The Scoffer

Last updated

The Scoffer
The Scoffer (1920) - 2.jpg
Newspaper advertisement
Directed by Allan Dwan
Written by Lillian Ducey
Val Cleveland
Produced byAllan Dwan
Mayflower Photoplay Company
Starring Mary Thurman
James Kirkwood
Cinematography H. Lyman Broening (credited as Henry Broening)
Distributed by Associated First National Pictures
Release date
  • September 1920 (1920-09)
Running time
7 reels
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

The Scoffer is a surviving 1920 American silent drama film produced and directed by Allan Dwan and starring Mary Thurman. It was released through Associated First National Pictures. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

As described in a film magazine, [3] Dr. Stannard Wayne (Kirkwood), a worker for humanity, Dr. Arthur Richards (McCullough), a charlatan, and Carson the Parson (Durning), a missionary worker, are firm friends until a victim of Richards' malpractice dies and Wayne is sentenced to five years imprisonment for the crime. Richards persuades Dr. Wayne's wife to obtain a divorce and marries her. Wayne denounces God and vows never again will he use his ability in the interests of mankind. Released from prison, he finds his way to a northern settlement where Richards and his wife, now a physical wreck, are living. Here he refuses aid to those who are in sickness and misery, and preaches against Divinity. Alice Porn (Mitchell), keeper of the general store, challenges him to prove that man is superior to God by curing a crippled child. After several complications, he begins the operation during a great electrical storm. The elements and his enemies combine to thwart the purpose of the operation, and facing defeat he prays for aid. This aid comes in a form which may or may not be supernatural, as an observer may prefer, and after a time happiness ensues.

Cast

Preservation status

A print of The Scoffer is preserved by the Library of Congress. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Kirkwood Sr.</span> American actor and film director

James Cornelius Kirkwood Sr. was an American actor and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliot Stannard</span> English screenwriter (1888–1944)

Eliot Stannard was an English screenwriter and director. He was the son of civil engineer Arthur Stannard and Yorkshire-born novelist Henrietta Eliza Vaughan Palmer. Stannard wrote the screenplay for more than 80 films between 1914 and 1933, including eight films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. He also directed five films. During the early 1920s, he worked on most of the screenplays for the Ideal Film Company, one of Britain's leading silent film studios.

<i>The Impossible Mrs. Bellew</i> 1922 film

The Impossible Mrs. Bellew is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Sam Wood and starring Gloria Swanson. The film is based on the 1916 novel of the same name by David Lisle.

<i>Mr. Fix-It</i> 1918 film by Allan Dwan

Mr. Fix-It is a 1918 American silent comedy film starring Douglas Fairbanks, Marjorie Daw, and Wanda Hawley, directed by Allan Dwan.

<i>Why Men Leave Home</i> 1924 film

Why Men Leave Home is a 1924 American silent comedy-drama film directed by John M. Stahl directed and stars Lewis Stone and Helene Chadwick. Produced by Louis B. Mayer and released through First National Pictures, the film is based on the 1922 play of the same name by Avery Hopwood.

<i>A Dark Lantern</i> 1920 film by John S. Robertson

A Dark Lantern is a 1920 American silent drama film produced and released by Realart Pictures. It is based on a 1905 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Robins. John S. Robertson directed and Alice Brady and her then husband James Crane star.

<i>Behold My Wife!</i> (1920 film) 1920 film by George Melford

Behold My Wife! is a lost 1920 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and starring Mabel Julienne Scott and Milton Sills in a filmization of Sir Gilbert Parker's novel, The Translation of a Savage. Famous Players–Lasky produced the film and Paramount Pictures distributed.

<i>Quicksand</i> (1918 film) 1918 American film

Quicksand is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by Victor Schertzinger and written by John Lynch and R. Cecil Smith. The film stars Henry A. Barrows, Edward Coxen, Dorothy Dalton, Frankie Lee, and Philo McCullough. The film was released on December 22, 1918, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>The Love Burglar</i> 1919 film by James Cruze

The Love Burglar is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by James Cruze, written by Walter Woods based upon a play by Jack Lait, and starring Wallace Reid, Anna Q. Nilsson, Raymond Hatton, Wallace Beery, Wilton Taylor, and Edmund Burns. The film was released on July 13, 1919, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Marys Ankle</i> 1920 film by Lloyd Ingraham

Mary's Ankle is a 1920 American silent comedy film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and written by Luther Reed based upon the play of the same name by May Tully. The film stars Douglas MacLean, Doris May, Victor Potel, Neal Burns, James Gordon, and Lizette Thorne. The film was released on February 29, 1920, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>The Home Maker</i> 1925 film

The Home Maker is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by King Baggot and starring Alice Joyce, Clive Brook, and Billy Kent Schaefer. A husband and wife are more successful once they have swapped roles.

The Man from Lost River is a lost American silent drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and released in 1921. It stars House Peters, Fritzi Brunette, and Allan Forrest.

<i>In the Heart of a Fool</i> 1920 film by Allan Dwan

In the Heart of a Fool is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan. It is based on a novel by William Allen White.

<i>Discontented Husbands</i> 1924 film by Edward LeSaint

Discontented Husbands is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Edward LeSaint and written by Evelyn Campbell that was released by Columbia Pictures. The film stars James Kirkwood, Cleo Madison, and Grace Darmond. The film was released on January 15, 1924.

<i>The Branding Iron</i> 1920 film

The Branding Iron is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Reginald Barker and starring Barbara Castleton and James Kirkwood. It was produced by Barker and Samuel Goldwyn and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures. Castleton appeared nude in the film, which caused the particular scene to be cut in some parts of the country. Pennsylvania banned the film altogether due to the topic of infidelity.

<i>Wife in Name Only</i> 1923 film

Wife in Name Only is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by George Terwilliger and starring Mary Thurman, Arthur Housman, and Edmund Lowe.

<i>Strange Idols</i> 1922 film directed by Bernard Durning

Strange Idols is a 1922 American drama film directed by Bernard Durning and written by Jules Furthman. The film stars Dustin Farnum, Doris Pawn, Philo McCullough, and Richard Tucker. The film was released on May 28, 1922, by Fox Film Corporation.

<i>The Boomerang</i> (1925 film) 1925 film

The Boomerang is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Anita Stewart, Bert Lytell, and Ned Sparks. It was based on a Broadway play of the same title by Winchell Smith and Victor Mapes, which was later adapted for the 1929 film The Love Doctor.

<i>White Thunder</i> (film) 1925 film

White Thunder is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Ben F. Wilson and starring Yakima Canutt, William H. Turner, and Lew Meehan.

<i>Pioneer Trails</i> 1923 film

Pioneer Trails is a 1923 American silent Western film directed by David Smith and starring Cullen Landis, Alice Calhoun, and Bertram Grassby.

References

  1. ↑ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Scoffer
  2. ↑ Progressive Silent Film List: The Scoffer at silentera.com
  3. ↑ "Reviews: The Scoffer". Exhibitors Herald. 11 (24). New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company: 78. December 11, 1920.
  4. ↑ The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Scoffer

Commons-logo.svg Media related to The Scoffer at Wikimedia Commons


Silentfilm.png

This article about a silent drama film from the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.