Merton of the Movies (1924 film)

Merton of the Movies
Merton of the Movies
	1924 movie poster
Directed by	James Cruze
Written by	Walter Woods (scenario)
Based on	1922 novel Merton of the Movies by Harry Leon Wilson; 1922 play by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly
Produced by	Adolph Zukor; Jesse Lasky
Starring	Glenn Hunter; Viola Dana
Cinematography	Karl Brown
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	November 3, 1924;
Running time	80 minutes; 8 reels (7,655 feet)
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Merton of the Movies is a 1924 American comedy film directed by James Cruze, written by Walter Woods, and starring Glenn Hunter and Viola Dana. It is based on the George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly 1922 play of the same name, which in turn was based on Harry Leon Wilson's novel, also titled Merton of the Movies.^[1]

Glenn Hunter had originated the role of Merton Gill in the Broadway play and reprised his role in this film. Since the play had depended on funny dialogue, the movie (being silent) was opened up and a good deal of slapstick used instead. Thomas Hischak described the result as "uneven" although "Hunter still pleases and there are some droll performances by the supporting cast".^[1]

The film is now considered a lost film.^[2] It was remade in 1932 (as Make Me a Star) and again in 1947.

Plot

Merton is an aspiring movie actor. He is a terrible actor but when the movie executives see how funny his overacting is, they cast him in a comedy, but tell him that he's acting in a drama.

Cast

Glenn Hunter as Merton Gill
Charles Sellon as Pete Gashwiler
Sadie Gordon as Mrs. Gaswiler
Gale Henry as Tessie Kearns
Luke Cosgrove as Lowell Hardy
Viola Dana as Sally Montague or 'Flips'
DeWitt Jennings as Jeff Baird
Elliott Rothe as Harold Parmalee
Charles Ogle as Mr. Montague
Ethel Wales as Mrs. Montague
Frank Jonasson as Henshaw
Eleanor Lawson as Mrs. Patterson

References

^ ^a ^b Hischak, Thomas S. (2012). American Literature on Stage and Screen: 525 Works and Their Adaptations. McFarland. p. 144. ISBN 978-0786468423. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
^ "Merton of the Movies". Silent Era. Retrieved February 20, 2017.

External links

Merton of the Movies at IMDb
Synopsis at AllMovie
Merton of the Movies at the TCM Movie Database
Merton of the Movies at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Viola Dana and Glenn Hunter

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[Hischak-1] Hischak, Thomas S. (2012). American Literature on Stage and Screen: 525 Works and Their Adaptations. McFarland. p. 144. ISBN 978-0786468423. Retrieved February 20, 2017.

[SilentEra-2] "Merton of the Movies". Silent Era. Retrieved February 20, 2017.

[1]

[2]

v t e Adaptations of Harry Leon Wilson's Merton of the Movies
Play	Merton of the Movies (1922)
Films	Merton of the Movies (1924) Make Me a Star (1932) Merton of the Movies (1947)

v t e Films directed by James Cruze
1910s	From Wash to Washington (1914) Too Many Millions (1918) The Dub (1919) Alias Mike Moran (1919) The Roaring Road (1919) You're Fired (1919) The Love Burglar (1919) The Valley of the Giants (1919) The Lottery Man (1919) Hawthorne of the U.S.A. (1919) An Adventure in Hearts (1919)
1920s	Terror Island (1920) Mrs. Temple's Telegram (1920) The Sins of St. Anthony (1920) What Happened to Jones (1920) Food for Scandal (1920) A Full House (1920) Always Audacious (1920) The Charm School (1921) The Dollar-a-Year Man (1921) Gasoline Gus (1921) Crazy to Marry (1921) One Glorious Day (1922) Is Matrimony a Failure? (1922) The Fast Freight (1922) The Dictator (1922) The Old Homestead (1922) Thirty Days (1922) The Covered Wagon (1923) Hollywood (1923) Ruggles of Red Gap (1923) To the Ladies (1923) Leap Year (1924) filmed 1921 The Fighting Coward (1924) The Enemy Sex (1924) Merton of the Movies (1924) The City That Never Sleeps (1924) The Garden of Weeds (1924) The Goose Hangs High (1925) Waking Up the Town (1925) Welcome Home (1925) Beggar on Horseback (1925) Marry Me (1925) The Pony Express (1925) Mannequin (1926) Old Ironsides (1926) The Waiter from the Ritz (1926) never completed or released We're All Gamblers (1927) The City Gone Wild (1927) On to Reno (1928) The Mating Call (1928) The Red Mark (1928) Excess Baggage (1928) The Duke Steps Out (1929) A Man's Man (1929) The Great Gabbo (1929)
1930s	Once a Gentleman (1930) She Got What She Wanted (1930) Salvation Nell (1931) Washington Merry-Go-Round (1932) If I Had a Million (segment "Death Cell", 1932) Racetrack (1933) Sailor Be Good (1933) I Cover the Waterfront (1933) Mr. Skitch (1933) David Harum (1934) Their Big Moment (1934) Helldorado (1934) Two-Fisted (1935) Sutter's Gold (1936) The Wrong Road (1937) Prison Nurse (1938) Gangs of New York (1938) Come On, Leathernecks! (1938)

v t e George S. Kaufman
Plays and musicals	Some One in the House (1918) Dulcy (1921) To the Ladies (1922) The '49ers (1922) Merton of the Movies (1922) Helen of Troy, New York (1923) The Deep Tangled Wildwood (1923) Beggar on Horseback (1924) Be Yourself (1924) Minick (1924) The Butter and Egg Man (1925) The Cocoanuts (1925) The Good Fellow (1926) The Royal Family (1927) Animal Crackers (1928) June Moon (1929) The Channel Road (1929) Once in a Lifetime (1930) The Band Wagon (1931) Of Thee I Sing (1931) Dinner at Eight (1932) Let 'Em Eat Cake (1933) The Dark Tower (1933) Merrily We Roll Along (1934) First Lady (1935) Stage Door (1936) You Can't Take It with You (1936) I'd Rather Be Right (1937) The Fabulous Invalid (1938) The American Way (1939) The Man Who Came to Dinner (1939) George Washington Slept Here (1940) The Land Is Bright (1941) The Late George Apley (1944) Seven Lively Arts (1944) Hollywood Pinafore (1945) Bravo! (1948) The Small Hours (1951) Fancy Meeting You Again (1952) The Solid Gold Cadillac (1953) Silk Stockings (1955)
Musicals based on his plays	Sherry! (1967) Merrily We Roll Along (1981)
Films	Someone Must Pay (1919) Someone in the House (1920) Dulcy (1923) To the Ladies (1923) Merton of the Movies (1924) Welcome Home (1925) Beggar on Horseback (1925) The Butter and Egg Man (1928) The Cocoanuts (1929) Not So Dumb (1930) Animal Crackers (1930) The Royal Family of Broadway (1930) June Moon (1931) The Expert (1932) The Tenderfoot (1932) Make Me a Star (1932) Once in a Lifetime (1932) Dinner at Eight (1933) Roman Scandals (1933) The Man with Two Faces (1934) You Can't Take It with You (1938) The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
Films as a director	The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947)

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links