“His First Big Talkie”: The Story of Louis Armstrong’s Lost First Film “Ex-Flame”

Calling all film buffs and collectors! 95 years ago this month, Louis Armstrong stepped in front of a movie camera for the first time. His photo was used in advertisements and his sequence was shown in theaters across North America for the next two years–but then the film was “lost” and has never been seen again. That film is Ex-Flame.

In our previous post, we took a peek inside scrapbooks Louis Armstrong saved from his time in Los Angeles in 1930. He opened at Frank Sebastian’s Cotton Club in Culver City in July and was an immediate sensation, broadcasting nightly from the venue, recording hit records for OKeh, and becoming a “West Coast Star.” Thanks to its location, Sebastian’s Cotton Club was filled with the Hollywood elite; Armstrong later told Ebony magazine, “In the early days of Hollywood, I socialized a little with the film crowd.” Thus, it wasn’t a surprise that someone saw him in action and thought, “This guy needs to be in a film.”

The surprise, perhaps, is the eventual film, Ex-Flame, a modernized adaptation of the popular 1861 book, East Lynne, by Ellen Wood. I don’t want to get side-tracked, so please don’t be offended if I send you off to Wikipedia for the scoop on that work and the various stage adaptations that sprung up in the years that followed. The article states, “The play was so popular that stock companies performed the play whenever they needed guaranteed revenue,” eventually landing on Broadway in 1926. It was also the basis for four silent films, making it a hot property once talking pictures proved they were here to stay by 1930.

How hot? On September 6, 1930, Exhibitors Herald World announced “Two Versions of ‘East Lynne,'” writing, “‘East Lynne’ will have two versions made by different companies. Fox has borrowed Frank Lloyd from First National to direct it, which will border close to the stage original. Halperin Brothers, of Liberty Productions, have the same story in preparation under the title of ‘Ex-Flame.’ No conflict is expected between the two pictures as Liberty has modernized its story quite a bit.” Much was made of the “modern” angle in the press; one day later, Film Daily reported, “‘East Lynne’ is being made by Liberty Productions as ‘His Ex-Flame’……..now ain’t that the modern touch?”

By September 10, Variety shared that “Neil Hamilton, Marian Nixon, and Norman Kerry have been given the leads in Liberty’s ‘Ex-Flame.’ This is a modern transcription of ‘East Lynne.'” In the days to come, more announcements were made: Victor Halperin would direct and co-write the screen play with George Draney, Don Hayes was tabbed to edit, and other roles were assigned to May Beatty, Norman Kerry, Judith Barrie, Joan Standing, Snub Pollard, Billy Haggerty, Jose Bohr–and Louis Armstrong. Here’s the first announcement, from Inside Facts of Stage and Screen on September 13:

In 2004, the Louis Armstrong Archives received a copy of the complete 39-page script, courtesy of film historian Mark Cantor. Here’s page 1:

And now, the moment of truth: Louis Armstrong’s big line of dialogue, delivered in the role of “Leader of Orchestra”:

If you can’t quite make it out, the line is, “Now ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, we will play for you a little red hot number called ‘Unlucky Baby.’ Look out, son.”

Wow, whoever wrote that line definitely spent some time studying Armstrong at Sebastian’s Cotton Club! But what’s this song, “Unlucky Baby”? As far as I can tell, there are zero recordings of such a number….but it was copyrighted in Los Angeles on January 30, 1930, a composition by steel guitarist Ceelle Burke and his wife Josephine. Here’s the copyright entry:

This tracks because Burke famously played steel guitar on Louis Armstrong’s recording of “I’m Confessin’,” recorded with his “Sebastian’s Cotton Club Orchestra” on August 16, 1930, one month before Armstrong got the call to appear in Ex-Flame. That particular “Cotton Club Orchestra” featured future stars Lionel Hampton on drums and Lawrence Brown on trombone, but the leader was a trumpeter named Vernon Elkins and the music director was saxophonist Leon Herriford. Many folks immediately associate Armstrong’s California period with bandleader Les Hite, but a search of newspaper coverage shows Hite was leading his own band at the time Ex-Flame was filmed, broadcasting on KGFJ on September 3, while the California Eagle reported on his “farewell dance” at the Savoy in their October 10 issue. One week later, the October 18 Chicago Defender noted that “Vernon Elkins and his famous band closed at Sebastian’s Cotton Club after a wonderful record for about three years.” Thus, Hite’s band took over at the Cotton Club in October, with Armstrong fronting them for his specialties, but Hampton remained in the drum chair, a move dictated by Frank Sebastian himself.

