Millionaire Kid

Now-forgotten actress Betty Compson largely made her mark in silent pictures, but like many performers of the era, found it extremely difficult to "cross over" into talkies. She shot a screen test for Gone with the Wind (1939), for example (auditioning for the role of Belle Watling) but Selznick turned her down; this was only one of many such examples. Consequently, Compton spent her final years in a period of decline, turning up in many B and C-grade outings. This 1936 picture was one such effort. It concerns a wealthy young man named Tommy Neville (Bradley Metcalfe) who turns to a hard and desperate life of crime following his parents' divorce, in an effort to stay out of a marital quarrel and avoid hurting either his dad or his mom. Compson co-stars as Gloria Neville.