The Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous

The Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous, also known as The Adventures of Prince Courageous,[7] is a 1923 American silent fantasy film series[8] starring Bessie Love and five-year-old[9] Arthur Trimble, directed by Frederick G. Becker.

The Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous
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Directed byFrederick G. Becker[1]
Produced byClem Beauchamp[2]
Screenplay byRobert N. Lee[2]
StarringBessie Love
Arthur Trimble
CinematographyHal Mohr[1]
Production
company
Arthur Trimble Productions[3]
Distributed byAnchor Film Distributors
Release date
  • April 7, 1923 (1923-04-07) (The Little Knight)[4]
Running time
2 reels[5] (each film)
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)
Budget$22,000[6] (each film)

Although it was planned to be a series of 12 two-reelers,[10] only three films were made:[11][12][13] The Little Knight, The Love Charm, and The Crown of Courage (also referred to as The Crown and Courage).[13] A fourth film, The Little Defender, is documented in publications from as early as the 1930s,[14][15][16] but is most likely an alternate title for The Love Charm or The Crown of Courage.

The Little Knight is preserved at the Harvard Film Archive,[17] and The Little Defender is rare, but commercially available.[18] The preservation status of the others is unknown.

Production

Norman Kennedy was the art director for the series,[13] which re-used much of the sets and costumes from Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood (1922).[19] Director Frederick G. Becker had been an actor in Robin Hood.

Cast
Arthur Trimble and Bessie Love

The same cast was used throughout the series.

  • Bessie Love as Bernice
  • Little Arthur Trimble as Prince Courageous (the boy)
  • William Butts as Prince Courageous (the man)
  • Roy Coulson as Bwump, the Wicked Witch
  • Frederick Peterson as Bwop, the Witch's Brother
  • "Boots" Fabing as King Lagg
  • Monte Collins as Duke Craven
  • Doreen Turner as Beatrice
  • Charles Belcher as the Wise Man
  • Gilbert Clayton as the Varlet
  • Grace Woods as Serving Maid
  • Irene De Voss as the Guest[2][13][20][21]

Plot summaries

The Little Knight
The banquet hall scene from The Little Knight

A knight (Butts) kills the giant son of a witch, and the witch (Coulson) retaliates by turning the knight into a little boy (Trimble). One day, King Lagg (Fabing) encounters the little knight in the forest, and invites him back to his castle, where the knight falls in love with the king's daughter Beatrice (Turner), who is to marry Duke Craven (Collins). The little knight saves princess from abduction, and the witch's spell is broken by the king's magicians.[22][23][24][25]

The Little Defender

When King Lagg leaves on a trip, and must take his Royal Guard with him, the castle is left unprotected. His son, the little prince (Trimble) takes on the responsibility of defending the castle when a band of renegades attacks the castle. The prince pulls together a ragtag army and saves the castle.[14][16][26]

Release and reception

Although it is unclear whether the films were formally screened in theaters, the first film was shown at Hollywood's Granada Theater, and the audience was asked to vote whether they liked it. 95% of the votes were positive.[27]

References
Citations
  1. Love 1977, p. 151
  2. "Prince Courageous". Holly Leaves. Vol. 11 no. 34. September 2, 1922. p. 34.
  3. "Jessen's Studio Notes by Wire". Motion Picture News. Vol. 26 no. 9. August 26, 1922. p. 1020.
  4. "Short Subjects". Exhibitors Herald. April 7, 1923. p. 89.
  5. "Short Subjects". Motion Picture News. Vol. 27 no. 9. March 3, 1923. p. 1094.
  6. "Loaning Her Out". Close-Up. Vol. 8 no. 3. August 20, 1922. p. 12.
  7. "Signs Bessie Love". Moving Picture World. Vol. 58 no. 3. September 16, 1922. p. 200.
  8. "Lee Writing Fourth 'Script for Trimble". Motion Picture News. Vol. 26 no. 26. December 23, 1922. p. 3231.
  9. "Costume Screen Plays Rapidly Coming to Front". The Omaha Morning Bee. Omaha, Nebraska. September 3, 1922. p. 5-C – via Library of Congress.
  10. "Coast Brevities". The Film Daily. Vol. 21 no. 45. August 15, 1922. p. 10.
  11. "Kipling Signs Arthur Trimble". The Film Daily. Vol. 24 no. 64. June 4, 1923. p. 2.
  12. "Short Subjects". Exhibitors Herald. Vol. 16 no. 15. April 7, 1923. p. 89.
  13. "Three Out of Twelve Trimble Productions Ready for Showing". Exhibitors Trade Review. Vol. 13 no. 6. January 6, 1923. p. 303.
  14. National Film Library 1931, p. 57
  15. See and Hear: The Journal on Audio-Visual Learning. Eau Claire, WI: E.M. Hale and Co. 1945. p. 48.
  16. "Jim Thompson Co. Home Movies Library, The Little Defender". Knox County Public Library: Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection.
  17. "little knight". Harvard University HOLLIS.
  18. "Unidentified Bessie Love and Arthur Trimble abridgement". NitrateVille.
  19. Love 1977, pp. 82–83
  20. "Anchor Film Will Distribute Product of Arthur Trimble". Exhibitors Trade Review. Vol. 13 no. 2. December 9, 1922. p. 75.
  21. "Casts of the Week". Camera!. Vol. 5 no. 20. August 26, 1922. p. 18.
  22. Catalog of 16 mm Silent Motion Picture Film Library. Mogull's Camera & Film Exchange, Inc. 1945. p. 32.
  23. "Twas the Night before Christmas". Amateur Movie Makers. Vol. 2 no. 12. December 1927. p. 8.
  24. National Film Library 1931, p. 50
  25. "Christmas Home Movies". Home Movies. Ver Halen Publications. 1949. p. 607.
  26. 1000 and One: The Blue Book of Non-Theatrical Films (12 ed.). Chicago, IL: The Educational Screen, Inc. 1936. p. 120.
  27. "Theatre Audience Votes on New Trimble Picture". Exhibitors Herald. September 30, 1922. p. 52.
Works cited


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