Timely! Tremendous! Thrilling! Drama of Love and a Jail-Break!
Convicted of manslaughter for a drunken driving accident, Kent Marlowe is sent to prison, where he meets vicious incarcerated figures who are planning an escape from the brutal conditions.
The Big House (1930) is a crime and drama film directed by George W. Hill, released on June 14, 1930 with a runtime of 1h 27m. It stars Chester Morris, Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone and Robert Montgomery. Viewers rate it 6.6 out of 10 across 56 ratings.
Chester Morris
as John Morgan
Wallace Beery
as Machine Gun 'Butch' Schmidt
Lewis Stone
as Warden James Adams
Robert Montgomery
as Kent Marlowe
Leila Hyams
as Anne Marlowe
George F. Marion
as Pop
J. C. Nugent
as Mr. Marlowe
Karl Dane
as Olsen
DeWitt Jennings
as Wallace
Matthew Betz
as Gopher
Claire McDowell
as Mrs. Marlowe
Robert Emmett O'Connor
as Donlin
Directed by George W. Hill, written by Frances Marion, Frances Marion and Frances Marion, produced by Irving Thalberg.
Average viewer score of 6.6/10 from 56 ratings.
This is one of my favourite early examples of the dog-eat-dog world in prison as the young “Marlowe” (Robert Montgomery) is sent down for a decade after a road accident led to a fatality. Not surprisingly, he’s as anxious as hell - not least when he learns that he is to share facilities with “Morgan” (Chester Morris) and convicted murderer “Butch” (Wallace Beery). The governor (Lewis Stone) is broadly sympathetic,…
Reviewed on October 12, 2025
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The Big House (1930) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of The Big House (1930) includes Chester Morris, Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, Robert Montgomery and Leila Hyams. The film was directed by George W. Hill. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Big House was released on June 14, 1930 and runs for 1h 27m.
The Big House (1930) holds an average rating of 6.6 out of 10 from 56 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy crime and drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
