Heroes for Sale
Tags: depressing

Plot synopsis:
A veteran of World War I, Thomas Holmes (Richard Barthelmess), struggles to make his way in civilian life in almost every way imaginable. In the opening scene of the movie, Tom and his friend are on a mission to gather intelligence by capturing a German soldier. Tom's friend, the banker's son Roger Winston (Gordon Westcott), in terror, refuses to leave the shell hole so Tom volunteers to go alone.
He captures a German but is apparently killed; in fact, he has only been wounded, and the Germans take him to their hospital to recover. His friend Roger Winston returns to the safety of American lines with the captured German soldier and is rewarded with a medal for it; his feeble efforts to refuse credit are dismissed as modesty, and he comes home a decorated hero. During Tom's captivity, German doctors treat his pain with morphine and he becomes addicted to the drug. After Tom returns from the war, Roger offers him a job at his father's bank out of shame.
But Tom's addiction costs him his job. Exposed as an addict, confined and cured in an asylum, he comes out in 1922, unemployed and alone; his mother has died, apparently of shame and grief, while he was away. Heading to Chicago, he happens upon an apartment over a diner, run by kindhearted Pop Dennis (Charlie Grapewin) and his daughter Mary (Aline MacMahon). Tom finds a job in a laundry, and a romance with Ruth Loring (Loretta Young). Always the go-getter, Tom makes good, better than the other drivers on his route, and earns a promotion. A fierce radical inventor (Robert Barrat) devises a machine that will make washing and drying clothes easier, and Tom induces his fellow employees to raise the money to pay for patenting it. The laundry company adopts the machinery, but only on Tom's stipulation that none of the workers at the plant lose their jobs because of it. Success and marriage are his. Then the president of the firm, the kindhearted Mr. Gibson (Grant Mitchell) dies. The new ownership decides to break the deal and automate the laundry, throwing most of its employees out of work, Tom included.
Furious and resentful, the fired employees march on the plant to destroy the machines, as Tom does his best to stop them. In the riot with police that follows, Ruth is killed trying to find him, and he is arrested as a ringleader of the mob. Tom is put away for five years in prison; in the meantime, the invention he helped finance continues to sell nationwide, throwing countless other people out of work. When Tom gets out, it is 1932, the heart of the Depression. Unimaginably rich, he refuses to take the proceeds, which by now amount to over fifty thousand dollars. Instead, it goes to feed the endless line of hungry and jobless that come seeking a handout at the diner that Pop Dennis and Mary run. When "Red Riots" break out, the local city "Red Squad" arrests Tom and drives him out of town.
Without work, at the mercy of a society in which unemployed men are turned into hobos and every community orders them to keep moving on, Tom finds himself in one hobo shantytown, next to Roger, his old army comrade. Roger Winston, too, has been ruined; his father stole from the bank and when exposure came, killed himself. Roger served time in prison. Now neither of them has any prospect, any future. The difference is that Tom, in a stirring speech, asserts his faith that America can and will restore itself, that he can lick the Depression. Still driven on by authorities, with no prospect in sight, he marches ahead, determined that this is not the end. And back at the diner, the line of needy continues to stretch down the street, all of them being fed by the funds he provided, and on the wall a plaque honors him for his gift. The movie closes with his son looking at it and declaring to Mary that when he grows up, he means to be just like his Dad. The message is clear: a hero in war, Tom is a hero still.

Review: I like the way the screenplay prepares us for Holmes' extraordinarily humane behavior by having him first experience great pain and then drug addiction stemming from a war wound.
...and took nothing for himself....This Aline McMahon's last line will haunt you long after watching this extremely moving work by William Wellman who was ,along Frank Borzage,America's finest director of the early talkies.Both were fighting for the dignity of men,both made movies which -it's all over nowadays,with the possible exception of perhaps Clint Eastwood's work- can help us become better men and women.THere are similarities between "Heroes for sale" and "I'm a fugitive from a chain gang" .In the latter,Paul Muni tries to sell his medals but in the shop,they already got too many of them,so he 's got to steal.In "heroes for sale" ,Tom ,who lost all the honors to a coward who shamelessly walked away with the glory,has to cope with everyday's life in the years of depression.Wellman ,although his films were heartfelt pleas for the human being ,was not optimistic.Happy ends were not for him: Tom (Heroes) ,Gilda ("Safe in hell") and Lilly Turner in the eponymous film are victims of the war,of fate or of men.They want to keep their promise (it's obvious in Gilda's and Tom's case) ,even if it costs them their life or their happiness.And let's not forget "the oxbow incident",the saddest of all westerns ,a scene of which shows Dana Andrews writing a letter to his wife he knew he was not to see again.When I watch these Wellman oldies ,I'm amazed by this:the really happy moments are so few and far between I wonder how a man or a woman at the end of a hard earned day find some reason to believe.But they are here: the restaurant where Aline McMahon takes in the last lonely and wretched and gives to the poor for free ;Loretta Young's smile which lightens up the seediest of the rooms;the boy saying :"when I grow up,I want to be like him".A masterpiece that should not missed..
