Long Lost Father

Long Lost Father meanders a bit but boasts two very nice performances by stars John Barrymore and Helen Chandler. He plays a cad who abandoned the family 20 years before but is reunited with his wayward daughter through a series of bizarre coincidences. Indeed when they meet outside a lawyer's office, they don't even know each other. The film wavers between comedy and drama and never seems quite comfortable in either genre.

But the film moves along briskly and offers a few very good scenes. Supporting players are interesting. The underused Donald Cook is good as the boyfriend. I always liked Cook but he never made much headway in Hollywood, usually playing the send lead. E.E. Clive is fun as the reformed crook now acting as a waiter. Tempe Pigott plays a bag lady who gets a big surprise in the pocket of a lord's pants. Alan Mowbray plays the rough lord. Natalie Moorhead plays the bleached blonde bimbo. Claude King plays the curious inspector. Doris Lloyd is a customer with an eye for Barrymore. Ferdinand Gottschalk is the feisty lawyer.

Barrymore, Chandler, and Cook are all very loose and good in this freewheeling film. Chandler is especially good. She usually plays limp leading ladies with little character other than being pretty. Here she is a spunky girl who sings and dances in a nightclub and hands back sass to Barrymore with glee. Cook is fun in his drunk scene with Chandler as they search for "an old woman-alive" as part of their treasure hunt.

Worth a look to see Barrymore and Chandler (best known for Dracula) before booze took its toll on their careers. Chandler made only 4 more films after this.