''Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford'' is a lost 1921 American silent

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Frank Borzage Frank Borzage ( né Borzaga; April 23, 1894 – June 19, 1962) was an American film director and actor. He was the first person to win the Academy Awards, Academy Award for Academy Award for Best Director, Best Director for his film ''7th Heaven ...

. The film's script was adapted by writer

Luther Reed Luther A. Reed (July 14, 1888 – November 16, 1961) was an American screenwriter and film director. Biography Reed was born in 1888 in Berlin, Wisconsin, and graduated from Columbia University. He worked as a journalist and the music and the ...

from the 1910 Broadway play by

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

, which in turn was adapted from the novel ''Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford'' by George Randolph Chester. Produced by

Cosmopolitan Productions Cosmopolitan Productions, also often referred to as Cosmopolitan Pictures, was an American film company based in New York City from 1918 to 1923 and Hollywood until 1938. History Newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst formed Cosmopolitan in c ...

and distributed by

Paramount Pictures Corporation Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production and distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount Global. It is the sixth-oldest film studio in ...

, the film was released in seven

reels A reel is a tool used to store elongated and flexible objects (e.g. yarns/ cords, ribbons, cables, hoses, etc.) by wrapping the material around a cylindrical core known as a '' spool''. Many reels also have flanges (known as the ''rims'') arou ...

on December 4, 1921. ''Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford'' was the film being shown at the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington when that building collapsed, killing 98 people and injuring 133.

Plot

'Blackie' Daw arrives in the town of Battlesburg, Iowa. He has little money, but makes it known that J. Rufus Wallingford, a wealthy businessman, will be arriving in town soon and is interested in finding good investments. When Wallingford arrives, he and the townspeople hatch a scheme to build a factory, but they cannot decide what the factory should produce. Wallingford suggests carpet tacks, which he insists will interest other investors, and the townspeople agree. As time goes on, the company's stockholders begin to doubt Wallingford, who is, in fact, a con man. He is able to assuage their doubts. The establishment of the factory begins a real estate boom, and Wallingford and Daw are planning to skip town with the money they have made. But just before they do, a wealthy financier buys out Wallingford's interest and the factory makes a large sale of carpet tacks. As a result, Wallingford and Daw become wealthy by honest means. They both find women to marry, Wallingford to his stenographer Fannie Jasper and Daw to Dorothy Wells, daughter of a prominent town resident.

Cast

* Sam Hardy as J. Rufus Wallingford *

Norman Kerry Norman Kerry (born Norman Hussey Kaiser,"United States World War II Draft Registration Cards,registration for Norman Hussey Kaiser, Los Angeles, California, April 27, 1942 This document lists his full name as Norman Hussey Kaiser, noting the na ...

as 'Blackie' Daw *

Doris Kenyon Doris Margaret Kenyon (September 5, 1897 – September 1, 1979) was an American actress of film and television. Early life She grew up in Syracuse, New York, where her family had a home at 1805 Harrison Street. Her father, Dr. James B. Keny ...

as Fannie Jasper * Diana Allen as Gertrude Dempsey * Edgar Nelson as Eddie Lamb *

Billie Dove Lillian Bohny (born Bertha Eugenie Bohny; May 14, 1903 – December 31, 1997), known professionally as Billie Dove, was an American actress. Early life and career Dove was born Bertha Eugenie Bohny in New York City in 1903 to Charles and Ber ...

as Dorothy Wells *

Mac Barnes Mac or MAC may refer to: Common meanings * Mac (computer), a line of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * Mac, a prefix to surnames derived from Gaelic languages * McIntosh (apple), a Canadia ...

as Andrea Dempsey * William T. Hayes as G.W. Battles * Horace James as Timothy Battles * John Woodford as Mr. Wells * Mrs. Charles Willard as Mrs. Dempsey * Eugene Keith as Harkins * William Carr as Quigg * William Robyns as Abe Gunther * Theodore Westman Jr. as the bellboy *

Patterson Dial Elizabeth Patterson Dial (May 19, 1902 – March 23, 1945) was a writer and silent film actress of the 1920s. Later she married novelist Rupert Hughes. She was born Elizabeth Patterson Dial in Madison, Florida. Screen actress Dial appeared ...

as Bessie * Jerry Sinclair as Judge Hampton

References

External links

* {{Frank Borzage 1921 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films 1921 comedy films Films directed by Frank Borzage Lost American comedy films 1920s business films Silent American comedy films American business films 1921 lost films 1920s American films 1920s English-language films Lost silent American films English-language comedy films