User Reviews

George Fitzmaurice was one of the great commercial stylists among directors in the 1920s. He suffered an eclipse in the early talkie era but was fighting his way back into the majors when he died in 1940.

This means, of course, there are a lot of problems with this movie. The screen actors don't know how to do dialogue and most of the stage actors don't know how to turn down their performances for the intimacy of the movie camera. Barbara Stanwyck, looking very fresh-faced, is very loud in her line readings. She knows how to show her emotions beautifully already, though.

But producer Joe Schenck didn't spare any expense behind the camera, and it shows. Avant-garde cameraman Ray June handles the camera impeccably. While other directors were having their cameramen use cuts to change subjects, Fitzmaurice has June move the camera. Notice the long tracking shot at the bar in the opening sequence and the MOS shots used to fill out the sequence.

The camera-work is not fluid. It is, frankly, fairly clunky, but it is light years ahead of anyone else in the business in 1929, except possibly Mamoulian's APPLAUSE.

So while their are a lot of problems with this movie, the camera-work makes this one very superior for 1929 and Barbara Stanwyck makes it worth looking at.

The attraction here is not just Barbara Stanwyck, even though it's her first talkie and she handles her role with a secure professionalism that belies her cinematic inexperience. Born for the camera she was! But an equally impressive performance is delivered by Rod La Rocque as the serial cad who mistreats her and then sets his sights on her younger sister. The trappings are typical 20's soap opera/melodrama, in this case derived from a stage play. But not typical for the era is La Rocque's well-tailored villain who seems to have stepped out of a story from a much later era; in fact, his performance would not be considered one bit dated even by today's standards - highly unusual for a film from 1929. His line readings and body language bespeak a decadent, spoiled rogue without a scintilla of conscience, all of this enhanced by delicately tapered sideburns. He also has a smooth, deep speaking voice. The look and style of the film are standard for the era but include an interesting, lively panoramic dance party sequence on a "drinking boat" (pleasure boats that sailed outside the 12-mile limit of the US coast so the patrons could drink alcohol illegally during the Prohibition era) intercut with an intimate scene between Stanwyck and La Rocque in one of the cabins.

BARBARA STANWYCK was never too fond of her first talkie and it's easy to see why. Filmed at a time when stage actors were just getting familiar with sound technique in films, it has a multitude of problems with regard to script, direction and performances.

ROD LaROCQUE is insufferably hammy as the bad guy who tries to seduce Stanwyck aboard an illegal rum boat and turns up some eighteen months later paying court to her sister (BETTY BRONSON). Stanwyck and hubby WILLIAM BOYD decide to stop LaRocque from carrying through with his plans to run off with Bronson and the plot thickens, going from one melodramatic mess to another before the story crawls to an end.

Best aspect of the film is the photography of Ray June, especially the overhead shots looking through the glass ceiling of a dance floor on the riverboat and the panning shot of bar customers ordering drinks.

Everyone sounds like they're reading their lines for a run through rehearsal, but Stanwyck at least shows emotion well in some good close-ups. Bronson and LaRocque are the worst with the new mikes.

Stagy but clever murder mystery with Barbara Stanwyck in her talkie debut and the center of attention.

The copy I have has a missing scene but this is still an effective if stagy and slightly hammy film.

Stanwyck is a secretary who goes to a boat party with the boss's son and maybe gets raped (that scene is missing) and raided by the police. She and the son skip bail and disappear. 18 months later we find Stanwyck happily married to a wealthy man (William Boyd) when his sister's new boy friend shows up. Yup it's the sleazy son (Rod LaRocque) with a new name. The sister (Betty Bronson) is gaga over him but Stanwyck is horrified.

Stanwyck overhears their plans to run off to Honolulu so she decides to pay LaRocque a visit. But unbeknown to her, her husband is also planning a visit because he has been warned about the boy friend.

Stanwyck arrives at LaRocque's apartment and starts a fight but is interrupted when the husband arrives. The guys scuffle and a gun goes off. Husband leaves and locks the door, trapping Stanwyck (hiding in a bedroom) in the apartment with the corpse. She thinks fast, rips her dress and calls the operator, pretending to fend off an attacker and firing the gun.

