The Cop(Gardien de la loi)
US (1928): Drama/Crime
This is one of three films from 1928 that all earned Oscar® noms for Best Screenplay, all written by Elliott Clawson, and all starring the popular team of Alan Hale and William Boyd.
In this one, Hale is a police sergeant who takes a young recruit under his wing (Boyd). The latter left a lonely job as a canal/lock superintendent to enter the police force. He had helped a gunshot-wounded man back to health (Robert Armstrong), who then stole his coat and his dough and disappeared. Later in a line-up, Boyd recognizes Armstrong as a racketeer who has yet to be caught. Armstrong tries to ply Boyd with expensive gifts and even a visit from his girlfriend in hopes he can win the man over to the side of crime. Things go awry however when Armstrong kills Boyd's cop buddy in a shoot-out. Boyd then goes undercover -- after wise advise from Hale that he can't be wishy-washy about good and evil and still be a cop -- to nab Armstrong. Directed by Donald Crisp for DeMille Pictures.
The only extant print is a nitrate original in excellent shape housed in the Library of Congress. (Arne Andersen, IMDb)
1 nomination
· Writing 1928-29: Elliott Clawson (co-nominated with The Leatherneck, Sal of Singapore & Skyscraper)