With that out of the way, it’s time to share the lone photo taken of Armstrong during the filming of his Ex-Flame scene, which was soon turned into a color lobby card eventually purchased by Jack Bradley–behold!

It’s a beautiful photo, but only deepens the mystery, because that’s definitely Les Hite on alto! [UPDATE: IT MIGHT NOT BE. KEEP READING.] Hite definitely had an in with the Hollywood studios, appearing in many films, so it’s possible his connections got him in the film and opened the door for him and Armstrong to team up shortly after. That’s also 100% Lawrence Brown on trombone and Lionel Hampton, which makes sense. The piano player appears to be Henry Prince, Les Hite’s regular pianist, who was present when Armstrong and Hite finally recorded together in October 1930 (though, oddly, by the time of that session, Lawrence Brown was replaced by Luther Craven and Brown doesn’t appear in the other photos of Armstrong and Hite’s band from this period!).

Back to the script, Armstrong does appear one more time on page 19, apparently now singing; here’s the page:

The “Leader of Orchestra” singing “It Must Have Been a Dream” solidifies the presence of Hite in the film. [UPDATE: IT DOES NOT.] That’s the title of a Hite composition that he initially recorded for the American Record Corporation on June 6, 1935, but ARC never issued it. Hite tried again in 1940 on the Varsity and this time it was released as the B-side of “T-Bone Walker,” a popular feature for T-Bone Walker; you can listen to the 1940 recording of “It Must Have Been a Dream” here. You can even buy the sheet music for “It Must Have Been a Dream” on Amazon; here’s the cover, with Hite’s photo:

UPDATE: After posting this on social media and identifying the saxophonist as Les Hite, Kevin Coffey wrote in to mention that Dave Hignett “argued strongly” that it is actually Leon Herriford, whom I mentioned was the musical director of the band Armstrong led at the Cotton Club until Hite took over in October. This actually was my initial guess because of that October connection, but given they performed a Hite composition, Hite had an in with the studios, and I glanced again at the famous photo of Louis, Hite, and Frank Sebastian taken a few months later, I revised my text to say it was “definitely” Hite. Here’s that photo:

Well, Kevin Coffey, shared this small photo of Leon Herriford:

And then I found this one in an issue of the Vintage Jazz Mart magazine (forry for the resolution):

And once more, our mystery man in Ex-Flame:

Damn, I think it’s Herriford! Any other expert opinions out there? Thanks to Kevin Coffey (by way of Dave Hignett and Nick Rossi) for keeping me straight!

Back to Ex-Flame, the film trades continued planting small updates throughout September 1930, but by October 11, it was reported that co-star Marion Harris returned to New York to take a rest “after completing her role in ‘Ex-Flame.'” Thus, filming was completed in less than a month, and it was time to prepare it for distribution.

Now, these next paragraphs might be deadly dull for some, but I’m going to publish them anyway because perhaps they include some clues as to how Ex-Flame became lost–and perhaps how it can be found. Ex–Flame was co-written and directed by Victor Halperin and produced by his brother Edward Halperin and M. H. Hoffman for the brand new “Liberty Pictures,” which is usually referred to as one of the “Poverty Row” production companies specializing in low-budget “B Movies” (the December 31 Variety estimated Ex-Flame was completed for around $35,000). On October 15, 1930, Film Daily reported that Jack Bellman was the “new general manager and partner of the Hollywood Exchange” and would “also handle the distribution of 20 of the Liberty productions, the first of which will be ‘Ex-Flame,’ a modern version of ‘East Lynne,’ with Marian Nixon and Neil Hamilton.”

