The Battle of the Sexes is a 1928 American synchronized sound comedy film directed by D. W. Griffith. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score, singing and sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. The film starred Jean Hersholt, Phyllis Haver, Belle Bennett, Don Alvarado, and Sally O'Neil. It was released by United Artists. The film was a remake by Griffith of an earlier film he directed in 1914, which starred Lillian Gish. Both films are based on the novel The Single Standard by Daniel Carson Goodman; the story was adapted for this production by Gerrit J. Lloyd.[4]
| The Battle of the Sexes | |
|---|---|
 lobby card | |
| Directed by | D. W. Griffith |
| Written by | Gerrit J. Lloyd (adaptation & titles) |
| Based on | The Single Standard by Daniel Carson Goodman |
| Produced by | Joseph M. Schenck |
| Starring | Jean Hersholt Phyllis Haver Belle Bennett Don Alvarado Sally O'Neil |
| Cinematography | Karl Struss G.W. Bitzer |
| Edited by | James Smith |
| Music by | Hugo Riesenfeld Nathaniel Shilkret[1][2] |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Sound (Synchronzied) (English Intertitles) |
| Budget | $750,000[3] |
The film was recorded using the Movietone sound-on-film system but discs were made for those theatres that only had equipment to play sound-on-disc sound films. In 2004, the film was released on DVD by Image Entertainment without its original soundtrack. The theme song of the motion picture, "Just a Sweetheart", by Dave Dryer, Josef Pasternack, and Nathaniel Shilkret (recorded versions of which are available, for example, on a commercially issued Paul Whiteman CD[5]) was omitted from the DVD. A completely modern score was substituted which bears no resemblance to the original score.
Plot
editMarie Skinner (Phyllis Haver) is a gold digger with her hooks out for devoted middle-aged family man J.C. Judson (Jean Hersholt), a portly real estate tycoon, who falls for her when she contrives to meet him. When his wife (Belle Bennett) and grown children, Ruth (Sally O'Neil) and Billy (William Bakewell) discover him dancing with Marie at a nightclub, J.C. leaves home the next day. Ruth seeks out Marie to shoot her, but is interrupted by Marie's boyfriend, jazz hound Babe Winsor (Don Alvarado), who takes a shine to her. When Judson walks in on them he condemns her licentiousness, but is forced to face his double standard when he witnesses a violent argument between Marie and Babe. Full of contrition, J.C. returns to home and hearth and the bosom of his loving family.[6][7][8]
Cast
edit- Jean Hersholt as William Judson, the Father
- Phyllis Haver as Marie Skinner
- Belle Bennett as Mrs. Judson, the Mother
- Sally O'Neil as Ruth Judson, the Daughter
- Don Alvarado as Babe Winsor
- William Bakewell as Billy Judson, the Son
- John Batten as A friend of the Judsons
- Rolfe Sedan as Marie's Barber (uncredited)
- Harry Semels as Mr. Judson's Barber (uncredited)
Music
editThe film featured a theme song entitled "Just a Sweetheart" with music and lyrics by Josef A. Pasternack, Nathaniel Shilkret and Dave Dreyer. Another song featured on the soundtrack was entitled "Rose in The Bud" with music by Dorothy Forster and lyrics by Percy Barrow. Both titles were recorded by Allen McQuhae for Brunswick records and are available on the Internet Archive.
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Allmovie Production credits
- ^ Shilkret, Nathaniel, ed. Shell, Niel and Barbara Shilkret, Nathaniel Shilkret: Sixty Years in the Music Business, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, 2005, pp. 227, 273 and 287. ISBN 0-8108-5128-8
- ^ "Griffith's 20 Year Record". Variety. September 5, 1928. p. 12. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ^ Progressive Silent Film List: The Battle of the Sexes at silentera.com
- ^ Shilkret, Nathaniel, ed. Shell, Niel and Barbara Shilkret, Nathaniel Shilkret: Sixty Years in the Music Business, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, 2005. ISBN 0-8108-5128-8
- ^ Plot summary (IMDB)
- ^ Wollstein, Hans J. Plot synopsis (All Movie)
- ^ TCM Synopsis Full synopsis
External links
edit
- The Battle of the Sexes is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- The Battle of the Sexes at IMDb
- The Battle of the Sexes at the TCM Movie Database
- Synopsis at AllMovie
- review in The New York Times
- Still at silenthollywood.com
- Cairns, David (2016), The Forgotten: D.W. Griffith's Battle of the Sexes (1928) at mubi.com (with stills)