''The Destroying Angel'' is a 1923 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
W.S. Van Dyke
Woodbridge Strong Van Dyke II (March 21, 1889 – February 5, 1943) was an American film director who made several early sound films, including '' Tarzan the Ape Man'' in 1932, ''The Thin Man'' in 1934, ''San Francisco'' in 1936, and six popular ...
and starring
Leah Baird
Leah Baird (born Ada Frankenstein; June 20, 1883 – October 3, 1971) was an American actress and screenwriter.
Life
Baird was born in Champaign County, Illinois. on June 20, 1883, the daughter of William Frankenstein and Bertha Schreiver Frank ...
,
John Bowers and
Noah Beery
Noah Nicholas Beery (January 17, 1882 – April 1, 1946) was an American actor who appeared in films from 1913 until his death in 1946. He was the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor Wallace Beery as well as the father of characte ...
.
[Munden p.183]
The film is based on
Louis Joseph Vance
Louis Joseph Vance (September 19, 1879 – December 16, 1933) was an American novelist, screenwriter and film producer. He created the popular character Michael Lanyard, a criminal-turned-detective known as the Lone Wolf.
Early life
Louis J ...
's 1912 novel of the same name.
Plot
Cast
*
Leah Baird
Leah Baird (born Ada Frankenstein; June 20, 1883 – October 3, 1971) was an American actress and screenwriter.
Life
Baird was born in Champaign County, Illinois. on June 20, 1883, the daughter of William Frankenstein and Bertha Schreiver Frank ...
as Mary Miller / Saraa Law
*
John Bowers as Hugh Miller Whittaker
*
Noah Beery
Noah Nicholas Beery (January 17, 1882 – April 1, 1946) was an American actor who appeared in films from 1913 until his death in 1946. He was the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor Wallace Beery as well as the father of characte ...
as Curtis Drummond
*
Ford Sterling
Ford Sterling (born George Stitch; November 3, 1883 – October 13, 1939) was an American comedian and actor best known for his work with Keystone Studios. One of the 'Big 4', he was the original chief of the Keystone Cops.
Early years
Sterli ...
as Max Weil
*
Mitchell Lewis as 'Strangler' Olsen
*
Philip Sleeman
Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularized the n ...
as Kidnapper
Preservation
With no prints of ''The Destroying Angel'' located in any film archives, it is considered a
lost film
A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...
.
References
Bibliography
* Munden, Kenneth White. ''The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1''. University of California Press, 1997.
External links
*
1923 films
1923 lost films
1923 comedy films
1920s English-language films
American silent feature films
Silent American comedy films
American black-and-white films
Films directed by W. S. Van Dyke
Associated Exhibitors films
1920s American films
English-language comedy films
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