However, Variety reported that “the [Halperin] brothers and Hoffman parted shortly after the picture was completed,” leaving Hoffman alone to secure distribution. On November 14, M. H. Hoffman–referred to as “President of Liberty Pictures Company, Ltd.,” signed a deal with Arthur A. Lee, President of AmerAnglo Corporation, where “AmerAnglo” would “be the exclusive selling agent in the foreign field for Liberty’s twelve ‘Broadway Playhouse’ picturizations of world-famous stage plays and eight ‘Victory’ super-specials to be produced by Liberty. The first picture to be delivered under this contract is entitled ‘Ex-Flame — a modernized version of ‘East Lynne.'” With foreign distribution nailed down, Hoffman next signed a deal with “Tiffany to distribute his completed talker, ‘Ex-Flame,'” as reported in Variety on November 26.

With all of that out of the way, Ex-Flame opened in November 1930, and the reviews soon followed. Here’s one of the longer ones, from Motion Picture News, November 29, 1930:

Opinions on Pictures
Ex-Flame
(Liberty)
Not So Hot
(Reviewed by Jack Grant)
SHADES of our old friend, “East Lynne,” all dressed up in modern clothes. Good for
the smaller runs and split weekers. The sexy monicker of “Ex-Flame” will help and the production, sets and photography are far above the average established by independent producers.
Modernizing “East Lynne” was in itself no mean task. Yet, you who remember your barnstorming favorite will probably get a chuckle or two from the literal adaptation given it here. It is still a tear jerker, but so much water has run under the bridge since they first went at “East Lynne” that the situations no longer bring a flood. The comedy, with Snub Pollard dragged in as a stooge servant, doesn’t click.
Story opens with the return of Neil Hamilton and Marian Nixon from their honeymoon. The couple take up residence at the Hamilton family estate and Marian immediately manifests jealousy at the sight of a photo of her husband with a former sweetheart — the “Ex-Flame” of the title. In the abruptness of the introduction of her jealousy some sympathy is lost.
Four years pass and the ex returns to become a neighbor. She definitely sets her cap for
Hamilton and Marian turns a brilliant green.
When she catches her husband kissing the girl she packs up, takes her baby and leaves. Her devoted admirer, Norman Kerry, also an “ex,” calls at her apartment. His doctor has given him but a few months to live, so he has called to say good-bye. He says it and dies immediately.
It’s 4 A.M. Scandal. Husband sues for divorce. Takes baby from mother publicly judged improper person. Mother goes “Madame X,” jumping around country with first one man, then another. Finally hears of husband’s engagement to the “Ex-Flame.” Returns to England bent on kidnapping child. Discovering her hiding in closet, husband realizes his love. Reconciliation. Fade out.
This is “Ex-Flame,” nee “East Lynne.”
Strong comedy support in shorts suggested.

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I guess they didn’t believe in “spoiler alerts” back then, because it’s all there–except a mention of Louis Armstrong. In preparing for this post, I saved just about every review of Ex-Flame I could find–and will share some more at the end of this article–but at first, none of the big film trades even acknowledged Armstrong’s scene. He is listed in the Film Daily credits as “Louis Armstrong and His Jazz Band,” while Variety‘s review of January 28, 1931 only noted the presence of “a colored jazz orchestra. But it didn’t play ‘Remember,’ so maybe this isn’t so much Lynney after all. And the comedy is as slight as the orchestra leader made it. This takes in a hiccough, too.”

By the time Variety got around to reviewing it two months after its premiere, it was clear that Ex-Flame was a dud, critically–Film Daily called it a “poor adaptation”–and commercially. In Los Angeles, Ex-Flame opened at the Orpheum and, according to Variety, “dove to the lowest gross in the history of the house” and, grossing $6,000 in its first week before being prematurely “jerked after tonight [Tuesday, December 23]” with a total take of $10,500 (it was replaced by the Wheeler and Woolsey comedy Hook, Line, and Sinker).

The same thing happened in Minneapolis. “‘Ex-Flame,’ at the Seventh Street, failed to land as expected, and, after only a half week, made room for ‘Man to Man,’ which finished the week,” Variety reported in January. In February in Seattle, it made “$3,000; not good.” In Rochester, “Regent dropped ‘Ex-Flame’ in mid-week and shot in ‘Gang Busters.'” In Philadelphia, its gross of $15,500 was the record low at the Fox Theater and was listed that way in Motion Picture Herald for months to come. “Boston Chilly to ‘Ex-Flame'” ran a February headline in Billboard, noting it was “withdrawn from the Publix Fenway and Scolaly Square after three days.” Making matters worse, Fox’s version of East Lynne was released in March 1931 to better reviews, better box office numbers, and an eventual Academy Award nomination for “Best Picture.”

