GENERAL CRACK (1929) John Barrymore, Lowell Sherman & Marian Nixon | Drama, War | B&W| Old Hollywood

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General Crack is a 1929 American pre-Code sound all-talking historical costume melodrama with Technicolor sequences which was directed by Alan Crosland and produced and distributed by Warner Bros. It was filmed and premiered in 1929, and released early in 1930. It stars John Barrymore in his first full-length talking feature. The film would prove to be Crosland and Barrymore's last historical epic together. It was based on the 1928 novel General Crack by the British writer Marjorie Bowen, published under the name George Preedy, one of her several pen names.

Synopsis

The film takes place in the 18th century Austria and revolves around Prince Christian, commonly known as General Crack (John Barrymore). His father had been a respectable member of the upper ranks of the nobility but his mother was a gypsy. General Crack, as a soldier of fortune, spent his adult life selling his services to the highest bidder. He espouses the doubtful cause of Leopold II of Austria (Lowell Sherman, reigned 1790-1792) after demanding the sister of the emperor in marriage as well as half of the gold of the Holy Roman Empire. Before he has finished his work, however, he meets a gypsy dancer (Armida) and weds her. Complications arise when he takes his gypsy wife to the Austrian court and falls desperately in love with the emperor's sister (Marian Nixon). The court sequence was originally in Technicolor and proved to be Barrymore's last appearance in color.

Cast & Crew
John Barrymore as Duke of Kurland / Prince Christian
Philippe De Lacy as Young Christian
Lowell Sherman as Leopold II
Marian Nixon as Archduchess Maria Luisa
Armida as Fidelia
Hobart Bosworth as Count Hensdorff
Jacqueline Logan as Countess Carola
Otto Matieson as Col. Gabor
Andrés de Segurola as Col. Pons
Douglas Gerrard as Capt. Sweeney
Wilhelm von Brincken as Capt. Schmidt (credited as William von Brincken)
General Lodijensky as Capt Banning (credited as Theodore Lodi)
Nick Thompson as Typsy Chieftain
Curt Rehfeld as Lt. Dennis
Julanne Johnston as Court Lady
Guy Schact as Pietro
Carrie Daumery as Madame Frump (credited as Madame Daumery)