''The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln'' is a 1924 American feature film directed by
Phil Rosen
Philip E. Rosen (May 8, 1888 – October 22, 1951) was an American film director and cinematographer. He directed more than 140 films between 1915 and 1949.
He was born in Marienburg, German Empire (now, Malbork, Poland), grew up in Ma ...
and written by
Frances Marion
Frances Marion (born Marion Benson Owens, November 18, 1888 – May 12, 1973) was an American screenwriter, director, journalist and author often cited as one of the most renowned female screenwriters of the 20th century alongside June Mathis a ...
. By the date of release, the film's title was shortened to ''Abraham Lincoln'', since the previous title was regarded as cumbersome.
Cast
*
George A. Billings as
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
*Danny Hoy as Lincoln as a boy
*
Ruth Clifford
Ruth Clifford (February 17, 1900 – November 30, 1998) was an American actress of leading roles in silent films, whose career lasted from that era into the television era.
Early years
Clifford was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the daughter ...
as
Ann Rutledge
Ann Mayes Rutledge (January 7, 1813 – August 25, 1835) was allegedly Abraham Lincoln's first love.
Early life
Born near Henderson, Kentucky, Ann Mayes Rutledge was the third of 10 children born to Mary Ann Miller Rutledge and James Rutledge ...
*
Irene Hunt as
Nancy Hanks Lincoln
Nancy Hanks Lincoln (February 5, 1784 – October 5, 1818) was the mother of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Her marriage to Thomas Lincoln also produced a daughter, Sarah, and a son, Thomas Jr. When Nancy and Thomas had been married for ...
*
Fay McKenzie
Eunice Fay McKenzie (February 19, 1918 – April 16, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She starred in silent films as a child, and then sound films as an adult, but perhaps she is best known for her leading roles opposite Gene Autry ...
as
Sarah Lincoln
Sarah Bush Lincoln (December 13, 1788 – April 12, 1869) was the second wife of Thomas Lincoln
Thomas Lincoln (January 6, 1778 – January 17, 1851) was an American farmer, carpenter, and father of the 16th president of the United States, A ...
*Westcott Clarke as
Thomas Lincoln
Thomas Lincoln (January 6, 1778 – January 17, 1851) was an American farmer, carpenter, and father of the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Unlike some of his ancestors, Thomas could not write. He struggled to make a succes ...
*
Charles K. French
Charles K. French (born Charles Ekrauss French or Charles E. Krauss; January 17, 1860 – August 2, 1952) was an American film actor, screenwriter and director who appeared in more than 240 films between 1909 and 1945.
Biography
French was ...
as Isom Enlow
*
William J. Humphrey
William Jonathan Humphrey (January 2, 1875 – October 4, 1942) was an American actor and film director.
Born in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, William Humphrey was a well-known member of the early stock company of Vitagraph Studios. Without th ...
as
Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...
*
A. Edward Sutherland as
William Scott (billed as Eddie Sutherland)
*
Louise Fazenda
Louise Fazenda (June 17, 1895 – April 17, 1962) was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films.
Early life
Fazenda was born in her maternal grandparents' house in Lafayette, Indiana, the daughter of merchandise broke ...
as Sally
*William F. Moran as
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth th ...
*Walter Rogers as Gen.
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
*James Welch as Gen.
Robert E. Lee
*
Willis Marks
Willis Marks (August 20, 1865, Rochester, Minnesota, United States – December 6, 1952, Los Angeles, California) was an American silent film actor.
Biography
In 1888, Marks debuted on stage professionally. He acted in Oliver Morosco's stock c ...
as Secretary of State
William H. Seward
William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senator. A determined oppon ...
*
Fred Kohler
Fred Kohler (April 20, 1888 – October 28, 1938) was an American actor.
Career
Fred Kohler was born in Kansas City, Missouri or in Dubuque, Iowa. As a teen, he began to pursue a career in vaudeville, but worked other jobs to support himself. ...
as New Orleans slave auctioneer
*
Pat Hartigan
Pat Hartigan (born 1950) is an Irish former hurler who played for his local club South Liberties and at senior level for the Limerick county team in the 1970s. He is regarded as one of Limerick's greatest-ever players.
Early and private l ...
as Jack Armstrong
*
Otis Harlan
Otis Harlan (December 29, 1865 – January 21, 1940) was an American actor and comedian. He voiced Happy, one of the Seven Dwarfs in the Disney animated film ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''.
Early years
Harlan was born in Zanesville, Ohio ...
as
Denton Offutt
Denton Offutt was a 19th-century American general store operator who hired future President Abraham Lincoln for his first job as an adult in New Salem, Illinois.
After Lincoln and his family had moved there from Indiana in 1830, he was hired by ...
