Flying Pat is a 1920 American silent comedy film starring Dorothy Gish and her then husband James Rennie that was directed by F. Richard Jones. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures.[1]

Flying Pat
Film Poster
Directed byF. Richard Jones
Written byVirginia Philley Withey (story)
Harry Carr (scenario)
F. Richard Jones
StarringDorothy Gish
James Rennie
CinematographyFred Chaston
Production
company
New Art Film Co.
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • November 11, 1920 (1920-11-11)
Running time
50 minutes; 5 reels
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

The film is preserved in the Cinémathèque Française.[2]

Still with Dorothy Gish and James Rennie.

Plot edit

As described in a film magazine,[3] young bride Patricia Van Nuys (Gish), whose husband Robert (Rennie) desires that she carve out a career rather than bother her pretty head about domestic chores, is given lessons in flying by William Endicott (Wallace). Her experiences as a pupil land them both on the ground in a nose dive wreck from which they miraculously emerge and seek refreshment in a nearby roadhouse. Her husband arrives on the scene just as her instructor is proving to be an affectionate and entertaining companion. His ire drives her out of the home and on the night train to Albany. Rid of her money in a poker game, she returns and meets an emergency by posing as a cook in her own home. One complication leads to another until they terminate in the reconciliation of the couple.

Cast edit

Release edit

Flying Pat was released in the United States on November 11, 1920. It was still circulating in 1922, screening at the Empress Theatre in Mangum, Oklahoma, on February 24 and 25,[4] and at the Royal Theatre in Guymon on Saturday, March 4.[5] A week after that, it played Tulsa.[6]

The film first screened in New Zealand at the Paramount and Artcraft Theatres on June 3, 1921, on a double bill with the dramatic feature The Inside of the Cup.[7] The film played at those theaters through at least June 8.[8] It was second feature to Cecil B. deMille's Something to Think About when it screened at Wellington's Princess Theatre on December 9 of that year.[9] It premiered in Whangārei the following month.[10]

Note edit

In her 1969 autobiography, The Movies Mr. Griffith and Me, Lillian Gish includes a still from this movie identifying James Rennie, Dorothy Gish, and an unknown player. The unknown player is actor Morgan Wallace.

References edit

  1. ^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Flying Pat
  2. ^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Flying Pat
  3. ^ "Reviews: Flying Pat". Exhibitors Herald. 11 (23). New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company: 87. December 4, 1920.
  4. ^ The Mangum Star Volume 34. Number 37. Edition 1. February 23, 1922. p 5. Retrieved January 31, 2016
  5. ^ Back To The Kitchen In "Flying Pat". The Guymon Herald. Volume 32. Number 1. Edition 1. March 2, 1922. p 1. Retrieved January 31, 2016
  6. ^ Morning Tulsa Daily World. Volume 16. Number 169. Edition 1. March 18, 1922. p 13. Retrieved January 31, 2016
  7. ^ "The Inside of the Cup". Evening Post. Volume CI. Issue 130, June 2, 1921. p 3. Retrieved January 31, 2016
  8. ^ Paramount and Artcraft. Evening Post. Volume CI. Issue 135. June 8, 1921. p 3. Retrieved January 31, 2016
  9. ^ Advertisements. Evening Post. Volume CII. Issue 138. December 8, 1921. p 2. Retrieved January 31, 2016
  10. ^ Amusements. Northern Advocate. January 3, 1922. p 8. Retrieved January 31, 2016

External links edit