Below the Deadline | 1929 | Crime

Title: Below the Deadline | 1929 | Crime Director: J. P. McGowan. Studio: Chesterfield Motion Picture Corporation. Starring: Frank Leigh, Barbara Worth, Arthur Rankin. Release Date: May 1, 1929. Runtime: 57 minutes. Format: Silent, black-and-white, 1.33:1, English intertitles. Country: United States. Language: Silent . Genres: Crime. --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Gentleman crook and jewel heists 00:10:30 Framed at the jewelry store 00:23:00 Escape to clear a name 00:36:00 Alliance with the decoy 00:48:00 Sting and showdown --- Summary: A gang of jewel thieves led by “gentleman crook” Beau Nash targets a jewelry establishment, using Claire Byron as a decoy. After the heist, the gang frames store manager Donald Cornwall, who is the best friend of the detective that arrested one of the thieves. Allowed to slip custody to prove his innocence, Donald works with Claire to expose the operation. Their effort turns the tables on the gang and brings the case to a violent close. Themes include loyalty, deception, and the blurred line between respectability and criminality. --- Background: Produced by independent studio Chesterfield Motion Picture Corporation, principal photography took place at Tec-Art Studios in Hollywood in March 1929, with completion reported in early April. The film opened on May 1, 1929, near the end of the silent era, and survives today according to preservation listings. --- Trivia: Director J. P. McGowan appears on screen as Taggart. Former Major League Baseball star Mike “Turkey Mike” Donlin is in the cast as Sandy. Cinematography is credited to M. A. Anderson and Jack Jackson, with editing by James Sweeney. A 16mm reduction positive is known to exist, and the film is listed as extant in preservation sources. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: May 1, 1929. Original Studio / Distributor: Chesterfield Motion Picture Corporation. Copyright Status: Public Domain . Renewal: No. --- Hashtags: BelowTheDeadline 1929 SilentFilm CrimeFilm PublicDomain ChesterfieldPictures JPMcGowan Source page: https: //www.loc.gov/item/91788160/ Direct media URL: https: //tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/mbrs/ntscrm/02340951/02340951.mp4