A growing source of silent era film information. This listing is from The Progressive Silent Film List by Carl Bennett. Copyright © 1999-2013 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

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Thunderbolt
(1929) American
B&W : Eight reels / 8571 feet / 85 minutes
Directed by Josef von Sternberg

Cast: George Bancroft [‘Thunderbolt’ Jim Lang], Fay Wray [‘Ritzy’ Mary], Richard Arlen [Bob Morgan], Tully Marshall [the warden], Eugenie Besserer [Mrs. Morgan], James Spottswood [Snapper O’Shea], Fred Kohler [‘Bad’ Al Friedberg], Mike Donlin [Kentucky Sampson], E.H. Calvert [District Attorney McKay], George Irving [Mr. Corwin], Robert Elliott [the prison chaplain], S.S. Stewart [negro convict], William L. Thorne [police inspector], Elmer Ballard, King Tut

Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation production; distributed by Paramount Pictures Corporation. / Associate producer, B.P. Fineman. Screenplay by Charles Furthman, with dialogue by Herman J. Mankiewicz, from a screen story by Jules Furthman and Charles Furthman. Production design by Hans Dreier. Songs “Thinkin’ About My Baby” and “Daddy Won’t You Please Come Home” by Sam Coslow (music and lyrics) + [Karl Hajos]. Cinematography by Henry W. Gerrard. Sound recording engineer, M.M. Paggi. Intertitles by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Edited by Helen Lewis. / © 20 June 1929 by Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation [LP487]. Released 22 June 1929. / [?] Movietone 35mm spherical 1.20:1 format and/or Standard 35mm spherical 1.37:1 format? Western Electric Movietone sound-on-film sound system. / The film was also released in the USA in a silent version at 7311 feet. [?] Website-IMDb lists Josef von Sternberg as a writer on the film. [?] Parish-Gangster p. 392 lists the film’s runtime as 95 minutes. / Full-sound film.

Drama: Crime.

Synopsis: Synopsis available in AFI-F2 n. F2.5703.

Survival status: Prints exist in the UCLA Film and Television Archive film archive [two 35mm positives].

Current rights holder: (unknown)

Keywords: Criminals - Death Row - Law: Enforcement (Police: Detectives), Judicial (District attorneys) - Nightclubs - Prison - Synchronized sound film - USA: New York: New York - Wardens

Listing updated: 15 December 2008.

References: AFI-F2 n. F2.5703; Everson-Detective p. 110; Katchmer-Eighty pp. 10, 12; Limbacher-Feature p. 251; Parish-Gangster pp. 33, 392-393, 400; Ryall-Blackmail p. 10; Sarris-Sternberg pp. 8, 16, 23-24; Sklar-Movie p. 179; Vermilye-Twenties p. 186 : Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.