The Unknown Purple

The Unknown Purple
Advertisement from The Film Daily [1]
Directed by	Roland West [2]
Written by	Roland West Paul Schofield Alfred A. Cohn (titles)
Starring	Henry B. Walthall Alice Lake Stuart Holmes Helen Ferguson
Cinematography	Oliver T. Marsh [2]
Edited by	Alfred A. Cohn [3]
Production company	Carlos Productions [2]
Distributed by	Truart Film Corporation [3]
Release date	October 29, 1923 (1923-10-29)
Running time	92 minutes [3]
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

The Unknown Purple is a lost ^[4] 1923 American silent mystery film that was written and directed by Roland West. ^{[5] [6]}

Plot

After his release from prison, an inventor develops an eerie purple light that renders him invisible, enabling him to seek revenge on his unfaithful wife and his crooked business partner.

Cast

• Henry B. Walthall as Peter Marchmont ^[2]
• Alice Lake as Jewel Marchmont
• Stuart Holmes as James Dawson
• Helen Ferguson as Ruth Marsh
• Frankie Lee as Bobbie
• Dorothy Phillips as Mrs. Freddie Goodlittle
• Ethel Grey Terry as Leslie Bradbury
• James Morrison as Leslie Bradbury
• Johnny Arthur as Freddie Goodlittle
• Richard Wayne as George Allison
• Brinsley Shaw as Hawkins
• Mike Donlin as Burton

Production

Film historian Scott MacQueen cited "The Vanishing Men", a treatment West had targeted for film in 1921, as the inspiration for the film. ^[7] In that way, it’s also inspired by H.G. Wells’ novel The Invisible Man, which wouldn’t get a proper adaptation until a decade later in 1933. The film was adapted from a stage play which was written by Roland West and Carlyle Moore. ^[2] Comedian Johnny Arthur made his feature-length debut in The Unknown Purple. ^[8]

Release

The premiere of The Unknown Purple was on October 29, 1923 at Strand Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island. ^[9] The manager of the repeater said in Moving Picture World that the film "opened with capacity business." ^[10]

Reception

In contemporary reviews, Variety described the film as an "exceptionally well-made picture - among the best of its type - a mystery." ^[2] The review praised the photography of Oliver Marsh and the acting by Henry Walthall and Alice Lake. ^[2] Mary Kelly of Moving Picture World described the film making good use of actor Henry Walthall and that the production was "elaborate and impressive" while finding the only lacking element in the film was comedy. ^[11]

See also

• Invisibility in fiction

References

1. "The Unknown Purple". The Film Daily . Vol. 27, no. 22. January 27, 1924. Retrieved May 29, 2025– via Archive.org.
2. Willis 1985, p. 17.
3. Soister 2004, p. 30.
4. The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Unknown Purple
5. The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Unknown Purple
6. Progressive Silent Film List: The Unknown Purple at silentera.com
7. Soister 2004, p. 31.
8. Soister 2004, p. 35.
9. Moving Picture World 1923, p. 248.
10. Moving Picture World 1923a, p. 319.
11. Kelly 1923.

Bibliography

• "Providence Premiere of "The Unknown Purple"". Moving Picture World . Vol. 65, no. 2. November 10, 1923.
• "Providence Likes "Unknown Purple"". Moving Picture World. Vol. 65, no. 3. November 17, 1923.
• Kelly, Mary (December 8, 1923). Sewell, Charles S. (ed.). "Newest Reviews and Comments". Moving Picture World. Vol. 65, no. 6. p. 565.
• Soister, John T. (2004). Up from the Vault: Rare Thrillers of the 1920s and 1930s. McFarland. ISBN   0786417455.
• Willis, Donald, ed. (1985). Variety's Complete Science Fiction Reviews. Garland Publishing Inc. ISBN   0-8240-6263-9.

External links

• The Unknown Purple at IMDb