The Racketeer | 1929 | Crime, Drama

Title: The Racketeer | 1929 | Crime, Drama Director: Howard Higgin Studio: Pathé Exchange, Inc. Starring: Robert Armstrong, Carole Lombard, Roland Drew, Hedda Hopper, Jeanette Loff Release Date: November 9, 1929 Runtime: 66 minutes Format: Black-and-white; all-talking; RCA Photophone sound-on-film; 1.18:1 Country: United States Language: English Genres: Crime, Drama, Romance --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Street altercation and the violinist’s rescue 00:13:00 Charity card party and first encounter 00:28:30 Patronage and rehearsals 00:44:00 Concert night and the shooting 00:58:00 Reckoning and farewell --- Summary: A suave racketeer, Mahlon Keene, crosses paths with Rhoda Philbrooke when he intervenes to spare her alcoholic violinist lover from arrest. Drawn to Rhoda, Keene uses his influence to engineer the musician’s comeback while attempting to win her affection. Rivalries within the underworld escalate, forcing Keene to navigate threats that collide with Rhoda’s hopes for redemption. As a concert approaches, Keene’s protection of the couple brings him into direct conflict with a competing gang. The aftermath of a violent confrontation reshapes all three lives, leaving Rhoda and the violinist to face an uncertain future beyond the criminal world’s reach. --- Background: Produced and distributed by Pathé Exchange during Hollywood’s rapid transition to sound, The Racketeer was photographed in Culver City and recorded using the RCA Photophone system. Trade coverage shows the project originally announced with Constance Bennett before Carole Lombard took the lead opposite Robert Armstrong. Principal photography occurred in mid-1929, and the film opened on November 9, 1929, with a subsequent Broadway engagement at the Hippodrome Theatre in early January 1930. The title was also known as Love’s Conquest for some overseas releases. --- Trivia: The film is an early all-talking feature for Carole Lombard, released just as she was moving from silent roles into sound-era stardom. Hedda Hopper appears in a supporting role shortly before gaining fame as a Hollywood gossip columnist. AFI records list the film’s original registration as LP843 and note a running time of 66 minutes; other sources sometimes report 68 minutes due to differing release prints. Trade papers reported that a silent version was prepared for theaters not yet wired for sound. The soundtrack was recorded using the RCA Photophone system, typical of Pathé Exchange productions during 1929. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: November 9, 1929 Original Studio / Distributor: Pathé Exchange, Inc. Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: TheRacketeer CaroleLombard RobertArmstrong PreCode ClassicFilm 1929 PublicDomain Pathe EarlyTalkie Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Racketeer_(1929).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/The_Racketeer_%281929%29.webm