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George Bancroft.
Frame enlargement: Silent Era image collection.
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Thunderbolt
(1929) United States of America
B&W : Eight reels / 8571 feet / 85 minutes
Directed by Josef von Sternberg
Cast: George Bancroft [‘Thunderbolt’ Jim Lang], Fay Wray [‘Ritzy’ Mary], Richard Arlen [Bob Morgan], Eugenie Besserer [Mrs. Morgan, Bob’s mother], Tully Marshall [the prison warden], James Spottswood [‘Snapper’ O’Shea], Robert Elliott [the prison chaplain], Fred Kohler [‘Bad Al’ Frieberg]; Mike Donlin [‘Kentucky’ Sampson], E.H. Calvert [District Attorney McKay], George Irving [Mr. Corwin], S.S. Stewart [the negro convict], William L. Thorne [a police inspector], Elmer Ballard, King Tut the dog
Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation production; distributed by Paramount Pictures Corporation [A Josef von Sternberg Production]. / Associate producer, B.P. Fineman. Screenplay by Jules Furthman, with dialogue by Herman J. Mankiewicz, from a screen story by Charles Furthmann and Jules Furthman. Production design by Hans Dreier. Songs “Thinkin’ About My Baby” and “Daddy Won’t You Please Come Home” by Sam Coslow (music and lyrics) + [Karl Hajos]. Cinematography by Henry W. Gerrard. Sound recording engineer, M.M. Paggi. Film editor, Helen Lewis. Intertitles written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Presented by Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky. / © 20 June 1929 by Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation [LP487]. Released 22 June 1929. / [?] Movietone 35mm spherical 1.20:1 format and/or Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format? Western Electric Movietone sound-on-film synchronized sound system. / The film was also released in the USA in a silent version (at 7311 feet) by Paramount Pictures Corporation in 1929. [?] Website-IMDb lists Josef von Sternberg as a writer on the film. [?] Parish-Gangster p. 392 lists the film’s runtime as 95 minutes. / Full-sound film.
Drama: Crime.
Synopsis: Synopsis available in AFI-F2 n. F2.5703.
Survival status: Prints exist in the UCLA Film and Television Archive film archive [two 35mm positives].
Current rights holder: (unknown)
Keywords: Criminals - Death Row - Law: Enforcement (Police: Detectives), Judicial (District attorneys) - Nightclubs - Prison - Synchronized sound film - USA: New York: New York - Wardens
Listing updated: 25 January 2024.
References: Film credits, film viewing : AFI-F2 n. F2.5703; Everson-Detective p. 110; Katchmer-Eighty pp. 10, 12; Limbacher-Feature p. 251; Parish-Gangster pp. 33, 392-393, 400; Ryall-Blackmail p. 10; Sarris-Sternberg pp. 8, 16, 23-24; Sklar-Movie p. 179; Vermilye-Twenties p. 186 : Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.
Home video: Blu-ray Disc, DVD.
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