John Ford Silent Films, Part 4: 1923-1928
The Face on the Bar-Room Floor through Hangman’s House
The following is a list of John Ford silent films. These film pages are taken from Wikipedia entries (with some minor editing). I will be adding bibliographic material and John Ford film stills from my personal collection to add to these pages. Also, I will be adding bibliographic material and references from noted writers.
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The Face on the Bar-Room Floor (1923)
Directed by
John Ford
Produced by
William Fox
Written by
G. Marion Burton
Eugene B. Lewis
Based on
"The Face upon the Barroom Floor" by Hugh Antoine d'Arcy
Starring
Henry B. Walthall
Ruth Clifford
Cinematography
George Schneiderman
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
January 1, 1923
Running time
60 minutes
Country
United States
Language
Silent (English intertitles)
The Face on the Bar-Room Floor is a 1923 American drama film directed by John Ford. It is considered to be a lost film.[1][2] The film was adapted from the poem of the same name by Hugh Antoine d'Arcy.
Plot
As described in a film magazine,[3] famous artist Robert Stevens (Walthall) is in love with Marion (Clifford). While spending a vacation along the coast of Maine, Robert paints a picture of one of the daughters of a fisherman (Saville). Some time later the body of the girl is found in the sea, and Robert is accused of being the cause of her death. Marion refuses to have anything more to do with him, and Robert drifts from bad to worse. He becomes the victim of some thieves who leave a stolen wallet on him, and he is sent to prison. During a prisoner uprising he escapes, but also saves the life of the Governor (MacGregor) who had been visiting the prison. Robert swims out to a small island and walks to the lighthouse where he finds the keeper ill and unable to keep his signal on. Robert flashes a light during a storm and thus protects the ships. He decides to return to prison, and on arrival finds a pardon awaiting him. Upon release, he returns to his old haunts and passes the Governor on the street. In a barroom, he is the subject of jests until he finally starts telling his story. He paints Marion's picture on the floor. Meanwhile, the Governor is at a dinner party and through a coincidence relates a story that makes Marion convinced that Robert has finally been found. Her brother confesses his guilt regarding the Fisherman's daughter which exonerates Robert. They go to him and bring him back, and in a while he has resumed his former life and is happy with Marion.
Cast
· Henry B. Walthall as Robert Stevens
· Ruth Clifford as Marion Trevor
· Ralph Emerson as Dick Von Vleck (as Walter Emerson)
· Frederick Sullivan as Thomas Waring
· Alma Bennett as Lottie
· Norval MacGregor as Governor
· Michael Dark as Henry Drew
· Gus Saville as Fisherman
References
1. "Progressive Silent Film List: The Face on the Bar-Room Floor". Silent Era.
2. "The Face on the Bar-Room Floor". American Silent Feature Film Survival Database.
3. "The Face on the Barroom Floor: Released by Fox". Exhibitor's Trade Review. East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania: Exhibitor's Trade Review, Inc. 13 (8): 423. January 20, 1923.
Three Jumps Ahead (1923)
Directed by
John Ford
Produced by
William Fox
Written by
John Ford
Starring
Tom Mix
Alma Bennett
Cinematography
Daniel B. Clark
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
March 25, 1923
Running time
50 minutes
Country
United States
Languages
Silent
English intertitles
Three Jumps Ahead is a 1923 American Western film directed by John Ford. The film is considered to be lost.[1]
Cast
· Tom Mix as Steve McLean
· Alma Bennett as Annie Darrell
· Edward Peil Sr. as Buck Taggitt (as Edward Piel)
· Joseph W. Girard as John Darrell (as Joe Girard)
· Virginia True Boardman as Mrs. Darrell
· Margaret Joslin as Alicia
· Francis Ford as Ben McLean
· Harry Todd as Lige McLean
References
1. "Progressive Silent Film List: Three Jumps Ahead". Silent Era.
Cameo Kirby (1923)
Directed by
John Ford
Produced by
William Fox
Written by
Robert N. Lee
Based on
Cameo Kirby (play) by Booth Tarkington and Harry Leon Wilson
Starring
John Gilbert
Gertrude Olmstead
Cinematography
George Schneiderman
Production company
Fox Film Corporation
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
October 21, 1923 (USA)
Running time
70 minutes
Country
United States
Language
Silent (English intertitles)
Cameo Kirby is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by John Ford which starred John Gilbert and Gertrude Olmstead and featuring Jean Arthur in her onscreen debut. It was Ford's first film credited as John Ford instead of Jack Ford.[1] The film is based on a 1908 play by Booth Tarkington and Harry Leon Wilson. The story had been filmed as a silent before in 1914 with Dustin Farnum, who had originated the role on Broadway in 1909. The film was remade as a talking musical film in 1930.