Still, a funny thing happened in early 1931: as Ex-Flame continued making the rounds, some reviewers began emphasizing the appearance of Louis Armstrong. A Black newspaper, the New York Age, focused on Armstrong in its piece from February 28, 1931:

As Armstrong was mentioned more and more, occasionally his photograph was even used. We can finally bring things back around to the scrapbook Louis Armstrong maintained with second wife Lillian Hardin Armstrong in this period, as they clipped out a few articles about Ex-Flame, including one about it being “His First Big Talkie”:

If you can’t make it out, here’s the meat from the main article:

“Louis Armstrong, the undisputed world’s greatest trumpeter, makes his initial screen debut Wednesday and Thursday at the Metropolitan theater next week in the gigantic production, Ex-Flame, adopted from the famous stage play, East Lynne. Louis will be accompanied by his amazing Sebastian Cotton Club orchestra, national favorites over records and the air. 
Neil Hamilton and Marian Nixon play the leading roles in Ex-Flame, and according to those who have previewed the picture, give wonderful accounts of themselves.
The film has all the heart interest, all the tense suspense, and all the melodramatic moments of the old play, and it has that added attraction of being a play of modern people whose problems everyone who sees it can understand.”

Also remember that Armstrong’s mistress–and future third wife–Alpha Smith was also keeping a scrapbook of her own, which included a page with a black-and-white clipping of the Ex-Flame photo shared earlier:

One more page from Alpha, with an ad for Ex-Flame:

That’s all that survives in Louis’s scrapbooks, but thanks to modern innovations like Newspapers.com, here’s a bunch more that I have pulled from the internet, opening with The Cincinnati Enquirer, February 1, 1931:

The St. Louis Argus, April 17, 1931:

The Longview Daily News April 26, 1931:

The St. Louis Argus, May 1, 1931:

The Hinton Daily News, June 18, 1931:

I also found this full-page ad for Sebastian’s Cotton Club from the February 21, 1931 issue of Inside Facts of Stage and Screen, trumpeting Armstrong’s role in Ex-Flame in the upper right corner:

That really concludes the Armstrong-associations with Ex-Flame, but for this post, I continued researching it on Newspapers.com and Archive.org. The film kept popping up in city after city (bandleader Vince Giordano has been on the hunt for this film for years now and shared several digital clippings from Oregon in February 1931) with similar box office results: Louisville in April (“Won’t reach $4,000”), Omaha in June ($800 in three days), and the Leland in Albany in January 1932, where it broke the lowest box office. It did play Canada, including Toronto in January 1931 and Victoria, British Columbia in December 1931. After bombing in Albany in Janaury 1932, it continued being trotted out in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Salt Lake City, Utah in March 1932. By April 1933, it played the Hippodrome in New York, now touted as a “Tiffany” picture, the name of the distributor, not the studio. Finally, I’ve traced it as far as 1936 with a screening at the Gem Theater in Oklahoma City in February of that year, followed by a run in Spokane in May that seems to be the last time it was shown theatrically.

After that? Nothing. I haven’t even quite figured out when Armstrong biographers realized that Louis was in it–and that it was lost. Louis, sadly, never mentioned it in his writings, public or private, and he doesn’t appear to have ever said anything about it on tape. It’s listed in the filmography that’s part of the 1970 book Salute to Satch, but without a designation that it’s lost.

So, what are the chances of finding it? I truly don’t know. There are major MGM films from this period that remain lost, so I don’t know what the odds are of a poorly received, low-budget, box-office dud like Ex-Flame turning up out of nowhere–but I remain hopeful! Here’s some random thoughts:

*For one thing, it played in a lot of cities between 1930 and 1936, including throughout Canada; a lost trove of silent films was found in Dawson City, Canada in 1978, so perhaps there’s a trove of early talkies waiting to be discovered.

