The Honeymoon Express
| The Honeymoon Express | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | James Flood Ernst Lubitsch(uncredited) William Cannon(assistant) |
| Written by | Mary O'Hara |
| Starring | Willard Louis Irene Rich |
| Cinematography | David Abel Willard Van Enger |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release dates | September 2, 1926 (limited release) |
Running time | 7 reels |
| Country | US |
| Languages | Silent (English titles) Vitaphone (music score only) |
The Honeymoon Express is a lost[1] 1926 silent film drama directed by James Flood, starring Willard Louis and Irene Rich. It was originally meant to never be released. Two runtimes were reported at two separate showings.
Plot
The Lambert household does not get along with each other so Margaret and her youngest daughter Mary leaves their home. Margaret become an interior director, resulting in her regaining her happiness. Margaret's son Lance becomes mad at his father John due to the people that are invited over to their home and Lance starts a career with the help of his mother. John wants Margaret to return, but she refuses to do so. Margaret and her employer Jim become a couple and so does Mary and Jim's brother Dick. The family becomes reunited, but with Jim as the head of the household.
Production
The film is based on a play titled The Doormat.[2] It was directed by James Flood and the screenwriter was Mary O'Hara. The film was first released on August 9, 1926 by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was reported by The Film Daily on July 16, 1926 that Jack L. Warner of Warner Bros. Pictures was going to withdraw the film from being released, but it was later screened in September 1926 in New York City. The September 8, 1926 showing of the film in New York City was stated by Variety to be 64 minutes long, but it was reported by the magazine that an October 6, 1926 showing was 78 minutes long. The second reported length is more likely to be correct in comparison to its film reel length of 6,768 feet.[3]
The book American Film Cycles: The Silent Era states that The Honeymoon Express is one of a few silent films that "reflected the decade's extended social tolerance of premarital and and extramarital sex, and emphasized that these new freedoms brought additional responsibilites."[4]
Reception
The Palladium-Item said, "Your critic is willing to stake his reputation on the opinion thatThe Honeymoon Express is the sort of picture to be loved at sight and remembered gratefully long afterward".[5] A The Tuscaloosa News review praised the cast and stated, "All members of the family should see The Honeymoon Express".[6]
Cast
- Willard Louis as John Lambert
- Irene Rich as Mary Lambert
- Holmes Herbert as Jim Donaldson
- Helene Costello as Margaret Lambert
- John Patrick as Nathan Peck
- Jane Winton as Estelle
- Virginia Lee Corbin as Becky
- Harold Goodwin as Lance
- Robert Brower as Dick DonaldsonCite error: The opening
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References
- ^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog:The Honeymoon Express
- ^ "The Honeymoon Express". TCM. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ "The Honeymoon Express (1926)". AFI. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ Larry Langman (1998). American Film Cycles: The Silent Era. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-0-313-30657-0.
- ^ "Amusements". Palladium-Item. Richmond, Indiana. March 31, 1927 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "'The Honeymoon Express' a Film Sure to Please". The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa, Alabama. October 10, 1926 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
- The Honeymoon Express @ IMDb.com
- synopsis at AllMovie
- lobby card with Irene Rich, Virginia Lee Corbin
