Heroes for Sale Heroes for Sale

The saga of Tom Holmes - a man of principles - from the Great War to the Great Depression. Will he ever get a break? His war heroics earn fame and a medal for someone else, and his wounds result in a morpheme addiction that costs him a job, his reputation in his home town, and months in a clinic. He goes to Chicago, where he's enterprising and dedicated to his work and his fellow workers, but an invention he champions results in the opposite of his intentions, leading to loss of life and an unjust imprisonment. After release, during the Depression, he must face local "red squads" and vigilante groups jousting out jobless men. (IMDB)

Richard Barthelmess Aline MacMahon Loretta Young Gordon Westcott Robert Barrat Berton Churchill Grant Mitchell Charley Grapewin Robert McWade G. Pat Collins James Murray Edwin Maxwell Margaret Seddon Arthur Vinton Robert Elliott

First National Pictures Warner Bros.

drama

76 mins   More details at IMDb / TMDb

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  • Billy Soistmann

    Review by Billy Soistmann ★★★

    Classic Depression-era melodrama that follows a man through all his ups and downs. Great story that really keeps you interested and has an optimistic message, even if it is a bit simplistic.

  • PUNQ

    Review by PUNQ ★★★½

    A great surprise! Richard Barthelmess movies can be very hit and miss, but this is on of his better ones. One thing about this movie is that it tries to cover too much ground in a short 72 minute movie, but Heroes for Sale sure keeps on moving from one life-changing moment to another so it doesn't get dull.


    Loretta Young sadly didn't get much air-time, but she looked lovely as always. The real lady of the movie turned out to be Aline MacMahon who keeps on delivering movie after movie I see her in. There is just something about her that works. She is not the kind of woman that shines of beauty, but she is a dependable one…

  • Thorkell August Ottarsson

    Review by Thorkell August Ottarsson ★★★★½

    I have a hard time rating this film. It is really good but it is also extremely interesting and in many ways the interesting part is stronger. I'm rating this so high because of the subject matter.

    We have everything here, drug addiction, unwanted war heroes, unjust society, capitalism, poverty, oppressive government and the police fighting for the wrong cause. This is social pre-code Hollywood at its most interesting.

    One of the biggest problem with this film is also one of the most interesting point. There is a red neighbor called Max who is a buffoon and harmless, that is until he becomes a capitalist. The problem with Max is that he is way too broad and does not fit…