Cast
· John Gilbert as Cameo Kirby
· Gertrude Olmstead as Adele Randall
· Alan Hale as Colonel Moreau
· Eric Mayne as Colonel Randall
· W. E. Lawrence as Tom Randall (as William E. Lawrence)
· Richard Tucker as Cousin Aaron Randall
· Phillips Smalley as Judge Playdell
· Jack McDonald as Larkin Bunce
· Jean Arthur as Ann Playdell
· Eugenie Forde as Madame Davezac
· Frank Baker (uncredited)
· Ken Maynard (uncredited)
· George Reed as Croup (uncredited)
· Ynez Seabury (uncredited)
Preservation
Prints of Cameo Kirby are maintained in the UCLA Film and Television Archive and at the Cinemateca Portuguesa (Portuguese Film Archive), in Lisbon.[2]
References
1. "Progressive Silent Film List: Cameo Kirby". Silent Era.
2. "Cameo Kirby". American Silent Feature Film Survival Database.
North of Hudson Bay (1923)
Directed by
John Ford
Written by
Jules Furthman
Starring
Tom Mix
Kathleen Key
Cinematography
Daniel B. Clark
Production company
Fox Film Corporation
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
November 18, 1923
Running time
50 minutes
Country
United States
Language
Silent (English intertitles)
North of Hudson Bay is a 1923 American silent action film directed by John Ford starring Tom Mix and Kathleen Key. It was released as North of the Yukon in Great Britain.[1]
Cast
· Tom Mix as Michael Dane
· Kathleen Key as Estelle McDonald
· Jennie Lee as Dane's mother
· Frank Campeau as Cameron McDonald
· Eugene Pallette as Peter Dane
· Will Walling as Angus McKenzie
· Frank Leigh as Jeffrey Clough
· Fred Kohler as Armand LeMoir
Preservation
Approximately 40 minutes of footage are in existence.[2][3] Prints of the film also exist in several United States and European film archives and collections.[4][5]
References
1. Quinlan, David (1983). The Illustrated Guide to Film Directors. Rowman & Littlefield.
2. "Progressive Silent Film List: North of Hudson Bay". Silent Era.
3. The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: North of Hudson Bay
4. The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: North of Hudson Bay
5. Catalog of Holdings the American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress, p. 128, c.1978 by The American Film Institute
Hoodman Blind (1923)
Directed by
John Ford
Written by
Charles Kenyon
Based on
Hoodman Blind by Wilson Barrett and Henry Arthur Jones
Starring
David Butler
Gladys Hulette
Cinematography
George Schneiderman
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
December 20, 1923
Running time
60 minutes
Country
United States
Language
Silent (English intertitles)
Hoodman Blind is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by John Ford.[1][2] It is a remake of a 1913 film of the same name directed by James Gordon and a 1916 William Farnum Fox feature titled A Man of Sorrow and based on the play Hoodman Blind.
Cast
· David Butler as Jack Yeulette
· Gladys Hulette as Nancy Yeulette / Jessie Walton
· Regina Connelly as Jessie Walton (the first)
· Frank Campeau as Mark Lezzard
· Marc McDermott as John Linden
· Trilby Clark as Mrs. John Linden
· Jack Walters as Bull Yeaman
· Eddie Gribbon as Battling Brown
Preservation
With no prints of Hoodman Blind in any film archives,[3] it is a lost film.
References
1. "Hoodman Blind". American Silent Feature Film Survival Database.
2. "Progressive Silent Film List: Hoodman Blind". Silent Era.
3. Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: Hoodman Blind
The Iron Horse (1924)
Directed by
John Ford (uncredited)
Produced by
John Ford
Written by
Charles Kenyon
John Russell
Charles Darnton
Starring
George O'Brien
Madge Bellamy
Music by
Ernö Rapée (uncredited)
Cinematography
George Schneiderman
Edited by
Hettie Gray Baker
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
August 28, 1924
Running time
150 minutes (US version)
133 minutes (International version)
Country
United States
Language
Silent (English intertitles)
Budget
$280,000
Box office
$2,000,000
The Iron Horse is a 1924 American silent Western film directed by John Ford and produced by Fox Film.[1] It was a major milestone in Ford's career, and his lifelong connection to the western movie genre. It was Ford's first major film, in part because the hastily planned production went over budget, as Fox was making a hurried response to the success of another studio's western. In 2011, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. [2]
Plot
The film is about the construction of the American first transcontinental railroad. It depicts Irish, Italian, and Chinese immigrants, as well as African Americans, as the men who did the backbreaking work that made this feat possible. The primary villain is an unscrupulous businessman who masquerades as a renegade Cheyenne. It culminates with the scene of driving of the golden spike at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869. There is a note in the title before this scene that the two original locomotives from the 1869 event are used in the film, although this is false - both engines (Union Pacific No. 119 and Jupiter) were scrapped before 1910. Main stars were George O'Brien and Madge Bellamy.
