Sombras de gloria
Cast & Crew
José Bohr
Mona Rico
Francisco Maran
César Vanoni
Ricardo Cayol
Demetrius Alexis
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In a courtroom, Eddie Williams is on trial for the murder of Carl Hummel, his wife Helen's employer. Jean, Eddie's nine-year-old adopted son, is the only witness to the killing. When the district attorney attempts to have Jean testify, the boy does not want to betray Eddie, and Eddie stops his testimony by admitting to the killing. However, Dr. Castelli, Eddie's lawyer, reviews Eddie's background for the jury, explaining that he was a prominent singer in Broadway shows. In the past, Helen, Eddie's girl friend, brings him news that World War I has been declared. Eddie immediately decides to enlist, and just before he embarks for Europe, he and Helen marry. In the trenches, at Christmas, Eddie disobeys an order from his captain to shoot a German soldier who is attempting to cut a Christmas tree. Later, in a similar act of compassion, Eddie again spares the same German's life during a poison gas attack which leaves Eddie severely incapacitated. While Eddie attempts to recuperate in a hospital, peace is declared. Upon returning to America, Eddie is unable to resume his theatrical career due to the effects of the gas, which has impaired his lungs, and he becomes very despondent. Adding to his troubles is the news that his wife is being courted by her employer, Carl Hummel. Castelli continues his address to the jury by telling them that Helen has been posing as a single woman in order to get work so that she can look after Eddie. One night, Eddie discovers Hummel and Helen embracing and shoots Hummel. Eddie is unaware, however, that the embrace he witnessed was one of joy and gratitude resulting from their realization that Eddie is the American soldier who had saved his life during the war. Hummel had come to America to repay his debt by locating the soldier and arranging to have him treated by an important German doctor. Castelli also reveals that the district attorney was the former captain whom Eddie had disobeyed. The jury finds Eddie innocent and he, Helen and Jean are reunited.
Cast
José Bohr
Mona Rico
Francisco Maran
César Vanoni
Ricardo Cayol
Demetrius Alexis
Tito Davison
Juan Torena
Enrique Acosta
Roberto Saa Silva
Federico Godoy
Jorge Crespo
Agustín Aragón
Ernesto Piedra
Carlos Molina
Juan Duval
María Miceli
Marina Ortiz
Crew
José Bohr
Thomas Boyd
James Brockman
Chas. Cadwallader
J. R. Crone
Eddie Dowling
O. E. Goebel
O. E. Goebel
J. G. Greger
Franz Gruber
James F. Hanley
Ben Harper
Ray Heinz
Renaud Hoffman
Arthur Martinelli
Henry Mccarthy
Joe Mccarthy
Carlos Molina
Loren Powell
Robert A. Shepherd
Andrew Stone
Don Summers
Fernando C. Tamayo
Fernando C. Tamayo
Arturo Tavares
Charles Tobias
Genaro Veiga
Geo. W. Weeks
Geo. W. Weeks
Harry Woods
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
This was a simultaneously shot, Spanish-language version of the 1930 film Blaze O' Glory, which was directed by Renaud Hoffman and George J. Crone, and starred Eddie Dowling and Betty Compson. The credits, cast and summary were derived from a post-production dialogue continuity submitted as part of the film's copyright registration.
The countries of origin of some of the production personnel and actors were included in the onscreen credits: Tamayo-Venezuelan; Tavares-Portuguese; Molina-Colombian; Bohr-Argentinian; Rico-Mexican; Marán-Italian; Vanoni-Argentinian; Cayol-Spanish; Alexis-Greek; Davison-Chilean; Torena-Spanish; Acosta-Mexican; Saa Silva-Chilean and Godoy-Peruvian. Modern sources, however, report that Juan Torena was born in the Philippine Islands and not in Spain. Juan Duval and María Miceli (María Calvo) were natives of Spain. Some sources include Rodolfo Galante, Gaby Arnold and Allan Wardell in the cast, but their participation has not been confirmed. It is possible that the song "Bienvenidos" is a Spanish version of "Welcome Home," words by Ballard Macdonald, music by James F. Hanley. José C. Barros is credited with contributing to the songs but his precise contributions have not been determined.
Sombras de gloria was previewed at a private screening in the Sono-Art projection room at Metropolitan Studios on December 30, 1929. The film began with a prologue spoken by Baltasar Fernández Cué, Hollywood correspondent for many Spanish-language magazines. Cué later worked on foreign-language adaptations of a number of Hollywood productions, including Drácula and Resurrección. In the prologue, he praised Sombras de gloria as a worthy precursor of many more Hollywood films to be produced in Spanish.
