This was the type of role that by the late 1920s William Boyd could play in his sleep. Starting out as an extra with Cecil B. DeMille he became so popular that most of his films were rushed with no regard to high production values (exceptions being "The Yankee Clipper" and "Two Arabian Knights"). As long as he was virile and no nonsense, fans didn't care and he fitted the bill perfectly as cocky Vic Donovan in "Dress Parade" - of course it helped when his leading lady was winsome Bessie Love.
There is nothing in this that you haven't seen in any of a dozen "cocky boy is made to eat humble pie" movies, but even after almost 90 years it still has freshness and vibrancy - due to Boyd's refreshing personality. All round athlete Vic Donovan (Boyd) is the pride of Clay City and boy, does he know it!! Enrolling at West Point because he falls for cute Janet Wallace (Love, she didn't have much to do but she did it with her usual professionalism), daughter of a high ranking Commandant, he proceeds to treat the esteemed school in the same high handed manner but he doesn't reckon on school spirit getting to him!! Of course Janet does have a persistent beau - Haldane (Hugh Allen, a Malcolm MacGregor look alike) who seems to stand for all the finer points in a West Point cadet.
At just on an hour there is not a lot of time for characterization - Boyd goes from cock a hoop to compassionate in the blink of an eye. One day on manouvers he wanders off in the wrong direction, Haldane gallops off to find him but Vic ends up risking his own life when the other is wounded in some cannon exercise gone wrong! There is the tense moment when Vic, after confessing he was in the wrong, awaits his fate. Will he be expelled from the prestigious school?? - the audience could have told him the outcome five minutes into the movie!!
There is nothing in this that you haven't seen in any of a dozen "cocky boy is made to eat humble pie" movies, but even after almost 90 years it still has freshness and vibrancy - due to Boyd's refreshing personality. All round athlete Vic Donovan (Boyd) is the pride of Clay City and boy, does he know it!! Enrolling at West Point because he falls for cute Janet Wallace (Love, she didn't have much to do but she did it with her usual professionalism), daughter of a high ranking Commandant, he proceeds to treat the esteemed school in the same high handed manner but he doesn't reckon on school spirit getting to him!! Of course Janet does have a persistent beau - Haldane (Hugh Allen, a Malcolm MacGregor look alike) who seems to stand for all the finer points in a West Point cadet.
At just on an hour there is not a lot of time for characterization - Boyd goes from cock a hoop to compassionate in the blink of an eye. One day on manouvers he wanders off in the wrong direction, Haldane gallops off to find him but Vic ends up risking his own life when the other is wounded in some cannon exercise gone wrong! There is the tense moment when Vic, after confessing he was in the wrong, awaits his fate. Will he be expelled from the prestigious school?? - the audience could have told him the outcome five minutes into the movie!!