The Lone Wolf (1917 film)

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The Lone Wolf
The Lone Wolf.jpg
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Directed by Herbert Brenon
Screenplay byGeorge Edwardes-Hall
Based on The Lone Wolf
by Louis Joseph Vance
Produced byHerbert Brenon
Starring Bert Lytell
Hazel Dawn
Cinematography J. Roy Hunt
Edited by James C. McKay
Production
companies
Herbert Brenon
Film Corporation
Distributed by Selznick Distributing Corporation
Release date
  • July 30, 1917 (1917-07-30)
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)
The Lone Wolf photo The Lone Wolf recoils.png
The Lone Wolf photo

The Lone Wolf is a 1917 American silent drama film based on the 1914 novel The Lone Wolf by Louis Joseph Vance. [1] Starring Bert Lytell and Hazel Dawn, it was adapted for the screen by George Edwardes-Hall and produced and directed by Herbert Brenon. [2] No prints of the film are known to survive, so it is currently classified as lost. [3] [4]

Contents

Synopsis

Burke is a master crook who adopts a young boy (Marcel) after the boy saves him from being arrested by the police. Burke then teaches the youngster how to be a crook, and after he becomes a master in the profession, he changes his name and works as Michael Lanyard. The Paris police give him the moniker of "The Lone Wolf", due to his unique work in the profession. However, a gang of criminals (The Pack) has taken notice of his clever work, and tell him that unless he joins their gang, they will destroy him. Lucy is an undercover agent posing as a crook to infiltrate the gang, and goes on to help the Wolf escape the gang via a plane to England. The Pack follows them, but are killed in a plane crash. After the gang is killed, "The Wolf" swears he will go straight and he eventually marries Lucy. [2]

Cast

Background

The Lone Wolf photo The Lone Wolf - Facing page 136.jpg
The Lone Wolf photo

The character the Lone Wolf was a popular crime figure in theaters from 1917 to 1949, and was featured in at least twenty-four films. [2] [5] The character was initially developed by Vance in his 1914 novel of the same name. Selznick later purchased the rights from Vance for his 1917 film. Bert Lytell was the first actor to play the role, but Warren William who appeared in nine films featuring the character from 1939 to 1943, was arguably the most closely associated with the role. [6] In 1946 Gerald Mohr followed William as the Wolf for three films through 1948; additionally the Mutual Radio Network broadcast a radio series with Gerald Mohr as the title character, which aired for about six months. [7] In 1954, a television series was created based on Vance's character with Louis Hayward playing the title role. The series was in syndication for one season with 39 episodes produced. The show was also sometimes titled Streets of Danger. [7]

Reviews and reception

Joseph L. Kelley, film critic for Motion Picture News , gave The Lone Wolf high marks, describing it as "a most remarkable production, bristling with tense moments, strong action, human incidents and powerful drama". Kelley also praised Lytell's performance, stating that he "moves with the agility and pep of a Fairbanks", while Hazel Dawn is noted as being "average" in her performance. [8] A review in The New York Clipper , said the film "is a criterion in intense melodrama of the most advanced style. Its embellishments, refinements and polish is the last word in modern picture plays". [9] The Clipper also reported that the film had "gone over heavier than any big feature shown in New York within the last year", and that Selznick had received a big advance demand for the film throughout the country. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Joseph Vance</span> American novelist

Louis Joseph Vance was an American novelist, screenwriter and film producer. He created the popular character Michael Lanyard, a criminal-turned-detective known as the Lone Wolf.

A lone wolf is a wolf not belonging to a pack. As a trope, it refers to an individual who prefers to operate alone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert Lytell</span> American actor

Bertram Mortimer Lytell was an American actor in theater and film during the silent film era and early talkies. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazel Dawn</span> American actress

Hazel Dawn was an American stage, film and television actress, and violinist. She was born to a Mormon family in Utah, and studied music in Europe where her father was a missionary. Dawn rose to fame as the title character in Ivan Caryll's The Pink Lady, which opened in 1911 on Broadway and ran for over 300 performances; it earned Dawn the eponymous nickname. She performed extensively on Broadway and began work in film in 1914, appearing in a total of 13 feature films. Dawn died at age 98 in New York City.

<i>The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt</i> 1939 film by Peter Godfrey

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<i>The False Faces</i> 1919 film

The False Faces is a 1919 American silent action film written and directed by Irvin Willat, based on the novel by Louis Joseph Vance, and starring Henry B. Walthall as Michael Lanyard, the "Lone Wolf," and Lon Chaney as Karl Ekstrom, the villain. A complete print of the film survives at the George Eastman House and at the Turner Film Library. It was thought to be lost for years, but was later found and somewhat restored. Director Willat was originally to have shared co-directing chores with Jerome Storm, but when the film's production was moved back from August to October, he ended up being the sole director.

<i>The Lone Wolfs Daughter</i> (1919 film) 1919 silent film directed by William P.S. Earle

The Lone Wolf's Daughter is a surviving 1919 American silent era crime/drama/thriller motion picture starring Bertram Grassby, Louise Glaum, and Thomas Holding.