A lot like WILD BOYS OF THE ROAD, another great but weird slice of depression era bleakness directed by William Wellman.
Here, Richard Barthelmess survives WWI only to get addicted to morphine, rises to the top of the business world before he's cheated out of his work, and that's just the beginning of his troubles.
The film also stars Loretta Young, Aline MacMahon, Charlie Grapewin and Gordon Westcott, and all are very strong.
In under 65 minutes, "Heroes for Sale" deals with drug addiction, Red Squads, automation, the Great Depression and World War I.
This movie's time frame covers the end of the Great War to the election of FDR, and makes some very pointed observations about America along the way.
"Heroes for Sale" was the last movie William Wellman directed under contract at Warner Bros.
Richard Barthelmess is great as the hapless "hero" who endures the misfortunes of WW I and the Depression, addiction and the "red scare." The film also boasts good work from Loretta Young, Aline MacMahon, Gordon Westcott, Charley Grapewin, Berton Churchill, Grant Mitchell, Robert Barrat, and James Murray as the blind solider.Barthelmess was a major silent star and had a solid career in early talkies in films like THE LAST FLIGHT, THE DAWN PATROL, WEARY RIVER, and others.
He also gave one of the all-time great performances in silent film in TOL'ABLE David.HEROES FOR SALE is terrific because it shows how an ordinary man can beaten by an ordinary life and still be great.
A terrific scene.Barthelmess is wonderful and so is Gordon Westcott (in his best film role).
Wild Bill Wellman's a top-notch director knee deep into his socialist fervor period (see WILD BOYS OF THE ROAD as a double bill), Barthemless is a hapless WWI vet who traded heroism for a morphine addiction--- his cowardly platoon commander got the glory and he faces the next 14 years dealing with everything life throws at him.
There are even similar devices used, like showing several places on the map as he wanders the country, showing his paychecks go up over the years (during a successful period), and using a dates to move the narrative ahead quickly.The crisis in this movie is not a man wrongly accused of a crime, but a man struggling with morphine addiction from war injuries.
The cycle gets worse and worse.The leading man, Richard Barthelmess, is (like Paul Muni in "Fugitive") a real actor, less a matinée idol and more a compassionate, emotive performer.
His wife, when you get to that point, is a young, chipper Loretta Young, who is great, but even better is Young's sidekick, who has a growing part as the movie goes, Aline MacMahon.
Heroes for Sale captures the mood of the Great Depression, a time when rich people were not celebrities to be worshiped and envied, but villains who oppressed the working class.
Wellman directs this hard hitting look about a man (Richard Barthelmess) who stands up during a WW1 battle and becomes a hero but he doesn't get credit for what he did as it goes to someone else.
He's injured in the war and soon gets hooked on morphine and this causes him to break up when he returns home but after getting himself cleaned up he eventually gets married to a woman (Loretta Young) but soon the Depression hits and he has another chance of being a hero.
Richard Barthelmess (as Tom Holmes) is serving in the Great War (World War I), with buddy Gordon Westcott (as Roger Winston).
Meanwhile, Barthelmess is given morphine by German doctors; after the war, he returns to the United States, but has become a drug addict.
Naturally, a poor morphine addict is going to have a difficult time working in a bank Barthelmess performs exceptionally well; and, the filmmakers should be commended for dealing with the story of a war veteran's overcoming of addiction.
Watch McMahon watch Barthelmess; and, don't miss Barthelmess' contrasting first look at Ms. Young.The film deals with political notions which are a little confusing, especially with the communist and/or capitalist character played by Robert Barrat (Max).
Barthelmess' character is optimistic about America, stating, "In a few years it will go on bigger and stronger than ever." ******** Heroes for Sale (6/17/33) William A.
Wellman ~ Richard Barthelmess, Aline MacMahon, Loretta Young, Gordon Westcott.
Richard Barthelmess, a star unjustly forgotten today, plays Tom, the hapless-but-noble lead symbol in this opus to the strength of man.
His best contribution to the film is his relationship with Mary, who loves to put him in his place - McMahon and Robert Barrat have a great back and forth.The movie often feels like set pieces, but one of these is so powerful that it almost physically hurts to watch.