Cast
· George O'Brien as Davy Brandon
· Madge Bellamy as Miriam Marsh
· Charles Edward Bull as Abraham Lincoln
· Cyril Chadwick as Peter Jesson
· Will Walling as Thomas Marsh
· Francis Powers as Sergeant Slattery
· J. Farrell MacDonald as Corporal Casey
· Jim Welch as Private Schultz / Mackay (credited as James Welch)
· George Waggner as Colonel William F. 'Buffalo Bill' Cody
· Fred Kohler as Deroux / Bauman
· James A. Marcus as Judge Haller (credited as James Marcus)
· Gladys Hulette as Ruby
· Chief John Big Tree as Cheyenne Chief (uncredited)
Legacy
In December 2011, The Iron Horse was selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry.[3] In choosing the film, the Registry said that The Iron Horse "introduced to American and world audiences a reverential, elegiac mythology that has influenced many subsequent Westerns."[3]
Among the extras used in the Central Pacific sequences were several Chinese men playing coolies who worked on the railroad. They were in fact retired Central Pacific Railroad employees who had helped build the first transcontinental railroad through the Sierras, who came out to participate in the filming as a lark.[4]
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in the following list:
· 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10: Nominated Western Film[5]
Critical reception
The film has a 78% rating in Rotten Tomatoes.[6]
Home media
The film was released on DVD in America in its full-length US version (accompanied by the truncated UK version). A 2011 release of The Iron Horse on DVD in the UK included both the US and International/UK versions of the picture, and a half-hour video-essay about the film by author and critic Tag Gallagher. The 'international' version includes some variant shots and uses different names for some supporting characters; it also carries a dedication to the British railway engineer George Stephenson.[7]
Near the end of the film, it is stated that the actual "Jupiter" and "UP 116" were used in the scene. Besides incorrectly identifying the "UP 119" as the "UP 116", both engines had been scrapped 21 and 15 years earlier. Of interest, however, what appears to be the Central Pacific's "C.P. Huntington", now on display in Sacramento, California, is being manhandled up a steep grade on a sledge made of logs.
Novelization
Starting in the early 1920s the publishing house Grosset and Dunlap crafted a deal with the prominent Hollywood studios to issue novelizations of their major, original releases and among those was The Iron Horse (1924, 329pp). The author was Edwin C. Hill, then a journalist, who would become a prominent radio broadcaster, best remembered for a show called The Human Side of the News.
References
1. "Progressive Silent Film List: The Iron Horse". Silent Era.
2. "Complete National Film Registry Listing | Film Registry | National Film Preservation Board | Programs at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.
3. "2011 National Film Registry More Than a Box of Chocolates". Library of Congress. December 28, 2011.
4. Brownlow, Kevin. Episode "Out West," Hollywood: A Celebration of American Silent Cinema (Thames Television), 1980
5. "AFI's 10 Top 10 Nominees" (PDF).
6. The Iron Horse: 2011 DVD edition, The Masters of Cinema Series.
Hearts of Oak (1924)
Directed by
John Ford
Written by
James A. Herne (play)
Charles Kenyon (screenplay)
Starring
Hobart Bosworth
Pauline Starke
Cinematography
George Schneiderman
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
October 5, 1924
Running time
50 minutes
Country
United States
Languages
Silent
English intertitles
Hearts of Oak is a 1924 American drama film based upon the play by James A. Herne and directed by John Ford. The film is considered to be lost.[1][2]
Cast
· Hobart Bosworth as Terry Dunnivan
· Pauline Starke as Chrystal
· Theodore von Eltz as Ned Fairweather
· James Gordon as John Owen
· Francis Powers as Grandpa Dunnivan
· Jennie Lee as Grandma Dunnivan
· Francis Ford
· Frances Teague as Bridesmaid
Lightnin' (1925)
Directed by
John Ford
Written by
Frances Marion
Based on
Lightnin' by Winchell Smith and Frank Bacon
Starring
Jay Hunt
Wallace MacDonald
Cinematography
Joseph H. August
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
August 23, 1925
Running time
104 minutes
Country
United States
Language
Silent (English intertitles)
Lightnin' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by John Ford.[1] It was based on a successful play of the same name. The original run of the play started in 1918 at the Gaiety Theatre (New York) and continued for 1,291 performances, breaking the record for longest running play at that time.[2][3]
The film was remade in 1930 by Henry King for Fox as an early talkie starring Will Rogers with support from Louise Dresser and Joel McCrea.
