The New Klondike
| The New Klondike | |
|---|---|
 lobby card |
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| Directed by | Lewis Milestone |
| Produced by | Adolph Zukor Jesse L. Lasky |
| Written by | Thomas J. Geraghty J. Clarkson Miller Ben Hecht |
| Screenplay by | Ring Lardner |
| Based on | The New Klondike by Peggy Griffith |
| Starring | Thomas Meighan Lila Lee Paul Kelly Tefft Johnson |
| Cinematography | Alvin Wyckoff |
| Studio | Famous Players-Lasky |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | March 15, 1926 (USA Theatrical) |
| Running time | 80 minutes 8 reels |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English intertitles |
The New Klondike is a 1926 black-and-white silent romantic comedy sports drama film directed by Lewis Milestone for Famous Players-Lasky.[1][2][3] The film was set against the backdrop of the Florida land boom of the 1920s,[4] and stands as Ben Hecht's first film assignment.[5][6]
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[edit] Background
Partly filmed on location in Miami, the film is based upon a short story by Ring Lardner and was inspired by both the national baseball craze and the Florida land boom speculation of 1925.[7] The film itself then inspired the 1926 Peggy Griffith novel The New Klondike - A Story of a Southern Baseball Training Camp.[8][9] The film proved successful enough to secure Thomas Meighan a long-term acting contract with Paramount.[7]
Prints of this film are held in the Library of Congress film archives.[10][11]
[edit] Plot
Small town pitcher, Thomas Kelly (Thomas Meighan), is sent to Spring training with a minor league baseball team in Florida, but is fired by its jealous manager, Joe Cooley (Jack W. Johnston). Kelly is then talked into being the celebrity endorser for a Florida real estate firm, and his former teammates invest money in the firm through him. Still jealous of Kelly's popularity, Cooley conspires with crooked broker Morgan West (Robert Craig) to sell Kelly and the investors some worthless swampland. Kelly and his friends lose their money, but Kelly struggles to recoup the losses. He eventually makes a fortune, repays the investors, and is himself appointed team manager in place of Cooley.
[edit] Cast
- Thomas Meighan as Tom Kelly
- Lila Lee as Evelyn Lane
- Paul Kelly as Bing Allen
- Tefft Johnson as Col. Dwyer
- Hallie Manning as Flamingo Applegate
- Robert W. Craig as Morgan West
- George De Carlton as Owen
- Jack W. Johnston as Joe Cooley
- Brenda Lane as Bird Dog
- Danny Hayes as The Spieler
[edit] Reception
The New York Times writes "The wild scramble for Florida real estate is served up in a fairly humorous light in Thomas Meighan's latest production, 'The New Klondike, which is Thomas J. Geraghty's adaptation of a special story by Ring Lardner." They noted that the film was predictable and not overburdened with suspense, but that the film did provide "several amusing incidents concerned with the activities of the realtors and their victims."[4]
[edit] References
- ^ John Douglas Eames (1985). The Paramount story. Crown. pp. 44. ISBN 0517553481.
- ^ Kingsley Canham (1974). Lewis Milestone. Volume 2 of The Hollywood Professionals, Kingsley Canham. Tantivy Press. pp. 73, 107. ISBN 0498013944.
- ^ Rob Edelman (1994). The great baseball films: from right off the bat to a league of their own. Carol Pub. Group. pp. 159, 160, 204. ISBN 0806514795.
- ^ a b "The Florida Boom". The New York Times. 26 March, 1926. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F0DE2D9103DEE3ABC4A51DFB566838D639EDE. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
- ^ Lea Jacobs (2008). The decline of sentiment: American film in the 1920s. University of California Press. pp. 302. ISBN 0520254570.
- ^ William MacAdams (1990). Ben Hecht: the man behind the legend. Scribner. pp. 103, 291, 299. ISBN 0684189801.
- ^ a b Hal Erickson, Rovi. "The New Klondike". AMC. http://movies.amctv.com/movie/103815/New-Klondike/details. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
- ^ Werner Delanoy, Johann Köberl, Heinz Tschachler (1993). Experiencing a foreign culture: papers in English, American, and Australian studies. Gunter Narr Verlag. pp. 135, 146. ISBN 3823343645. http://books.google.com/books?id=yDbgpCduweQC&pg=PA135&lpg=PA135&dq=%22Ring+Lardner%22,+%22The+New+Klondike%22,+%22short+story%22&source=bl&ots=fKrrvKTRVi&sig=4qYqY8YfoTF2tS3M0K1rTbKH9E4&hl=en&ei=kjGyTYWbDaPliAKB6eCvBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CCoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22The%20New%20Klondike%22&f=false.
- ^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office (1927). Catalog of Copyright Entries. New Series: 1926, Part 1. Volume 23, Part 1 of Catalog of Copyright Entries. New Series. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. pp. 734. http://books.google.com/books?id=XqIhAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA734&dq=%22The+New+Klondike+-+A+Story+of+a+Southern+Baseball+Training+Camp%22&hl=en&ei=fjSyTdPAMOfmiAL606iwBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22The%20New%20Klondike%20-%20A%20Story%20of%20a%20Southern%20Baseball%20Training%20Camp%22&f=false.
- ^ "The New Klondike". silentera.com. http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/N/NewKlondike1926.html. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
- ^ Hal Erickson (1992). Baseball in the movies: a comprehensive reference, 1915-1991. McFarland. pp. 223.
[edit] External links
- The New Klondike at the Internet Movie Database
- The New Klondike at the Allmovie
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- 1926 films
- American films
- American comedy films
- American crime films
- American drama films
- American baseball films
- American silent feature films
- English-language films
- Black-and-white films
- Films directed by Lewis Milestone
- Paramount Pictures films
- Famous Players-Lasky films
- Films set in Florida
- Criminal comedy films
- 1920s crime films
- 1920s drama films
- 1920s comedy films