As a result, at the film's close, you aren't sure whether to feel sad, happy, proud, all, or none.An annoying and weasely character from the start of the movie returns for the coda, as a final reminder of just how special Tom is compared to so many who have had advantages and squandered them.
Indeed, it is for W.W.I what film noir was for W.W.II: It shows the disappointment that can await a man who has fought valiantly for his country once he returns home.Once home, he gets a job but the morphine he'd been given for pain becomes an addiction.
Here she is strong and touching as first Barthelmess's landlady and then his family friend.Loretta young is effective, too, in a fairly small but significant role.Robert Barrat provides some comic relief as a Socialist neighbor who makes a big change.
"Heroes for Sale" wrenches at the heartstrings and at predispositions; it brings to mind Larry Niven's "There Ain't No Justice"; it reminds us that vices must not be considered crimes.And it tells us that what some people might consider a vice, an addiction, could very well have a scientific or medical basis.Perhaps even more important, "Heroes for Sale" reminds us that Lord Acton was right when he said "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." It reminds us that Lysander Spooner was, and his modern followers are, right when they tell us human beings are and of right ought to be free and sovereign.Finally it tells us that, despite all the misery some people can cause, other people are trying with all their might and ability to do good, to help others, to right wrongs and to bring about justice."Heroes for Sale" is a sometimes difficult and irritating movie, filled with horror and injustice, but filled too with love and kindness.William Wellman again shows us what talent he had for bringing some hard truths to light via film."Heroes for Sale" is a must-see movie..
Loretta Young is impossibly pretty and sweet as a neighboring boarder who becomes Barthelmess' wife, and Aline MacMahon is perfect as a wise-eyed proprietress with a soft side, but the movie's bumpy narrative (and quick wrap-up) will leave most viewers unsatisfied.
Story of a man named Tom Holmes (Richard Barthelmess) and the many hardships he faces.
Through his life we visit the post-war hardships of WWI doughboys including morphine addiction, the double-edged sword of automation, the Red scares and hysteria of the 1920's, and finally the armies of unemployed Depression-era men treated as lepers as they wandered from town to town in search of non-existent jobs.It's an interesting picture of a bleak world populated with largely unlikable characters such as the socialist who becomes a capitalist as soon as he becomes wealthy and the soldier that stole a wartime honor from Tom only to return home and not stand up for him when Tom really needs him.
HEROES FOR SALE being among them.The narrative opens in the trenches in France during the World War. Thomas Holmes (Richard Barthelmess) and his fellow soldiers are assigned on a suicide mission lead by Roger Winston (Gordon Westcott).
Now employed as a truck driver for the South Park Laundromat where he gets a promising job promotion, everything goes well until a series of unforeseen circumstances occur before the outbreak of the Great Depression.As with many social themes produced by Warner Brothers/First National at that time, HEROES FOR SALE is no exception to the rule in regards to strong story with powerful message.
Director William Wellman pulls no punches when it comes doing a movie as realistically as possible with scenes depicting soldier becoming a drug addict is something that wouldn't be permissible after the production code of 1934 was enforced.
Another notable scene in newsreel or documentary style tradition showing homeless ex-servicemen passing a billboard reading "Jobless men keep walking" is as compelling now as it was back in 1933.A reflection of the times that can be a reflection of any time, HEROES FOR SALE, distributed to home video in the 1990s, and DVD through Turner Home Entertainment, can be seen and studied whenever presented on Turner Classic Movies, the channel where Richard Barthelmess is a forgotten man remembered.
Strong drama with a screenplay by the team of Robert Lord and Wilson Mizner brought to throbbing life by director William Wellman and a cast led by Richard Barthelmess, Aline MacMahon, Gordon Westcott and Loretta Young.
Heroes For Sale concerns the life during and post World War I of that of Richard Barthelmess.
The film goes from his struggle with morphine addiction to labor problems during the Great Depression with only the flimsiest of connections between the plot lines.
I felt almost like the film abruptly switched movies, that maybe the projectionist got the reels mixed up.Barthelmess and Gordon Westcott are part of a mission to capture German prisoners and gain some intelligence, Barthelmess is wounded and thought to be dead, Westcott brings in the prisoners and gets credit and medals for what Barthelmess did.
That's not shown, but it usually meant cold turkey and we'd have to wait until the Mid Fifties with Frank Sinatra going through withdrawal in Otto Preminger's The Man With A Golden Arm to see that graphically illustrated.After this Heroes For Sale abruptly switches to Barthelmess leaving that town and going to Chicago where he gets a job in a laundry and meets and marries Loretta Young who works at a hash house with sister Aline McMahon and father Charley Grapewin.
