All the World to Nothing

All the World to Nothing
All the World to Nothing
	Promotional poster
Directed by	Henry King
Written by	Jules Furthman
Based on	All the World to Nothing; by Wyndham Martyn
Starring	William Russell ; Winifred Westover ; J. Morris Foster
Production; company	American Film Company
Distributed by	Pathé Exchange
Release date	December 1, 1918;
Running time	50 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Last updated December 06, 2025

All the World to Nothing is a lost ^[1] 1918 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Henry King and starring William Russell, Winifred Westover, and J. Morris Foster.^[2] As noted in an advertisement, it was based on the novel of the same name by Wyndham Martyn.^[3]

Plot

According to Exhibitors Herald,^[4] "Richard Chester, a young millionaire, who gambles away his fortune and has to go to work at anything he can get, starting as a book agent.

Meanwhile he has walked into a strange adventure, as the result of which he has been married to Miss Ellis, an attractive heiress, who was compelled to wed the first man she could get, to meet the terms of her grandfather's will.

The paths of Chester and Miss Ellis subsequently cross and the two fall deeply in love with each other. Miss Ellis does not recognize Chester as he had been in disguise the night he wed her.

Chester has a hard time making his own way, being the victim of hard luck. Finally when his pal is killed he is compelled to ask Miss Ellis for aid. At the same time he determines to say good-bye, but learns that Rennals, a wealthy rival, is planning to ruin Miss Ellis financially by a big raid on Brazilian lead.

Chester, with a knowledge of brokerage, determines to save Miss Ellis' fortune and does so in a startling manner through the aid of former friends, at the same time making a fortune both for Miss Ellis and himself. Then he reveals that he is the man she wed and the story ends happily."

Cast

William Russell as Richard Chester
Winifred Westover as Nora Ellis
J. Morris Foster as Everard Peck
Hayward Mack as Charles Renalls

Preservation

With no holdings located in archives, All the World to Nothing is considered a lost film.^[1]

References

1 2 "The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: All The World To Nothing". memory.loc.gov. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
↑ Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema, p. 166.
↑ Progressive Silent Film List: All the World to Nothing at silentera.com
↑ Exhibitor's Herald and Motography, Chicago: Martin J. Quigley, December 7, 1918, p. 35 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

Bibliography

Donald W. McCaffrey & Christopher P. Jacobs. Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema. Greenwood Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-313-30345-2

External links

All the World to Nothing at IMDb

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[:0-1] 1 2 "The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: All The World To Nothing". memory.loc.gov. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2025.

[2] Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema, p. 166.

[3] Progressive Silent Film List: All the World to Nothing at silentera.com

[4] Exhibitor's Herald and Motography, Chicago: Martin J. Quigley, December 7, 1918, p. 35 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

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