The Panther Woman

Last updated
The Panther Woman
The Panther Woman (1918) - 3.jpg
Advertisement
Directed by Ralph Ince
Written by Mary Murillo
Based onPatience Sparhawk and Her Times
by Gertrude Atherton
Starring Olga Petrova
Production
company
Petrova Picture Company
Distributed by First National Exhibitors' Circuit
Release date
  • October 1918 (1918-10)
Running time
6 reels
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)

The Panther Woman is a 1918 American drama film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Olga Petrova. It was written by Mary Murillo based upon the 1895 novel Patience Sparhawk and Her Times by Gertrude Atherton and released in October 1918 by First National. [1]

Contents

Plot

As described in a film magazine, [2] Patience Sparhawk (Petrova) is an orphan who has been reared by a dissolute stepmother. An inheritance of good character, however, has kept her from being contaminated and when she gets the opportunity to break away and become the ward of Miss Tremont, a wealthy woman, she does so. Out of gratitude she agrees to marry Tremont's nephew, Beverly Peale (Steele). Soon after the ceremony she discovers that her husband is a user of drugs and her married life is unhappy. It ends abruptly when Beverly is found dead from an overdose of drugs. Patience is accused of murder and put on trial. She is defended by noted criminal lawyer Garon Bourke (Fellowes), who is in love with her and whom Patience loves. Despite Garon's strenuous efforts, his client is convicted and sentenced to die in the electric chair. The evidence of Honora Maris (Reed), who was enamored of Beverly, was the deciding factor. The day of the scheduled execution arrives and at the eleventh hour Garon obtains a confession from Miss Maris that she committed perjury on the witness stand. Garon makes a desperate race to the prison with a reprieve and saves Patience just as she was in the electric chair and the executioner was preparing to throw the switch.

Cast

Reception

Like many American films of the time, The Panther Woman was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors required a cut, in Reel 6, of the testing of the electric chair. [3]

Preservation

With no prints of The Panther Woman located in any film archives, it is considered a lost film. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gertrude Atherton</span> American author (1857–1948)

Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton was an American writer. Many of her novels are set in her home state of California. Her bestselling novel Black Oxen (1923) was made into a silent movie of the same name. In addition to novels, she wrote short stories, essays, and articles for magazines and newspapers on such issues as feminism, politics, and war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olga Petrova</span> British-American actress, screenwriter and playwright (1884–1977)

Olga Petrova was a British-American actress, screenwriter and playwright.

<i>Bucking Broadway</i> 1917 film

Bucking Broadway is a 1917 American silent Western film directed by John Ford, probably his sixth feature film. Long thought to be lost, along with about 60 of Ford's 70 silent films, it was found in 2002 in the archives of the CNC. It was subsequently restored and digitized and is available on the Criterion Blu-Ray of John Ford's Stagecoach.

<i>The Whispering Chorus</i> 1918 film

The Whispering Chorus is a 1918 American silent psychological drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It is the first and earliest film considered a psychological drama.

<i>Old Wives for New</i> 1918 film

Old Wives for New is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It is based on the 1908 novel of the same title by David Graham Phillips.

<i>The Mystery Ship</i> 1917 film

The Mystery Ship is a 1917 American adventure film serial directed by Harry Harvey and Henry MacRae. The film is considered to be lost.

<i>The Brass Bullet</i> 1918 film

The Brass Bullet is a 1918 American silent adventure film serial directed by Ben F. Wilson. It is now considered to be a lost film.

<i>The Bulls Eye</i> (serial) 1917 film

The Bull's Eye is a 1917 American film serial directed by James W. Horne. It is now considered to be a lost film.

<i>The Lions Claws</i> 1918 film

The Lion's Claws is a 1918 American adventure film serial directed by Harry Harvey and Jacques Jaccard and starring Marie Walcamp and Ray Hanford. The serial, which had 18 chapters, is considered to be a lost film.

<i>The Hidden Hand</i> (serial) 1917 film

The Hidden Hand is a 1917 American film serial directed by James Vincent. This is a lost serial.

<i>Hands Up</i> (serial) 1918 film

Hands Up is a lost 1918 American adventure film serial directed by Louis J. Gasnier and James W. Horne. The serial was Ruth Roland's breakthrough role.

<i>The House of Hate</i> 1918 film serial

The House of Hate is a 1918 American film serial directed by George B. Seitz, produced when many early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

<i>The Brazen Beauty</i> 1918 film

The Brazen Beauty is a 1918 American silent comedy film directed by Tod Browning. It is not known whether the film currently survives, which suggests that it may be a lost film.

<i>To the Death</i> (1917 film) 1917 film

To the Death is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Burton L. King and released by Metro Pictures. The film is considered to be lost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vernon Steele</span> British actor

Vernon Steele was a Chilean-born British actor known for his appearances on the Broadway stage and in American films. He often played patrician young men in silent films. Steele was born in Santiago, Chile, the son of Daniel Antonietti, a professor of music, and his English wife, the former Grace Emma Bolton. Vernon Steele was christened Arturo Romeo Antonietti and his family eventually settled in London, England. His sister was the actress Hilda Anthony.

The Bride's Awakening is a 1918 American silent drama film released by Universal Pictures and produced by their Bluebird production unit. Robert Z. Leonard directed the film and his then-wife Mae Murray was the star. A print of the film is housed at the EYE Institute Nederlands.

<i>The Woman in White</i> (1917 film) 1917 American film

The Woman in White is a 1917 American drama film directed by Ernest C. Warde and starring Florence La Badie, Richard R. Neill, and Gertrude Dallas. It comprises five reels of 4,627 feet and had its premiere on July 1, 1917. Length: 1 hour 8 minutes. The film was originally distributed by Pathé. In the 1920s it was re-released under the title The Unfortunate Marriage.

<i>Daughter of Destiny</i> (1917 film) 1917 American film

Daughter of Destiny is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by George Irving, produced by and starring Olga Petrova, and distributed by Metro Pictures.

<i>Exile</i> (1917 film) 1917 American film

Exile is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur and written by Charles E. Whittaker based upon the 1916 Dolf Wyllarde novel. The film stars Olga Petrova, Wyndham Standing, Mahlon Hamilton, Warren Cook, Charles Martin, and Violet Reed. The film was released in September 1917, by Paramount Pictures. It is not known whether the film currently survives, which suggests that it is a lost film.

<i>A Woman of Impulse</i> 1918 American film

A Woman of Impulse is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Edward José and written by Eve Unsell based upon the play of the same name by Louis K. Anspacher. The film stars Lina Cavalieri, Gertrude Robinson, Raymond Bloomer, Robert Cain, Clarence Handyside, and Mathilde Brundage. The film was released on October 20, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.

References

  1. "The Panther Woman". afi.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  2. "Reviews: The Panther Woman". Exhibitors Herald. 7 (23). New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company: 23–24. November 30, 1918.
  3. "Official Cut-Outs by the Chicago Board of Censors". Exhibitors Herald. 7 (23): 26. November 30, 1918.
  4. "American Silent Feature Film Database: The Panther Woman". Library of Congress. Retrieved March 22, 2024.