Both Stanwyck and Boyd eventually admit to the killing but then Bronson shows up.....

Supporting cast includes Zasu Pitts as the operator, Mack Swain as the manager, George Bunny as the valet, Purnell Pratt is a police man, and Harry Stubbs is the surprising waiter.

Neat little film apparently lost for decades.

Barbara Stanwyck stars as Ann Carter, recently married to Lawrence Reagan (William Boyd). Their matrimonial bliss is disturbed by the appearance of Frank Devereaux (Rod La Rocque), a sleazy cad and serial womanizer who shared an embarrassing incident with Ann a year ago. When Ann learns that Devereaux has designs on Lawrence's young sister Helen (Betty Bronson), she decides to meet with Devereaux and try to keep him away from the young girl. This leads to scandal and tragedy.

Stanwyck was only 22 here, and this is her first starring role (she appeared as an uncredited showgirl in 1927's Broadway Nights). She's cute with dark hair and a baby face, and she's already exhibiting her star appeal. The Pre-Code story elements include traveling to an offshore "rum boat" (where a young Paulette Goddard is supposedly among the extras), implied forced sex, and Stanwyck spending a bit of screentime in a torn dress. La Rocque steals the film, though, as the dapper skirt-chaser who stays one step ahead of the cuckolded husbands left in his wake. He's detestable and funny at the same time.

This does show its early talkie roots though, with a dying scene that is so prolonged and talkie I'm surprised those surrounding the dying man don't start looking for a blunt instrument to end things. The overall effort is OK, but then again - Joe Schenck cut Buster Keaton loose to concentrate on films like this??? I guess you had to be there.

Handsome but oily playboy Rod La Rocque (as Frank Devereaux) takes secretary Barbara Stanwyck (as Ann Carter) on a Prohibition-era cruise aboard a boozy gambling boat. He locks their cabin door for dinner and sex, but a police raid saves Ms. Stanwyck from date rape. Eighteen months later, Stanwyck has happily married well-heeled William Boyd (as Lawrence "Larry" Reagan). Then, Stanwyck is shocked to discover Mr. La Rocque is charming cute sister-in-law Betty Bronson (Helen). Stanwyck wants La Rocque to hit the road without Ms. Bronson, so he threatens to reveal her participation on the opening cruise.

Director George Fitzmaurice does his best maneuvering everyone around the early sound-equipped stages.

Viewers in 1929 likely remembered the original "The Sign on the Door" (1921) starring Norma Talmadge and Lew Cody in the Stanwyck and La Rocque roles; this film survives, but has not been released. La Rocque, a popular cad, and perky "Peter Pan" star Bronson were likely the main draws in this "All Talking!" re-make. Now, it's seen as the first big role for Stanwyck. Unafraid to repeatedly show her underwear, Stanwyck is bold but inexperienced. Bronson measures theatrical. La Rocque is at his smarmy best, and Mr. Boyd lends good support. Telephone operator Zasu Pitts and dumb waiter Harry Stubbs provide comic relief.

***** The Locked Door (11/16/29) George Fitzmaurice ~ Barbara Stanwyck, Rod La Rocque, William 'Stage' Boyd, Betty Bronson

I was fortunate enough to find this movie thanks to YouTube. It was nice to see an early twenty-something Barbara Stanwyck in not only her first talkie but her first leading role in a film. Barbara was extremely young here with hints of the talent she would develop further on into her career.

"The Locked Door" (1929) isn't a perfect film. Like a lot of early talkies, this film suffered from the transition of silent films to talkies. Some of the dialogue was hard to understand. I'm not sure if that is due to the sound equipment being used at the time or just the copy I had of the movie. The picture wasn't great either but I'll give the benefit of the doubt since this movie is ninety years old. The year 1929 was an awkward stage for film at the time. Silent films were still around but would go obsolete by the following year. The film industry was still trying to grasp how to master the art of this new medium - sound. However, it was nice to get a glimpse at a movie made and set towards the end of the Roaring Twenties. I've always wondered how the film industry was able to get away with portraying alcoholism and drinking during Prohibition.

