Beggars In Ermine (1934 Pre-Code) Lionel Atwill, Betty Furness, Henry B. Walthall.mp4

Director: Phil Rosen

Writers: Esther Lynd Day (novel), Tristram Tupper (screenplay)

Stars: Lionel Atwill, Betty Furness, Henry B. Walthall | See full cast & crew »


The Mongram "special" Beggars in Ermine was based on a novel by Esther Lynd Day. Having lost both legs in an accident, steel-mill owner John Dawson (Lionel Atwill) disconsolately goes among "the people" in hopes of finding a reason for living. Upon befriending blind peddler Marchant (Henry B. Walthall), Dawson puts his organizational skills to practical use by "unionizing" Walthall's beggar pals, doubling and tripling their effectiveness. His new "street" friends help Dawson get the goods on his crooked business manager James Marley (Jameson Thomas), who had arranged Dawson's "accident." It's quite refreshing to see perennial screen-villain Lionel Atwill in a 100% sympathetic role, which he carries off in grand style.