''The Yankee Consul'' is a 1924 American

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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 ...

directed by James W. Horne and written by Raymond Cannon. With a screen adaptation by

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

Raymond Griffith Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

, the film is based upon the 1904

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

play ''The Yankee Consul; a Musical Comedy'' by Alfred G. Robyn and Henry Martyn Blossom. The film premiered in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

on February 10, 1924, and had general theatrical release beginning February 24, 1924. It has a 1925 release in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

as ''Der Wilde Konsul''.

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, the actions of Dudley Ainsworth (

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 ...

) cause concern to his friends, who think he just needs to have some work. Jack Morrell (Arthur Stuart Hull) secures him a position at a tourist agency. Sent to a departing steamship to bring off the trunks of the consul to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

, he finds himself on the high seas with Morrell going to Brazil. To avoid having to shovel coal for his passage, he poses as the American consul whose passage was cancelled. On the ship, he meets Margarita Carrosa ( Patsy Ruth Miller). In Rio he gets ashore and in given charge of the consulate, and becomes embroiled in a conspiracy involving Margarita and thieves planning to steal a chest of gold, which she claims she owns, from the American consulate. Margarita is taken hostage by the thieves, and Ainsworth sends word to the U. S. Navy before rushing to an estate where Margarita is being held captive. Ainsworth goes to the castle where the young woman is restrained, gets into a fight, frees Margarita, and chases the villains back to the consulate. The navy Admiral (Eric Mayne) arrives with the real Yankee consul to reveal that the entire set of events was a prank played on Ainsworth by his friends to get him to work. However, he has really become interested in Margarita.

Cast

Preservation

A print of ''The Yankee Consul'' is held in the holdings of Getty Images, and another is rumored to be held in the

Gosfilmofond Gosfilmofond is a state film archive in Russia. It is the main film archive of the Russian Federation and a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF). It is a state cultural institution — curator of films collection and oth ...

film archive. The Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''The Yankee Consul''
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References

External links

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Lobby card
at gettyimages.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Yankee Consul, The 1924 films 1924 comedy-drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by James W. Horne American independent films Associated Exhibitors films 1920s English-language films 1920s American films Silent American comedy-drama films 1920s independent films