The Land of Promise
| The Land of Promise | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Joseph Kaufman |
| Produced by |
Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. Adolph Zukor Jesse L. Lasky |
| Written by | Charles Whittaker (scenario) |
| Based on |
The Land of Promise by W. Somerset Maugham |
| Starring |
Billie Burke Thomas Meighan |
| Cinematography | William Marshall |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates | December 9, 1917 |
Running time | 5 reels |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Land of Promise is a 1917 silent American comedy drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Joseph Kaufman and starred Billie Burke and Thomas Meighan. The film is based on the 1913 play The Land of Promise by W. Somerset Maugham, which also starred Burke on Broadway with Shelly Hull as her leading man.
The film was remade in 1926 by Paramount as The Canadian with Thomas Meighan reprising his role as Frank Taylor.
Plot
As described in a film magazine,[1] when her employer dies, leaving her penniless, Nora Marsh (Burke) decides to make her home with her brother Edward (Johnston) in Canada. She cannot, however, get along with her sister-in-law Gertie (Alden) and life becomes a hardship. The hired man Frank Taylor (Meighan) owns a farm of his own, but a storm has destroyed his crops and forced him to work. Shortly after Nora's arrival he leaves for his farm. Nora hears a remark that he intends to get a woman to be his wife and housekeeper and she decides to take a chance. They get married and he takes her to his house, which she soon has cozy and homelike. Wild mustard seed infests Taylor's crops and destroy them. Nora has received some money from England is thinking of leaving Taylor. When she learns that he will have to be a hired man again, she decides to stay and give him the use of her money.
Cast
- Billie Burke as Nora Marsh
- Thomas Meighan as Frank Taylor
- Helen Tracy as Miss Eunice Wickam
- Jack W. Johnston as Edward Marsh (aka J. W. Johnston)
- Mary Alden as Gertie Marsh
- Margaret Seddon as Miss Pringle
- Walter McEwen as James Wickham
- Grace Studdiford as Mrs. Wickham (* unclear whether this woman and Grace Van Studdiford are one in the same)
- John Raymond as Reginald Hornby
Preservation status
The House That Shadows Built (1931) promotional film by Paramount, contains an unidentified Billie Burke clip almost certainly from The Land of Promise. Other than this brief clip, this is considered a lost film.[2][3]
References
- ↑ "Reviews: The Land of Promise". Exhibitors Herald. New York: Exhibitors Herald Company. 5 (24): 23–24. December 8, 1917.
- ↑ The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1911-20 by The American Film Institute, c. 1988
- ↑ The Land of Promise as produced on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre by Charles Frohman, Dec. 25, 1913 to May 1914, 76 performances; IBDb.com
External links
- The Land of Promise at the Internet Movie Database
- The Land of Promise; allmovie.com
- Still with Billie Burke and Thomas Meighan