*I once saw a film message board where someone matter-of-factly stated that of course, they had Ex-Flame, it was fairly common…..turns out they had the 1931 Fox East Lynne. (Even though it was nominated for Best Picture, that version has its own “lost” history and is available on YouTube in a patched-up version with a long explanation explaining the backstory.) But that got me thinking–could such a mistake happen in a reverse fashion? Since East Lynne was the big thing at the time, could there be a film canister marked East Lynne….that actually contains Ex-Flame?

*In 1935, Liberty Pictures was bought out by the much larger Republic Pictures. As stated above, Ex-Flame continued being screened in 1936, so it’s not as if Republic destroyed the entire inventory immediately–or at all. In 1959, Republic sold its assets to National Telefilm Associates, which went to work on showing Republic entities on television for decades to come. Mark Cantor has mentioned that if Ex-Flame was ever shown on television, it would most likely survive as a 16mm film. Newspapers.com hasn’t been successful in turning up any television screenings, but it’s possible. Regardless, National Telefilm Associates ended up selling their holdings to Paramount and CBS, which are now united through Viacom; I doubt anyone over there has taken the time to look up Ex-Flame.

*In 2022, I almost needed smelling salts when I saw a Facebook post on the late Ron Hutchinson’s Vitaphone group from a collector named Mike Parker who had acquired an original disc containing part of the soundtrack to Ex-Flame. Apparently, Disc 6 already survives somewhere (it’s in the Vitaphone Project database) and Parker mentioned he had acquired Disc 2! Here’s his picture:

Naturally, the Armstrong community (including myself) descended upon the post, begging Parker for information about whether or not Louis appeared on the disc. At the time, he hadn’t had it transferred yet. I sent one email to him, offering to transfer it here in New York, and never heard back. But it’s possible there’s more such discs out there–even the sound of Louis would be cause for celebration!

*One can see “Tiffany Productions” on the disc, the name of the distributor, which started popping up in the early 1930s reviews. Obviously, it was originally a “Liberty Picture,” then sold to Republic. And remember those stories about distribution, including the overseas deal with with AmerAnglo. I’ve already mentioned that it played throughout Canada (214 hits on Newspapers.com). It also ran at the Central Theatre in Hong Kong in August and was even briefly shown in England; here’s a photo from the July 28, 1931 London Daily Mirror:

Alas, it doesn’t seem to have made it to Australia or New Zealand, where some “lost” films have been recently discovered, but perhaps Canada or China or England can hold some clues.

Or perhaps it’s lost and will just remain that way. I love old Hollywood, but the domain of film collecting and preservation is not my lane, which is why I’ve unloaded all of this research in one place, hoping someone with a little more knowledge and–a lot more connections–can poke around and potentially find gold. Thank you for reading this far and because I don’t like to see any good research go to waste, here are the other reviews (that don’t mention Armstrong) that I saved while putting this all together. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please leave them in the comments–and feel free to share this post on social media or any of the film collectors’ message boards out there. Thanks!

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Exhibitors Herald-World – December 6, 1930, p. 29
EX-FLAME
EAST LYNNE REVAMP! Produced by Liberty Productions. Story and direction by Victor Halperin. Adaptation by George Draney. Dialog director, Herbert Farjeon. Production manager, George Bertholon. Cast: Neil Hamilton, Marian Nixon, Norman Kerry, Judith Barrie, Roland Drew, Joan Standing , Snub Pollard, May Beatty. Lorimer Johnson, Jose Bohr, Cornelius Keefe, Joseph North, Charles Crockett and Little Billy Haggerty.
WHEN Liberty Productions changed the title, “East Lynne,” to “Ex-Flame,” motion picture titlers sat up in surprise, and when they saw the preview they were even more surprised, because there was very little, other than theme, which even faintly resembled the “East Lynne” of legitimate days. With Neil Hamilton, Marian Nixon and Norman Kerry, the production is entertaining in its new and modern costume.
The story, as it now stands, is the story of a wealthy British peer who marries his second love. The first love, or “ex-flame,” returns, and makes it pretty tough for the wife. She leaves her husband, finding comfort in the friendship of a roue who inconveniently dies in her apartment. Newspapers scream the headlines, the peer gets a divorce, and the wife starts out to see the world with a succession of men.
She reads of the impending marriage of her ex-husband to his ex-flame and rushes back to Great Britain to kidnap her son. She is caught in the act, but instead of tossing her from the ancestral estate, the peer realizes that he loves her, despite her transgressions.
The handsome Neil Hamilton, as the peer, gives a sympathetic portrayal. The attractive Miss Nixon also reads her lines well and, in addition, gives a good emotional performance.
Little Billy Haggerty, as the child, gets “oh’s” and “ah’s” from the audience because of his acting and his personality. Norman Kerry, as the roue, gives a smooth performance.
It is a drama of emotions rather than actions.
Photography is good, and so is the dialog.
Halperin has done a good job of showing first love grow cold and then making it glow again as a deeper emotion in the case of Hamilton and Miss Nixon. — Edward Churchill, Hollywood.

