''The Mad Whirl'' is a 1925 American jazz age

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

about the "loosening of youth morals" that took place during the 1920s. Written by Edward T. Lowe Jr. and

Lewis Milestone Lewis Milestone (born Leib Milstein (Russian: Лейб Мильштейн); September 30, 1895 – September 25, 1980) was a Moldovan-American film director. He is known for directing '' Two Arabian Knights'' (1927) and ''All Quiet on the Weste ...

, and directed by

William A. Seiter William Alfred Seiter (June 10, 1890 – July 26, 1964) was an American film director. Life and career Seiter was born in New York City. After attending Hudson River Military Academy, Seiter broke into films in 1915 as a bit player at Mack Senne ...

for

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, the film stars

May McAvoy May Irene McAvoy (September 8, 1899 – April 26, 1984) was an American actress who worked mainly during the silent-film era. Some of her major roles are Laura Pennington in '' The Enchanted Cottage'', Esther in '' Ben-Hur'', and Mary Dale ...

and

Jack Mulhall John Joseph Francis Mulhall (October 7, 1887 – June 1, 1979) was an American film actor beginning in the silent film era who successfully transitioned to sound films, appearing in over 430 films in a career spanning 50 years. Early years Mu ...

.Progressive Silent Film List: ''The Mad Whirl''
at silentera.com The film was released during the

Prohibition era Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic be ...

, when the sale of alcoholic drinks in the United States was banned.

Plot

Cathleen Gillis (

) falls in love with Jack Herrington (

). Martin Gillis (

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 ...

), Cathleen's loving father, is stern, very religious, and runs an ice cream shop. Cathleen is an obedient daughter and conservative in her views as well. Jack however, has a routine that includes wild parties hosted by his parents, Gladys and John (

Myrtle Stedman Myrtle Stedman (born Myrtle Lincoln; March 3, 1883 – January 8, 1938) was an American leading lady and later character actress in motion pictures who began in silent films in 1910. Biography Stedman was born Myrtle Lincoln in Chicago, Ill ...

and Alec B. Francis), who think it is better to be their son's friend by their providing bootleg whiskey and a place to have all-night parties. Jack's lifestyle places him at odds with Cathleen's, but he promises her that he will change his ways. He backslides several times, but in the end is reformed by Cathleen's love, and they elope. After the elopement, Gladys and John get a stern lecture on temperance and sobriety from Martin and reform their ways as well.

Cast

as Cathleen Gillis *

as Jack Herrington *

as Gladys Herrington * Barbara Bedford as Margie Taylor * Alec B. Francis as John Herrington *

Ward Crane Ward Crane (May 18, 1890 – July 21, 1928) was an American silent film actor popular in comedies and dramas. Out of dozens of films, he is remembered as the handsome heavy to Buster Keaton's hero in ''Sherlock Jr.'' (1924). Crane died aged ...

as Benny Kingsley *

as Martin Gillis * Marie Astaire as Julia Carling *

Joseph Singleton Joseph Edward Victor Fairfield Daveran Singleton (1 March 1879 – 24 October 1946) was an actor of the silent era. An Australian, he appeared in 74 films between 1913 and 1925. He was born in Melbourne. Selected filmography * ''Shon the ...

as Spivens *:With Betty Allen, Charles King, Ellison Manners, William H. O'Brien,

Rolfe Sedan Rolfe Sedan (born Edward Sedan; January 20, 1896 – September 15, 1982) was an American character actor, best known for appearing in bit parts, often uncredited, usually portraying clerks, train conductors, postmen, cooks, waiters, etc. Ea ...

, and

Grady Sutton Grady Harwell Sutton (April 5, 1906 – September 17, 1995) was an American film and television character actor from the 1920s to the 1970s. He appeared in more than 180 films. Early years Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sutton was raised ...

References

External links

* * * 1925 films 1925 drama films American silent feature films Silent American drama films American black-and-white films 1920s English-language films Films directed by William A. Seiter Universal Pictures films 1920s American films {{silent-film-stub