The ghost of a recently deceased family patriarch tries to help his surviving relatives, in part by preventing a marriage that he knows will go wrong.The ghost of a recently deceased family patriarch tries to help his surviving relatives, in part by preventing a marriage that he knows will go wrong.The ghost of a recently deceased family patriarch tries to help his surviving relatives, in part by preventing a marriage that he knows will go wrong.
George P. Breakston
- William Van Dam
- (as George Breakston)
Lois Verner
- Freckle-Faced Girl
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- George Nicholls Jr.
- Victor Schertzinger(uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA at the Belasco Theatre, 111 W. 44th St. on 17 October 1911 and closed in May 1912 after 231 performances. The opening night cast included Thomas Meighan as James and John St. Polis as Frederik. A revival at the same theater was staged Sept-Nov 1921 and ran for 78 performances.
- GoofsThe sign at the train station says that it is 85 miles from New York, and 25 miles from Albany. But Albany and New York City are around 150 miles apart, not 110.
- Quotes
Peter Grimm: [to the dying William] Sleep... sleep. I wish you the pleasantest dreams a little boy can have... in this world.
- ConnectionsReferenced in The Heavenly Kid (1985)
- SoundtracksWhat Shall the Wedding Breakfast Be?
(uncredited)
Composer unknown
Played by a circus calliope and sung by Ray Mayer
Reprised at the end by Lionel Barrymore and George P. Breakston
Featured review
Decent Fantasy
The Return of Peter Grimm (1935)
** (out of 4)
Interesting remake of a 1926 silent (with Janet Gaynor) has an elderly man (Lionel Barrymore) dying but coming back to life so that he can help his family and especially a young woman (Helen Mack) he gave bad advice to, which could hurt her future. THE RETURN OF PETER GRIMM is a rather interesting film but I'd say it falls a little short of being a complete winner for a number of reasons. One thing that I didn't care too much about is that it seems like the thing never knows what it wants to do. Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? Is it some sort of fantasy? It blends all three of those elements but I'd say all three are less than winning in regards to how well they work. The first portion of the film has Barrymore doing what only he could and that's be the strong figure who also can be a grump. There's no question he could play this type of role in his sleep and he does a very good job with it here. The second portion of the film has him dying and coming back to life to hear what some of his "friends" said about him at his will and then we get to his personal connection with the characters. Most of these scenes just weren't all that funny and the tender moments weren't nearly as effective as they needed to be. Barrymore, Mack and the supporting cast certainly help keep the film moving but it's just missing something. Barrymore's "ghost" comes from him being out of focus on the screen, which is somewhat weird to watch but I'll admit it did give the film a strange atmosphere.
** (out of 4)
Interesting remake of a 1926 silent (with Janet Gaynor) has an elderly man (Lionel Barrymore) dying but coming back to life so that he can help his family and especially a young woman (Helen Mack) he gave bad advice to, which could hurt her future. THE RETURN OF PETER GRIMM is a rather interesting film but I'd say it falls a little short of being a complete winner for a number of reasons. One thing that I didn't care too much about is that it seems like the thing never knows what it wants to do. Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? Is it some sort of fantasy? It blends all three of those elements but I'd say all three are less than winning in regards to how well they work. The first portion of the film has Barrymore doing what only he could and that's be the strong figure who also can be a grump. There's no question he could play this type of role in his sleep and he does a very good job with it here. The second portion of the film has him dying and coming back to life to hear what some of his "friends" said about him at his will and then we get to his personal connection with the characters. Most of these scenes just weren't all that funny and the tender moments weren't nearly as effective as they needed to be. Barrymore, Mack and the supporting cast certainly help keep the film moving but it's just missing something. Barrymore's "ghost" comes from him being out of focus on the screen, which is somewhat weird to watch but I'll admit it did give the film a strange atmosphere.
helpful•01
- Michael_Elliott
- Aug 10, 2012
Details
- Runtime1 hour 23 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was The Return of Peter Grimm (1935) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer