''Jack Spurlock, Prodigal'' is a 1918 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

Carl Harbaugh Carl Harbaugh ( – February 26, 1960) was an American film actor, screenwriter and director. Biography On Broadway, Harbaugh performed in '' The Greyhound'' (1912) and ''The Bludgeon'' (1914). He was married to Frances Lawson Bouis (? - 1 ...

and starring

George Walsh George Frederick Walsh (March 16, 1889 – June 13, 1981) was an American actor. An all-around athlete, who became an actor and later returned to sport, he enjoyed 40 years of fame and was a performer with dual appeal, with women loving hi ...

Dan Mason Dan Mason (born Daniel Grassman; February 9, 1857 – July 6, 1929) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1913 to 1929. He is remembered as the "Skipper" in the "Toonerville Folks ''Toonerville Folks'' ( ''T ...

, and Ruth Taylor. It is based on the best-selling 1908 novel of the same name by

George Horace Lorimer George Horace Lorimer (October 6, 1867 – October 22, 1937) was an American journalist, editor, author and publisher who worked as the editor of ''The Saturday Evening Post'' from 1899 to 1936. During his time as editor, circulation rose from s ...

which is first published as a serial in

the Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

. The film was released by

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox (producer), William Fox. It was the corporate successor to ...

on February 10, 1918, as a Special Features release. Another film adaptation under by the name ''A Self-Made Man'' was later released in 1922, which stars William Russell as Jack Spurlock.

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, Jack Spurlock (Walsh) is expelled from Harvard because of his many wild exploits around Boston. He capped the climax of these wild times when he returned to the dormitories one night after a hot time at the cabarets in Boston with a bear. All would have been well and the incident would have passed off as a joke, had not the animal insisted upon slapping one of the professors. So out Jack went. Jack's father (Mason) is a wealthy business man and owner of a chain of grocery stores. When Jack announces that he has been expelled from college, his father decides to put him to work. Jack is sent to the branch to assist in the purchasing department. At that time the Spurlock stores had a surplus quantity of onions, and Jack not being acquainted with this condition in the onion stock orders 150 more car loads. This brings on a strike among the Spurlock employees. Jack joins the strikers and when it is settled he finds himself out of a job and his father with 150 car loads of onions on his hands. Jack then tries his hand at a waiter's job in a silent restaurant. Too lively for the job, he is fired and goes to work as a physical culture demonstrator. He meets Col. Jackson (Vivian), who has perfected a "cure all" remedy, the chief ingredient of which is the onion. Jack arranges for the disposed of his father's surplus stock of onions and is placed in the good graces of the family.

Cast

as Jack Spurlock *

as Spurlock Sr. *Ruth Taylor as Anita Grey *Robert Vivian as Col. Jackson *Mike Donlin *Jack Goodman

Production

William Fox states at the time that he paid George Horace Lorimer more for the privilege of filming ''Jack Spurlock, Prodigal'' than he ever before paid for a similar privilege. Lead actor George Walsh said he enjoy his work in this film, describing as the "best he ever did". The director, Carl Harbaugh, proclaims his willingness to be judged as a director by the results he obtained in the film story.

Release

The film was initially scheduled to be released on January 27 but bad weather conditions preventing some retakes forcing delays up to February 3 and later 10th.

Preservation

No known prints are known to exist, making the film lost.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0009236 1918 comedy films Silent American comedy films 1918 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Fox Film films Lost American comedy films 1918 lost films English-language comedy films 1910s American films 1910s English-language films Films based on American novels