

Pearls, murder, and a love triangle hotter than the tropics — 1928 knew how to party.
Patsy Ruth Miller stars as the romantic bone of contention between pearl divers Malcolm McGregor and Wallace MacDonald. When McGregor's brother is murdered, Miller is arrested for the crime. The actual killer, however, is MacDonald, who does an expert job covering his tracks.
Acting
Patsy Ruth Miller's expressive eyes do ALL the heavy lifting.
Production
Exotic island sets that scream 'we built this in Burbank' and it's glorious.

Director
Elmer Clifton
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This film exemplifies 1920s Hollywood's obsession with 'South Seas' exoticism — filmed entirely in California with white actors in vaguely tropical costumes.
Director Elmer Clifton was a D.W. Griffith protégé who pivoted to these programmer melodramas after the silent era collapsed, making Tropical Nights a fascinating fossil of a dying art form.
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