Inside Facts of Stage and Screen, January 3, 1931, p. 5
Sittin’ With the Public
By Ted Price
Ex-Flame
RKO ORPHEUM
Reviewed Dec. 22
Being of sound mind — I hope — I herewith give my hand and seal to this pronunciamento in all sincerity, to-wit: That without “ifs” “buts” or conjecture of any nature whatsoever, “Ex-Flame” for two-thirds of its journey across the screen promised to be a hot runner-up for high entertainment honors. And I say this despite the gross blunder in casting Marion Nixon as a Lady of the English peerage. Believe me, my peers — referring to the American vintage this time — this picture built audience interest and sympathy as unaffectedly as “Holiday” and “The Divorce” at their artistic best, that is, for two-thirds of its going but from then on. . . .
Well, its too late now to help matters. The dirt is done and no broom or dustpan of analysis is going to clean it up, but there is no haling back a curiosity to know just what happened from two-thirds of the way on. Right at that point did the director fall off of his chair and hit his head on an old fashioned effect machine or what? Did the writing staff become suddenly seized
with the virus of kaleidoscope gone coo-coo and an uncontrollable desire for noise and increased tempo regardless of its relative value? Or what?
Two-thirds of the way up, and we say “UP” advisedly because this opus traveled a satisfying angle for that period the female lead began to carry on as contrary to her conduct in the earlier sequences of the story as a “liquored blonde” and I am quite sure, I am almost positive, in fact I would swear to it that Nixon was not justifiably bickered.
Listen, my children, and gather near; it wasn’t the influence of light wine or beer that caused that sudden departure from the path of consistency. It was something else brought on the distortion. Come, ye wise men of the fold, give us a lift; lend a hand in this mystery.
There was a certain splendid dignity in Nixon’s earlier characterization. She displayed admirable fortitude in accepting and abiding by her husband’s obvious pleasure at being with his exflame. Self respect stood out in her acceptance and tolerance such as one would expect from a lady of the peerage. Even free to accept the attentions of a man who offered her a love as exclusively hers as her own forefinger there wasn’t the slightest tendency to ignore the conventions. She was the embodiment and personification of self respect and then twothirds of the way, blooie — it goes ga-ga. Respect for herself, respect for the child she has lost, respect for everything goes up in a barrage of abandon.
From watering place to pleasure resort in grim resignation to the fates, from chap to chap and lap to lap showing as little discrimination and taste as a (censored). It wouldn’t have looked so badly if the personality of her paramours had warranted it. Not one of these gentlemen bore the marks of blood and lineage one would imagine playing house with a lady of the peerage. Did she cheapen herself or depreciate audience sypathy? Would she? Visualize Marion Nixon and write your answer on the left hand corner of the page. And the first part of this picture was a gem out of the teasure box of treatment and direction. What happened two-thirds of the way along?
TED PRICE

Photoplay, January 1931
Review
EX-FLAME—Liberty Productions
REMEMBER sitting up in the balcony, weeping over “East Lynne’? Well, here’s that old thriller dressed up in modern clothes, seated in a futuristic chair and re-titled “Ex-Flame.” Can you bear it? Made quite obviously for the box-office, it fails where it should be most dramatic. At no time do Norman Kerry and Marian Nixon seem to feel that they’re playing real characters

