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Companionate Marriage

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Companionate Marriage
Directed byErle C. Kenton
Written byBeatrice Van
Casey Robinson (intertitles)
Screenplay byWainwright Evans
Ben B. Lindsey
Based onCompanionate Marriage
by Wainwright Evans and Ben B. Lindsey
Produced byEdward Small
Sam Sax
StarringBetty Bronson
CinematographyRay June
Edited byW. Donn Hayes
Production
companies
Gotham Productions
Sam Sax
CM Corporation
Asher Small Rogers
Distributed byFirst National Pictures
(Distribution Only)
Release date
  • October 21, 1928 (1928-10-21)
Running time
70 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Companionate Marriage was a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Betty Bronson. The film was produced by Sam Sax of Gotham Productions and acquired by First National Pictures for distribution only.[1] This explains why the film at this late date was completely silent as by this time First National was routinely supplying Synchronized musical soundtracks to its feature films.

The film was a collaboration between the company of Asher Small Rogers and Sam Sax.[2] It was banned by the New York State Censor.[3]

The title phrase had received great attention the previous year, with the publication of Ben B. Lindsey's book The Companionate Marriage.

Plot

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In a cramped and emotionally exhausted courtroom, Judge Meredith (Alec B. Francis) presides over a family case that mirrors the heartbreak of so many like it—Mr. Williams (William Welsh), once a devoted father, now stands accused of abandoning his family. His wife (Sarah Padden) sits silently beside their children, aged by hardship and sorrow. With measured sternness and a flicker of compassion, the Judge warns Williams: one more flight from duty, and a jail sentence awaits.

Amid this wreckage stands the eldest daughter, Sally Williams (Betty Bronson), whose bright eyes belie a guarded heart. Sensitive and observant, she has come to view marriage not as a hopeful union but as a snare of poverty and disillusionment. Her job as secretary to wealthy businessman James Moore (Edward Martindel) offers a window into a more elegant world—but even here, she sees duplicity, as Moore maintains a discreet liaison outside his marriage to Mrs. Moore (Hedda Hopper). These experiences only deepen Sally’s skepticism toward love and marriage.

One heart still dares to hope. Donald Moore (Richard Walling), James's idealistic son, is smitten with Sally. Though he courts her gently and with sincerity, Sally keeps her distance, unsure whether any romantic dream is worth the inevitable fall.

That illusion is shattered further when Sally is invited to a party at the Moore home. There, she meets Ruth Moore (June Nash), Donald’s spirited sister, and her latest beau, Tommy Van Cleve (Arthur Rankin)—a fast-living, reckless flirt who immediately sets his sights on Sally. When rebuffed, he redirects his charm back to Ruth, coaxing her into a whirlwind escapade.

In a haze of jazz, champagne, and spontaneity, Ruth and Tommy drive to the infamous Lakeside Café, where a revue called "The Jazz Bride" is underway. Emboldened by drink and the thrill of rebellion, they agree to get married live on stage—a joke for the crowd, a tragedy in the making.

Reality sets in the next morning. Ruth tries to smile through her disappointment, while Tommy grows restless. The illusion of happiness crumbles when he announces that he can no longer endure married life and walks out. Ruth, shattered, discovers she is pregnant. Alone and terrified, she bolts—taking the car and speeding toward nowhere.

Donald follows, desperate to stop his sister. But as Ruth’s car nears a bridge, it veers wildly, smashes through the railing, and plunges into the river below. Donald leaps in after her, pulling her unconscious body from the wreckage. Firemen labor with a pulmotor in a backroom of the very café where her nightmare began—but Ruth is gone.

Overwhelmed with grief and anger, Donald denounces the institution of marriage, calling it a lie that ruins lives. Sally, witnessing his anguish, finds herself moved to compassion—and a bold resolution. If love and marriage are ever to be redeemed, she must lead the way. She proposes a marriage to Donald—not based on illusion, but on mutual understanding, guided by the wisdom of Judge Meredith.

With the Judge’s help, they draw up a marital pact: if, after a set period, they are not truly and joyfully in accord, their marriage will be dissolved—no bitterness, no shame.

Years pass. We return to find Sally and Donald now truly united, their bond no longer speculative, but built on trust, empathy, and affection. They have transcended youthful doubt and romantic delusion. In their arms sleeps a baby boy—a symbol of hope, healing, and the promise that a compassionate marriage, built not on fantasy but on love’s deeper truths, can endure.

Cast

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Preservation

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With no prints of Companionate Marriage located in any film archives,[4] it is a lost film.[5]

References

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  1. ^ White Munden, Kenneth, ed. (1997). The American Film Institute Catalog Of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1921–1930, Part 1. University of California Press. p. 142. ISBN 0-520-20969-9.
  2. ^ Isabel Morse Jones (April 24, 1928). "THAMYRIS GROUP IS WARMLY RECEIVED: Trio of Resident Musicians Give Enjoyable Program at Beaux Arts". Los Angeles Times. p. A11.
  3. ^ "Lindsey Picture Is Banned by Censor". Los Angeles Times. September 14, 1928. p. A11.
  4. ^ The Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Companionate Marriage
  5. ^ Companionate Marriage at Arne Andersen's Lost Film Files: First National Pictures 1928 Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (misspelled Compassionate Marriage)
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