''His Hour'' is a 1924 American 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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

King Vidor King Wallis Vidor ( ; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...

. This film was the follow-up to

Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (; born Szmuel Gelbfisz; ; July 1879 (most likely; claimed to be August 27, 1882) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer and pioneer in the American film industry, who produce ...

's '' Three Weeks'', written by

Elinor Glyn Elinor Glyn ( Sutherland; 17 October 1864 – 23 September 1943) was a British novelist and scriptwriter who specialised in romantic fiction, which was considered scandalous for its time, although her works are relatively tame by modern stand ...

, and starring Aileen Pringle, one of the biggest moneymakers at the time of the

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

amalgamation.

Plot

Gritzko (John Gilbert) is a Russian nobleman and Tamara (Aileen Pringle) is the object of his desire.

Cast

* Aileen Pringle as Tamara Loraine * John Gilbert as Gritzko * Emily Fitzroy as Princess Ardacheff * Lawrence Grant as Stephen Strong * Dale Fuller as Olga Gleboff * Mario Carillo as Count Valonne * Jacqueline Gadsden as Tatiane Shebanoff (credited as Jacquelin Gadsdon) * George Waggner as Sasha Basmanoff (credited as George Waggoner) *

Carrie Clark Ward Carrie Clark Ward (January 9, 1862 – February 6, 1926) was an American actress of the silent era. Biography Ward was born in Virginia City, Nevada, in 1862. In 1885 Clark acted in a company at the San Francisco Bush Street Theatre. War ...

as Princess Murieska *

Bertram Grassby Bertram Grassby (23 December 1880 – 7 December 1953) was an English actor. He appeared in more than 90 silent film, silent era films between 1914 and 1927. Grassby was married to American actress Gerard Alexander. He was born in Lincolnshire, ...

as Boris Varishkine * Jill Reties as Sonia Zaieskine * Wilfred Gough as Lord Courtney *

Frederick Vroom Frederick Vroom (11 November 1857 – 24 June 1942) was a Canadian actor of the silent film era. Vroom appeared in more than 70 films between 1912 and 1939, mostly in supporting roles and bit parts. He played featured roles in Buster Keaton' ...

as English Minister *

Mathilde Comont Mathilde Comont (9 September 1886 – 21 June 1938), credited also as Mathilda Caumont, was a French-born American actress, primarily of the silent film, silent era. Biography Comont was born in Bordeaux, she appeared in films in her native ...

as Fat Harem Lady * E. Eliazaroff as Khedive * David Mir as Serge Greskoff *

Bert Sprotte Bert Sprotte (9 December 1870 – 30 December 1949) was a German actor. He appeared in more than 70 American films between 1918 and 1938. He was born in Chemnitz, Saxony, and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected filmography * '' Selfi ...

as Ivan *

George Beranger George Beranger (27 March 1893 – 8 March 1973), was an Australian-born silent film actor, director and film writer in New York and Hollywood.Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Central ...

as (credited as Andre Beranger) * Virginia Adair (uncredited) * Rowfat-Bey Haliloff as Dancer (uncredited) * Mike Mitchell (uncredited) * Jack Parker as Child (uncredited) * Thais Valdemar (uncredited)

Production

''His Hour'' marked the first of five pictures that John Gilbert and King Vidor would make together for M-G-M. Adapted from a 1910 novel by

, an author of torrid romances chic in the 19th century, ''His Hour'' was Vidor's attempt to tap into the popularity of

Jazz Age The Jazz Age was a period from 1920 to the early 1930s in which jazz music and dance styles gained worldwide popularity. The Jazz Age's cultural repercussions were primarily felt in the United States, the birthplace of jazz. Originating in New O ...

"flaming-youth" pictures dealing with marital infidelity. The movie includes many titillating seduction scenes, one of which was deemed too salacious for release. Produced under the strictures of the new

Production Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as th ...

, producer

Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1884Mayer maintained that he was born in Minsk on July 4, 1885. According to Scott Eyman, the reasons may have been: * Mayer's father gave different dates for his birthplace at different times, so ...

censured Vidor for incorporating some of Glyn's “hot-cheeked” depictions of sexual decadence. A former officer of the Russian Imperial Army, by now living in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, served as a technical adviser on the film. His actual name has not been confirmed; however, the studio press releases referred to him as Mike Mitchell. This film marked the first of four times that John Gilbert and King Vidor would work together. Despite showcasing his riding ability and appearance, Gilbert hated the script and felt it gave him nothing substantial to do as an actor.

Reception

In this, Gilbert's first film with King Vidor, audiences were impressed with the star as a romantic leading man

Box office

According to MGM's records, the film made a profit of $159,000. MGM sent Elinor Glynn records which stated the film cost $211,930 and earned $317,442 resulting in a profit of only $105,511. This meant Glynn, who was entitled to 33.3% of net profits, earned $35,170."The Novelist as Hollywood Star: Author Royalties and Studio Income in the 1920s" by Vincent L. Barnett, ''Film History'' Vol. 20, No. 3, Studio Systems (2008), pp. 281-293

Preservation

A print of ''His Hour'' with Czech intertitles is located at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

in New York.The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''His Hour''
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Footnotes

References

*Baxter, John. 1976. ''King Vidor''. Simon & Schuster, Inc. Monarch Film Studies. LOC Card Number 75-23544. * Brownlow, Kevin and Kobal, John. 1979. ''Hollywood: The Pioneers''. Alfred A. Knopf Inc. A Borzoi Book, New York. * Durgnat, Raymond and Simmon, Scott. 1988. ''King Vidor, American.'' University of California Press, Berkeley. *Landazuri, Roberto. 2009. ''Bardelys the Magnificent''. San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF) https://silentfilm.org/bardelys-the-magnificent/ Retrieved 11 June 2020.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:His Hour 1924 films 1924 drama films Silent American drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by King Vidor Films produced by Irving Thalberg Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1920s American films