I was shocked by the way Frank, played by glamorous leading man Rod La Rocque, treated the waiter at the beginning. Having worked in the food service industry, I kept thinking, "Jeez! Treat the waiting staff with respect!"

The secretary, played by Zasu Pitts, had to be my favorite character and role in the movie. She had some of the best lines, I swear.

I felt the ending was abrupt and very open-ended. Nonetheless, "The Locked Door" was still worth the watch just to see Barbara Stanwyck's first talkie appearance and watch a film made during an evolving period in cinema.

Other than the fact that this was Barbara Stanwyck's second film and talkie debut, believe me there isn't any other reason to remember The Locked Door. It's a rather turgid melodrama with some stock company heroes and villains. It might very well have been a play on the Cotton Blossom, but for its urban setting.

Barbara Stanwyck showed something in this film though, she wouldn't have had the career she had if she didn't. You can definitely spot the star quality with her.

The film is based on a Broadway play by Channing Pollock that ran 187 performances during the 1919-1920 season. The subject of Prohibition was new at that time, by 1929 it was old hat. In any event it's only part of the story.

Stanwyck and Snidely Whiplash villain Rod LaRocque are on a floating gambling and drinking boat when it's raided. They both jump bail and go their separate ways, Stanwyck thanking the Deity she had no further involvement with LaRocque.

But that's not what fate has in store for her. She marries William Boyd, a widower with daughter Betty Bronson. Guess who Bronson tells dear old Dad and step mom who she's involved with.

When both Stanwyck and Boyd go to confront LaRocque, but separately, that's when the action really starts.

One thing I will say in favor of the film, the camera work reminded me a whole lot of Alfred Hitchcock's famous one set films, Rear Window and Rope, because the story takes place in the last half in LaRocque's apartment. But the hammy acting and melodramatic plot date this film terribly.

Still Barbara Stanwyck's personality certainly stands out.

Someone referred to this as "stagy," and was more correct than perhaps he knew: "The Locked Door" was originally a stage play, and this movie was an adaptation, a good one in my opinion.

C. Gardner Sullivan had been writing scenarios and inter-titles since at least 1912, and is honored among aficionados who know his work from those earliest years of motion pictures.

The four top-billed players were also veterans, except for Barbara Stanwyck who has only one previous credit.

Rod La Rocque had been in movies since at least 1914, and put in 12 more years.

Betty Bronson became a huge star with her seventh role, Peter Pan in the movie of that name, and reportedly was chosen for the part by James M. Barrie, the author, himself.

William Boyd, known here at IMDb as "William 'Stage' Boyd," is the primary reason the Screen Actors Guild usually forbids a member having the same name as another, Harrison Ford being the only exception that comes immediately to my mind.

This particular Boyd was busted on something shameful and the picture of "the other" William Boyd, who later became very famous as Hopalong Cassidy, was published in a newspaper, almost destroying his career.

In this cast there are lots of "withs" who help make this a very good movie, including Mack Swain and Zasu Pitts.

The story is not really a mystery, at least not to us, because we see everything that happens, but it is a drama, with conflict and character change.

I'm reminded of the aphorism that people in small towns buy their local paper not to see who did what, because everyone knows, but to see who gets blamed.

That's the premise of this story, and it's well done, plausible by the standards of its time.

There is also a good point for modern society: Laws against consensual acts, such as gambling or ingestion of certain substances, in this case, alcohol, cause more problems than they solve.

"The Locked Door" is good cinema, especially for anyone who wants to watch the evolution of the art.

Other comments mention some innovative camera work in this film, but what you'll remember first is the stiff, stagy acting. And yet, you'll keep watching right up to the ridiculous deus-ex-machina ending because the movie isn't terrible enough to make you turn it off. And there are some points of interest.

One, oddly enough, is the set. Devereaux's bachelor pad has Gothic architectural details worthy of Dracula's castle. Funny that as a playboy with no visible means of support (blackmail, perhaps), he should be able to afford such a magnificent place.

Another would be Barbara Stanwyck with a horrendous 1920's hairdo, overacting like she probably never did again. I never believed that she would be so much in love with a husband who looks twice her age and has all the passion and animation of a dead codfish.

