Framed (1930)

• Directed by George Archainbaud.

• Screenplay by Paul Schofield. Dialogue by Wallace Smith.

• This film opens with an excellent first shot, the camera closely, slowly circling a huddle of men, their backs to the lens, all standing around & questioning a woman seated at the cluster’s center. The camera finds the woman (Evelyn Brent)’s face between the men’s hatted figures, as it circle-pans – which serves as a fabulously compelling way to start the film, from a visual perspective. (Cinematography credit: the wonderful Leo Tover.)

• So: Evelyn Brent is Rose Manning, the daughter of some sort of racket-man troublemaker; both father and daughter, it seems, are regulars at the courthouse/police station, frequently being questioned about an assortment of criminal deeds and nefariousness.

• Tonight’s Question Session is a bit unique, and far more personal – as the unlawful activity under investigation resulted in the death of Rose’s father. The dude that relays this news to Rose – Inspector McArthur (William Holden)(no, not that one) – immediately becomes her Worst Enemy Ever, and she vows to hate him for all eternity, for whatever role he played in Papa Manning becoming dead.

(William Holden the Elder is regrettable levels of unconvincing in this scene, and we are therefore grateful for its shortness.)

• Title card: “Five years brought a new fashion in crime – and a new kind of ‘holdup.'”

• Said new holdup is a casino named for Rose, owned by gangster Chuck Gaines (should we call him…the Gaingester?)(played by Ralf Harolde), which also employs Rose as its quasi-celebrity hostess.

• It becomes obvious very quickly that none of these dude-actors hold a candle to Evelyn Brent – all of them are stilted in their line deliveries, failing to speak with any sort of authentic rhythm or flow and achieving little naturalness of emotional expression while they do it.

• Chuck seems to be consistently fixated on fingernail maintenance (his own, not the nails of others). Fellow casino associate Bing Murdock (Maurice Black) really likes wearing a fake, outlandishly adorned military outfit (featuring many cords and a cape). When Bing murders Johnny the Goat at Chuck’s behest, Bing seems more affected by the fact that he must temporarily change out of the military costume to do it than he is by the actual act of, you know, shooting someone dead on a street corner.

To each his own!

• I actually like the dynamic at play between Rose and Sergeant Schultze (aka: “Burt,” played by Robert Emmett O’Connor); though the dialogue between them still doesn’t achieve quite the right pacing, the energies of the characters do strike the correct pitch.

• Unhated Police Pal Burt is like, ‘Pssst, Rose – are you aware that you are flirt-chumming with the offspring of your mortal enemy?’

Rose is like, ‘Gasp! No, bro. Jimmy’s last name is McArthur?! Thanks for the hot tip, mayhaps I will use this info to WRECK INSPECTOR BUTCH MCARTHUR’S LIFE!’

Burt’s like, ‘Stay cool, Rose! I know you’re not romantically involved with Chuck Gaines like everyone thinks. Toodles!’

And we’re like, ‘Why is Burt the only one who knows this?’

And then the Rhetorical Angels are like, ‘Whatever, man – just be grateful for the exposition.’

• “Nothing must happen to Butch McArthur. Except what’s going to happen to him.”

Wow. An impact line, if ever there was one!

(Oof. That’s rough, Wallace Smith. That is rough.)

• Here’s something fun: the fake last name that Jimmy (Regis Toomey) gave Rose, so that he could party at the nightclub without being stink-eyed for being a Policeman Relative, was “Carter.” His fake name for nightclubbing purposes is…”Jimmy Carter.”

Baha. Ahoy, Mr. 39th President! It’s a delight to see you’ve always had a thing for women named Rose(alyn).

• The scene between Toomey (“Young Jimmy”)(…okay, I don’t say this to suggest that he suddenly plays, like…a kid version of Jimmy – this is just what Papa McArthur imbecilically calls him to his face, on repeat) and Original William Holden is brutal. “We’re pals, aren’t we?” a smiling Young Jimmy proudly states, as he stands up and grabs his father’s shoulders in giddiness.

Oh, the Jimster. You have a lot to learn, if you plan to make it to the White House.

• Inspector-Papa Butch is steamed that Jimbo has fallen in love (“Is…this the appropriate word to use?” I squeak, with suitable amounts of skepticism) with a Crime Hostess like Rose, and decides to rant to anyone who will listen about how Rose is definitely trying to vendetta him by way of his naïve, phony-president son.

• Evelyn Brent’s dresses are sweet in this film. First, that ostrich-skirt number, then that black, sleeveless dress with the gold, Art Deco-ish, diamond lines? Gorgeous. (Here is where I’d normally credit the costume designer – however, sadly, no such credit seems to have been recorded for this movie.)

• “Don’t fret, doll baby!” — Bing, to Rose.

My favorite line in the film, hands down.

• Poor Webber’s Drug Store! Do they play host to every murder Chuck wants to commit? Imagine having to perform a physical and psychological deep clean following the ‘Johnny the Goat’ Incident…only to do it all again, like…three days later. That would blow!!!

• Lucky for Dumb Young Jimmy, the room in which Chuck locks Rose has a window (“Crossed!” — Chuck), so she escapes in time to remove him (Dumb Young Jimmy, I mean) from…Death’s (literal) Doorstep.

• Rose ultimately decides to discard her Inspector Vendetta in favor of her fondness for the Jimster (a fondness which no doubt increased when he shot Chuck dead in Rose’s apartment, following a mild, late-night skirmish).

• Bing is successfully FRAMED for the Gaingester’s murder, and Papa-Inspector Butch re-evaluates Rose as a-okay, daughter-in-law material.

• This is not a great film, but it puts in a solid effort to tell a story with complex, layered character relationships. Evelyn Brent (obviously my primary reason for watching this movie) remains an underutilized, under-remembered gem of an actress, worthy of a career far more extensive and praised than the one she ended up having.