Cast
· Jay Hunt as William 'Lightnin' Bill' Jones
· Wallace MacDonald as John Marvin
· Richard Travers as Mr. Raymond Thomas
· J. Farrell MacDonald as Judge Lemuel Townsend
· Otis Harlan as Zeb
· Edythe Chapman as Mrs. Bill Jones
· Madge Bellamy as Miss Millie Jones
· Ethel Clayton as Margaret Davis
· Brandon Hurst as Everett Hammond
· James A. Marcus as Sheriff Blodgett (as James Marcus)
· Erville Alderson as Courtroom Attendant (uncredited)
· Frankie Bailey (uncredited)
· Nora Cecil as Passerby in Buggy (uncredited)
· Tommy Hicks as Otis Harlan's Son (uncredited)
· Peter Mazutis as Oscar (uncredited)
· Ida Moore as Courtroom Observer (uncredited)
· Francis Powers (uncredited)
References
1. "Progressive Silent Film List: Lightnin'". silentera.com..
2. "Old Play in Manhattan". Time Magazine. Theater. Vol. XXXII no. 13. September 26, 1938.
3. Lightnin at the Internet Broadway Database
Kentucky Pride (1925)
Directed by
John Ford
Produced by
William Fox
Written by
Dorothy Yost
Elizabeth Pickett (titles)
Starring
Henry B. Walthall
Gertrude Astor
Peaches Jackson
Cinematography
George Schneiderman
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
September 6, 1925
Running time
70 minutes
Country
United States
Language
Silent (English intertitles)
Kentucky Pride is a 1925 American silent drama film from Fox Film about the life of a horse breeder and racer, directed by the famed film director John Ford and starring Henry B. Walthall (who had previously played the Little Colonel in D. W. Griffith's controversial 1915 film The Birth of a Nation).[1] It is among Ford's lesser-known works, but has been praised for sweetness and charm and its beautiful depiction of the life of horses and the relationship between the protagonist and his daughter.[2] Several well-known thoroughbred racehorses appear in the film, including the legendary Man o' War.[1][3] A print of Kentucky Pride is in the Museum of Modern Art film archive.[3][4]
Plot
The plot concerns Beaumont, a horse breeder with a penchant for gambling, who is down on his luck.[1] After losing at poker and being forced to give up several of his horses to cover his losses, Beaumont bets it all and loses again when his horse, Virginia's Future, suddenly falls and breaks a leg while leading the pack in a critical race.[1][2] Beaumont's selfish wife tells the horse's trainer, Mike Donovan, to kill the injured horse, and abandons Beaumont for Greve Carter, a well-to-do neighbor. Beaumont also loses his relationship with Virginia,[1] his daughter from his previous marriage. Beaumont and Donovan manage to save Virginia's Future, and she births a colt[1] (or a filly[2]) named Confederacy, but his financial troubles force him to sell off both the colt and the mare. Confederacy is mistreated by his new owner, a foreign junk dealer, and Virginia's Future is forced into hard labor as a pack horse. But when Confederacy is later entered to run in the Futurity, ridden by Mike Donovan's son Danny,[1][2] Beaumont gathers everything he can and bets it all again. This time he wins. He is reunited with his daughter and buys back the colt, giving it a good life in the pasture.[1][2]
Cast
· Gertrude Astor as Mrs. Beaumont, the selfish second wife of Mr. Beaumont
· Peaches Jackson as Beaumont's daughter Virginia
· J. Farrell MacDonald as Mike Donovan, horse trainer
· Winston Miller as Mike Donovan's son Danny
· Belle Stoddard as Mrs. Donovan
· Malcolm Waite as the neighbor Greve Carter
· Henry B. Walthall as Mr. Beaumont, the protagonist horse breeder
· George H. Reed
· Sayre Dearing as Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Several notable horses appeared in the film, including[3]
· Man o' War, widely considered one of the greatest racehorses of all time, winner of the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes and many other prominent races (not entered in the Kentucky Derby)
Reception
The New York Times failed to review the film at the time of its release.[2] In later critical commentary, Joseph McBride said the film has "unexpected sweetness and charm", Scott Eyman said "Kentucky Pride remains a shameless – shamelessly effective – film".[2]
References
1. Wollstein, Hans J., "Kentucky Pride (1925)", Rovi, New York Times web site.
2. Progressive Silent Film List: Kentucky Pride at silentera.com.
The Fighting Heart (1925)
Directed by
John Ford
Written by
Larry Evans
Lillie Hayward
Starring
George O'Brien
Billie Dove
Cinematography
Joseph H. August
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
October 18, 1925
Running time
70 minutes
Country
United States
Language
Silent (English intertitles)
The Fighting Heart is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by John Ford. The film is now considered to be a lost film.[1][2]
Cast
· George O'Brien as Denny Bolton
· Billie Dove as Doris Anderson
· J. Farrell MacDonald as Jerry
· Victor McLaglen as Soapy Williams
· Diana Miller as Helen Van Allen
· Bert Woodruff as Grandfather
· Francis Ford as Town Fool
· Hazel Howell as Oklahoma Kate
· Edward Peil Sr. as Flash Fogarty (credited as Edward Piel)
· James A. Marcus as Judge Maynard (credited as James Marcus)
· Frank Baker
· Harvey Clark
· Lynn Cowan
· Hank Mann
· Francis Powers
References
1. "Progressive Silent Film List: The Fighting Heart". silentera.com.
