Over the Hill

Mae Marsh works hard and uncomplainingly, while husband James Kirwood waits for that government job. She sews and clean and make sure her four children get off to school. And they're successes, large and small, except for son James Dunn. When he was younger, he took the blame for things that his siblings did, and since he has grown up, he has helped support his parents. But now he's gone and done it. He's got himself engaged to Sally Eilers, and they're going to be married..... except that Kirkwood gets involved with bootleggers who shoot a cop; Johnny takes the blame and goes to prison. And when he gets out, no one will hire him. So he hies off to Alaska to make his fortune, while his siblings don't take care of Miss Marsh, and she goes to the poor house.

OVER THE HILL TO THE POORHOUSE had been a big hit for Biograph while Griffith was just writing for them, and a huge hit for Fox in 1920, so here it is again. Henry King directed it, and his strengths for depicting a small town are on display here, but mostly it's Miss Marsh. She was 37 when she made this, and she is excellent: quite believable as a spry old lady. . And see if you don't want to beat up Olin Howland like I do!

This being a Fox film from 1931, it wasn't the clearest copy in the world, but considering the general condition of the company's pictures from that period, it's outstanding.