The Lion and the Mouse (1928 film)

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See also The Lion and the Mouse (disambiguation).
The Lion and the Mouse
Lion and the Mouse lobby card.jpg
Lobby card
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Written by Charles Klein (play)
Robert Lord (screenplay)
James A. Starr (intertitles)
Starring May McAvoy
Lionel Barrymore
Cinematography Norbert Brodine
Edited by Harold McCord
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • May 21, 1928 (1928-05-21)
Running time
7 reels (sound version)
8 reels (silent version)
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSound (Part-Talkie)
English intertitles
Budget$113,000 [1]
Box office$969,000 [1]

The Lion and the Mouse is a 1928 American sound part-talkie drama film produced by Warner Bros., directed by Lloyd Bacon, and based on the 1905 play by Charles Klein. [2] In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchronized musical score and sound effects along with English intertitles. [3] According to the film review in Variety, 28 minutes of the total running time featured dialogue. [4] The first talking lasted for eight minutes at the start of the film and the second talking sequence occurred in the final twenty minutes of the film. The soundtrack was recorded using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. The film marks the first time Lionel Barrymore, who was on loan for the film from MGM, spoke from the screen.

Contents

Plot

"Ready Money" Ryder (Lionel Barrymore), a powerful financial magnate, advises Judge Ross (Alec B. Francis) to purchase Pacific Oil stock. When Ross follows this advice, it is later publicized that he accepted the stock as a bribe. A letter in Ryder's possession would prove the judge's innocence by showing the purchase was legitimate, but Ryder, angered by a past court decision against him, withholds the letter to ruin Ross's reputation.

While abroad, Ross's daughter Shirley (May McAvoy), a talented sculptor, meets Ryder's son, Jefferson (William Collier Jr.). They return to the United States on the same ocean liner, and their budding friendship quickly deepens into love.

Upon returning home, Shirley learns of her father's disgrace and determines to retrieve the letter from Ryder's home. She gains access by accepting a commission to sculpt Ryder's bust and asks Jeff not to reveal her true identity. Jeff, unaware of her motives but eager to help her, appeals to his father to clear Judge Ross's name, hinting at his desire to marry Ross's daughter. Ryder, enraged, refuses.

Shirley steals the crucial letter from Ryder's desk. When its disappearance is discovered, Ryder accuses Jeff, but Shirley confesses, revealing her true identity and admitting to taking the letter. Ryder then proposes a deal: he will exonerate Judge Ross if Shirley agrees to give up Jeff.

Shirley complies, and Ross is cleared of all accusations. When Jeff, unaware of the agreement, pleads with Shirley to marry him, she coldly rejects him, claiming she used him only to help her father.

Ryder, moved by Shirley's sacrifice and loyalty, regrets his scheming. He tells Jeff the truth about Shirley's devotion, and the two rush to the Ross home. There, Judge Ross gives his blessing to the young couple.

Cast

Cast notes

Box Office

According to Warner Bros records the film earned $869,000 domestically and $100,000 foreign. [1]

Preservation status

The movie survives in 35 mm at the Library of Congress and 16 mm at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. [5] [6] [7] [8] The soundtrack on Vitaphone discs partially survives in the UCLA Film and Television Archive. [9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See "Appendix 1". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 15 (sup1): 6. January 1995. doi:10.1080/01439689508604551.
  2. ↑ The Lion and the Mouse as produced on Broadway several times from 1905-1907
  3. ↑ Progressive Silent Film List: The Lion and the Mouse at silentera.com
  4. ↑ "Film Reviews: Lion and the Mouse". Variety. June 20, 1928. p. 15.
  5. ↑ The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1921-30 by The American Film Institute, c.1971
  6. ↑ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Lion and the Mouse
  7. ↑ Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artist Collection at The Library of Congress p. 104, by The American Film Institute, c.1978
  8. ↑ The Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Lion and the Mouse
  9. ↑ The Lion and the Mouse in UCLA Library
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