2. "The Fighting Heart". American Silent Feature Film Survival Database.
Thank You (1925)
Directed by
John Ford
Produced by
John Golden
Written by
Frances Marion
Based on
Thank You by Winchell Smith and Tom Cushing
Starring
Alec B. Francis
Jacqueline Logan
Cinematography
George Schneiderman
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
November 1, 1925
Running time
70 minutes
Country
United States
Language
Silent (English intertitles)
Thank You is a 1925 American comedy film directed by John Ford. The film is considered to be lost.[1][2] This film is based on a 1921 Broadway play, Thank You, by Winchell Smith and Tom Cushing.[3]
Cast
· Alec B. Francis as David Lee
· Jacqueline Logan as Diane Lee
· George O'Brien as Kenneth Jamieson
· J. Farrell MacDonald as Andy
· George Fawcett as Cornelius Jamieson
· Cyril Chadwick as Mr. Jones
· Edith Bostwick as Mrs. Jones
· Marion Harlan as Milly Jones
· Vivia Ogden as Miss Blodgett
· James Neill as Doctor Cobb
· Billy Rinaldi as Sweet, Jr.
· Aileen Manning as Hannah
· Maurice Murphy as Willie Jones
· Robert Milasch as Sweet, Sr.
· Ida Moore as Gossiping Woman
· Frankie Bailey as Gossiping Man
· William Courtright (uncredited)
· Richard Cummings (uncredited)
· Tommy Hicks as Fat kid (uncredited)
· Francis Powers as Gossiping Man (uncredited)
References
1. "Progressive Silent Film List: Thank You". silentera.com..
2. Thank You at Arne Andersen's Lost Film Files: Fox Films Studios
3. Thank You as produced on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre Oct. 3, 1921; IBDb.com
The Shamrock Handicap (1926)
Directed by
John Ford
Produced by
John Ford
Written by
Peter B. Kyne
John Stone
Elizabeth Pickett (titles)
Starring
Janet Gaynor
Leslie Fenton
Cinematography
George Schneiderman
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
2 May 1926
Running time
66 minutes (22.9 frame/s)
Country
United States
Language
Silent (English intertitles)
The Shamrock Handicap is a 1926 American romance film directed by John Ford. Prints of the film still exists in the Museum of Modern Art film archive and Cinematheque Royale de Belgique.[1][2]
Cast
· Janet Gaynor as Lady Sheila O'Hara
· Leslie Fenton as Neil Ross
· Willard Louis as Orville Finch
· J. Farrell MacDonald as Cornelius Emmet Sarsfield "Con" O'Shea
· Claire McDowell as Molly O'Shea
· Louis Payne as Sir Miles O'Hara
· George Harris as Jockey Bennie Ginsburg (as Georgie Harris)
· Andy Clark as "Chesty" Morgan
· Ely Reynolds as Virus Cakes
· Thomas Delmar as Michaels (uncredited)
· Bill Elliott as Well-Wishing Villager (uncredited)
· Brandon Hurst as The Procurer of Taxes (uncredited)
· Eric Mayne as Doctor (uncredited)
References
1. "Progressive Silent Film List: The Shamrock Handicap". Silent Era.
2. The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog:The Shamrock Handicap
The Blue Eagle (1926)
Directed by
John Ford (uncredited)
Produced by
John Ford
Written by
Gordon Rigby (scenario)
Malcolm Stuart Boylan (titles)
Based on
"The Lord's Referee" by Gerald Beaumont
Starring
George O'Brien
Janet Gaynor
Cinematography
George Schneiderman
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
September 12, 1926
Running time
58 minutes
Country
United States
Language
Silent (English intertitles)
The Blue Eagle is a 1926 American action film directed by John Ford. Prints of the film exist in the Library of Congress film archive and in the UCLA Film and Television Archive, but one reel is missing.[1][2]
Cast
· George O'Brien as George Darcy
· Janet Gaynor as Rose Kelly
· William Russell as Big Tim Ryan
· Margaret Livingston as Mrs. Mary Rohan
· Robert Edeson as Chaplain Regan, aka Father Joe
· Philip Ford as Limpy Darcy (as Phillip Ford)
· David Butler as Nick 'Dizzy' Galvani
· Lew Short as Sergeant Kelly
· Ralph Sipperly as Slats "Dip" Mulligan
· Jerry Madden as Baby Tom
· Jack Herrick as "On Da Nose" Sailor (uncredited)
· Jack Pennick as Ship's crewman (uncredited)
· Charles Sullivan as Sailor Giving George Boxing Gloves (uncredited)
· Harry Tenbrook as Bascom, a Stoker (uncredited)
References
1. "The Blue Eagle". American Silent Feature Film Survival Database.