Another would be the villain of the piece, played by Rod La Roque as the ultimate lounge lizard with the a perfectly sleazy pencil-thin mustache and a leering, mocking manner to match. But I believed all that far more than I believed his change of heart at the end.

And finally, standing out like a beacon among the minor players, is Zazu Pitts as the ditsy switchboard operator. Very funny.

Locked Door, The (1929)

** (out of 4)

Dry crime melodrama about a woman (Barbara Stanwyck) who gets herself arrested while on a rum boat with the lavish Frank Devereaux (Rod La Rocque). Eighteen months later she is married to another man (William Boyd) but she soon learns that his sister is now involved with Frank. This early talkie from United Artist has pretty much been forgotten with the exception that it will stand the test of time as being Stanwyck's first major role as her previous film had her in a bit role. As with many early talkies, the technology leaves a lot to be desired and I can't help but think that the director wasn't too worried with what was happening on the screen as he was making sure everyone could hear what was going on. The film is incredibly dry of any humor, suspense or drama and that's a real shame because the story is actually pretty good as all four characters get involved with a possible murder towards the end of the film. This murder happens an hour into a 74-minute film so the payoff comes rather quickly but the ending is certainly the best thing about the movie. Stanwyck comes off fairly good in her role but there's no doubt she still had some rust around the edges. La Rocque comes off incredibly over the top as if he was playing in some sort of strange comedy and I can only compare him to what people would see decades later in John Waters. Boyd is pretty good in his role and actually steals the film, although Zasu Pitts has a few good scenes as a telephone operator.

Barbara Stanwyck's early film career serves as a prime example of the dislocation that scores of actors and actresses were experiencing throughout cinema's transition from silent to sound movies. Studio executives quickly discovered scores of silent movie veterans were incapable of conversing while acting in front of microphones. Thus, Hollywood began a campaign to seek new talent of those who were comfortable talking and acting both on a live stage and on a film set-not an easy thing to do.

Stanwyck, 21, was already a seasoned stage performer on Broadway when sound was introduced to cinema. She drew plaudits in the press for her 1927 appearance in 'Burlesque.' Theater producer Arthur Hopkins called her "The greatest natural actress of our time." A newly-wedded spouse to stand-up comedian and emcee host Frank Fay, Stanwyck moved to California with him after he received an offer with Warner Brothers. With an impressive New York City and Broadway resume in hand, the actress was highly sought after as soon as she arrived in Los Angeles. She secured her first substantial role in film, making her talkie debut in November 1929's "The Locked Door." In retrospect, the actress harbored no fond memories of her initial performance in front of the camera. "They should've never unlocked the darn thing," said Stanwyck on the Joseph Schenck/Joseph Kennedy produced movie based on the 1919 Channing Pollock play 'The Sign on the Door.' Coming off the live stage onto a movie stage set was an entirely new experience for Stanwyck. "Nobody trained me for the movies," said the actress. "In the theatre I had to reach the guys in the balcony. But on a small movie set my voice was shrill and my walk was awkward. I was lost. Who the hell was going to teach me the ropes in this dizzy town?" Despite what she said about her performance and the lack of box office success of "The Locked Door," that didn't stop other film directors from appreciating her acting skills and from reaching out to secure her services. The list included Frank Capra, who was intrigued by her screen presence, even though she was planning to chuck everything in Hollywood to return back East after viewing her first screen effort.

Stanwyck's life to this point was a rags-to-riches story rare in acting circles. Born in 1907 as Ruby Catherine Stevens in Brooklyn, New York, she was an orphan after her mother died miscarrying from a streetcar accident. Her father soon left her for a job to dig at the Panama Canal, and she never heard from him again. Her older sister, Mildred, tried to raise her and her brother, but when she became a showgirl, the kids went off to foster homes. Ruby constantly ran away from the homes, until at 12 she began to tour with Mildred during the summers. She dropped out of school at 14 and took several jobs to support her ambition to go into showbiz. At 16, she finally got her chance as a dancer at a nightclub, soon elevating to the Ziegfeld Follies. Ruby was cast as a chorus girl in 1926's Broadway's "The Noose," where her role was expanded in the highly-successful play. Its producer suggested a name change. Ruby spotted an old poster of the play 'Barbara Frietchie,' starring Jane Stanwyck. The young actress combined both names and adopted it for her own. Soon, she earned the lead in the 1927 play 'Burlesque,' blazing her new name on the theatre's marquee.

