Product Description

When a bus is stranded in 8 foot snowdrifts in a remote region of the Sierra Nevada, the passengers are forced to seek refuge from the freezing storm in an abandoned church inhabited by a strapping hobo named Bill. The refugees, a beautiful lady crook and the detective who's returning her to prison, a wealthy banker, a young bride-to-be and the busdriver, quickly learn that Bill is in charge. Not only his commanding physique, but the fact that he controls all of the food makes it clear that Bill is the group's only chance of survival.

""Billie,"" the pretty con and Bill soon fall desperately in love, despite the best efforts of the policeman to keep them apart. The lovers plan an escape but just when the moment to flee is at hand they are faced with a terrible choice - their escape to freedom may cost the lives of the stranded travelers!

High Voltage features a lovely Carole Lombard in one of her first talkies. Actor William Boyd became indelibly identified with western hero Hopalong Cassidy in 66 feature films.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #155500 in DVD
• Brand: BOYD,WILLIAM
• Released on: 2008-06-24
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 90 minutes

Customer Reviews

Carole's and Hoppy's first "talkie"
ALPHA VIDEO offers bargain priced, often hard-to-find vintage movies that are ideal for those willing to skip DVD extras. Their transfers show no evidence of restoration, so quality varies from one title to the next, with "fair to good" being the average. Their edition of HIGH VOLTAGE is a typical medium-quality dub.

Bear in mind that there's little call for redigitizing such public domain minor works as this. HIGH VOLTAGE is best for collectors of the earliest talkies and for fans of Carole Lombard and Hopalong Cassidy creator William Boyd. They are EXCELLENT in this story, BTW as is the rest of the small cast, despite occasionally cornball dialogue.

Interested viewers feel the biting cold these stranded people endure and bear along with them the deprivation of things we normally take for granted, like nourishment and physical ease. Those who dismiss this movie lightly should consider its place in history. All-talking pictures hadn't been around for a year when this was released in June of 1929 yet "High Voltage" is an engrossing photoplay with a most satisfactory conclusion. Credit director Howard Higgin for that.


As the product description adequately covers plot, some triva here:

This was the "talkie" premiere of all six cast members and director Higgin.
Scripted in part by James Gleason, a fine character actor.
CAROL LOMBARD became Carole by accident in 1930, when her name was misspelled in her first PARAMOUNT picture.
OWEN MOORE (Det. Dan Egan) took part in some 271 prior silents, but only acted in 10 more sound films. His career ended in 1937, with A STAR IS BORN.
Aussie-born BILLY BEVAN (Gus, the singing bus driver) is most famous as a silent-era slapstick clown.
Before the advent of sound, WILLIAM BOYD appeared in costumers, adventure stories and melodramas. In 1926, he starred for Cecil B. DeMille in THE VOLGA BOATMAN.
PHILLIPS SMALLEY (Henderson the banker) directed 339 films (mostly shorts) between 1911 and '19 and acted in 100 during those years. He spent the next two decades in front of the camera.
In 1930, DIANE ELLIS (the Kid) fell ill while honeymooning in India and died. Her entire movie career is 8 silents and 2 talkies.

An example of a bad early sound film
In spite of the fact that this film stars Carole Lombard, I recommend that you pass on this one. The story is that a bus is trying to cross Nevada's alkali flats when a winter storm hits and forces the passengers to take refuge in an abandoned church miles from the nearest town. Carole Lombard plays Billie, a young woman being taken to prison. The other passengers include the cop that is accompanying Billie, a young girl, a banker, and, of course the bus driver. The group enters the church to find they are not alone. Bill (William Boyd) has found shelter there too, has a large stash of food, and wants to order everyone around.

This is one of those films in which a bunch of characters of diverse backgrounds are forced to sit through a crisis and talk about themselves. However, "Petrified Forest" this is not. Because it is an early sound film the director seems to think somebody has to be saying something all of the time, whether or not it is interesting or done in a non-monotonous tone. It will be the longest hour in your life.

This film was made by Pathe, a company that had been great in its heyday, but whose fortunes were flagging by 1929. This is a public domain copy. That means all of the problems with the video and audio - and there are plenty - are still there. The only thing worse than boring stilted conversation is boring stilted conversation you can't hear well. If you want to see a good early sound gangster film, I suggest 1929's Alibi (Full B&W) by Kino, instead.