Beggars of Life | 1928 | Drama

Title: Beggars of Life | 1928 | Drama Director: William A. Wellman. Studio: Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation. Starring: Louise Brooks, Wallace Beery, Richard Arlen. Based on: Jim Tully’s 1924 book Beggars of Life; the play Outside Looking In by Maxwell Anderson. Release Date: September 22, 1928. Runtime: 80 minutes. Format: 35mm; black-and-white; part-talkie with synchronized music/effects and limited dialogue; released in both silent and sound versions. Country: United States. Language: English . Genres: Drama --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Crime and disguise 00:12:30 On the rails 00:28:00 Hobo camp tensions 00:45:00 Raid and flight 01:02:00 Oklahoma Red’s gambit 01:18:00 Final crossing --- Summary: After killing her abusive foster father in self-defense, Nancy disguises herself as a boy and flees with Jim, a young drifter who happens upon the scene. The pair ride the rails, navigating suspicion and danger among itinerant workers while evading the law. Oklahoma Red, a domineering hobo, alternately threatens and aids them as shifting loyalties and a police raid scatter the camp. The story blends suspense, romance, and social observation as Nancy and Jim seek safety and a new start, testing solidarity among outsiders on the margins of American life. --- Background: Produced by Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation and filmed in spring 1928, the picture was issued in both silent and part‑talkie versions during the industry’s transition to sound. Location work included railroad sequences shot near Jacumba Hot Springs, California. Paramount promoted Wallace Beery’s vocal turn on the sound release, reflecting early experiments with limited dialogue alongside synchronized music and effects. --- Trivia: The film premiered in New York the week of September 22, 1928, at the Paramount Theatre; earlier silent engagements began in the Midwest earlier that month. Surviving elements are primarily from the silent/mute print; the original sound discs for the sound-on-disc version are considered lost. UCLA notes that Paramount billed Wallace Beery’s singing on the soundtrack as a major attraction of the sound release. A restored edition was released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber in 2017, helping bring the film back into circulation for contemporary audiences. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: September 22, 1928. Original Studio / Distributor: Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation / Paramount Pictures. Copyright Status: Public Domain as of January 1, 2024; 1928 U.S. publications entered the public domain on that date. --- Hashtags: BeggarsOfLife LouiseBrooks WilliamWellman WallaceBeery RichardArlen SilentFilm 1920sCinema Paramount PublicDomain ClassicFilm Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beggars_of_Life_(1928).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Beggars_of_Life_%281928%29.webm