Manhattan (1924 film)

Manhattan
Manhattan
	Lobby card
Directed by	R. H. Burnside
Written by	Paul Sloane (scenario); Frank Tuttle (scenario)
Based on	The Definite Object; 1917 novel; by Jeffery Farnol
Produced by	Adolph Zukor; Jesse L. Lasky
Starring	Richard Dix
Cinematography	Hal Rosson
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	October 28, 1924;
Running time	7 reels
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Manhattan is a 1924 American silent romantic adventure film directed by R. H. Burnside featuring Richard Dix in his first starring role.^[2] A wealthy New Yorker falls in love with a burglar's sister.

Plot[edit]

As described in a review in a film magazine,^[3] Peter Minuit (Dix), wealthy and bored with life, is visited by a burglar who believes him one of his own kind. Peter, posing as Gentleman George, makes a deal with the chap, Spike (Kelly), who hides him in his home where Peter meets and falls in love with his sister Mary (Logan). McGinnis (Siegmann), the head of the gang, wants to marry Mary and she agrees to save her brother and Peter. Peter takes her to his home and reveals his identity. McGinnis threatens to “get” him. Mary goes back to McGinnis. Peter follows and there is a fierce fight. McGinnis is shot by one of his henchmen who has a grudge. The gang is arrested and Peter takes his future wife back home.

Cast[edit]

Richard Dix as Peter Minuit
Jacqueline Logan as Mary Malone
Gregory Kelly as Spike, Mary's brother
George Siegmann as Bud McGinnis
Gunboat Smith as Joe Madden
Oscar Brimberton Figman as Mr. Trapes
Edna May Oliver as Mrs. Trapes
Alice Chapin as Housekeeper
James Bradbury, Sr. as Trainer

Reception[edit]

Mordaunt Hall, critic for The New York Times, gave the movie a mixed review, stating that Kelly's "performance is easily the outstanding one in this production, and singularly enough it is the first time that he has acted before the camera."^[2] Hall thought, however, that Dix gave "just another motion-picture performance" and the narrative was "stretched to the breaking point."^[2]

Preservation status[edit]

A print of the film reportedly survives at Cinemateket Svenska Filminstitutet, Stockholm.^[4]^[5]

References[edit]

^ Manhattan at silentera.com
^ ^a ^b ^c Mordaunt Hall (October 29, 1924). "The Screen; Fists and Bullets". The New York Times.
^ Sewell, Charles S. (November 8, 1924). "Manhattan; Dix as Star and Burnside as Director Make Debut in Amusing and Entertaining Paramount Film". The Moving Picture World. 71 (2). New York City: Chalmers Publishing Co.: 171. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Manhattan
^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Manhattan

External links[edit]

Manhattan at IMDb
Synopsis at AllMovie
Manhattan at the TCM Movie Database
Manhattan at the American Film Institute Catalog
Lobby cards and other material at www.richarddix.org

This article about a 1920s romantic comedy film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Manhattan at silentera.com

[NYT-2] Mordaunt Hall (October 29, 1924). "The Screen; Fists and Bullets". The New York Times.

[3] Sewell, Charles S. (November 8, 1924). "Manhattan; Dix as Star and Burnside as Director Make Debut in Amusing and Entertaining Paramount Film". The Moving Picture World. 71 (2). New York City: Chalmers Publishing Co.: 171. Retrieved April 7, 2021.

[4] The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Manhattan

[5] The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Manhattan

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