Bordertown (1935) Starring Paul Muni / Betty Davis

lobby card
Fans of Betty Davis will have a treat watching this very early film when she was still trying to establish herself. However, Betty has said that she gave a better performance in the 1934 movie 'Of  Human Bondage'.

Also, this is a repeated note. As most of the work for @BorderObserver is tedious, mundane and boring, these movies get played in the background repeatedly until it is time to review them. To be clear, the movie is replayed once and rewound multiple times just before we write the review. 

SOURCE https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordertown_(1935_film)
MOVIE https://www.d-archive.org/bordertown-1935/
AFI https://catalog.afi.com/Film/823-BORDERTOWN

OUR Commentary and LINKS TO THE MOVIE at the BOTTOM

'Bordertown' stars Paul Muni, Betty Davis, Margaret Lindsay, and Eugene Pallette. The movie is a screenplay base on an adaptation of the 1934 novel 'Border Town' by Carroll Graham. Garrett and Carroll Graham were blacklisted during the McCarthy era (presumably husband and wife).

The movie was directed by Archie Mayo; produced by Jack L. Warner and Hal B. Wallis; and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. It was released January 23, 1935. Budget was $369,000; the box office sales were $1,237,000. In this time period, the movie theaters were owned by the movie studios. This changed in 1948. This means sales - not rentals, percentages, or flat rates - went to the studios.

In 2024 money, the return would be about $30M on $8.5M

Story Summary NO SPOILERS

screenshot Betty Davis & Paul Muni

'Bordertown' is about a recent "Night Law School" graduate (protagonist/Paul Muni) living in Los Angeles California. He finds out very early in the story that he is not a very good lawyer. This happens when an erratic driver (Margaret Lindsay) hits his client's truck. So, he quits law and decides to work as a bouncer just south the border at "a seedy casino."

He rises quickly through the ranks to become the manager. He becomes part owner after the wife (Betty Davis) of the Casino Owner (Eugene Pallette) convinces him to do so. Some time thereafter, the wife murders her husband. After more time passes, she put the blame on Johnny (the protagonist). Johnny must decide how to defend himself, and, how and what his life should be.

Commentary and Movie Scores

Scores are from 1 (one) to five (five), five being the highest

  • Entertainment Value - 3
    It is a decent movie. Since this movie was made, there are better movies to watch. The price of a bowel of pop corn will make this a fair value. And again, fans of either Paul Muni or Betty Davis will enjoy this.
  • Technical Merits of the Movie Making - 4
    Archie Mayo is a competent director and with the assistance of producer Jack L. Warner everything is as it be. In addition, the story breaks itself almost evenly into 3 pieces - hence a classic 3-part play.
    Jack L. Warner, being part owner of Warner Bros Studios, did a good job.
  • Accuracy and Reality Basis for Story - 1
    The entire premise and name of the movie ('Bordertown') is just incidental and a weak 'plot device'.
    It should be noted that the protagonist and accused (Paul Muni) being in a cage during the trail is not unusual and is normal for a criminal trial in Mexico. However, witnesses do NOT pass through the cage; at the very least not any more.

OUR Commentary

Theater Entrance Poster
As movies go, this sits near the bottom of our watch list. While it is a decent movie, one that could be shared, it has next to nothing to do with the border of a country and absolutely nothing to do with immigrant. For all intensive purposes, this movie could have been done on a state border or the border of a town.

As for parts that lend themselves to the title. The Casino being in "Mexico" allows appropriate costumes; worn by random pedestrians, the police, and wall decorations. AFI notes "The film's pre-release title was New Bordertown."

The only other thing worth mentioning that lends it's self to the title is Johnny Ramirez's (Paul Muni) blind ambition.

LINKS TO THE MOVIE, Trailers, Review and Commentaries

  • TCM's Race & Hollywood Latino Images in Film series: "Bordertown" (1935)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCPY4s6qUmk  6:06
    Part of TCM's 2009 film festival "Race & Hollywood: Latino Images in Film." Robert Osborne and Dr. Chon A. Noriega, CSRC director and cinema and media studies professor, discuss some aspects of the movie "Bordertown." Starring Paul Muni and Bette Davis. Directed by Archie Mayo and written by Laird Doyle and Wallace Smith.

 

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