The Testing Block | |
---|---|
Directed by | Lambert Hillyer |
Screenplay by | William S. Hart Lambert Hillyer |
Produced by | William S. Hart |
Starring | William S. Hart Eva Novak J. Gordon Russell Florence Carpenter Richard Headrick Ira McFadden |
Cinematography | Joseph H. August |
Edited by | LeRoy Stone |
Production company | William S. Hart Productions |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 60 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | Silent English intertitles |
The Testing Block is a 1920 American silent Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and starring William S. Hart, Eva Novak, J. Gordon Russell, Florence Carpenter, Richard Headrick, and Ira McFadden. It was written by Lambert Hillyer and William S. Hart. It was released on December 26, 1920, by Paramount Pictures. [1] [2]
As described in a film magazine, [3] Nelly Gray (Novak), a member of a traveling show, is stranded when the manager abandons the troupe, and Sierra Bill (Hart), a member of a gang, helps with the gift of some gold. Although the gang leader has designs on the young woman, he agrees that the gang will fight it out among themselves and the last man standing will get her. Sierra Bill wins, and in a drunken fury forces Nelly to marry him. After the wedding he becomes the model husband and soon Sonny (Headrick) is born who is the apple of his father's eye. The gang leader returns with Rosita, a young Mexican woman, and discloses Sierra Bill's past to Nelly and suggests that he is even having an affair with Rosita. The gang leader directs Rosita through her cards to tell Sierra Bill that his wife is longing to leave him. Nelly agrees to leave with the trouble-maker, but with the promise that Sonny will soon join them. Sonny, however, is taken ill, and the husband and wife have a reunion at his bedside that brings a happy ending.
The Testing Block has survived in complete form and a print is held by the Library of Congress. Much of the film was shot in and around Capitola, California, and to celebrate the film's 100th anniversary a scan of the LOC print was screened at the Capitola Community Center on January 26, 2020. [4] Afterward the Capitola History Museum uploaded the film online, preceded by an introduction. Having been released in 1920, The Testing Block is in the public domain.
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary paramilitary organisation. The ancestor of many groups also known as the Irish Republican Army, and distinguished from them as the "Old IRA", it was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916. In 1919, the Irish Republic that had been proclaimed during the Easter Rising was formally established by an elected assembly, and the Irish Volunteers were recognised by Dáil Éireann as its legitimate army. Thereafter, the IRA waged a guerrilla campaign against the British occupation of Ireland in the 1919–1921 Irish War of Independence.
Gladys Marie Smith, known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the U.S. film industry, she co-founded Pickford–Fairbanks Studios and United Artists, and was one of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Pickford is considered to be one of the most recognisable women in history.
Michael Collins was an Irish revolutionary, soldier and politician who was a leading figure in the early-20th century struggle for Irish independence. During the War of Independence he was Director of Intelligence of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and a government minister of the self-declared Irish Republic. He was then Chairman of the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State from January 1922 and commander-in-chief of the National Army from July until his death in an ambush in August 1922, during the Civil War.
The Irish War of Independence or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-military Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and its paramilitary forces the Auxiliaries and Ulster Special Constabulary (USC). It was part of the Irish revolutionary period.
Evita is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. It concentrates on the life of Argentine political leader Eva Perón, the second wife of Argentine president Juan Perón. The story follows Evita's early life, rise to power, charity work, and death.
William Surrey Hart was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered as a foremost Western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and integrity." During the late 1910s and early 1920s, he was one of the most consistently popular movie stars, frequently ranking high among male actors in popularity contests held by movie fan magazines.
Florence Turner was an American actress who became known as the "Vitagraph Girl" in early silent films.
Events from the year 1920 in Ireland.
Wally Albright was an American actor, water sportsman, and businessman. As a child actor, he was best known for his role in the Our Gang film series.
Alpha Dog is a 2006 American crime drama film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes. It is based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz in 2000. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Foster, Shawn Hatosy, Emile Hirsch, Christopher Marquette, Sharon Stone, Justin Timberlake, Anton Yelchin, and Bruce Willis.
Mind uploading, whole brain emulation, or substrate-independent minds, is a use of a computer or another substrate as an emulated human brain. The term "mind transfer" also refers to a hypothetical transfer of a mind from one biological brain to another. Uploaded minds and societies of minds, often in simulated realities, are recurring themes in science-fiction novels and films since the 1950s.
Joan Marsh was an American child actress in silent films between 1915 and 1921. Later, during the sound era, she resumed her acting career and performed in a variety of films during the 1930s and 1940s.
Raymond William Hatton was an American film actor who appeared in almost 500 motion pictures.
Riddle Gawne is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by William S. Hart and Lambert Hillyer, and featuring William S. Hart, Katherine MacDonald and Lon Chaney. The film was co-produced by William S. Hart and Thomas H. Ince. The screenplay was written by Charles Alden Seltzer from his earlier novel The Vengeance of Jefferson Gawne. Chaney historian Jon C. Mirsalis claims that William S. Hart contributed greatly to the screenplay but all other sources credit the writing of the screenplay solely to Charles Alden Seltzer.
Wagon Tracks is a 1919 American silent Western film written by C. Gardner Sullivan, produced by Thomas H. Ince and William S. Hart, and directed by Lambert Hillyer. Upon its release, the Los Angeles Times described it as Hollywood's greatest desert epic.
Three Word Brand is a 1921 American silent Western film distributed by Paramount Pictures that was directed by Lambert Hillyer and starred William S. Hart and Jane Novak. Hart plays three roles in the film.
Silk Husbands and Calico Wives is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring House Peters. The film was produced by Harry Garson and based on an original by Monte Katterjohn.
The Narrow Trail is a 1917 American silent Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and William S. Hart and written by William S. Hart and Harvey F. Thew. The film stars William S. Hart, Sylvia Breamer, Milton Ross, and Bob Kortman. The film was released on December 30, 1917, by Paramount Pictures.
The Toll Gate is a 1920 American silent Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer, written by Lambert Hillyer and William S. Hart, and starring William S. Hart, Anna Q. Nilsson, Joseph Singleton, Jack Richardson, and Richard Headrick. It was released on April 15, 1920, by Paramount Pictures.
O'Malley of the Mounted is a 1921 American silent Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and written by Hillyer and William S. Hart. The film stars William S. Hart, Eva Novak, Leo Willis, Alfred Allen, Bert Sprotte, and Antrim Short. The film was released on February 6, 1921, by Paramount Pictures.