The Devil's Holiday

1930 "SUCKERS-SINNERS-SAINTS! She toyed with them – scoffed at them – laughed at them… until she was caught in the toils of her own net!"
5.9| 1h20m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 09 May 1930 Released
Producted By: Paramount Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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Beautiful manicurist Hallie Hobart sets her sights on handsome David Stone, the son of wealthy wheat farmer Ezra Stone. Professing to hate men, Hallie is only interested in luring David in for a lucrative business deal. David easily falls in love, but older brother Mark brands Hallie a gold-digger. To get even with the straight-laced Stone family, Hallie accepts David's marriage proposal.

Genre

Drama, Romance

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Director

Edmund Goulding

Production Companies

Paramount Pictures

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The Devil's Holiday Audience Reviews

Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Interesteg What makes it different from others?
Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
GManfred Hallie Hobart (Nancy Carroll), veteran party girl, works the conventions in the Big City and makes money from the agents who sic her on to prospective buyers - in this case, for farm equipment. Into her clutches falls David Stone (Philips Holmes), fresh from a fall off a turnip truck, and Wowzers! David falls head-over-heels for her and wants to marry her. His family is loaded with money and advice, but David is hearing none of it. He marries her and brings her home to his horrified family.What follows is hard to swallow. Suffice it to say there is much pathos, contrivance, animosity, strife and bitterness. There is also reconciliation but, as I say, this second half of the picture must be taken cum grano salis. The main reason to watch this soaper is to watch Nancy Carroll's best acting job. Prior to "The Devil's Holiday" she made several lightweight musical comedies, so her performance here is a jolt. In fact, she was nominated for an Oscar for this film but lost to Norma Shearer in "The Divorcée". 1930's audiences were probably prostrate with grief as the weepy plot unfolds, but 1930 is a long time ago.
Alex da Silva Hallie (Nancy Carroll) is put to work by Charlie (Ned Sparks). She has to wine and dine wealthy David Stone (Phillips Holmes) so that he falls in love with her. He can then be influenced into buying farm machinery from Charlie. But David's brother Mark (James Kirkwood) confronts Hallie and calls her a prostitute. Her reaction to get even with Mark is to marry David. She is given a $50,000 pay-off by David's father Ezra (Hobart Bosworth) if she leaves David forever and gets out of their lives. She accepts and goes. However, in the meantime, David becomes ill and Hallie has a change of heart....This is one boring film. The acting is very poor, especially from the retard that plays David Stone - a terrible actor. He starts well but becomes laughably bad, eg, the scenes where he slaps his brother Mark, and towards the end when he relapses into his illness. Ha ha ha....but it's not meant to be funny....ha ha ....Then there are the gruesome twosome of Mark and Ezra Stone who belong in a horror movie along with Dr Reynolds as played by Paul Lukas. He must surely have been considered for the role of Dracula with his stupid accent. Bela Lugosi is a carbon copy of this guy. Throw in the very irritating Ned Sparks with his annoying chirpy character, and that stupid voice that he affects and this film is one very big, unfunny joke. And to round things off, Nancy Carroll isn't particularly good either.The story also sucks and is completely unbelievable. Every relationship between every character doesn't work and it is laughable how Nancy Carroll, who doesn't give a fig about Phillips Holmes, suddenly falls in love with him. What a nonsense! The only way you will enjoy this is if you laugh coz it's so bad. It really is a pile of dung.
wes-connors Beautiful manicurist Nancy Carroll (as Hallie Hobart) sets her sights on handsome Philips Holmes (as David Stone), the son of wealthy wheat farmer Hobart Bosworth (as Ezra Stone). Professing to hate men, Ms. Carroll is only interested in luring Mr. Holmes in for a lucrative business deal. Holmes easily falls in love, but older brother James Kirkwood (as Mark Stone) brands Carroll a low-life gold-digger. To get even with the straight-laced Stone family, Carroll accepts Holmes' marriage proposal. Then, while Carroll and the family negotiate the cost of her departure, she falls unexpectedly in love… Well, make that expectedly… "The Devil's Holiday" is a creaky, but worthwhile "early talkie" drama. First of all, it features Carroll's second-place finishing "Academy Award" performance as "Best Actress" (Norma Shearer won for her "Divorcée"). At the time, Carroll was a considered a "new" talking pictures star; in that respect, she was the first "talkie"-dominant actress to move in on the "Quigley Poll" top ten list of established "silent" stars. Carroll was #10 in 1929, and seemed assured of super-stardom with the new dramatic range she showed in "Devil's Holiday" (where she displayed real sweat and tears).Holmes is also at his best, playing the love-struck rich kid with wide-eyed innocence. And, he gets one of those great "smacked on the staircase" scenes. Holmes falls in love three times in this movie, but only for Nancy Carroll. She and Holmes had great chemistry, as you'll see; and, box office returns dictated they would be re-teamed fairly quickly (for the close to, but not quite "Stolen Heaven"). Writer/director Edmund Goulding manages well considering it was early 1930. You also get two pioneer players, Messrs. Kirkwood and Bosworth, in featured roles; and, the minor cast members are used very well.******* The Devil's Holiday (5/9/30) Edmund Goulding ~ Nancy Carroll, Phillips Holmes, James Kirkwood, Hobart Bosworth
drednm Turgid by today's standards and pretty stagy, yet THE DEVIL'S HOLIDAY offers solid performances by Nancy Carroll as a party girl who lands a hick (Phillips Holmes), in from the wheat belt, in a scam. As Hallie, a woman who no scruples and who hates men, Carroll won an Oscar nomination in a flashy role. Holmes is also excellent as the sensitive and naive youth.Hobart Bosworth and James Kirkwood (as the father and brother) are oddly effective in their stereotypical roles. Ned Sparks and Jed Prouty play a couple of sharpies, and Zasu Pitts has a small role as the hotel operator. Paul Lukas shows up (badly cast) as a rural doctor.While the plot veers toward the ludicrous, the actors remain solid and convincing, no easy job.