"The Locked Door" is noteworthy for two other actors appearing in it. ZaSu Pitts, the actress who played the dramatic heavy in 1924's "Greed," saw her roles turn more comedic. Typical of her later parts was her characters as the Telephone Girl, a ditzy hotel operator quizzed by the police after a murder. Also, actor William 'Stage" Boyd plays Stanwyck's husband. Boyd, taking the middle nickname 'Stage' to emphasize his experience in live plays to secure movie roles, was caught by police with alcohol and drug possession during the Prohibition. Not only was his career ruined by the courts' convictions, but another actor with his same name, William Boyd, was listed by confused newspapers as the one whom committed all the illegal acts. RKO studio severed his contract as well.

Not much of a mystery, but it is always cool to see the beginnings of big stars. Barbara was very young! The sound quality sucked. A lot of the acting was corny! Did I say corny! I guess corny was the vogue back then! The characters were stereotypical. It was short. Short means you do not have to watch corny for that long. It was still better than a lot of the "Lifetime" type fare you get on TV now! I love TCM! Looking at Barbara so young makes you appreciate how well she aged. She was in her early 20's in this one and late 70's when she ceased working and she still had a good figure and was recognizable as the young woman in this film.

The first five minutes need to go viral on YouTube to prove to young people there is nothing new under the sun. It is a brilliant portrait of the bright young things getting s**t-faced on a boat, especially the women (all women the following: "I want a drink. I want a drink!! I want a drink!! I want a drink!!!"; and "I want a high ball. I want a high ball! I want two highballs!!"; and finally "I want two quarts of gin."). It is a priceless portrait of the emancipated flapper misbehaving! For old movie snobs, La Roque is an interesting villain - see why his career when nowhere with the talkies - he does villainous too believably for the audience of that era to ever let him have a mainstream role again. Stanwyck shows her chops, though she has yet to get her full form and is a little stagy.

And you might enjoy the lipstick on Willian 'Stage' Boyd, not well done, but Mr Boyd clearly enjoys wearing it - checking out his bio, I am wondering if he was a bad, bad bisexual - the orientation everyone loves to hate? A young death at 46, so it would make sense that he was abandoned by both men and women...

In 1921, Norma Shearer starred in her first film, "Sign on the Door". It wasn't a very good film then and when they remade it in 1929 as a sound picture, it wasn't much better. Both films suffered from a major problem--if the wife had just talked to her loving husband, all this could have been avoided. Plus, the ending really was awfully dumb.

When the film begins, Ann (Barbara Stanwyck) is in a room aboard his yacht. While Frank's friends are drinking themselves into oblivion, he's attempting to rape this nice young lady. Fortunately, a police raid on the yacht stops him from completing his assault.

18 months pass. Ann is now happily married to Larry (William Boyd*). But Larry's sister brings home a new man in her life...and it turns out to be the blackguard, Frank!!! Now Ann should have just told everyone about that event 18 months ago but instead she later goes to his apartment to beg him to leave her sister-in-law alone. Soon, Larry arrives and shoots Frank...and leaves Ann locked in the room with the dying man! What's next? Well, if you see the film, you honestly won't care in the least, as the last 15 minutes of the film are just terrible...unbelievable and rather silly as well.

I hate films where a person simply explaining things could have prevented a whole lotta trouble. Plus, the last 15 minutes are just god-awful and stupid. Fortunately, despite these problems, this first starring role for Barbara Stanwyck wasn't too bad, as she soon went on to better and bigger things.

*This William Boyd is NOT the famous William Boyd, also known later as Hoppalong Cassidy. Hoppy was a very famous actor in the late 2os and into the 30s. The one in this film is the less famous and non- cowboy version!