Heroes for Sale (1933)

Jodi Douglas

Thomas Holmes’ life is a rollercoaster; unfortunately for him, most of the ride is the arduous climb up hill. In the opening scenes, Tom and his friend Roger are instructed to capture German prisoners. Though Roger is too much of a coward to actually leave the trench and complete the mission, he is the one who takes all the credit when Tom is left for dead after being shot. Fortunately, Tom is discovered by German soldiers and nursed back to health; unfortunately, the Germans do not have the technology to remove the metal near his spine. To help manage the pain Tom is given morphine; unfortunately, he becomes addicted to the drug when he is returned to the States, struggles to complete daily tasks at work and is eventually forced into a hospital to fight his addiction.

After leaving the hospital, things finally seem to be looking up for Tom. His move to Chicago allows him new job opportunities, he meets an eclectic group of friends, marries a beautiful woman and they have a son. When advancements in technology begin to cut the jobs of his co-workers, Tom begins fighting management for them. Though he too has just been released from his job, many of his co-workers hold him accountable for having brought the automatic washing machines into the work place. The mob of angry co-workers plan to “smash the machines” which have taken their jobs and Tom does everything within his power to stop them. As the riot outside the factory escalates, Tom’s wife is killed and he is charged with inciting a riot and taken to jail. Despite his attempts to stop the rioting, Tom is sentenced to five years in prison.

While Tom is in prison, Mary (one of the eclectic friends) raises his son and Max (the eclectic Communist inventor) deposits monthly checks into his bank account. Though his investment in Max’s washing machine brings him great wealth, Tom wants nothing to do with the money because he associates it with his wife’s death. After his release from prison, Tom returns home to forge a relationship with his son and he gives Mary control of the $53,000 in his bank account in order run a soup kitchen for the poor and disadvantaged. As Tom tries to settle back into a “normal” life with his son, his friendship with Max, the communist turned capitalist, raises government suspicions and he is eventually forced out of town.

At the heart of this film is a story of resilience and strength of spirit. Lesser men would have become bitter and turned their backs on the rest of the world, had they experienced what Tom had. But, despite the hardships Tom faced (at every turn!), he remained compassionate and optimistic. He saw the best in people and always believed things could and would get better.