''Memory Lane'' is a 1926 American

silent Silent may mean any of the following: People with the name * Silent George, George Stone (outfielder) (1876–1945), American Major League Baseball outfielder and batting champion * Brandon Silent (born 1973), South African former footballer * C ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

film directed by

John M. Stahl John Malcolm Stahl (January 21, 1886 – January 12, 1950) was an American film director and producer. Life and work He was born Jacob Morris Strelitsky in Baku (Azerbaijan) to a Russian Jewish family. When he was a child, his family lef ...

and starring

Eleanor Boardman Olive Eleanor Boardman (August 19, 1898 – December 12, 1991) was an American film actress of the silent era. Early life and career Olive Eleanor Boardman was born on August 19, 1898, the youngest child to George W. Boardman and Janice Merriam ...

Conrad Nagel John Conrad Nagel (March 16, 1897 – February 24, 1970) was an American film, stage, television and radio actor. He was considered a famous matinée idol and leading man of the 1920s and 1930s. He was given an Academy Honorary Award in 1940 and ...

, and

William Haines Charles William Haines (January 2, 1900 – December 26, 1973) was an American actor and interior designer. Haines was discovered by a talent scout and signed with Goldwyn Pictures in 1922. His career gained momentum when he received favo ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art director

Cedric Gibbons Austin Cedric Gibbons (March 23, 1890 – July 26, 1960) was an Irish-American art director for the film industry. He also made a significant contribution to motion picture theater architecture from the 1930s to 1950s. Gibbons designed the ...

and

A. Arnold Gillespie Albert Arnold "Buddy" Gillespie (October 14, 1899 – May 3, 1978) was an American cinema special effects artist. Biography He was born on October 14, 1899, in El Paso, Texas. Gillespie joined MGM as a set designer in 1925, a year after it was f ...

. The film was made by

Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1882 or 1884 or 1885 – October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Under Mayer's management, MGM became the film industr ...

's production company and released through

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

even though he worked as head of the rival

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, Mary and Joe are childhood sweethearts, but Joe later goes to New York City to make his fortune and never writes. After a few years, Jimmy Holt comes into her life. On the eve of her wedding, Joe returns to the town and Mary sneaks out of the house to see him and finds that she still cares for her old sweetheart. However, rather than hurt her fiancé, she goes through with the wedding. Joe returns to the city. A few years pass and a baby arrives. Joe hears this news and returns to the village. deciding that it is up to him to ensure she is happy with her life with her husband and child, he acts obnoxiously when he sees her, and Mary is disgusted. Seeing that his stunt worked, Joe returns to New York City.

Cast

as Mary *

as Jimmy Holt *

as Joe Field * John Steppling as Mary's Father *

Eugenie Forde Eugenie Forde (June 22, 1879 – September 5, 1940) was an American silent film actress. She starred in 73 films between 1912 and 1927 in films such as '' The Diamond from the Sky'' (1915) and '' Wives and Other Wives'' with actors such ...

as Mary's Mother *

Frankie Darro Frankie Darro (born Frank Johnson, Jr.; December 22, 1917 – December 25, 1976) was an American actor and later in his career a stuntman. He began his career as a child actor in silent films, progressed to lead roles and co-starring roles ...

as Urchin *

Dot Farley Dorothea "Dot" Farley (February 6, 1881 – May 2, 1971) was an American film actress who appeared in 280 motion pictures between 1910 and 1950. She was also known as Dorothy Farley. Biography Born in Chicago, Illinois, Dorothea Farley was t ...

as Maid *

Joan Standing Joan Standing (21 June 1903 – 3 February 1979) was an English actress best known for playing Nurse Briggs in the 1931 horror film ''Dracula''. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1919 and 1940. Partial filmography * ''The Loves of ...

as Maid * Kate Price as Phone Booth Woman *

Florence Midgley Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

Dale Fuller Dale Fuller is one of Silicon Valley’s software, first-generation software executives, entrepreneurs and Software developer, developers. He took WhoWhere? Inc. public, led Apple Inc., Apple’s PowerBook division to profitability and served as ...

Billie Bennett Billie Bennett (October 23, 1874 – May 19, 1951) was an American film actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 50 films between 1913 and 1930. She was born in Evansville, Indiana, and died in Los Angeles, California. Author ...

References

Bibliography

* William J. Mann. ''Wisecracker: The Life and Times of William Haines''. Viking, 1998.

External links

* 1926 films 1926 romantic comedy films American silent feature films First National Pictures films Films directed by John M. Stahl American romantic comedy films American black-and-white films 1920s English-language films 1920s American films Silent romantic comedy films Silent American comedy films {{silent-film-stub