Salomy Jane (1914 film)

Last updated

Salomy Jane
Salomy Jane (1914) - 11.jpg
"Tell us just one fairy tale, S'lomy"
Directed by William Nigh
Lucius Henderson
Written byPaul Armstrong (play and screenplay)
Bret Harte (novella)
Produced byAlexander E. Beyfuss
Starring Beatriz Michelena
House Peters
Cinematography Arthur A. Cadwell
Arthur Powelson
Distributed by Alco Film Corporation
Release date
  • November 2, 1914 (1914-11-02)
Running time
87 minutes (seven reels) [1]
CountryUnited States
Languages Silent
English intertitles

Salomy Jane is a 1914 silent Western-drama film based on Bret Harte's 1898 novella "Salomy Jane's Kiss" and Paul Armstrong's 1907 play based on Harte's story, Salomy Jane . [2]

Contents

Salomy Jane was California Motion Picture Corporation's (CMPC) debut feature, as well as the screen debut of stage actress and singer Beatriz Michelena. [1] George E. Middleton saw in his Latina wife a competitor to Mary Pickford as a premier screen star, and each CMPC production was intended to be a Michelena vehicle. Despite being well received by the public, it did not return a profit for the national distributor, Alco Films. It is the only known surviving complete work of silent film era actress Beatriz Michelena and the CMPC.

House Peters lifts Beatriz Michelena onto his horse SalomyJane-1914.jpg
House Peters lifts Beatriz Michelena onto his horse

Plot

Salomy Jane (1914) - 1.jpg

In rough-and-tumble Gold Rush-era California, Salomy Jane is saved from the ruffian Red Pete by a heroic stranger (the Man, aka Jack Dart), and he is saved from a lynching after being falsely accused of a crime.

Cast

Reception

Salomy Jane was first shown at an invitation-only, gala event on October 8, 1914 at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. The film made its public debut a few weeks alter on October 25, when it played a seven day engagement at San Francisco's Portola theater. [4]

The Chicago Tribune gave the film a mixed review:

It is a picture of fire and beauty, full of Bret Harte's spirit of adventure and glorious with the wondrous country which he loved. ... in places it seems a bit hard emotionally; a bit crude, bordering on slapstick, in action. In places, the action is confused, due to its rapidity and the number of players concerned, but on the whole it is a pleasant thing to witness, in addition to its scenic wonders ... [5]

Variety magazine's opinion was more favorable:

Here is a Western drama at its best. ... The scenario is a model of clarity, despite its emphasis on swift and frequent incident. ... It is all action, action and again action, with a thrill for every second flicker ... Beatriz Michelena and House Peters ... give their work every touch to strengthen the illusion of reality ... [6]

Rediscovery and restoration

All California Motion Picture Corporation and Beatrice Michelena Studio films were believed to have been lost due to a 1931 studio fire in San Rafael, California, [1] [7] caused by a child's firecracker prank that destroyed the vault in which the films were stored. However, a print was found in Australia in 1996, and has been preserved by the Library of Congress. [7] New 35mm prints began limited circulation in 2008. [8] The restoration was part of a DVD released (2011) by the National Film Preservation Foundation in the anthology Treasures 5: The West 1898–1938.

Remakes

The film was remade as Salomy Jane (1923) starring Jacqueline Logan by Famous Players–Lasky and released by Paramount Pictures, and remade again as the sound film Wild Girl (1932) by Fox Film Corporation.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bret Harte</span> American fiction writer and poet (1836–1902)

Bret Harte was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a career spanning more than four decades, he also wrote poetry, plays, lectures, book reviews, editorials, and magazine sketches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Holt (actor)</span> American actor (1888–1951)

Charles John Holt, Jr. was an American motion picture actor who was prominent in both silent and sound movies, particularly Westerns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Nigh</span> American film director, writer, and actor (1881–1955)

William Nigh, born Emil Kreuske, was an American film director, writer, and actor. His film work sometimes lists him as either "Will Nigh" or "William Nye".

<i>Wild Girl</i> (film) 1932 film

Wild Girl is a 1932 American pre-Code historical drama western film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Charles Farrell, Joan Bennett, Ralph Bellamy, and Eugene Pallette. The film was based on a play by Paul Armstrong Jr., which in turn was based on the 1889 short story, Salomy Jane's Kiss, and 1910 novel, Salomy Jane's Kiss, by Bret Harte. The story had been previously filmed as Salomy Jane (1914) and Salomy Jane (1923).

<i>The Battle of the Sexes</i> (1914 film) 1914 film

The Battle of the Sexes is a 1914 American silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith for the Majestic Motion Picture Company. No complete print of the film is known to exist; however, a fragment has survived. Griffith remade the film as The Battle of the Sexes in 1928 as a comedy-drama and this latter version is available on DVD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Harte</span> American actress (1882–1965)

Betty Harte (1882–1965) was a leading lady during the heyday of the silent film era, starring in nine feature films and 108 short films. She is credited with writing four screenplays. She chose Betty Harte as her professional name in honor of her favorite author, Bret Harte.

