''Something Always Happens'' is a 1928 American silent

comedy horror film Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...

, directed by

Frank Tuttle Frank Wright Tuttle (August 6, 1892 – January 6, 1963) was a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film director and writer who directed films from 1922 (''The Cradle Buster'') to 1959 (''Island of Lost Women''). Biography Frank Tuttle was ...

and starring

Esther Ralston Esther Ralston (born Esther Louise Worth, September 17, 1902 – January 14, 1994) was an American silent films, silent film star. Her most prominent sound picture was ''To the Last Man (1933 film), To the Last Man'' in 1933. Early life and c ...

. The plot was the work of director Frank Tuttle, from which the screenplay was written by

Florence Ryerson Florence Ryerson (September 20, 1892 – June 8, 1965) was an American playwright, screenwriter and co-author of the script for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz''. Between 1915 and 1927 she published more than 30 short stories and then joined Met ...

and Raymond Cannon, and the subtitles were provided by

Herman J. Mankiewicz Herman Jacob Mankiewicz ( ; November 7, 1897 – March 5, 1953) was an American screenwriter who, with Orson Welles, wrote the screenplay for ''Citizen Kane'' (1941). Both Mankiewicz and Welles went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Orig ...

. The supporting cast features Neil Hamilton,

Sôjin Kamiyama Sōjin Kamiyama or just Sōjin (; 30 January 1884 – 28 July 1954) was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1917 and 1954. He was the subject of a 1995 TV documentary by the Japanese film director Nobuhiro Suwa. ...

Charles Sellon Charles A. Sellon (August 24, 1870 – June 26, 1937) was an American stage and film actor. Sellon appeared in more than 100 films and stage acts between 1901 and 1935. He played the blind Mr. Muckle in W. C. Fields' comedy '' It's a Gift' ...

Roscoe Karns Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many ...

Lawrence Grant Percy Reginald Lawrence-Grant (30 October 1870 – 19 February 1952) was an English actor known for supporting roles in films such as '' The Living Ghost'', '' I'll Tell the World'', '' Shanghai Express'', ''The Mask of Fu Manchu'' and '' ...

, and

Mischa Auer Mischa Auer (born Mikhail Semyonovich Unkovsky, ; 17 November 1905 – 5 March 1967) was a Russian-American actor who moved to Hollywood in the late 1920s. He first appeared in film in 1928. Auer had a long career playing in many of the era's ...

. The picture was released on March 24, 1928, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. It is not known whether the film survives, or who holds the rights.Progressive Silent Film List: ''Something Always Happens''
at silentera.com The

Oriental The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

character played by

in the film resembled

Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu ( zh, t=傅滿洲/福滿洲, p=Fú Mǎnzhōu) is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character f ...

, not surprising as

Sax Rohmer Arthur Henry "Sarsfield" Ward (15 February 1883 – 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was an English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Fu Manchu."Rohmer, Sax" by Jack Adrian in David ...

's ''

'' character was very popular among filmgoers in 1928. Japanese actor Sojin played similar horror roles in ''The Bat'' (1926), ''The Unholy Night'' (1929) and ''Seven Footprints to Satan'' (1929). This film should not be confused with the 1934 sound film of the same title. In the film, an

Englishman The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language, a West Germanic language, and share a common ancestry, history, and culture. The English identity began with the Anglo-Saxons, when they we ...

arranges for his

fiancée An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

to spend the night in a

haunted house A haunted house, spook house or ghost house in ghostlore is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were otherwise connected with the property ...

. He hopes to end her thrill-seeking, but he has unwittingly send her to the

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...

of a criminal mastermind from the Orient.

Plot

A thrill-seeking socialite named Diana Mallory is engaged to marry a bland, very proper Englishman named Roderick Keswick. Keswick wants to purge Diana of her thrill-seeking ways, so he arranges for her to spend a night in a

in order to frighten the audacity out of her. Unbeknownst to Keswick, the old mansion is being used as a hideout for an Oriental criminal mastermind named Chang-Tzo, and Diana winds up having the adventure of her life. The house sports some weird characters, one of which is referred to in the film as "The Thing" (

Noble Johnson Noble Johnson (April 18, 1881 – January 9, 1978), later known as Mark Noble, was an American actor and film producer. He appeared in films such as '' The Mummy'' (1932), '' The Most Dangerous Game'' (1932), ''King Kong'' (1933) and '' Son o ...

Cast

as Diana Mallory * Neil Hamilton as Roderick Keswick *

as Chang-Tzo *

as Perkins *

as George *

as The Earl of Rochester *

as Clark *

as The Thing *

Vera Lewis Vera Lewis (June 10, 1873 – February 8, 1956) was an American film and stage actress, beginning in the silent film era. She appeared in more than 180 films from 1915 to 1947. She was married to actor Ralph Lewis. Biography She was born ...

as Gräfin Agathe * George Y. Harvey as Scotland Yard Inspector (uncredited)

References

External links

* * * 1928 films 1928 comedy horror films American black-and-white films American comedy horror films American haunted house films American silent feature films 1920s English-language films Films directed by Frank Tuttle Films set in country houses Paramount Pictures films Films with screenplays by Florence Ryerson 1920s American films Silent comedy-drama films Silent American horror films Silent American comedy films English-language comedy horror films {{1920s-silent-comedy-film-stub