The Pay-Off

On an early morning in New York City, school-boyish 20-year-old William Janney (as Thomas "Tommy" Brown) and his mature-looking 18-year-old girlfriend Marian Nixon (as Nancy Porter) wake up on a park bench. The cute couple are planning to get married on the $230 Mr. Janney has saved. Unfortunately, thieving Hugh Trevor (as Rocky) walks by and hears them talk about the money. He robs Janney. Later, the victims return the favor by finding Mr. Trevor and his gang. As it turns out, Janney works at the hotel where Trevor and his shady pals play cards. Janney's attempt to hold-up the gang fails, but gang leader Lowell Sherman (as Eugene "Gene" Fenmore) admires the effort. He takes a fatherly interest in Janney and could become even more interested in Ms. Nixon...

"The Pay-Off" is a film adaptation of the Broadway play "Crime" (1927), written by Samuel Shipman and John B. Hymer. The too common title was changed, appropriately. Also changed was the name of the young teenager debuting on Broadway; future film actress Sylvia Sidney's character "Annabelle" becoming "Nancy". The film has a very stagy look, and the writers' names in the Internet Broadway Database's search engine will reveal the origin. As such, it's a good effort, also directed by Mr. Sherman. The former "silent" movie villain serves himself well as star and director. Age on stage matters less; here, Gimbels worker Nixon seems too girlish and Janney is not far behind. As Sherman's understanding servant and friend, authentic character actor George F. Marion helps.

***** The Pay-Off (10/15/30) Lowell Sherman ~ Lowell Sherman, William Janney, Marian Nixon, Hugh Trevor

Please ignore the CGI Generation Comments – because – if you love silent films and early talkies – you'll love this.

If this film does have a fault – it lies in the film's not being quite able to make up its mind whether to be one of those wonderful screwball comedies of the 30's – or – something a bit more serious.

Watching actors/actresses who had survived the transition to talking films is always fascinating to me – and – we had our share here – with – Lowell Sherman being both actor and director.

The plot is simple and straightforward – as it should be – without becoming overly melodramatic or silly. Had the direction moved in either direction toward a screwball comedy – or – a drama – (perhaps) – the film might have been a tad bit better – but – all-in-all – it did manage to strike a nice balance between the two.

Some wonderful actors – many forgotten names – many of whom died young.

Not the type of film that will tug at your heartstrings – but – an enjoyable film none-the-less.

Highly recommend for old film buffs.

Catch that brief nightclub scene where the party-goers empty their flasks as the cops charge through. Yup, it's still Prohibition, 1930, though illegal booze doesn't figure in the plot. Instead, it's gangster Fenmore finding out just how much bad guy he is. That's courtesy the youthful innocents Nancy and Tommy who get implicated in his shenanigans. All in all, it's a tepid 65-minutes, without much suspense. Mainly, actor-director Sherman gets to show his skills in what amounts to more of a character study than a crime drama. Note how expressively Sherman uses his eyes to convey what's going on inside. It's really his showcase. I was also impressed by an unknown (to me) Hugh Trevor as tough guy Rocky. Too bad he had such a brief career. And what about plug-ugly George Marion as Mouse. Facially, he resembles Wallace Beery on a really bad day. Here, the cast outshines the plot.

Since talkies are still fairly new, scenes are pretty much confined to indoor sets, though some like the mansion living room are striking. I guess my only real gripe is why they had to make the two kids so sweetly innocent. They fairly drip sugar. Anyway, the film amounts to a programmer, 1930's style, and not much more.

The Pay-Off (1930)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Young lovers (Marian Nixon, William Janney) run off to get married but while talking about the money they have saved, they're robbed by a thug (Hugh Trevor) who happens to be working under gangster Gene Fenmore (Lowell Sherman). Soon the two young ones attempt to hold up the gangsters and finding their effort good, Gene takes both of them under his wing to try and give them a better life.

THE PAY-OFF is another one of those early talking pictures that deal with love, gangsters and of course a morality tale. The film certainly isn't a masterpiece or even very good but if you're a fan of this era of filmmaking then it's certainly worth watching at least once thanks to a decent story and a nice leading performance by Sherman.

At just 71 minutes the film moves at a very good pace and for the most part it keeps you entertained throughout. The film does have some weak performances scattered throughout and that includes Trevor who comes across quite laughable at times. This is especially true during the scene where him and his girlfriend hold up the gangsters. The film also suffers from some pretty far-fetched, overly-cute moments that don't help anything.

I thought Sherman was quite good in the lead role and that he was also very believable in the part of a gangster who tries to do things with the human life being respected. THE PAY-OFF is worth watching if you're a fan of films from this era but just don't expect a masterpiece.

This film tells the story of an well bred and mannered man (Lowell Sherman) who happens to be the boss of an underworld racket. When one of his henchmen robs a young couple about to get married, he feels sorry for them and takes them in as his family, only to have other henchmen in his crime unit make them stooges in robberies.

An early sound film (1930) directed by Lowell Sherman, the stand out performance here is by Sherman himself. He has a very natural and easy going style of acting, making me curious to see other films in which he starred. The plot of the film, though not very believable, still makes for interesting viewing.