2. "Progressive Silent Film List: The Blue Eagle". silentera.com.
Upstream (1927)
Directed by
John Ford
Written by
Randall Faye
Wallace Smith
Starring
Nancy Nash
Earle Foxe
Cinematography
Charles G. Clarke
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
January 30, 1927
Running time
60 minutes
Country
United States
Languages
Silent
English intertitles
Upstream is a 1927 American comedy film directed by John Ford. A "backstage drama",[1] the film is about a Shakespearean actor and a woman from a knife-throwing act. The film was considered to be a lost film,[2] but in 2009 a print was discovered in the New Zealand Film Archive.[1]
It is considered to be the first Ford film to show some influence of German director F. W. Murnau, who began working at Fox Studios in 1926. From Murnau, Ford learned how to use forced perspectives and chiaroscuro lighting, which the American director then integrated into his own more naturalistic and direct filmmaking style.[1]
Cast
· Nancy Nash as Gertie Ryan
· Earle Foxe as Eric Brasingham
· Grant Withers as Jack La Velle
· Lydia Yeamans Titus as Miss Hattie Breckenbridge
· Raymond Hitchcock as Star Boarder
· Emile Chautard as Campbell Mandare
· Ted McNamara as Callahan and Callahan
· Sammy Cohen as Callahan and Callahan
· Judy King as Sister Team
· Lillian Worth as Sister Team
· Jane Winton as Soubrette
· Harry A. Bailey as Gus Hoffman (as Harry Bailey)
· Francis Ford as Juggler
Recovery
In 2009 at the invitation of the New Zealand Film Archive, the National Film Preservation Foundation sent consultants Brian Meacham and Leslie Ann Lewis to assess its holdings of long unseen nitrate film prints of American silent films. The cache was found to include astonishing treasures of at least 75 American silent films unknown to exist in the United States, including a complete tinted nitrate print of Upstream and a trailer for another lost John Ford feature, Strong Boy (1929).[3]
The New Zealand Film Archive turned out to have many American films that had never been shipped back to the United States after they ran in theaters.[1] The films were supposed to be destroyed at the end of their distribution run, but some were stashed away instead.[4] Upstream was considered so important that, unlike other films discovered in the New Zealand archive, it was restored in New Zealand.[4]
20th Century Fox, a descendant company of the studio that made the movie, supported the preservation of the film in collaboration with the National Film Preservation Foundation and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences film archive. Upstream received a "repremiere" at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in September 2010.[1] and a European screening at Le Giornate del Cinema Muto in Pordenone Italy in October 2010. Michael Mortilla wrote music for the AMPAS screening, and Donald Sosin for the Pordenone event.
Only 15% of Ford's silent films are known to have survived as of 2010.[4]
References
1. Kehr, Dave (June 7, 2010). "Trove of Long-Lost Silent Films Returns to America". The New York Times.
2. "Progressive Silent Film List: Upstream". Silent Era.
3. "Silent film treasures to be preserved", June 7, 2010, Los Angeles Times
Mother Machree (1928)
Directed by
John Ford (uncredited)
Produced by
John Ford
Written by
Rida Johnson Young
Starring
Belle Bennett
Neil Hamilton
Cinematography
Chester A. Lyons
Edited by
Harry H. Caldwell
Katherine Hilliker
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
January 22, 1928
Running time
75 minutes
Country
United States
Languages
Silent film
English
Budget
$750,000 (estimated)
Mother Machree is a 1928 silent film, directed by John Ford, based on the 1924 work The Story of Mother Machree by Rida Johnson Young about a poor Irish immigrant in America. Rida Johnson Young had invented Mother Machree in the stage show Barry of Ballymoore in 1910. John Wayne had a minor role in the film.[1]
Cast
· Belle Bennett as Mother Machree (Ellen McHugh)
· Neil Hamilton as Brian McHugh, aka Brian van Studdiford
· Victor McLaglen as The Giant of Kilkenny (Terence O'Dowd)
· Constance Howard as Edith Cutting
· Philippe De Lacy as Brian McHugh (as a child)
· Ted McNamara as The Harper of Wexford
· Billy Platt as The Dwarf of Munster (Pips) (billed as William Platt)
· Eulalie Jensen as Rachel van Studdiford
· Pat Somerset as Bobby de Puyster
· John Wayne (bit player)
Production
The production of the film was a protracted one, the film was originally announced by Fox publicity in June 1926 with filming slated for that September. In November, it was announced that it would be premiered on December 12, 1926, tying in with the marketing campaign of the music and discs of the title song, however its release was ultimately delayed, since Fox had plans to release it with a Movietone synchronised music score and sound effects track.