Harrison’s Reports, January 31, 1931, p. 18
“Ex-Flame”
(Tiffany-Liberty, no release date; running time, 69 min.)
A fairly appealing picture. The first half drags but the second half has human interest. The heroine arouses much sympathy by helping a sick friend, even though she knew it would involve her in a scandal. The scenes where she is made to part with her child stir one’s emotions. The hero, because of his behavior, at no time arouses any sympathy. The action takes place in England. The theme, however, is not presented from a novel angle : —
The hero, a British nobleman, and the heroine, not a noblewoman, are married. They are happy and have a child. His ex-flame returns from America and one night the heroine sees the hero making love to her. She leaves with her child and establishes herself in an apartment. She refuses to see him. One of her constant visitors is a man who had been a friend of hers for many years. He learns from his physician that he has one month to live. Having always been in love with her, he calls on her at 3 o’clock in the morning to tell her the sad news. While there, he has a heart attack and dies. This involves her in a scandal. She is forced to give her child back to the hero, who later divorces her. She travels to many countries with different men. One day she learns that the hero and his exflame are going to marry and decides to take her child away from them. She manages to enter her former home, and while in her child’s room preparing to take him way she hears the hero and his fiancee coming. She hides in the closet. The child persists in telling his father that he has a secret in the closet. This forces her to come out of the closet. The surprised hero tells her that he wants her to stay because he always loved her, and that he missed her very much. They are reconciled.
The story was written and directed by Victor Halperin. In the cast are Neil Hamilton,
Marion Nixon, Norman Kerry, Judith Barrie, Roland Drew, Joan Standing and others.
The human interest in the last half saves it from being classed a “suicide” picture.

The Film Daily, January 25, 1931
Neil Hamilton and Marian Nixon in “Ex-Flame”
With Norman Kerry and Judith Barrie.
Tiffany-Liberty
Time, 1 hr., 10 mins. 
FAIR PROGRAM DRAMA BASED ON OLD MELODRAMA, LACKS PUNCH BUT HAS FINE CAST AND BEAUTIFUL SETTINGS.
This Liberty production misses fire due to the poor adaptation of the old play “East Lynne” and its transformation to modern settings and dialogue. Women will like it because of the beautiful settings, and the display of fashionable gowns by Marian Nixon, whose fine acting fails to boost the picture out of the program class. The story concerns a young married couple in England who separate because of a misunderstanding that is brought about through the entrance of the husband’s “ex-flame.” Unconvincing situations occur and in the end they are all too hurriedly brought back to each other by either poor story, writing or direction. Norman Kerry gives a thoroughly fine reading of a comparatively short part.
Cast: Neil Hamilton, Marian Nixon, Norman Kerry, Judith Barrie, Roland Drew, Joan Standing, Snub Pollard, May Britty, Loorimer Johnson, Jose Bohr, CorneliusKeefe, Joseph North, Charles Crockett, Little Billie Haggerty, Louis Armstrong and His Jazz Band. 
Director, Victor Halperin ; Author, same; Adaptor, George Draney; Dialogue Herbert Farjeon; Editor, not credited; Camaraman, Ernie Miller. ,
Direction, fair. Photography, excellent

Variety, January 28, 1931
Ex-Flame
“This week ‘East Lynne’ at Warners’ Beacon.” That’s where it belongs, and at other neighboroders where perhaps the women may go for this near-sobber called “Ex-Flame” and billed as a “modernized version of ‘East Lynne.’”
And with a colored jazz orchestra. But it didn’t play “Remember,” so maybe this isn’t so much Lynney after all. And the comedy is as slight as the orchestra leader made it. This takes in a hiccough, too. 
While Little Billie Haggerty as the three-year-old kidlet talked so well one could almost believe that his talk had been dubbed in. Without removing any credit from Little Billie for the best performance of the long but useless cast. 
This might have been a better talker with better acting. It’s one of those things that say how much attention must or should be given to casting. In a parlor play the acting in a talker may carry or kill it. 
In this film Marian Nixon plays Lady Catherine Austen of England like Laura Jean Libby would have wanted her to play it. Miss Nixon seemed to have as much of an idea of the role as the writer of the dialog. The dialog stumbled along, sometimes 6th avenue, then again, perhaps somewhere in England and again on Broadway. LIke Miss Nixon saying “I’m through” as she told her new John she would blow his Lordship. Like a perfect English lady. While Neil Hamilton, another starred here for some reason, probably, played the lordship stuff mechanically enough for a canned story, but he only had to make love. While Judith Barrie, featured, as the jealous reason for it all, could only create jealousy in England, and doubtful even there. Leaving Norman Kerry as the other featured person with his best wallop his death before the picture ended. 
Kerry died by the double quick route. A specialist told him he blah blah blah, I’m stopping here.
This is the first jealous play stuff around in quite a while. That it’s as old as “East Lynne” and that the picture itself is just as old in outline don’t change the fact that sometimes “Ex-Flame” is funny, whether intended or no. 
Some nice scenery and better settings. The sets oftimes are quite prodigious. At the opening a butler walks through three parlors into a ball, consecutively, something of a tramp even for a crane. 
Sime. 

