Heroes for Sale (1933)

When you think of Hollywood fare in the early '30s, you're likely to think of musicals, romantic comedies, gangster flicks, and/or horrors. But a handful of dramas from that time rate a mention to this day, and for the most part, they do not pull punches. They mean to reflect a dreary era.

This story begins in World War I, where U.S. soldier Tom (Richard Barthelmess) nearly dies in battle. He comes home a morphine addict, and his mom dies while he's in an asylum. Things start to look up after he and neighbor Ruth (Loretta Young) fall in love and he finds success in the laundry business, but he hasn't counted on the company falling into less scrupulous hands, costing lots of jobs. And that's before the stock market crash....

You might say a running theme is bad luck. This becomes apparent early on when Tom's wartime and hometown buddy, Roger (Gordon Westcott), makes the coward's choice but winds up with all the credit for Tom's effort -- and remains too cowardly to correct his honorers. Tom initially is too good-natured to tell, but when Roger's dad calls Tom a coward for his addiction, Tom snaps. To no avail.

Don't get the impression that the bad luck is hard to believe. I'm not talking about a series of improbable coincidences. Only the death of the first laundry boss seems random, and there's nothing particularly convenient about the timing.

I perceive a more salient theme: No good deed goes unpunished. Addict or not, Tom is almost a saint. His mistakes are not moral lapses. Yet apart from his friends and family, people repeatedly assume the worst about him, whether that means a corporate stooge or a Luddite saboteur. I hate to think how easily someone could try to stop a crime and then get convicted of it. His one comfort is sensing that someone out there still holds him in high esteem.

Tom's not the only one to feel sorry for, of course. Apart from the many other poor folk, there's his son, Bill. I won't say exactly what happens, but from an early age, he can no longer live with either of the parents he loves. No one has the heart to explain it to him; he just accepts "Aunt" Mary (Aline McMahon), a friend of the family, as his allegedly temporary caretaker. When he finally meets his dad again, it's not for long.

If anyone provides comic relief, it's Max (Robert Barrat), a brainy but rude inventor from Germany. He starts as an outspoken communist, but he sure changes his tune once he comes into money. He hasn't the slightest shame about this hypocrisy; he just hates whatever class he isn't in at the moment. (I wondered whether anyone involved in the making of this film got blacklisted. Doesn't look like it.)

In some ways, HfS felt to me like I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang cranked into overdrive. But it's more hopeful. In fact, the dialog declares that the U.S. will not only recover from the Depression but get better than ever. A significant message for the nadir that was 1933, and true by most reckonings. You should know whether you're up for something like that.