School Days is a 1921 American comedy film directed by William Nigh, written by Walter DeLeon, Hoey Lawlor and William Nigh, and starring Wesley Barry, George Lessey, Nellie Parker Spaulding, Margaret Seddon, Arline Blackburn, and J.H. Gilmour. It was released by Warner Bros. on December 25, 1921[3][4][5] and was Warner's biggest grossing film until The Sea Beast in 1926.[1]
| School Days | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | William Nigh |
| Screenplay by | Walter DeLeon Hoey Lawlor William Nigh |
| Story by | William Nigh |
| Produced by | Harry Rapf |
| Starring | Wesley Barry George Lessey Nellie Parker Spaulding Margaret Seddon Arline Blackburn J.H. Gilmour |
| Cinematography | John W. Brown Sidney Hickox |
Production company | Harry Rapf Productions |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
| Budget | $133,000[1][2] |
| Box office | $578,000 (worldwide rentals)[1][2] |
Prints of School Days survives at the George Eastman House and UCLA Film and Television Archive with one reel missing.[6]
Plot
editAs described in a film magazine,[7] Speck Brown (Barry) is a country boy who has been raised by the hard hearted Deacon Jones (Lessey). The Deacon insists that Speck attend school, but when the teacher (Seddon) defends the boy against his viscous guardian, Jones turns against her. Speck becomes acquainted with a Stranger (Gilmour) who comes to town and Speck realizes his ambition, through the Stranger, to go to New York City and have plenty of money. At a private school he continues his boyish pranks and is snubbed when he gives a party to his wealthy neighbors. A couple of crooks plan to make Speck the goat in a scheme involving his friend Leff (Conlon), the inventor of a patent clothespin. Disgusted with society and realizing that money cannot buy him happiness or friends, Speck returns to his boyhood home and finds happiness there.
Cast
edit- Wesley Barry as Speck Brown
- George Lessey as his Guardian, Deacon Jones
- Francis Conlon as His Friend, Leff
- Nellie Parker Spaulding as His Friend's Wife
- Margaret Seddon as His Teacher
- Arline Blackburn as His Sweetheart
- J.H. Gilmour as The Stranger
- John Galsworthy as Mr. Hadley
- Jerome Patrick as Mr. Wallace, an Attorney
- Evelyn Sherman as His Sister
- Arnold Lucy as The Valet
Box office
editAccording to Warner Bros records the film earned $546,000 domestically and $32,000 foreign.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c Glancy, H Mark (1995). "Warner Bros Film Grosses, 1921–51: the William Schaefer ledger". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 15: 55–73. doi:10.1080/01439689500260031.
- ^ a b c Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p. 1 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
- ^ "School Days (1921) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ Janiss Garza. "School Days (1921) - William Nigh". AllMovie. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ "School Days". Catalog.afi.com. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: School Days
- ^ "Reviews: School Days". Exhibitors Herald. 13 (24). New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company: 59. December 10, 1921.
External links
edit
- School Days at IMDb
- Synopsis at AllMovie
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