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      The Big House

      1930, Crime/Drama, 1h 27m

      8 Reviews 250+ Ratings

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      The Big House  Photos

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      Movie Info

      After being convicted of manslaughter, drunk driver Kent Marlowe (Robert Montgomery) is inducted into the rigors of prison life. He befriends fellow cons "Machine Gun" Butch Schmidt (Wallace Beery) and John Morgan (Chester Morris). Together they bristle at the prison's deplorable conditions and especially the inhumane policies of their cruel warden (Lewis Stone). Rising tensions culminate in a prison riot that may shake the institution to its core.

      • Genre: Crime, Drama

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: George W. Hill

      • Writer: Joseph Farnham, Frances Marion, Lennox Robinson, Martin Flavin

      • Release Date (Theaters):  wide

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.

      • Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer

      • Sound Mix: Mono

      • Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

      Cast & Crew

      Wallace Beery
      Chester Morris
      Lewis Stone
      Leila Hyams
      George Marion Sr.
      J.C. Nugent
      DeWitt Jennings
      Matthew Betz
      Claire McDowell
      Robert Emmett O'Connor
      Tom Wilson
      Fletcher Norton
      Adolph Seidel
      Eddie Lambert
      Michael Vavitch
      Blanche Sewell
      Cedric Gibbons
      Douglas Shearer
      Harold Wenstrom
      David Cox

      Critic Reviews for The Big House

      Audience Reviews for The Big House

      • Apr 24, 2017
        ***Spoilers ahead, Maybe?*** Since I like old black & white prison movies so much I expected to like this movie as well but I couldn't get into it.For me it was just OK.Right from the start I felt like I was watching it just to be watching it.Things didn't get exciting until the very end with the failed escape & shoot out.It was the only time I was able to get into the movie but there was only like 10 minutes left so it really didn't matter.During the riot I can't believe they brought out a couple of tanks.I was NOT expecting that.It had me wondering if there were ever any actual prison riots where tanks were used to bring the prison back to order.A thing I thought that was interesting was the inmate that escaped, went straight on the outside & seemed like he would've stayed that way if he wasn't captured & sent back, fell right back into place on the inside, the inmate who I thought would never let prison change him, ended up changing in the end & the main inmate you knew there was no hope for, was never going to change.I'm not sure The Big House is a movie I'd recommend.It got alot of good reviews but I just wasn't into it.It's something you'll have to see & decide for yourself
        Super Reviewer
      • Mar 14, 2009
        an early prison break film. robert montgomery is completely overshadowed by the now forgotten actor chester morris. i'm afraid montgomery would be everyone's bitch at prison. wallace beery is fun and this film made him a huge star. frances marion became the first woman to win an oscar for screenwriting. it's a little hokey at times. i'd like to see what warner bros could've done with it. interesting to note that prison overcrowding was already an issue in 1930
        Super Reviewer
      • Sep 09, 2007
        A classic jailhouse saga.
        Super Reviewer

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