Salomy Jane may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beatriz Michelena</span> American actress (1890-1942)

Beatriz Michelena was a Venezuelan American actress and singer during the silent film era, known at the time for her operatic soprano voice and appearances in musical theatre. She was one of the few Latina stars visible on the silver screen in the United States in the 1910s. She was a leading lady in each film project she was involved in and, after the failure of California Motion Picture Company, co-founded a production company with her husband George E. Middleton, producing four of her movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vera Michelena</span> American actress

Vera Michelena was an American actress, contralto prima donna and dancer who appeared in light opera, musical comedy, vaudeville and silent film. She was perhaps best remembered for her starring roles in the musicals The Princess Chic, Flo Flo and The Waltz Dream, her rendition of the vampire dance in the musical Take It from Me and as a Ziegfeld Follies performer.

<i>Salomy Jane</i> (1923 film) 1923 American silent Western film by George Melford

Salomy Jane is a lost 1923 American silent Western film directed by George Melford, and written by Paul Armstrong, Bret Harte, and Waldemar Young. The film stars Jacqueline Logan, George Fawcett, Maurice "Lefty" Flynn, William B. Davidson, Charles Stanton Ogle, Billy Quirk, and G. Raymond Nye. The film was released on August 26, 1923, by Paramount Pictures. It is a remake of the 1914 film of the same name.

Donna Barrell was an American screenwriter and actress active primarily during the silent era.

<i>Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch</i> (1914 film) 1914 American film

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch is a 1914 American silent comedy drama film directed by Harold Entwistle and starring Beatriz Michelena, Blanche Chapman and House Peters. It is based on the 1903 play by Anne Crawford Flexner, which itself is taken from the 1901 novel of the same name by Alice Hegan Rice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lily of Poverty Flat</span>

The Lily of Poverty Flat was a book by Bret Harte adapted into the 1915 film of the same name. The plot features a fictional Northern California mining town called Poverty Flat. The movie version was filmed near Santa Cruz, California. Described as a genteel Western, the film reportedly met with meagre box office results. It was directed by George E. Middleton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Motion Picture Corporation</span>

California Motion Picture Corporation was a film company based in San Rafael, California, in Marin County during the silent film era. The company lasted from 1914 until January 1916 when it went bankrupt. It was subsequently renamed and lasted until 1920. It produced at least 15 films. The film company is known for its feature-length films about early California history. Alex E. Beyfuss managed the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George E. Middleton</span> American film producer

George E. Middleton was an American film director and producer. His work includes films for California Motion Picture Corporation (CMPC) and, after its failure, Beatriz Michelena Features. Middleton married stage actress and singer Beatriz Michelena, who starred in his films.

<i>Two Men of Sandy Bar</i> 1916 western movie directed by Lloyd B. Carleton

Two Men of Sandy Bar is a 1916 American silent Western Melodrama directed by Lloyd B. Carleton and starring Hobart Bosworth, Gretchen Lederer along with Emory Johnson.

Salvation Nell is a lost 1915 silent film drama directed by George E. Middleton and starring Beatriz Michelena. It was produced by the California Motion Picture Company and released through World Film Corporation.

<i>A Sound Sleeper</i> 1909 American film

A Sound Sleeper is a 1909 American comedy film directed by D. W. Griffith and produced by the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. The short was filmed in one day in the Coytesville borough of Fort Lee, New Jersey, which at the time was a popular filming location for many early motion-picture studios in the northeastern United States. Due to the brief running time of this comedy, it was originally distributed in April 1909 on a split reel with another Biograph release, a longer dramatic film titled The Winning Coat.

<i>Salomy Jane</i> (play) 1907 play by Paul Armstrong

Salomy Jane, is a 1907 play by Paul Armstrong. It was loosely based on the short story Salomy Jane's Kiss by Bret Harte, but also pulled in characters from other Harte works. It has four acts and five scenes, taking place over sixteen hours in Calaveras County, California around 1855.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Simmon, Scott. "Salomy Jane (1914)". National Film Preservation Foundation.
  2. Harte, Bret (April 14, 1910). Salomy Jane. Houghton Mifflin via Internet Archive.
  3. "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. April 12, 2019 via NYTimes.com.
  4. Gladysz, Thomas (September 25, 2012). "Salomy Jane: Once Lost Silent Film Returns to Marin". San Rafael Patch.
  5. Kelly, Kitty (November 11, 1914). "Flickerings from Film Land". Chicago Tribune. p. 11 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  6. "Feature Film Reviews: Salomy Jane". Variety. October 1914.
  7. 1 2 "Salomy Jane (1914)". American Film Institute. A 1931 fire destroyed what appeared to be their [Michelena Studios] entire inventory of films. However, the 26 Sep 2008 Pacific Sun in Marin County reported that a 35mm print of Salomy Jane was found in Australia in 1996, and restored by the Library of Congress and the National Film Preservation Foundation.
  8. "California Film Institute. Smith Rafael Film Center. Salomy Jane: Introduced by historians David Kiehn and William Sagar, Piano Accompaniment by Bruce Loeb". Archived from the original on July 25, 2011.