The Last Man on Earth (1924 film)
The Last Man on Earth | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | John G. Blystone |
Starring | Earle Foxe Grace Cunard Gladys Tennyson Derelys Perdue Maurice Murphy Clarissa Selwynne |
Cinematography | Allen M. Davey |
Music by | Erno Rapee |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Fox Film Corporation |
Release date |
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Running time | 70 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Last Man on Earth is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by John G. Blystone, starring Earle Foxe[1] and produced by Fox Film Corporation and based on the short story of the same name by John D. Swain that appeared in the November 1923 issue of Munsey’s Magazine.[2] The film was remade as the semi-musical comedy It's Great to Be Alive (1933), and influenced the sci-fi novel Mr. Adam (1946).
Plot
In the year 1950, a plague known as "masculitis" has killed every fertile man on Earth over the age of 14. Womankind takes over the world and a woman becomes President of the United States.
Meanwhile, a female aviator, Gertie (Grace Cunard), flying over a redwood forest, finds smoke rising from the chimney of a cabin, where she discovers a reclusive hillbilly named Elmer Smith (Earle Foxe). He is captured and examined at a hospital. All the women in the world soon begin to fight over Smith.
Cast
- Earle Foxe as Elmer Smith
- Grace Cunard as Gertie
- Gladys Tennyson as Frisco Kate
- Derelys Perdue as Hattie
- Maurice Murphy as Elmer's Pal
- Clarissa Selwynne as Dr. Prodwell
- Fay Holderness as Elmer's Mother
- Marion Aye as Red Sal
- Harry Dunkinson as Elmer's Father
- Marie Astaire as Paula Prodwell
- Pauline French as Furlong
- Jean Johnston as Hattie (age 6)
- William Steele as Hattie's Father
- Buck Black as Elmer (age 8)
- Jean Dumas as Hattie's Mother
- Mimi Aguglia as Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
- Lois Boyd as Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
- Anita Garvin as A Millionairess (uncredited)
- Joan Meredith as Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Preservation status
Copies of The Last Man on Earth are held in the Cinematheque Royale de Belgique in Brussels and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.[3][4]
References
- ^ Hall, Mordaunt (December 13, 1924). "The Last Man on Earth (1924) THE SCREEN; A Boisterous Fantasy". The New York Times.
- ^ Westphal, Kyle. "The Last Man on Earth". Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Last Man on Earth
- ^ Progressive Silent Film List: The Last Man on Earth at silentera.com
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- 1924 films
- American black-and-white films
- American films
- American silent feature films
- American science fiction comedy films
- Films about aviators
- Films based on British novels
- Films based on science fiction novels
- Films directed by John G. Blystone
- Films set in 1950
- Films set in the future
- Films set in the United States
- Post-apocalyptic films
- Fox Film films
- 1920s science fiction comedy films
- Films about viral outbreaks
- 1924 comedy films
- 1920s silent comedy film stubs
- Science fiction film stubs