When a Man's a Man (1924 film)

When a Man's a Man is a 1924 American silent Western film directed by Edward F. Cline and starring John Bowers, Marguerite De La Motte, and Robert Frazer.[1][2]

When a Man's a Man
Still with John Bowers and June Marlowe
Directed byEdward F. Cline
Written byWalter Anthony
Harry Carr
Based onWhen a Man's a Man
by Harold Bell Wright
Produced bySol Lesser
StarringJohn Bowers
Marguerite De La Motte
Robert Frazer
CinematographyHarold Janes
Ned Van Buren
Production
company
Principal Pictures
Distributed byFirst National Pictures
Release date
  • February 3, 1924 (1924-02-03)
Running time
7 reels
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSilent
English intertitles

Plot

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As described in a film magazine review,[3] Lawrence Knight, a millionaire loafer, is rejected by his sweetheart Helen Wakefield because he has never done anything worthy of a man. He goes west and obtains work at a ranch in Arizona. Although at first a tenderfoot, he masters the art of riding and roping and becomes a close friend of the foreman, Phil Acton. After attending school in the east, Phil's sweetheart, Kitty Reid, returns to her father's ranch and, believing that she can no longer endure ranch life, tells Phil that she cannot marry him. Phil becomes jealous of Knight and comes to believe that he is in league with a gang of cattle thieves. During a trip to the hills, Phil is shot in the back and seriously wounded by a cattle thief. Knight is accused of the deed, but proves his innocence just before he is to be hanged. Following the shooting of Phil, Kitty decides that she does love him after all and consents to marry him. Knight buys a ranch and presents it to Phil as a wedding gift.

Cast

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Production

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When a Man's a Man was filmed on location in and around Prescott, Arizona. Bowers broke his leg in a scene while bulldogging a steer.[4]

Preservation

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An incomplete copy of When a Man's a Man is held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Darby p. 257.
  2. ^ Progressive Silent Film List: When a Man's a Man at silentera.com
  3. ^ Morgan, Len (February 16, 1924). "Box Office Reviews: When a Man's a Man". Exhibitors Trade Review. 15 (13). New York: Exhibitors Review Publishing Corporation: 29. Retrieved September 1, 2022.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ Townsend, Andrew (23 March 2020), "Giving Voice to Silent Film Star John Bowers," Indiana Historical Bureau.
  5. ^ Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: When a Man's a Man

Bibliography

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  • Darby, William (1991). Masters of Lens and Light: A Checklist of Major Cinematographers and Their Feature Films. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-810-82454-X
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