Release
In May 1927, it was privately previewed at a Fox sales convention in Atlantic City, along with Sunrise and 7th Heaven (1927) as a showcase of the new Movietone process, and that September a silent version was previewed at the Astoria Theatre in London. By the beginning of 1928, the delays were amounting to around $750,000, and its release was deferred until January 22, 1928 when it was premiered at the Globe Theatre in New York, its delay owing to the release schedule of the Fox Movietone features.[2] The film is also notable for containing the first synchronous sound sequence using the Movietone process in a feature film, a short scene featuring Brian McHugh (Neil Hamilton) singing the title song "Mother Machree," which featured in the original stage show.
Preservation Status
Only four reels out of seven of this movie survive. Incomplete prints exist (reels one, two and five) in the Library of Congress film archive; and in the UCLA Film and Television Archive film archive (reels two, five and seven); reels three, four and six are presumed lost.
References
1. "Progressive Silent Film List: Mother Machree". Silent Era.
2. Gallagher, Tag (1986). John Ford: The Man and His Films. California, USA: University of California Press. pp. 518.
Four Sons (1928)
Directed by
John Ford
Produced by
John Ford
William Fox
Written by
Philip Klein
Based on
"Grandmother Bernle Learns Her Letters" by I. A. R. Wylie
Starring
Margaret Mann
James Hall
Charles Morton
Ralph Bushman
George Meeker
Cinematography
Charles G. Clarke
George Schneiderman
Edited by
Margaret Clancey
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
February 12, 1928 (USA)
Running time
100 minutes
Country
United States
Languages
Silent film
English intertitles
Box office
$1.5 million[1]
Four Sons is a 1928 silent drama film directed and produced by John Ford and written for the screen by Philip Klein from a story by I. A. R. Wylie first published in the Saturday Evening Post as "Grandmother Bernle Learns Her Letters" (1926).
It is one of only a handful of survivors out of the more than 50 silent films Ford directed between 1917 and 1928. It starred Margaret Mann, James Hall, and Charles Morton. The film is also notable for the presence of the young John Wayne in an uncredited role as an officer. Though "silent," it was released with a Movietone music and sound effects track.
A family is torn apart by the advent of World War I. It was remade in 1940 with the same title, starring Don Ameche and Eugenie Leontovich, and directed by Archie Mayo, although the war was updated to World War II.
Plot
Mother Bernle is a widow in Bavaria with four sons: Franz, Johann, Andreas and Joseph.
Joseph receives a job offer from the United States, and he is given money to travel there by his mother.
The First World War is heating up. Franz, who is already serving in the German army, is joined by first Johann and then Andreas who is forced into the army.
In New York, Joseph is married with a newborn son. He is running a delicatessen and when America enters the war, Joseph enlists to fight for the American side. When Joseph's enlistment is discovered, it causes problems for Mother Bernle because she is shunned in her village.
Franz and Johann are killed on the Eastern Front. Andreas is wounded on the Western Front and dies in the arms of his brother Joseph.
Joseph returns to New York to discover that the delicatessen has prospered in his absence. He sends for his mother to join him, and she departs her village only to end up hopelessly lost wandering New York. A policeman brings her to Joseph's apartment, where she joyfully joins her son, daughter-in-law and grandson.
Preservation
The Academy Film Archive preserved Four Sons in 1999.[2]
Cast
· Margaret Mann as Mother Bernle
· James Hall as Joseph "Dutch" Bernle
· Charles Morton as Johann Bernle
· Ralph Bushman as Franz Bernle
· George Meeker as Andreas Bernle
· June Collyer as Annabelle
· Earle Foxe as Maj. von Stomm
· Albert Gran as The postman
· Frank Reicher as The schoolmaster
· Archduke Leopold of Austria as a captain
· Hughie Mack as The Innkeeper (uncredited)
· August Tollaire as The Bürgermeister (uncredited)
· Robert Parrish as Joseph's son (uncredited)
· John Wayne as Officer (uncredited)
References
1. Quigley Publishing Company "The All Time Best Sellers", International Motion Picture Almanac 1937-38 (1938) p 942
2. "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.
