THE LOCKED DOOR
US, 1929, 74 minutes, Black and white.
Rod La Roque, Barbara Stanwyck, William Boyd, Betty Bronson.
Directed by Geo. Fitzmaurice.
The Locked Door is the first credit for Barbara Stanwyck, as early as 1929, the year year she turned 22. Also in that year she made Mexicali Rose, getting top billing. In these films, she showed that she could do the star turn, look and be glamorous, but this was not enough. She showed she could play more shady roles, women under suspicion, and, in Mexicali Rose, a vamp.
This is an early sound film directed by Geo Fitzmaurice was to make a number of dramas at MGM. Already the sound engineering was beginning to change, this film opens with a very long tracking along a crowded bar with everybody placing their orders, finally finishing with Barbara Stanwyck and Rod la Rocque. They are on a pleasure boat, with illicit drinking, with rooms assigned for romantic rendezvous, and then the boat raided before Barbara Stanwyck, playing the secretary of the businessman, is able to evade the unwelcome attentions of the host.
They are arrested, photographed, but escape bail.
18 months later, Barbara Stanwyck is married to the boss of the company, William Boyd (nickname ‘Stage’ to contrast him with the other William Boyd who was Hopalong Cassidy). He receives news that the marriage of a close friend has been disrupted by infidelity – and the man responsible is Frank, Rod La Roque. In the meantime, the businessman’s sister, Betty Bronson who was the Virgin Mary in Ben Hur, has fallen in love with him. When he comes to the house, he is confronted by Barbara Stanwyck who warns him off her sister in law.
The young woman persists and Barbara Stanwyck goes to the house to confront Frank, only to find that the businessman also comes up, warning Frank who reveals the background of his seemingly respectable wife, the two quarrelling and a gun going off with Frank wounded. He leaves the body but locks the door of the apartment, trapping his wife. Barbara Stanwyck contrives to take the blame for herself, having the phone off the hook, and acting as if she was being assaulted by Frank and shooting him. The receptionist (played by comedian Zasu Pitts) calls the police, all kinds of evidence against Barbara Stanwyck’s story produced, then her husband turns up and wants to take the blame. The sister also arise and is shocked. In a nice twist, the awkward waiter on the boat revealed that he was an couple of policemen and is able to corroborate by pristine weeks statements. Frank regains consciousness before dying and is able to explain the whole situation.
The film seems fairly creaky, but raises the moral issues at the time, pre-Motion Picture Code, but is mainly to be seen for the presence of Barbara Stanwyck.
