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Born Reckless (1930 film)

{{short description|1930 film}}

{{About|crime|the 1937 film about a race-car driver involved with gangsters, starring Brian Donlevy.|Born Reckless (1937 film)}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Born Reckless

| image = Born-Reckless-1930-poster.jpg

| caption = Film poster

| director = John Ford

| producer = James Kevin McGuinness

| based_on = {{based on|Louis Beretti
1929 novel|Donald Henderson Clarke}}

| writer = Dudley Nichols

| starring = Edmund Lowe
Catherine Dale Owen
Marguerite Churchill

| music = Peter Brunelli
George Lipschultz

| cinematography = George Schneiderman

| editing = Frank E. Hull

| studio = Fox Film Corporation

| distributor = Fox Film Corporation

| released = {{Film date|1930|05|11}}

| runtime = 82 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

}}

Born Reckless is a 1930 American pre-Code crime film directed by John Ford and staged by Andrew Bennison{{Cite book|last=Bogdanovich|first=Peter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SK5kwDsK6XgC&q=Andrew+Bennison+Born+Reckless&pg=PA124|title=John Ford|date=1967|publisher=University of California Press|language=en}} from a screenplay written by Dudley Nichols based on the novel Louis Beretti.{{cite web|work=The New York Times|title=THE SCREEN; The Missing Witness|author=Hall, Mordaunt|authorlink=Mordaunt Hall|date=June 7, 1930|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B07EFD91238E03ABC4F53DFB066838B629EDE}} The film starred Edmund Lowe, Catherine Dale Owen and Marguerite Churchill.

Plot

A gangster, Louis Beretti, gets caught involved in a jewelry heist and taken to see the judge. The war has begun and hoping to use the publicity to get re-elected, the judge offers Louis and his two buddies, the choice of going to jail, or signing up to fight in the war - if they prove themselves, he will throw away their arrests.

Louis makes it home from the war (one of his buddies was killed), and opens up a night club downtown that becomes very successful. His employees are former members of his gang, and he maintains contact with "Big", still a gangster.

Louis falls for the sister of his buddy who was killed in the war, but she already has plans to marry. He tells her nevertheless, that if she ever needs him, she should call and he will come. When her baby is kidnapped (her husband is away), she does call for Louis and he realizes that the kidnapping has been done by "Big" and the gang. Louis goes to save the baby and confront those of the gang who have taken part in the kidnapping. Shots are exchanged.

After he returns the baby to his mother, Louis goes back to his nightclub where "Big" is waiting. They talk of old times though they realize they will need to shoot it out, which they do, firing at each other several times, point blank. The bar doors swing shut and partly hide the sight of Big dropping to the floor. Louis comes staggering out. He claims to be okay, although he leans on Bill. Bill tells Joe that Louis will be alright and to get them a drink, calling after him “Louis' bottle!” Louis smiles. Cut to The End over the city skyline and a brisk rendition of “The Caissons Go Rolling Along”.

Cast

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{IMDb title|id=0020702|title=Born Reckless}}
  • {{tcmdb title|id=69413}}
  • {{AFI film|2979}}

{{John Ford}}

{{Dudley Nichols}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Born Reckless (1930 film)}}

Category:1930 films

Category:American black-and-white films

Category:Films directed by John Ford

Category:1930s crime comedy films

Category:American crime comedy films

Category:Films based on American novels

Category:Films with screenplays by Dudley Nichols

Category:Fox Film films

Category:1930 comedy films

Category:1930s English-language films

Category:1930s American films

Category:English-language crime comedy films

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