West of Broadway

Though silent star John Gilbert’s talking pictures were habitual money-losers, the stubborn actor insisted that MGM honor his $250,000-per-picture contract, signed just before talkies came on. West of Broadway wasn’t a bad Gilbert vehicle by any means, but the star’s previous failures worked against its success. Gilbert is cast as cynical millionaire Jerry, who, after being snubbed by his sweetheart Anne (Madge Evans), marries Dot (Lois Moran) on the rebound — and while blind stinking drunk. Sobering up, Jerry treats Dot atrociously, letting her know that he’s not in love with her. By the time he realizes that he is, she has had enough of his oafish behavior and has walked out on him. The scene then shifts to Jerry’s Arizona ranch, where after much verbal dueling, the reluctant husband is tenderly reunited with his now-forgiving wife. El Brendel, borrowed from Fox Studios, enlivens the picture with his trademarked Swedish-dialect humor., A perennially intoxicated millionaire marries a woman who wants to get him on the wagon.