes a tremendous break and riot is packed with thrills. That’s melodrama—and high drama too. Yet the dynamite hasn’t been deseribed to you yet. It is largely con A Girl Who Waited! Bernice Claire in “Numbered Men” atthe Theatre Cut No. 12 Cut1rsc Mat 5c CAST Sa eee eee Conrad Nagel Se Bernice Claire _ Ivan Linow sacrifice for the youngsters. That’s }high drama. net ‘ centrated in the person of Ralph A stirring and realistic prison Ince, the heavy of the piece. Ince does «some remarkable dominates many scenes. acting and “Numbered Men,” presented a complicated problem for the director because of its many elements of appeal. The entire background is one of convicts and their lives, although not all of it is inside prison walls. Convict camps, road gangs and a ranch house where convicts call for food and where some of the highest drama of the picture takes place are included in the varied locales. The love story is vitally appealing and sweet, with Miss Claire and Hackett making the best of the excellent opportunities. Nagel’s characterization was complex, George Cooper and other excellent comies. were used to advantage and Tully Marshall, Ivan Linow and other east: members appear in both comedy and 8 | pathos. As a result, Le Roy was divided between human interest, dramatic interest, interest in his striking prison backgrounds, his riot and jail break, and the love element of “Numbered Men.” His work in weaving these together and deriving full value from . them is outstanding. Miss Claire deserves special men| tion. “Numbered Men” is her fourth motion picture, and the little girl who became “the youngest grand Opera prima donna” and a favorite of the musical comedy stage proves herself an excellent dramatic film actress. She does not sing in “Numbered Men,” a fact that shows how good the producers thought she was to give her this big part. To outline the story would be to spoil it, and give away some of its “punches,” for throughout its progress surprise is one of the most important elements of its entertainment value. Just a word to the wise, then: You will be highly entertained by “Numbered Men” and it will be a long time before you forget this picture after you have seen it. It’s a “different” movie in every respect. Page One