WILLIAM WELLMAN | LEGION OF THE CONDEMNED (1928) Cameo photo

[Los Angeles, Paramount, 1928] Vintage original 7 1/2 x 9 3/4 (18 x 24 cm.) black-and-white single weight glossy silver gelatin print still photo. Fine.

Encouraged to cut costs, director William A. Wellman used stock footage from the still-in-release-at-the-time mega hit, WINGS. He cut costs further by acting in a small role. 

This is an unusually early portrait of Wellman. He started directing movies in 1923 but was not immediately noticed, and portraits of him from this period are seldom encountered. Still is coded “681-125”.