Hangman's House (1928)
Directed by
John Ford
Produced by
John Ford
Written by
Brian Oswald Donn-Byrne
Malcolm Stuart Boylan
Philip Klein (adaptation)
Marion Orth (scenario)
Starring
Victor McLaglen
June Collyer
Larry Kent
Earle Foxe
Hobart Bosworth
John Wayne
Cinematography
George Schneiderman
Edited by
Margaret Clancey
Distributed by
Fox Film Corporation
Release date
May 13, 1928
Running time
70 minutes
Country
United States
Languages
Silent film
English intertitles
Hangman's House is a 1928 romantic drama genre silent film set in County Wicklow, Ireland, directed by John Ford (uncredited) with inter-titles written by Malcolm Stuart Boylan. It is based on a novel by Brian Oswald Donn-Byrne. It was adapted by Philip Klein with scenarios by Marion Orth. The film is also notable for containing the first confirmed appearance by John Wayne in a John Ford film.[1]
While stationed in Algiers Commandant Denis Hogan (Victor McLaglen) receives a letter containing bad news and requests that he be allowed to return to his home country of Ireland, where he is a wanted man. In Ireland, Baron James O'Brien (Hobart Bosworth) is told by his doctor that he has no more than a month to live. He decides to marry off his only daughter Connaught (June Collyer) to a socialite, John D'Arcy (Earle Foxe) despite her love of childhood friend Dermot McDermot (Larry Kent).
Hogan returns to Ireland and disguises himself as a holy man. On his way to the O'Brien's house he is recognised by a gatekeeper, whom he reveal his intentions to kill a man to. Hogan meets Dermot McDermot and the three men witness the lights of Glenmalure's chapel being lit, signifying a wedding is taking place. At this time a group of soldiers ask the gate keeper if he has seen Hogan. Later that night, after Connaught and D'Arcy have been wed, the Baron dies. On the night of his funeral Hogan sneaks about the grounds of Hangman's House and is spotted by D'Arcy. D'Arcy is startled by the appearance of Hogan. At bedtime D'Arcy tries to sleep with Connaught but she rejects his advances.
A community race is held on St. Stephen's Day and Connaught's horse The Bard is due to race. The horse's jockey goes missing just before the race because of interference from D'Arcy who has bet against the horse. Dermot is required to jockey the horse and he wins the race leading a drunken D'Arcy to shoot The Bard. D'Arcy is ostracised by the community because of this. Hogan is arrested at the race. At night Dermot and D'Arcy meet in a pub where D'Arcy reveals that he had an affair with Hogan's sister. Dermot gives D'Arcy money to leave Ireland and threatens him that if he ever sees him again he will kill him.
Hogan escapes from prison and a gunfight erupts between his men and the guards. Later Dermot and Connaught visit Hogan's hideout and Hogan reveals that his sister died following D'Arcy's desertion. Connaught returns to Hangman's House to discover that D'Arcy has returned. After a struggle she flees to Dermot's house. Hogan and Dermot go to Hangman's House and confront D'Arcy. During a fight between the men a fire breaks out and burns down the house. Hogan and Dermot escape but D'Arcy falls to his death as a balcony collapses. Connaught and Dermot see Hogan off at the port as he returns to Algiers. Connaught gives Hogan a kiss and Dermot shakes his hands and thanks him. Connaught and Dermot walk away together as Hogan watches them.
Cast
· Victor McLaglen as Citizen Denis Hogan
· June Collyer as Connaught "Conn" O'Brien
· Earle Fox as John D'Arcy
· Larry Kent as Dermot McDermot
· Hobart Bosworth as Lord Justice O'Brien
· John Wayne as Horse Race Spectator/Condemned Man in Flashback (uncredited)
· Brian Desmond Hurst as Horse Race Spectator and witness to the horse shooting (uncredited)
Production
The film began production in January 1928 and took seven weeks to film.[2]
Reception
The film received positive reviews; Wilfred Beaton of Film Spectator called it "the finest program picture ever turned out by a studio". In particular he praised the photography which he said "almost outdoes for sheer beauty the shots in Street Angel and Sunrise".[3] Variety shared this opinion by proclaiming the film had "some of the most striking touches of composition seen on the screen since those swampland shots in Sunrise, which they often resemble." [4] However the film was not a box office success as Fox Film Corporation did not promote the film.[5]
DVD Release
The film was released on DVD in North America by Fox on December 4, 2007. The film can be obtained three different ways:
· In the Ford at Fox - The Collection box set which is a 21 disc collection containing most of the films John Ford made at Fox.
· In the Ford At Fox Collection: John Ford's Silent Epics which also contains Just Pals, Four Sons, The Iron Horse and 3 Bad Men.
· As a separate release also containing 3 Bad Men on the opposite side of the disc.
The DVD begins with a disclaimer stating that the film has been brought to DVD using the best surviving elements possible. The DVD has an option to view the film accompanied with a musical score by Tim Curran.
References
1. McBride, Joseph Searching for John Ford (St. Martin's Griffin 2003) p.167
2. Gallagher, Tag John Ford: The Man and his Films (University of California Press 1986) p.58
3. Gallagher, Tag John Ford: The Man and his Films (University of California Press 1986) p.58
4. McBride, Joseph Searching for John Ford (St. Martin's Griffin 2003) p.167
5. Gallagher, Tag John Ford: The Man and his Films (University of California Press 1986) p.58