The Foolish Virgin

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The Foolish Virgin
Foolish Virgin lobby card.jpg
Lobby card
Directed by George W. Hill
Written by Lois Zellner
Based on The Foolish Virgin: A Romance of Today
by Thomas Dixon Jr.
Starring Elaine Hammerstein
Cinematography Norbert Brodine
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • August 15, 1924 (1924-08-15)
Running time
6 reels
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)

The Foolish Virgin is a lost [1] 1924 American silent romantic drama film released by Columbia Pictures. It was directed by George W. Hill and stars Elaine Hammerstein. [2] It is based on the 1915 novel The Foolish Virgin: A Romance of Today by Thomas Dixon Jr. This is the second known adaptation of the novel; the first was released in 1916. [3]

Contents

Plot

Jim Owens (Frazer) rescues Mary Adams (Hammerstein) from a scheming lawyer. Jim is successful inventor, however Mary is unaware that he has a history as a thief before they met. They fall in love and get married. Mary leaves Jim when she discovers his criminal history. In the end Jim rescues Mary and their child from a forest fire, renewing Mary's love for Jim. The 1924 plot notably differs from the book and the 1916 film. In the earlier versions Jim's thievery continued during the marriage, and only he reformed his ways after losing Mary. [4] [3]

Cast

Critical reception

While Variety magazine in 1924 wrote that "It should please the average audience", in 1925 Photoplay magazine described The Foolish Virgin as "silly, uninteresting, tiresome". [3]

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References

  1. American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: The Foolish Virgin
  2. The Foolish Virgin at the Turner Classic Movies Database
  3. 1 2 3 Slide, Anthony (2004). American Racist: The Life and Films of Thomas Dixon. Louisville, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 110. ISBN   0-8131-2328-3.
  4. The Foolish Virgin (1924), American Film Institute's Catalog of Feature Films