Cecil B. DeMille's DYNAMITE (1929) Charles Bickford Behind Bars Pre-Code Drama

Description

Vintage original 11 x 14 in. (28 x 36 cm.) US lobby card
from the classic 1920's early sound pre-Code drama,
DYNAMITE
, released in 1929 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and
directed by Cecil B. DeMille
.  Wealthy Cynthia (Kay Johnson) is in love with not-so-wealthy Roger (Conrad Nagel), who is married to Marcia (Julia Faye). The threesome is terribly modern about the situation and Marcia will gladly divorce Roger if Cynthia agrees to a financial settlement. But Cynthia's wealth is in jeopardy because her trust fund will expire if she is not married by a certain date. To satisfy that condition, Cynthia arranges to marry Hagon Derk (Charles Bickford), who is condemned to die for a crime he didn't commit. She pays him so he can provide for his little sister, but at the last minute, Derk is freed when the true criminal is discovered. Expecting to be a rich widow, Cynthia finds herself married to a man she doesn't know and doesn't want to. The cast includes Joel McCrea, Muriel McCormac, Robert Edeson, William Holden, Henry Stockbridge, and Leslie Fenton.
The image features a dramatic and touching scene of young Katie Derk (
Muriel McCormac
) as she tearfully wraps her arms through the bars of a prison cell to hug her condemned father, Hagon (
Charles Bickford
). The Art Deco-influenced border artwork, which features two scenes of well-to-do party revelers enjoying life, marks a strong contrast to the main scene of the ruined life of an innocent man condemned to die. The beautiful pastel colors are especially striking. It is in near-fine condition and has been professionally backed with conversation paper. There is light restoration in the hair of the two actors and the white background has been airbrushed. There are no pinholes, creases, stains, or other flaws and only two small tears that were reinforced when the card was conservation-backed.
Child actress Muriel McCormac is perhaps best remembered today for her performance as "The Little Blind Girl" in Cecil B. DeMille's
The King of Kings
(1927), his personal favorite of all of his films.
Dynamite
marked the film debut of Kay Johnson. Cast member Carole Lombard was replaced during filming, but can still be seen in the released print.
Dynamite
was the first DeMille film to receive an Academy Award nomination (“Best Art Direction”), although it was not an "official" one. The 2nd Academy Awards ceremony (1930) did not have announcements or certificates of nominations. According to the Academy, the "nominees" were "under consideration by the various boards of judges", but only the winners were revealed during the ceremony.
The Sign of the Cross
(1932) was the first DeMille film to receive an official Academy Award  nomination (“Best Cinematography”) and
Cleopatra
(1934) was the first to win an Academy Award (“Best Cinematography”).