<i>The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady</i> 1940 film by Sidney Salkow

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<i>The Lone Wolf in London</i> 1947 film by Leslie Goodwins

The Lone Wolf in London is a 1947 American mystery crime film directed by Leslie Goodwins and starring Gerald Mohr, Nancy Saunders and Eric Blore. The picture features the fictional Scotland Yard detective the Lone Wolf who travels to London, and solves the mystery of some missing jewels. It was the penultimate Lone Wolf film, followed by The Lone Wolf and His Lady in 1949, and the last for Mohr in the lead role.

<i>Passport to Suez</i> 1943 film by André de Toth

Passport to Suez is the 20th film featuring the Lone Wolf character. It was the eleventh of fifteen in the Columbia Pictures series, and the last to star Warren William as the lead character, a jewel thief turned private detective. The Lone Wolf battles Nazi spies in Egypt in World War II. The character's next film was The Notorious Lone Wolf.

<i>The Lone Wolf in Mexico</i> 1947 film by D. Ross Lederman

The Lone Wolf in Mexico is a 1947 American black-and-white mystery-adventure film directed by D. Ross Lederman for Columbia Pictures. It features Gerald Mohr as the title character, detective Lone Wolf. Chronologically the third-to-last Lone Wolf film in Columbia's theatrical series, it was followed by The Lone Wolf in London later in 1947 and The Lone Wolf and His Lady in 1949.

<i>The Notorious Lone Wolf</i> 1946 film by D. Ross Lederman

The Notorious Lone Wolf is a 1946 American mystery film directed by D. Ross Lederman and starring Gerald Mohr, Janis Carter and Eric Blore. It is the twelfth Lone Wolf film produced by Columbia Pictures. The picture features Mohr in his inaugural performance as the protagonist detective Lone Wolf alongside Janis Carter and Ian Wolfe as Adam Wainwright, the film's antagonist. The screenplay was written by Martin Berkeley, Edward Dein, and William J. Bowers.

<i>The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date</i> 1940 film by Sidney Salkow

The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date is a 1940 American mystery crime film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Warren William, Frances Robinson, Bruce Bennett and Eric Blore. It is the sixth Lone Wolf film produced by Columbia Pictures. It features William in his fourth appearance as the title character and Edward Gargan, Lester Matthews and Don Beddoe as the film's antagonists. The screenplay was written by Salkow and Earl Felton.

<i>The Lone Wolf</i> (1924 film) 1924 film by Stanner E.V. Taylor

The Lone Wolf is a 1924 American silent mystery film written and directed by Stanner E. V. Taylor based on a story by Louis Joseph Vance. This marked the final film of star Dorothy Dalton.

<i>The Lone Wolf Returns</i> (1926 film) 1926 film by Ralph Ince

The Lone Wolf Returns is a 1926 American silent mystery film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Bert Lytell, Billie Dove, and Freeman Wood. It is the first of Columbia Pictures' long-running series of Lone Wolf films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William P. S. Earle</span> American film director

William Pitt Striker Earle was an American director of the silent film era. He attended Columbia University and worked for a time as a photographer before breaking into the movie business by sneaking onto the lot of Vitagraph Company of America to observe how directors worked. After a few days of this, Earle approached the studio president and was given his first movie to direct, For the Honor of the Crew, a short about a crew race at Columbia University. He subsequently directed a number of features and shorts for Vitagraph. Later he worked with producer David O. Selznick. Earle founded his own, short-lived production company called Amex Production Corporation with J. S. Joffe, and shot the final two films of his career in Mexico.

<i>The Lone Wolfs Daughter</i> (1929 film) 1929 film

The Lone Wolf's Daughter is a lost 1929 feature part-talkie sound film. While the film had a few sequences with audible dialog, the majority of the film featured a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. It was directed by Albert S. Rogell and stars Bert Lytell. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was the third film produced by Columbia Pictures in their Lone Wolf series.

<i>The Lone Wolf Strikes</i> 1940 film directed by Sidney Salkow

The Lone Wolf Strikes is a 1940 crime drama film directed by Sidney Salkow starring Warren William, Joan Perry, and Eric Blore.

<i>Alias the Lone Wolf</i> 1927 mystery film

Alias the Lone Wolf is a 1927 American silent mystery film directed by Edward H. Griffith. The film is based on the 1921 novel of the same name by Louis Joseph Vance.

References

  1. Ken Wlaschin (May 13, 2009). Silent Mystery and Detective Movies: A Comprehensive Filmography. McFarland. p. 128. ISBN   978-0-7864-4350-5.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Lone Wolf". American Film Institute.
  3. "Progressive Silent Film List: The Lone Wolf". silentera.com. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  4. The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog:The Lone Wolf
  5. Geoff Mayer (September 13, 2012). Historical Dictionary of Crime Films. Scarecrow Press. pp. 256–. ISBN   978-0-8108-7900-3.
  6. William I. Lengeman III (March 19, 2012). "The Lone Wolf: From Jewel Thief to Big Screen Crime Fighter". Criminal Element. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  7. 1 2 Ron Backer (May 24, 2010). Mystery Movie Series of 1940s Hollywood. McFarland. pp. 50–. ISBN   978-0-7864-5700-7.
  8. Joseph L. Kelley (July 14, 1917). "The Lone Wolf". Motion Picture News. p. 282.
  9. "The Lone Wolf". The New York Clipper. July 11, 1917.
  10. "'Lone Wolf' Beats Record". The New York Clipper. August 1, 1917.