Copyright 29 October 1929 by Feature Productions. Released through United Artists: 16 November 1929. New York opening at the Rialto: 19 January 1930. 8 reels. 6,844 feet. 76 minutes.SYNOPSIS: When a notorious cad (La Rocque) attempts to seduce the hero's (William Boyd's) young sister (Betty Bronson), the hero's wife (Stanwyck) decides to take matters into her own hands. NOTES: A re-make of the 1921 Norma Talmadge vehicle, The Sign on the Door. Lew Cody played the villain. Herbert Brenon directed. Pollock's play opened at the Republic, Broadway, 19 December 1919, and ran 187 performances. Mary Ryan, Lowell Sherman and Lee Baker starred. COMMENT: In her first talkie (and second movie) feisty Barbara Stanwyck expertly handles the sort of role she would continue to play for the rest of her career. With the exception of ZaSu Pitts (in a small role here), her co-players were not so fortunate. Why? From this evidence they just weren't sufficiently talented. Admittedly, our heroine has the best of the action (the scene in which she wanders distraught around the darkened stage is a knock-out), but with two or three exceptions (George Bunny is particularly effective), the other players are neither competent nor confident. Fitzmaurice's direction relies solidly on the techniques of a photographed play.

In 1921, Norma Shearer starred in her first film, "Sign on the Door". It wasn't a very good film then and when they remade it in 1929 as a sound picture, it wasn't much better. Both films suffered from a major problem--if the wife had just talked to her loving husband, all this could have been avoided. Plus, the ending really was awfully dumb.When the film begins, Ann (Barbara Stanwyck) is in a room aboard his yacht. While Frank's friends are drinking themselves into oblivion, he's attempting to rape this nice young lady. Fortunately, a police raid on the yacht stops him from completing his assault.18 months pass. Ann is now happily married to Larry (William Boyd*). But Larry's sister brings home a new man in her life...and it turns out to be the blackguard, Frank!!! Now Ann should have just told everyone about that event 18 months ago but instead she later goes to his apartment to beg him to leave her sister-in-law alone. Soon, Larry arrives and shoots Frank...and leaves Ann locked in the room with the dying man! What's next? Well, if you see the film, you honestly won't care in the least, as the last 15 minutes of the film are just terrible...unbelievable and rather silly as well.I hate films where a person simply explaining things could have prevented a whole lotta trouble. Plus, the last 15 minutes are just god-awful and stupid. Fortunately, despite these problems, this first starring role for Barbara Stanwyck wasn't too bad, as she soon went on to better and bigger things.*This William Boyd is NOT the famous William Boyd, also known later as Hoppalong Cassidy. Hoppy was a very famous actor in the late 2os and into the 30s. The one in this film is the less famous and non- cowboy version!

Last night I watched The Locked Door from 1929 - Barbara Stanwyck's talkie debut. The acting by the rest of cast is a bit hammy to begin with, but the beautiful Barbara elegantly commands every scene and effervescently steals the camera every time she appears. The story is very slow to draw itself out, starting with some merriment, but slowly and mercilessly coils itself into high tension and drama by the second act. The plot is very simple but highly believable, and all the motives for a great murder are laid out on the table. As fate would have it, the boys in blue find out soon after, and their keenly sensitive detective minds turn a string of lies into an incisive murder hunt.The thing that got me, apart from Barbara's grace, depth and charm, is the way she deals with all the emotions which play out across her face and features; highlighting gestures and silent feelings never written down in the script. Indeed, after the murder the screen goes silent for a whole 10mins as the murderer silently haunts the area, cleaning up, all while the lady watches him secretly from above.I have to say this early talkie got a lot of negative press on IMDb and movie perfectionists were quick to point out it's flaws. Yet it slowly coiled itself around my brain until I was transfixed right up to the very sobering ending. :

The first five minutes need to go viral on YouTube to prove to young people there is nothing new under the sun. It is a brilliant portrait of the bright young things getting s**t-faced on a boat, especially the women (all women the following: "I want a drink. I want a drink!! I want a drink!! I want a drink!!!"; and "I want a high ball. I want a high ball! I want two highballs!!"; and finally "I want two quarts of gin."). It is a priceless portrait of the emancipated flapper misbehaving! For old movie snobs, La Roque is an interesting villain - see why his career when nowhere with the talkies - he does villainous too believably for the audience of that era to ever let him have a mainstream role again. Stanwyck shows her chops, though she has yet to get her full form and is a little stagy.And you might enjoy the lipstick on Willian 'Stage' Boyd, not well done, but Mr Boyd clearly enjoys wearing it - checking out his bio, I am wondering if he was a bad, bad bisexual - the orientation everyone loves to hate? A young death at 46, so it would make sense that he was abandoned by both men and women...