An American Tragedy

Ben Mankiewicz introduces An American Tragedy, 1931.

Ben Mankiewicz introduces An American Tragedy, 1931.

Shooting at Lake Arrowhead, Phillips Holmes, a varsity crew star in college, with a modest piece of paddling skill, as ambitious poor-relation Clyde, hired at his affluent uncle's shirt factory, seems to be nearly stalking his employee Roberta (Sylvia Sidney), their second encounter outside work, in Josef Von Sternberg's version of the Theodore Dreiser novel, An American Tragedy, 1931.

We've just learned that his near-forgotten employee-girlfriend is pregnant, as Clyde (Phillips Holmes), the poor-relation climber hired to a modest position at his wealthy uncle's factory, joins his decidedly smitten and bold society flame Sondra (Frances Dee) at the lake, director Josef Von Sternberg working at Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, in the first feature from the Theodore Dreiser novel, An American Tragedy, 1931.