Lucky Star
Directed by Frank Borzage
Written by John Hunter Booth from a story by Tristram Tucker
1929/US
IMDb page
First viewing/YouTube
Timothy Osborn: (to Mary after she tries to sell him some overpriced berries) I’ll give you twenty cents for the berries, and ten cents for not pitying me.
Mary Pickford was regarded as “America’s Sweetheart”. My vote would have gone to Janet Gaynor. She is very appealing in this quality melodrama.
Mary (Gaynor) is an uneducated, unwashed farm girl. She is prone to lying and gouging her customers. One day she is called to the construction site where Tim (Charles Farrell, frequent Gaynor co-star) works with foreman Martin Wrenn. They catch her in a minor fraud and Tim gives her a good spanking. Word comes that war has broken out and both Tim and Martin are quick to volunteer. Tim is injured by a bomb and left in a wheelchair. Martin becomes a Sergeant. Both end up back in Mary’s hometown.
Mary starts to visit Tim. They are powerfully attracted to each other but Tim is afraid to declare himself due to his disability. She gratefully accepts his instruction on cleanliness and ethics.
Mary’s mother is downtrodden and mean. When Martin spots Mary in the new dress she bought for a dance, he schemes to get at her through her mother. Martin is a complete cad and tells numerous lies about his military service. Mother sees no future for Tim and Mary and tries to force their marriage. Tim keeps telling her she has to obey her mother. You get only one guess as to how this will wind up.
This is a sweet movie despite its incredible melodramatic ending. I find Gaynor charming in everything and she is wonderful here. The chemistry between the two leads works perfectly. Worth a watch.
This film was post-synched to be a talkie in theaters that had the technology to show sound films. At some point, both the silent and sound versions were lost. A print was later discovered in the Netherlands and restored. The soundtrack remains lost. Free on YouTube currently.
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