The usual thing happens and men go out of work.But Barthelmess is a man of exquisite conscience, he both leads a riot of the newly unemployed workers and won't take a penny of the filthy money from the invention for himself.
In the end he does have a meeting with Westcott in an ironic twist going back to the first part of the film.Barthelmess's character is way too saintly for me, it's just simply too much to swallow.
This is where government retraining programs come in, not the Luddite solutions that Heroes For Sale seems to advocate.I will say this, by far the best performance in the film is by Robert Barrat who's a real red agitator against capitalism until he accumulates a lot of capital because of his invention.
It's a real treat to see him change from work to evening clothes and now rail against helping those unemployed who were once his comrades in solidarity forever.I wish William Wellman had directed a film that strictly was about the struggle against morphine addiction, the first part showed far better promise than the second one..
'Heroes for Sale' features Richard Barthelmess as one of those unfortunates who life treats badly; first in the war (the Great War), then in industry, where he ends up inadvertently leading a violent strike which ends in personal tragedy.Like 'I Was a Fugitive from a Chain Gang' before it, this film wears its heart firmly on its sleeve - against Communist witch-hunts, on the side of the underling, and realistic about the plight of forgotten men of the Forces.Barthelmess's performance is reasonable enough, and Loretta Young makes an early appearance which you'll remember, but this film doesn't really come off - perhaps it needed to be grittier, or have a different leading man to truly make an impact.So, despite its subject matter, 'Heroes for Sale' comes across as a bit forgettable..
Here's another good example of an entertaining early 1930s film, sometimes referred to as "Pre-Code movies." One aspect of them is that most are very fast-moving, and "Heroes For Sale" is no exception.Yes, it has some whopping credibility issues but many movies do.
Wow, there were great facial closeups in this film and some of the camera-work was way ahead of its time, with hand-held-like shots here and there.As for the story, well....talk about a guy who gets bad breaks in life but keeps his chin up!
That's "Tom Holmes" (Richard Barthelmess), who gets robbed out of being honored as a World War I hero while some wimpy snake gets the honor instead, later gets arrested and thrown in jail for five years for the doing the opposite of what he really was doing!
It's the saga of an unsung hero, underplayed sympathetically by Richard Barthelmess, who suffers enough bad luck to fill at least two more movies.
Well, maybe a spell in the slams too.Richard Barthelmess is a hero in World War I.
(When he becomes rich from his invention, the laundry machine, he turns overnight into a Social Darwinist.) Richard Barthelmess's character is a gentle, forgiving humanist throughout the film.
Otherwise, you will soon find yourself saying "hey...this can't possibly happen" again and again.The film begins with Richard Barthelmess in the army during WWI.
The amount of subject matter and themes present in Heroes For Sale could create a verse in We Didn't Start the Fire; morphine addiction, the great depression, unemployment, disgruntled vets, capitalism, communism, police brutality, automation, mob mentality, false imprisonment, stolen valour, rock n' roll and cola wars, I can't take it anymore!
- Think of the movie as "Issues Facing American Society During the Great Depression 101".Heroes For Sale is an emotionally engaging film regardless of its constant shift in theme.
Only a few minutes Heroes For Sale is comprised of a WWI battle, but any self-respecting war movie would jealous to have a sequence looking this good and real showcase of William Wellman's skills as a director.The film's comic relief comes in the form of Max Brinker (Robert Barrat), a crazy caricature of a communist.
After this he dresses and acts like what would be a caricature of a capitalist seen in Communist propaganda, wearing a tux and top hat while despising the poor (*clicking tongues).The fear of automation is present during the later portion of Heroes for Sale, the one aspect of the film which hits right at home as I write this review in 2018 in which major companies are automating their services.
The main character of this movie is a real war hero, but his heroic deed is 'stolen' by a companion.
This movie dramatizes the life of such a man (Richard Barthelmess) who comes home from war to find disappointment, ultimate success, and eventually prison and destitution.
(There are Spoilers) On target film that touches all the bases in showing it's audience the problems of the times that the film was made at the very hight, or better yet depth, of the Great Depression.Having come out of the service with an acute morphine addiction Tom Holmes, Richard Barthelmass, had very Little to look forward too in post WWI America.
Free but still branded a communist agitator by the Chicago Police and FBI Tom ends up giving all his money away to the poor and needy through his good friend and now surrogate mother to little Billy Mary Dennis, Aline MacMahon.
It's Mary who runs a soup kitchen in the city doing what she can for those homeless and out of work because of the Great Depression.Broke and a marked man, for his so-called communist activities, Tom ends up riding the rails and walking the streets as a hobo in Depression era America.