Little Old New York (1923 film)
Little Old New York is a 1923 American silent historical drama film starring Marion Davies and directed by Sidney Olcott that was based on a play of the same name by Rida Johnson Young. The film was produced by William Randolph Hearst's Cosmopolitan production unit.
| Little Old New York | |
|---|---|
_film_poster.jpg.webp) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Sidney Olcott |
| Produced by | William Randolph Hearst |
| Written by | Luther Reed |
| Based on | Little Old New York by Rida Johnson Young |
| Starring | Marion Davies Harrison Ford |
| Music by | William Frederick Peters |
| Cinematography | Ira H. Morgan Gilbert Warrenton |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Goldwyn Pictures |
Release date | August 1, 1923 February 23, 1925 (Finland) |
Running time | 11 reels |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
Preservation status
A copy of the film is in the Library of Congress.[1]
A copy is held by the Irish Film Institute and was screened in 2016.[2]
Cast
- Marion Davies as Patricia O'Day
- Stephen Carr as Patrick O'Day
- J.M. Kerrigan as John O'Day
- Harrison Ford as Larry Delevan
- Courtenay Foote as Robert Fulton
- Mahlon Hamilton as Washington Irving
- Norval Keedwell as Fitz-Greene Halleck
- George Barraud as Henry Brevoort
- Sam Hardy as Cornelius Vanderbilt
- Andrew Dillon as John Jacob Astor
- Riley Hatch as Philip Schuyler
- Charles Kennedy as Reilly
- Spencer Charters as Bunny
- Harry Watson as Bully Boy Brewster
- Louis Wolheim as The Hoboken Terror
- Marie Burke as Mrs Schuyler
Production
In her 17th film, Marion Davies stars in a dual role as Patricia and Patrick O'Day. This was Davies' first teaming with silent actor Harrison Ford. This lavish historical drama was filmed in New York City and directed by Sidney Olcott. Hearst had an exact replica of Fulton's Clermont built and staged the famous river race on the Hudson in January. On February 18, 1923, a fire swept through the Cosmopolitan Studio, basically destroying the studio and all its contents. The film's negatives were saved (it was about two-thirds completed), and production began anew at several other local studios. All of the sets and costumes had to be re-created.[3]
The film premiered at the Cosmopolitan, a movie theatre owned by William Randolph Hearst, located at Columbus Circle in New York City.[4]
In her memoirs, Marion Davies recounts this opening: "I didn't look at the picture, because I was looking at that chandelier all the time. It was an enormous thing, and all the audience down below would’ve been killed if it had fallen."[5]
The film was a triumph for Marion Davies, and she was named "Queen of the Screen" and the #1 female box-office star of 1923 at the annual theater owners ball (Rudolph Valentino was named #1 male star).[6]
Reception
The film was the seventh most popular movie that year in the United States and Canada,[7] although Screenland named it the #3 box-office hit of the year.
References
- Progressive Silent Film List: Little Old New York at silentera.com
- http://www.ifi.ie/film/from-the-vaults-cine-concert-little-old-new-york/
- Lorusso, Edward (2017) The Silent Films of Marion Davies, CreateSpace, pp. 88-89.
- Michel Derrien, Aux origines du cinéma irlandais: Sidney Olcott, le premier oeil, TIR, p. 107
- Marion Davies, The Times we Had, Ballantines Book, p. 40.
- Lorusso, Edward (2017) The Silent Films of Marion Davies, CreateSpace, p. 96.
- Rentals in U.S. and Canada - see Variety list of box office champions for 1923
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Little Old New York (1923 film). |
- Little Old New York on YouTube
- Little Old New York at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Little Old New York at IMDb
- Synopsis at AllMovie
- (in French) Little Old New York at website dedicated to Sidney Olcott
- Little Old New York is available for free download at the Internet Archive