''Spring Fever'' is a 1927 American silent

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

starring

William Haines Charles William Haines (January 2, 1900 – December 26, 1973) was an American actor and interior designer. Haines was discovered by a talent scout and signed with Goldwyn Pictures in 1922. His career gained momentum when he received favo ...

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was si ...

, and

George K. Arthur Arthur George Brest (27 January 1899 – 30 May 1985), known professionally as George K. Arthur, was an English actor and producer, born in Aberdeen, Scotland,. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1919 and 1935, and is best known as t ...

, and directed by

Edward Sedgwick Edward Sedgwick (November 7, 1889 – March 7, 1953) was an American film director, writer, actor and producer. Early life He was born in Galveston, Texas, the son of Edward Sedgwick, Sr. and Josephine Walker, both stage actors. At the age ...

. Based on the 1925 play of the same name by Vincent Lawrence, this was the second film starring Haines and Crawford, and their first onscreen romantic teaming. ''Spring Fever'' was remade as the musical film '' Love in the Rough'' in 1930, starring Robert Montgomery and Dorothy Jordan.

Plot

Haines plays Jack Kelly, a crack

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

er who worked as a shipping clerk for the aging Mr. Waters (

George Fawcett George Fawcett (August 25, 1860 – June 6, 1939) was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. Biography Born in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1860, Fawcett graduated from the University of Virginia. His initial inclination was to ...

). One day, Mr. Waters fires Jack's father, Pop Kelly (

Bert Woodruff William Herbert "Bert" Woodruff (April 29, 1856 – June 14, 1934) was an American actor of the silent era. Woodruff was born in Peoria, Illinois, and was the son of Mrs. Hannah Woodruff. He performed on stage before he began acting on fi ...

). Jack witnesses this and is outraged. He wants revenge and breaks a window with a golf ball. Mr. Waters catches him but, instead of being mad, he is impressed with Jack's golfing skills. He later that day announces to his dad he is invited by The Oakmont Country Club to be a guest of the club for a minimum of two weeks. His role there will be the teacher of Mr. Waters, trying to teach him how to golf. Pop doesn't want to say goodbye, but lets him go. At the club, he meets Allie Monte (

) and immediately falls in love with her. He introduces himself as a member from the shipping business of her family. However, Allie sees through him and walks away. Harold Johnson (

Edward Earle Edward Earle (16 July 1882 – 15 December 1972) was a Canadian-American stage, film and television actor. In a career which lasted from the 1910s to 1966, he appeared in almost 400 films between 1914 and 1956. He was born in Toronto and died ...

) is the club champion and devotes himself to Allie. He tries to get her attention at a game, but she is not charmed with his presence. Over the days, the members – including Allie – become more pleased with Jack as he teaches everyone how to golf. Jack and Allie bond with each other. Johnson feels intimidated by Jack, fearing he could take over the championship title and his girl. Jack kisses Allie, but she storms off. He tries to apologize, but she refuses to talk to him. Therefore he climbs into her room, staying there until she forgives him. The next day, Jack sets a record with the golf tournament. While giving his victory speech, he notices his father, who came there to tell his son how proud he is of him. Jack realizes his club membership is almost over and swears he will marry a rich girl, which would make him allowed to stay at the club. He decides to propose to Allie, but she informs him her father has just lost all of his money. She admits she now has to marry a wealthy man to keep her social position. They are interrupted by Martha Lomsdom (

Eileen Percy Eileen Percy (August 1902 – 29 July 1973) was an Irish-born American actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1917 and 1933. Biography Born in Belfast in August 1902, Percy lived in Brooklyn, New York, briefly ...

), who invites them to a party. On their way, Jack sees Allie is flirting with Johnson, so he does the same with the wealthy Martha. At the party, Johnson announces he and Allie are engaged. Jack is devastated, but Martha sees an opportunity in luring him. Her beau confronts her, but she responds she is willing to leave him for Jack. Jack now admits he is not the person to marry for money. When he meets up with Allie to say goodbye, he realizes he can't live without her and tells her he loves her. Allie admits she loves him too, but reminds him she is already engaged to Johnson. They decide to run off and marry. Allie tells her dad Jack is a millionaire shipping man. Jack is afraid to tell her the truth about his income. But when he does, she throws him out. Her family tells her it's a good riddance and she should get an annulment. Allie however refuses, stating he is her husband. In the final scene, Jack becomes rich with winning a golf tournament and is reunited with Allie.

Cast

as Jack Kelly *

as Allie Monte *

as Eustace Tewksbury *

as Mr. Waters *

as Martha Lomsdom *

as (Harry) Johnson *

as Pop (Pa) Kelly *

Lee Moran Lee Moran (June 23, 1888 – April 24, 1961) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. Moran was active in vaudeville before he began performing in films at Nestor Studios in 1909. He transcended the silent film era of motio ...

as Oscar, the caddy * Edward Brophy as man holding score card on golf course (uncredited) *Joseph Harrington as desk clerk at Waters & Co. (uncredited) *Helen Brent (uncredited)

Production

Location shooting for ''Spring Fever'' took place at Riviera Country Club in

Pacific Palisades, California Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood in the Westside region of Los Angeles, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. Pacific Palisades was formally founded in 1921 by a Methodist organization, and in the years that followed be ...

Crew

Cedric Gibbons Austin Cedric Gibbons (March 23, 1890 – July 26, 1960) was an Irish-American art director for the film industry. He also made a significant contribution to motion picture theater architecture from the 1930s to 1950s. Gibbons designed the ...

– Settings * David Townsend – Settings

Reception

''Spring Fever'' was a great success despite some critical misgivings about the film itself. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said "Haines is a likable personality and should travel far. This picture, however, will not help him much. The players do well all around and Ralph Spence's titles contribute effectively on the comedy end, but the director, Sedgwick, could not cope with a weak theme." Author Lawrence J. Quirk later wrote of Joan Crawford's performance that "she manages to make her presence felt, and looks lovely as usual, despite it being a walk-through role." The film proved to be so popular that the following year, William Haines was mobbed by fans at a personal appearance a professional golf tournament.

Remakes

'' Love in the Rough'', a M-G-M musical released in 1930, starring Robert Montgomery and Dorothy Jordan, and directed by Charles F. Reisner, was also based on Vincent Lawrence's 1925 play ''Spring Fever''.

Restoration

The film was restored by

Turner Entertainment Turner Entertainment Company is an American multimedia company founded by Ted Turner in 1986. Purchased by Time Warner in 1996 as part of its acquisition of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), the company was largely responsible for overseeing th ...

in 2008, with a score by Darrell Raby. It was shown on

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of At ...

DVD release

In March 2009, ''Spring Fever'' was released on manufactured-on-demand DVD through the

Warner Archive Collection The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...

. ''Spring Fever'' DVD stats at silentera.com
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References

External links

* * * *

at joancrawfordbest.com {{Edward Sedgwick 1927 films 1920s sports comedy films American sports comedy films American silent feature films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Films directed by Edward Sedgwick Golf films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Surviving American silent films 1927 comedy films 1920s American films Silent American comedy films 1920s English-language films