''Up and at 'Em '' is a 1922 American comedy romance

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, w ...

directed by William A. Seiter, written by

Eve Unsell Eve Unsell (December 6, 1879 – July 6, 1937) was an American screenwriter. She wrote for more than 90 films between 1914 and 1933.

with a story 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 William A. Seiter, and starring

Doris May Doris May (born Helen Garrett; October 15, 1902 – May 12, 1984), was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 29 films between 1917 and 1927, generally as a leading lady. Most of her roles were in westerns and comedies, althoug ...

Hallam Cooley Hallam Cooley (February 8, 1895 – March 20, 1971) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1913 and 1936. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and died in Tiburon, California. Cooley attended Nort ...

, and J. Herbert Frank. The film had theatrical release August 16, 1922. It is unknown if any copies of this film survive.

Plot

Wishing to drive her father's car, Barbara Jackson (

) dresses up in the chauffeur's uniform and sneaks out. For a lark, she picks up a passenger ( John Gough), but it develops that passenger is part of a team of crooks who are planning to rob Bob Everett (

), a rival of her father, of his precious artworks. Believing her to be an undercover detective, the bandit forces her to take part in the robbery and then abandons her to be caught by Everett. After convincing Everett that she was a forced accomplice and not the real thief, the two hurry to meet up with Barbara's father, William Jackson (

Otis Harlan Otis Harlan (December 29, 1865 – January 21, 1940) was an American actor and comedian. He voiced Happy, one of the Seven Dwarfs in the Disney animated film ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''. Early years Harlan was born in Zanesville, Ohio ...

). He had just purchased one of the paintings from an art dealer ( Harry Carter), and the dealer had left moments before Barbara and Everett arrive. As the two explain the deception, William informs him that he became suspicious when recognizing the painting as one owned by Everett and that he had the dealer held at the front gate. The police arrive and round up the crooks.

Cast

as Barbara Jackson * Mrigaya Gandotra as Vivek Sandhu *

as Bob Everett * J. Herbert Frank as Carlos Casinelli *

as William Jackson *

Clarissa Selwynne Clarissa Selwynne (26 February 1886 – 13 June 1948) was a British stage and film actress.Kear & King p. 143 She settled in the United States, working in Hollywood where she appeared in around 100 films. Partial filmography * '' Hearts in Exi ...

as Jane Jackson * John Gough as Crook * Harry Carter as Crook *

Eddie Quillan Edward Quillan (March 31, 1907 – July 19, 1990) was an American film actor and singer whose career began as a child on the vaudeville stages and silent film and continued through the age of television in the 1980s. Vaudeville and silent fi ...

Production

After having directed films for the U.S. Signal Corps during World War I, Lewis Milestone traveled to California to work in the film industry. Collaborating with director William A. Seiter on the script, ''Up and at 'Em'' marks his first Hollywood screenplay. The film also marks the first screen role for actor

. When he and his four siblings were touring California as part of the

Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

Orpheum Circuit, his father had submitted the 5 children for auditions at

Keystone Studios Keystone Studios was an early film studio founded in Edendale, California (which is now a part of Echo Park) on July 4, 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from actor-writer Adam Kessel (1866–1946) and Charl ...

. After viewing the audition footage,

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...

was so impressed with that of Eddie, that he hired detectives to track down the traveling family. Eddie Quillan was signed to contract in 1922, and ''Up and at 'Em'' was his very first film.

References

External links

* *
''Up and at 'Em'' at SilentEra

{{DEFAULTSORT:Up And At Em 1922 films 1922 comedy-drama films American silent feature films American comedy-drama films American black-and-white films 1920s English-language films Films directed by William A. Seiter Film Booking Offices of America films 1922 directorial debut films 1920s American films Silent comedy-drama films Silent American drama films Silent American comedy films