Trial Marriage

Trial Marriage is a 1929 American Synchronized sound pre-Code drama film directed by Erle C. Kenton from a story by Sonya Levien. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. Produced by Harry Cohn for Columbia Pictures Corporation, the film was released on March 10, 1929.^[1][2] Charles C. Coleman was assistant director.^[3] As was the case for the majority of films during the early sound era, a silent version was prepared for theatres who had not yet converted to sound.

Trial Marriage
Directed by	Erle C. Kenton
Written by	Sonya Levien
Produced by	Harry Cohn
Starring	Norman Kerry Sally Eilers
Cinematography	Joseph Walker
Edited by	Pandro S. Berman William Hamilton
Production company	Columbia Pictures Corporation
Release date	March 10, 1929 (1929-03-10)
Running time	7 reels
Country	United States
Languages	Sound (Synchronized) English intertitles

Plot

As reviewed in a magazine,^[4] Constance Bannister (Eilers), a vivacious party girl, is engaged to Oliver Mowbray, who is her thirteenth fiancé. She throws him for Dr. Thorvald Ware (Robards), and they enter into a trial marriage where she finds happiness with him. Conniving society woman Grace (Todd), who wanted the doctor for herself, convinces Connie to go to a charity ball against the wishes of her husband where she dances the "Sally Shuffle"^[5] while in a reveling costume. Thorvald dissolves the contract, not knowing that Connie is with child. Grace gets Thorvald and Connie marries Oliver. Years later, they meet again and find that they are all unhappy, so they all divorce and remarry again, with Connie now finding happiness and Thorvald discovering that he is the father of their child.

Cast

• Norman Kerry as Oliver Mowbray
• Sally Eilers as Constance Bannister
• Jason Robards as Dr. Thorvald Ware
• Thelma Todd as Grace
• Charles Clary as George Bannister
• Naomi Childers as Mrs. George Bannister, 1st wife
• Rosemary Theby as Mrs. George Bannister, 4th wife
• Gertrude Short as Prudence
• Billy Layman (uncredited)
• Kane Richmond Party Guest (uncredited)
• Ronald R. Rondell Party Guest (uncredited)

Music

The film featured a theme song entitled "I'll Never Forget" by Gus Kahn and Spike Hamilton. The song is sung by Frank Munn on the soundtrack. The song entitled "Dear Little Boy of Mine," composed by Ernest Ball and J. Keirn Brennan, was also featured on the soundtrack.

Production

The June 29, 1928 issue of The Film Daily announced that Millard Webb was originally selected to direct,^[6] however he was ultimately not involved in the final film.

Reception

A negative review from Variety on April 17, 1929 wrote: "An uninteresting story given a trite, long-winded, complicated treatment, with no redeeming features in the picturization."^[4]

Trial Marriage was the first film shown when the State Theater in Lexington, Kentucky, opened on April 20, 1929.^[7]

See also

• List of early sound feature films (1926–1929)