A Message from Mars (1921 film)

Last updated

A Message from Mars
A Message from Mars (1921) - Ad 3.jpg
Advertising for A Message from Mars on The Film Daily (April 17, 1921).
Directed by Maxwell Karger
Written by Arthur J. Zellner
Arthur Maude
Based onA Message from Mars
by Richard Ganthony
Starring Bert Lytell
Raye Dean
Maude Milton
Cinematography Arthur Martinelli
Production
company
Distributed byMetro Pictures
Release date
  • April 11, 1921 (1921-04-11)(US) [1]
Running time
6 reels
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSilent film
(English intertitles)

A Message from Mars is a 1921 American silent fantasy comedy film directed by Maxwell Karger and starring Bert Lytell, Raye Dean, and Maude Milton. It is based on the 1899 play with the same name by Richard Ganthony. The film was released by Metro Pictures on April 11, 1921. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Plot

Wealthy young Horace Parker, who is an egoist agrees to financing a communicating device which allows for communicating with Mars. He is credited for the invention and he studies his plans rather than go to a party with his fiancée, Minnie. After falling asleep, a messenger from Mars appears to Parker who announces his intentions to convert Parker (who according to the messenger is the earth's most selfish man). Parker is then shown poverty and suffering by the messenger and Parker also overhears Minnie's reproval of him at the party. Parker awakens in a house fire inside the home of a soldier that he once refused help to. Parker ends up rescuing the woman and invites her and other unfortunate people to his home, which also pleases his fiancée. [1]

Production

A Message from Mars was shot at Metro's studio on 61st Street in Manhattan. No art director is credited for the film; M.P. Staulcup or Lester J. Vermilyea are held up as likely candidates by historian Richard Koszarski, as both were known to work on Metro's New York films. [5]

Cast

Preservation

A print is prepared and preserved by MGM. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Fitzmaurice</span> French born American film director

George Fitzmaurice was a French-born film director and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert Lytell</span> American actor

Bertram Mortimer Lytell was an American actor in theater and film during the silent film era and early talkies. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films.

<i>At the Altar</i> 1909 film

At the Altar is a 1909 American silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. The film was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey where early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based at the beginning of the 20th century. A print of this film is in the film archive of the Library of Congress.

<i>The Arab</i> (1915 film) 1915 film

The Arab is a 1915 American silent adventure film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Edgar Selwyn wrote and starred in the Broadway play version of the story in 1911, and this film is based on that play. Selwyn reprises his role from his play. This film was refilmed by Metro Pictures in 1924 as The Arab.

<i>The Ship of Souls</i> (film) 1925 film

The Ship of Souls or Ship of Souls is a 1925 American silent 3-D Western drama film, directed by Charles Miller. It was based on the Western novel The Ship of Souls by Emerson Hough, which was published after his death. It was produced by Max O. Miller, who created the 3-D process used in the film.

<i>Behold My Wife!</i> (1920 film) 1920 film by George Melford

Behold My Wife! is a lost 1920 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and starring Mabel Julienne Scott and Milton Sills in a filmization of Sir Gilbert Parker's novel, The Translation of a Savage. Famous Players–Lasky produced the film and Paramount Pictures distributed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alphonse Ethier</span> American actor

Alphonse Ethier was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1910 and 1939. His first name was sometimes spelled Alphonz.

<i>A Message from Mars</i> (1913 film) 1913 British film by J. Wallett Waller

A Message from Mars is a 1913 British science fiction silent film directed by J.Wallett Waller. According to the British Film Institute, it is the first British science-fiction film.

<i>The Fatal Hour</i> (1920 film) 1920 film by George Terwilliger

The Fatal Hour is a lost 1920 American feature-length silent film directed by George W. Terwilliger. It starred Broadway star Thomas W. Ross (1873–1959) and Wilfred Lytell, and was released by Metro Pictures.

<i>Alias Ladyfingers</i> 1921 film

Alias Ladyfingers, also known as Ladyfingers, is a lost 1921 American silent comedy film based on the 1920 mystery novel Ladyfingers by Jackson Gregory. It was adapted for the screen by Lenore Coffee and was directed by Bayard Veiller. The film stars Bert Lytell, Ora Carew, Frank Elliot, Edythe Chapman, and DeWitt Jennings. The film was produced and distributed by Metro Pictures Corporation.

<i>The Valiant</i> (play)

The Valiant is a one-act play from the 1920s by Holworthy Hall and Robert Middlemass. It became a popular play for local theater groups, and is still performed today.

<i>The Lone Wolf Returns</i> (1926 film) 1926 film by Ralph Ince

The Lone Wolf Returns is a 1926 American silent mystery film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Bert Lytell, Billie Dove, and Freeman Wood. It is the first of Columbia Pictures' long-running series of Lone Wolf films.

<i>The Idle Rich</i> (1921 film) 1921 film directed by Maxwell Karger

The Idle Rich is a 1921 American silent comedy film directed by Maxwell Karger. The film stars Bert Lytell, Virginia Valli, and John Davidson. It was released on December 26, 1921, by Metro Pictures. It is not known whether this film survives.

<i>The Man Who</i> (film) 1921 film directed by Maxwell Karger

The Man Who is a 1921 American silent comedy film. Directed by Maxwell Karger, the film stars Bert Lytell, Lucy Cotton, and Virginia Valli. It was released on July 4, 1921.

<i>A Message from Mars</i> (play)

A Message from Mars is a play by Richard Ganthony, first performed at London's Avenue Theatre in November 1899.

<i>Blind Mans Eyes</i> 1919 silent film directed by John Ince

Blind Man's Eyes is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by John Ince and starring Bert Lytell, Frank Currier, and Naomi Childers, based on the 1916 novel The Blind Man's Eyes by Edwin Balmer and William MacHarg. It was released on March 10, 1919.

<i>Easy to Make Money</i> 1919 silent film directed by Edwin Carewe

Easy to Make Money, originally titled It's Easy to Make Money is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Edwin Carewe. It stars Bert Lytell, Gertrude Selby, and Frank Currier, and was released on August 4, 1919.

<i>The Old Nest</i> 1921 silent drama black & white film

The Old Nest is a 1921 American drama silent black and white film directed by Reginald Barker and starring Helene Chadwick. It was awarded for the National High School Students' Poll for Best Picture They Had Ever Seen. It is based on the short story by Rupert Hughes, which was one of the most notably adaptations as Behind the Screen (1916).

<i>Born Rich</i> (1924 film) 1924 film

Born Rich is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by William Nigh and written by Harriete Underhill and Walter DeLeon. It is based on the 1924 novel Born Rich by Hughes Cornell. The film stars Claire Windsor, Bert Lytell, Cullen Landis, Doris Kenyon, Frank Morgan, and J. Barney Sherry. The film was released on December 7, 1924, by First National Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maud Milton</span> English actress (1859–1945)

Kate Maud Milton (1859–1945) was an English stage and screen actress.

References

  1. 1 2 "A Message from Mars". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  2. "A Message from Mars". afi.com. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  3. "A Message from Mars". AllMovie. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  4. "A Message from Mars". TCM.com. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  5. Koszarski, Richard. Hollywood on the Hudson: Film and Television in New York from Griffith to Sarnoff. Rutgers University Press, 2008. p 114.
  6. American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: A Message from Mars