Maytime (1923 film)

Summary

Maytime is a 1923 American silent romantic drama film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Ethel Shannon, Harrison Ford, and William Norris. The film also features one of Clara Bow's earliest cinema roles. The film is based on the musical of the same name composed by Sigmund Romberg with a book by Rida Johnson Young. A different film with the same name was made in 1937 also based on the musical.

Maytime
Clara Bow and Ethel Shannon
Directed byLouis J. Gasnier
Written byOlga Printzlau (adaptation)
Rudolf Bernauer
Rudolph Schanzer
Based onMaytime (play)
by Cyrus Wood and Rida Johnson Young
Produced byB. P. Schulberg
StarringEthel Shannon
Harrison Ford
William Norris
Production
company
B.P. Schulberg Productions
Distributed byPreferred Pictures
Release date
  • November 16, 1923 (1923-11-16)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)
Bilingual ad in the Chinese language Screen Weekly (January 1925)

Plot edit

Ottilie Van Zandt is forced to wed her cousin, despite her love for Richard Wayne, the gardener's son. Richard leaves, vowing to return a wealthy man and eligible suitor for her. He returns to find she has already married and, in turn, marries another girl on impulse. Two generations later, the grandchildren of Ottilie and Richard, who both have inherited their names as well, meet and develop a close friendship that culminates in the romance that their grandparents began but could not consummate years before.

Cast edit

Preservation edit

Once considered to be a lost film, an incomplete print of the film was found in 2009 in the New Zealand Film Archive and underwent restoration.[1] Four out the original seven reels had survived.[2] The preserved film is available for viewing on the website of the National Film Preservation Foundation. The movie is in the public domain.

References edit

  1. ^ Dave Kehr (June 6, 2010). "Long-Lost Silent Films Return to America". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Maytime (1923)". National Film Preservation Foundation.

External links edit