Billboard, January 31, 1931
“Ex-Flame”’ 
(TIFFANY) 
At Warner’s Bedcon 
One learns with regret from the credit titles of Ex-Flame, male by Liberty Productions and distributed thru Tiffany, that it is based on the classic, East Lynne, and our senses are sadly jolted upon viewing such desecration of a familiar title. And then upon viewing the production, and realizing that the old story has been revamped, modernized and jazzed up, with Negro syncopators, slang and inane flapper atmosphere, we are struck that the title more aptly describes the abortive cinema attempt. 
Seeing this, one is again reminded that George S. Kaufman’s vitriolic satire on Hollywood and the garrish exaggerations of the film city’s peoples in all their eccentricities, as told in Once in a Lifetime, were deadly right in their precision. For here is a production, telling of the domestic infelicity of a young bride and her husband, and of the crash of that romance, with conflicting emotional tragedy, yet the whole has been portrayed as tho it was a grand lark, a three-ring circus and with the ornate, lavish misunderstanding which only can be conceived from the mind of a child. 
And the splendid cast chosen to perpetrate this crime are more to be pitied than condemned. Among them are such well-knowns as Marion Nixon, Neil Hamilton, Norman Kerry, Judith Barrie and others. The story and direction is by Victor Halperin, who has done the best he could with a stilted script, bad dialog and abortive adaptation; despite what knowledge he may have had of the original story. The fault with the production can be directly traced to the adaptor and dialoger, George Draney, whose gross misconception of the true value of the story, and his almost criminal license in tampering with the true story so as to bring about the usual happy ending, are equally in bad taste with the lavish and gaudy production given to it by the producers. 
As told here, the story tells of Sir Austin and Lady Austin, happily married and returning to the country estate to be greeted by their retinue of servants. 
Their life together promises much for the future, but his former life and companions threaten dark clouds over their contentment. It seems he was once engaged to a girl, Barbara Lacy, with whom he was a Wimbledon doubles tennis champion, and who threw him over for an American. But the former tennis partner returns with a divorce and starts her fascination all over again, the flirtation going to such ends that Lady Austin is forced to separate, taking their charming child with her to London. Her only friend in her domestic infelicity is Beaumont Winthrop, whose attentions only help to widen the breach between the estranged couple. When Winthrop dies of heart failure and excitement in her London apartment, scandal leaks out and the husband comes to take the child away from her. She sinks to the depths of despair and degradation, but as done here she does so with flying colors and without conscience. And the finish throws the whole story to the winds in a grotesque manner. It is pretty bad mutilation of a good story. Photography, by Ernest Miller, is significant, especially in some trick scenes and angles. 

CONDE G. BREWER.

Motion Picture, February 1931
Ex-Flame
OLD TIMER NOT UP TO THE MARK : Masquerading under the somewhat sexy, box-office title of “’ExFlame” our old friend of barn-storming days, “East Lynne, makes its bow to the talking screen. An attempt has been made to modernize the dialogue, an attempt clumsy enough to be rather laughable at times. The adaptation is so liberal as to suggest the influence on the script of both ‘ Madame X and “Interference.”
In this version of “East Lynne’ (another version is now being filmed by Fox, starring Ann Harding), Marian Nixon plays the wife and Neil Hamilton the husband. In the abruptness of the introduction of the wife’s jealousy some sympathy is lost. And the scandal that finally leads to divorce will seem downright absurd to present-day audiences. As a tear jerker this is obviously a museum piece in such inadept form.
As for the title, it looks as though it is now up to Laurel and Hardy to film “Ex-Baby” and thereby end the reign ot “Ex’s” on the screen.