I sat down with
Second Choice mostly because I wanted to see Chester Morris being a cad. He is very good at that.
If you are into those early talkies where the audio sounds like it is being transmitted from the bottom of a well, this is your jam. It is worth a look if you love the 'drama of the jilted woman' genre.
But if you hate slow-moving plots where people just stare out of windows and sigh, you will probably want to skip this one. 🎬
The movie is basically about Beth, played by Charlotte Merriam. She is in love with Don, but Don is a total flake.
He leaves her, and then she decides to marry Owen. Owen is the
second choice from the title.
It is a bit of a bummer, honestly. I kept thinking about how much better the chemistry was in
The Wild Party.
In this one, the romance feels a bit like a business transaction. Maybe that was the point?
But I do not think the movie is quite that smart. Charlotte Merriam has a face that was made for silent movies.
She does a lot with her eyes. Sometimes she does too much.
In one scene, she looks so shocked I thought she saw a ghost behind the cameraman. 👻
Jack Mulhall plays Owen. He is the 'nice guy' who finishes last, even when he wins the girl.
He has this very polite way of being completely uninteresting. You kind of feel bad for Beth, but you also want her to get a hobby instead of worrying about these two guys.
The movie has that very specific early sound era feel. You can hear the actors' shoes hitting the floorboards really loudly.
It is kind of charming in a way. It makes it feel like you are watching a play from the back row of a dusty theater.
I noticed Louise Beavers has a tiny role as the maid. She is always great.
She has more personality in two minutes than some of the leads have in an hour. I wish the movie was about her day instead of Beth's love life.
There is a lot of talk about marriage and 'what people will think.' It is very much a product of its time.
If you have seen
The French Doll, you know the vibe. Lots of society pressure and dramatic gasps.
One thing that bugged me was the lighting. In the nighttime scenes, everyone looks a bit grey.
Like they are all recovering from a very bad flu. 🤒
The dialogue is... well, it is 1930. 'I shall never love again!' and 'My life is a hollow shell!'
It is the kind of stuff you would see in a cheap paperback from that era. I did like the scene where Beth is getting ready for her wedding though.
There is a real sense of dread there. It is not 'happy bride' energy at all.
It is more like 'I am going to the dentist' energy. Chester Morris is definitely the best part of the movie.
He has this way of leaning against doorways that makes him look very cool. Even when he is being a jerk, you can see why Beth is hung up on him.
He just has that
thing. The movie is directed by Howard Bretherton.
He keeps things moving, I guess. But it still feels like it takes a long time to get nowhere.
It is only about an hour long, but it feels like two. If you are bored and like looking at old furniture, give it a go.
It has some nice chairs. And the hats are truly something else.
They look like architectural experiments. 🎩 I wouldn't go out of my way to find it though.
It is not exactly a thrill ride like
Night Life. It is just a quiet, slightly sad story about settling for less.
Maybe that is why it is called Second Choice. Because that is what you will pick to watch when everything else on your list is gone.
It is fine. Just fine.
Things I jotted down:
- The way the letters are written in giant cursive so the audience can read them is funny.
- The incredibly awkward silence after every line of dialogue while the actors wait for the sound to catch up.
- The fact that no one seems to know what to do with their hands when they aren't holding a cigarette.
- That one extra who clearly looked right at the camera for a second during the party.
It is not as weird as
The Hand Invisible, but it has its moments. The ending happens so fast you might blink and miss the resolution.
Suddenly everyone is happy? Or at least they stop crying.
It didn't really feel earned. But that's 1930s screenwriting for you.
Anyway, it is a decent way to spend an hour if you are a film nerd. Just don't expect it to change your life.
It is a movie about a backup plan that feels like a backup plan. I wonder if people in 1930 actually liked this?
Probably. It has enough drama to keep you watching, even if you are rolling your eyes at the screen.
I think I spelled Merriam right, but she's one of those actors who just vanished into history. Kind of sad.
Final thought: Jack Mulhall needs a better barber. That hair is doing some weird things in the final scene. 💇♂️
