THE SHIELD OF HONOR is a 1927 silent film produced by Universal, available on DVD-R from Alpha Video. The movie deals with Los Angeles police officer Jack MacDowell (not the former White Sox pitcher), played by Neil Hamilton (best known for his role as Commissioner Gordon on the 1960s BATMAN TV series.)
What makes MacDowell stand out is he's the first "Air Patrol" officer in Los Angeles--he has his own plane (which, perhaps not coincidentally, resembles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis). Jack is also the son of longtime patrolman Dan MacDowell (Ralph Lewis). Dan has just turned 65, which means he must retire, a situation he isn't happy about. Jack develops a relationship with Gwen O'Day (Dorothy Gulliver), the daughter of a rich jeweler. A number of jewel thefts have been traced back to the O'Day store, and both MacDowells get involved in the case, since Dan becomes a security guard at the store. The main culprit is Chandler (Nigel Barrie), O'Day's manager, and the MacDowells use their skills--and Jack's plane--to put an end to the crimes.
The main reason I had any interest in THE SHIELD OF HONOR was due to the fact that Thelma Todd, in one of her first screen appearances, has a small role in it. The movie itself isn't anything spectacular, but it does what it was designed to do--be an entertaining (if predictable) adventure that also serves as kind of a advertisement for the Los Angeles police force. (The film opens with two different dedications to the policemen of America.)
THE SHIELD OF HONOR was directed by one Emory Johnson, a former leading man for Universal who made a number of similar action-filled movies during his career. SHIELD moves along very well (it is only about an hour long), and while nothing really stands out about it from a cinematic point of view, it's a capable good guys vs. bad guys story that takes advantage of the then-current aviation craze due to Lindbergh's famous flight.
Neil Hamilton makes a dashing hero--he looks quite good in his police uniform, and a present-day viewer can see why he was a leading man during the silent era. (Ironically, if a Batman movie had been made during the 1920s, Hamilton would have been an excellent choice to play the title role.) Ralph Lewis does what is expected with the "Despondent Middle-Aged Man Forced Into Retirement" part, while Dorothy Gulliver is a rather generic leading lady.
Perhaps Gulliver would have made more of an impression if Thelma Todd wasn't in the production. Thelma plays Mr. O'Day's secretary, a young lady who also happens to be Chandler's girlfriend, and is involved in all his schemes. Todd gets a fantastic introduction--as Chandler and his gang are plotting their latest heist, Thelma is sitting off to the side, legs crossed, while languidly smoking a cigarette and looking as glamorous as possible. The camera tracks in on her, making sure the audience gets a good look. Thelma doesn't have much to do after that, but one has to assume that Emory Johnson realized how much screen presence this young actress had by making her the recipient of such a attention-getting moment.
The Alpha Video presentation of THE SHIELD OF HONOR isn't very impressive--the print isn't in very good shape, even though it's watchable, and the music accompanying the film seems to have been cobbled together from about a half-dozen different sources. There are better looking versions of SHIELD one can find available to watch on the internet, but at least I got the Alpha DVD-R at a cheap price. It's a decent enough movie, notable mainly for Thelma Todd and its account of the future Commissioner Gordon's early police activities.
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