On the occasional loan-out, Barrymore had a big success with Gloria Swanson in 1928's "Sadie Thompson" and the aforementioned Griffith film, "Drums of Love". In 1929, he returned to directing films. During this early and imperfect sound film period, he directed the controversial "His Glorious Night" with John Gilbert, "Madame X" starring Ruth Chatterton, and "The Rogue Song", Laurel and Hardy's first color film. He was credited with being the first director to move a microphone on a sound stage. Barrymore returned to acting in front of the camera in 1931. In that year, he won an Academy Award for his role as an alcoholic lawyer in "A Free Soul" (1931), after being considered in 1930 for Best Director for "Madame X". He could play many characters, like the evil Rasputin in the 1932 "Rasputin and the Empress" (in which he co-starred for the only time with siblings John and Ethel) and the ailing Oliver Jordan in "Dinner at Eight" (1933 – also with John, although they had no scenes together). He played Professor Zelen, the Occultist expert, in the classic horror "Mark of the Vampire" (1935).