''One a Minute'' is a 1921 American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

directed by Jack Nelson and written by

Frederick J. Jackson Frederick J. Jackson, also known professionally as Fred Jackson and Frederick Jackson and under the pseudonym Victor Thorne, (September 21, 1886 – May 22, 1953) was an American author, playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and producer fo ...

and

Joseph F. Poland Joseph Franklin Poland (September 4, 1892 – March 23, 1962) was an American screenwriter. He wrote for more than 130 films between 1913 and 1954. He was born in Waterbury, Connecticut and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected filmog ...

. The film stars

Douglas MacLean Charles Douglas MacLean (January 10, 1890 – July 9, 1967) was an American stage and silent film actor who later worked as a producer and screenwriter in the sound era. Early life and stage career Born in Philadelphia, MacLean was educated at ...

, Marian De Beck,

Victor Potel Victor Potel (October 12, 1889 – March 8, 1947) was an American film character actor who began in the silent era and appeared in more than 430 films in his 38-year career. Career Victor Potel was born in Lafayette, Indiana in 1889, and his ...

Frances Raymond Frances Raymond (1869–1961) was an American stage and film actress.Goble p.193 An established character actress, she played in a number of supporting roles during the silent era. Later, during the sound era, she primarily played much smaller, un ...

, Andrew Robson, and Graham Pettie. The film was released on June 19, 1921, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, college graduate Jimmy Knight (MacLean) returns to the small town of his birth where he takes over his deceased father's drug store and combats a trust's drug store that has eclipsed the older institution in the public's favor. He falls in love with Miriam (De Beck), daughter of Silas P. Rogers (Robson), the magnate controlling the trust, and fights against elimination to win her plaudits. As a desperate means of fighting the competition he places on sale a harmless concoction he calls "Knight's 99", representing it as his father's secret formula that cures all disease. Townspeople try the ointment and it cures every ailment. Jimmy becomes rich overnight and wins the girl's hand when her father cannot buy the formula. At the end it is disclosed that the fifth ingredient of the Knight's 99 responsible for the curative powers, which Rogers could not discover, is faith.

Cast

as Jimmy Knight *Marian De Beck as Miriam Rogers *

as Jingo Pitts *

as Granma Knight *Andrew Robson as Silas P. Rogers *Graham Pettie as Martin Duffey * Robert Dudley as Rogers' Attorney (uncredited) *

Wilfred Lucas Wilfred Van Norman Lucas (January 30, 1871 – December 13, 1940) was a Canadian American stage actor who found success in film as an actor, director, and screenwriter. Early life Lucas was born in Norfolk County, Ontario on January 30, 1871,US ...

as Prosecutor (uncredited) *

Patsy Ruth Miller Patsy Ruth Miller (born Patricia Ruth Miller; January 17, 1904 – July 16, 1995) was an American film actress who played Esméralda in ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1923) opposite Lon Chaney. Early years Miller was born and raised in St. ...

as Assembly Line Worker (uncredited) *

George H. Reed George H. Reed was an American actor working in the Hollywood film industry in both the silent and sound eras. His first major film was the 1920 ''Huckleberry Finn'' where he played Jim. He is also remembered for the film ''The Green Pastures'' ...

as J. Wellington Norcross, Townsman (uncredited) *

Carl Stockdale Carl Stockdale also known as Carlton Stockdale (February 19, 1874 – March 15, 1953) was one of the longest-working Hollywood veteran actors, with a career dating from the early 1910s. He also made the difficult transition from silent fi ...

as Judge (uncredited)

References

External links

* * 1921 films 1920s English-language films Silent American comedy films 1921 comedy films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Jack Nelson American black-and-white films American silent feature films Films with screenplays by Joseph F. Poland 1920s American films Films with screenplays by Frederick J. Jackson {{1920s-silent-comedy-film-stub