The Runaround
Cast & Crew
Wm. James Craft
Mary Brian
Geoffrey Kerr
Marie Prevost
Joseph Cawthorn
Johnny Hines
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Although convinced that millionaire Fred White, who has been pursuing her avidly, is interested only in having an affair, chorus girl Evelyn tells fellow chorine Margy that she will eventually "nab" him in marriage. At the same time, Fred shows his cynical club friend Howard a diamond bracelet to which he has attached his apartment key and wagers that, after giving Evelyn the bracelet, he will "propose" successfully to her. Howard, who is sure that Evelyn only wants the millionaire's cash, wagers enough money to cover not only the cost of the bracelet but, in case Fred's "proposal" works, the apartment as well. That night, Fred makes a skilled proposal but is rejected by Evelyn, who also refuses the bracelet and the key. At the end of evening, however, Evelyn surprises Fred with a future invitation for a home-cooked dinner. Unknown to Fred, Evelyn and Margy are plotting to use the dinner and Lou, an old character actor, to trick him into marriage. During the dinner, Lou suddenly shows up and introduces himself to Fred as Evelyn's out-of-town father. When Lou then "assumes" that Fred is Evelyn's husband, Fred, anxious to win his bet with Howard, confirms the actor's seeming misconception. Later, however, Fred tries to take advantage of Lou's apparent confusion and stay the night with Evelyn. Appealing to Fred's sense of fair play, Evelyn convinces him to spend the night at his club and return the next morning to "play husband" for Lou. Fred then realizes that he truly loves Evelyn and makes her a genuine proposal of marriage. Evelyn, too, has fallen in love and, while accepting Fred's proposal, dreads confessing her ruse. Howard, meanwhile, has grown suspicious of Lou and gets him drunk at Fred's "stag" dinner. Once intoxicated, Lou reveals himself as an actor and exposes Evelyn's trick to Fred. As revenge against Evelyn, Fred, Howard and other club members decide that, during the "forever after hold his peace" part of the marriage ceremony, they will all stand up and speak. However, because she does not want to marry under false pretenses, Evelyn leaves Fred waiting at the church. Fred pursues Evelyn to her home and persuades her to go ahead with the marriage. At the church, Fred then shows his friends a letter that Evelyn had written to him confessing her hoax, and the wedding proceeds without further incident.
Director
Wm. James Craft
Cast
Mary Brian
Geoffrey Kerr
Marie Prevost
Joseph Cawthorn
Johnny Hines
George Irving
Crew
Tommy Atkins
George D. Ellis
Allen Fagan
Alfred Jackson
William Lebaron
George Marsh
Ann Mcknight
Zandah Owen
Max Rée
Max Rée
Ray Rennahan
Barney Sarecky
Louis Sarecky
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working titles of this film were Waiting at the Church, Lovable and Sweet and Take This Woman. Although this film was not viewed, the above credits were confirmed by cutting continuity credit sheets found in AMPAS files. RKO borrowed Mary Brian from Paramount for the production. According to a Film Daily news item, Geoffrey Kerr replaced Jack Mulhall in the cast, and Marie Provost replaced Noel Francis. Charles O'Malley was announced as a cast member in a Film Daily news item, but his participation in the final film has not been confirmed. According to reviews, The Runaround was the first film to use a newly developed Technicolor printing process, which removed excess graininess from the film stock in order to enhance the print's colors. New York Times complained that while some of the coloring was quite good, other scenes were out of focus, "which has happened in previous natural-color features." Modern sources note that the film lost $160,000 at the box office.
