The Gilded Butterfly

The Gilded Butterfly
The Gilded Butterfly
	Lobby card
Directed by	John Griffith Wray
Written by	Evelyn Campbell ; Bradley King
Produced by	William Fox
Starring	Alma Rubens ; Bert Lytell ; Huntley Gordon
Cinematography	Frank B. Good
Production; company	Fox Film Corp.
Distributed by	Fox Film Corp.
Release date	January 3, 1926;
Running time	6 reels
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Last updated September 22, 2025

The Gilded Butterfly is a lost 1926 American silent drama film directed by John Griffith Wray and starring Alma Rubens, Bert Lytell, and Huntley Gordon.^[1]

Plot

As described in a film magazine review,^[2] Linda Haverhill is left penniless after the death of her father, who was esteemed but lived by his wits and was a sponger par excellence. She is advanced money by John Converse, who desires her despite her social butterfly tendencies. Attempting to maintain her place in society, she travels abroad but soon goes broke. On the way, Linda falls in love with Captain Brian Anestry of the United States Army, who arouses John's suspicions. In an attempt to obtain the insurance money, Linda burns her gowns and is arrested. Enroute to prison and while accompanied by a detective, their taxi is wrecked when it collides with a patrol wagon. The detective, fatally injured, identifies a different dead woman as his prisoner, allowing Linda to escape. John turns out not to be so villainous after all and relents, allowing Brian and Linda to be united.

Cast

Alma Rubens as Linda Haverhill
Bert Lytell as Brian Anestry
Huntley Gordon as John Converse
Frank Keenan as Jim Haverhill
Herbert Rawlinson as Courtney Roth
Vera Lewis as Mrs. Ralston
Arthur Hoyt as Mr. Ralston
Carolynne Snowden as Maid

Censorship

Before the film could be exhibited in Kansas, the Kansas Board of Review required the removal of a scene in reel 5 where two black servants are kissing in the back of a taxi cab, and the following intertitle; "Kisses like a vacuum cleaner."^[3]

Preservation

With no prints of The Gilded Butterfly located in any film archives,^[4] it is a lost film.

References

↑ Solomon p. 296
↑ Pardy, George T. (January 16, 1926), "Pre-Release Review of Features: The Gilded Butterfly", Motion Picture News, 33 (3), New York City, New York: Motion Picture News, Inc.: 302, retrieved January 15, 2023 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
↑ "Kansas Board of Review Movie Index - Kansas Historical Society". www.kansashistory.gov. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
↑ "The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Gilded Butterfly". memory.loc.gov. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2025.

Bibliography

Solomon, Aubrey. The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography. McFarland, 2011.

External links

The Gilded Butterfly at IMDb

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[1] Solomon p. 296

[2] Pardy, George T. (January 16, 1926), "Pre-Release Review of Features: The Gilded Butterfly", Motion Picture News, 33 (3), New York City, New York: Motion Picture News, Inc.: 302, retrieved January 15, 2023 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

[3] "Kansas Board of Review Movie Index - Kansas Historical Society". www.kansashistory.gov. Retrieved September 21, 2025.

[4] "The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Gilded Butterfly". memory.loc.gov. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2025.

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