*Jules Hanft as James Rutledge
*Julia Hesse as Mrs. Rutledge
*
Robert Bolder
Robert Bolder (20 July 1859 – 10 December 1937) was an English film actor of the silent film, silent era. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1912 and 1936. He was born in London and died in Los Angeles, California. In the early par ...
as country politician
*William McIllwain as Dr. Allen
*
Robert Milasch
Robert Milasch (April 18, 1885 – November 14, 1954) was an American character actor in the Silent film, silent and Sound film, sound periods. He was 6 feet, 6 inches tall.
Biography
Milasch left his Smoke Mountain, Tennessee, home at age 9, ...
as Southern planter
*George Reehm as Southern planter
*
Genevieve Blinn
Genevieve Blinn (born Genevieve Clothilde Nannery; June 12, 1874 – July 20, 1956) was a Canadian actress who appeared on stage and in Hollywood silent motion pictures. She was a native of New Brunswick, Canada.
Family
Genevieve Nannery was t ...
as Mrs. Ninian Edwards, Mary’s sister
*
Mickey Moore as
Willie Lincoln
*Newton Hall as
Tad Lincoln
Thomas "Tad" Lincoln (April 4, 1853 – July 15, 1871) was the fourth and youngest son of Abraham Lincoln, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln.
Early life and education
Thomas Lincoln was born on April 4, 1853, the fourth son of Abraham Lincoln and Ma ...
*
Francis Powers as
Richard J. Oglesby
*Homer Willits as
John Hay
John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln, Hay's highest office was Un ...
, Lincoln’s secretary
*Jim Blackwell as Tom
*
Frances Raymond
Frances Raymond (1869–1961) was an American stage and film actress.Goble p.193 An established character actress, she played in a number of supporting roles during the silent era. Later, during the sound era, she primarily played much smaller, un ...
as Scott’s mother
*Jack Rollings as Union sentry
*
Merrill McCormick
William Merrill McCormick (February 5, 1892 – August 19, 1953) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1916 and 1953.
William Merrill McCormick was born on February 5, 1892, in Denver, Colorado.
McCormick ap ...
as corporal of the guard (billed as William McCormick)
*Frank Newburg as
Bixby
*
W. John Steppling as delegation chairman
*Wanda Crazer as dancer
*
Alfred Allen as General
George Meade
George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a United States Army officer and civil engineer best known for decisively defeating Confederate States Army, Confederate Full General (CSA), General Robert E. Lee at the Battle ...
*
Miles McCarthy as Major/General
Robert Anderson
*
Earl Schenck
Earl O. Schenck (13 May 1889 – 1962) was an American film actor. He appeared in 41 films between 1916 and 1946.
Career
After playing leading roles on Broadway and in Hollywood during the Silent era opposite such stars as Mae Murray ...
as Colonel
Henry Rathbone
Henry Reed Rathbone (July 1, 1837 – August 14, 1911) was a United States military officer and diplomat who was present at the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Rathbone was sitting with his fiancée, Clara Harris, next to the pre ...
*Dolly McLean as Miss Harris
*Cordelia Callahan as Mrs. Surratt
*Dallas Hope as stable boy
*Dick Johnson as bartender
*Jack Winn as
Ned Spangler
*
Lawrence Grant
Percy Reginald Lawrence-Grant (30 October 1870 in Bournemouth, Hampshire, England – 19 February 1952 in Santa Barbara, California, USA) was an English actor known for supporting roles in films such as ''The Living Ghost'', '' I'll Tell ...
as actor at Ford’s Theatre
*Ivy Livingston as actress at Ford’s Theatre
*Kathleen Chambers as actress at Ford’s Theatre
*
Henry Rattenberry as stagehand
*W. L. McPheeters as Secret Service Chief
Allan Pinkerton
Allan J. Pinkerton (August 25, 1819 – July 1, 1884) was a Scottish cooper, abolitionist, detective, and spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in the United States and his claim to have foiled a plot in 1861 to a ...
*
Nick Cogley
Nickolas P. J. Cogley (May 4, 1869 – May 20, 1936) was an American actor, director and writer of the silent films. He appeared in more than 170 films between 1909 and 1934.
Biography
Cogley was born in New York, New York. He attended St ...
as Secretary of War
Simon Cameron
Simon Cameron (March 8, 1799June 26, 1889) was an American businessman and politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate and served as United States Secretary of War under President Abraham Lincoln at the start of the Americ ...
*
Charles Smiley as Secretary of the Treasury
Salmon P. Chase
Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...
*R. G. Dixon as Secretary of the Navy
Gideon Welles
Gideon Welles (July 1, 1802 – February 11, 1878), nicknamed "Father Neptune", was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869, a cabinet post he was awarded after supporting Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election. Although opposed ...
*Harry Kelsey as Secretary of the Interior
Caleb B. Smith
*
Joseph S. Mills as Postmaster-General
Montgomery Blair
Montgomery Blair (May 10, 1813 – July 27, 1883) was an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. He served in the Lincoln administration cabinet as Postmaster-General from 1861 to 1864, during the Civil War. He was the son of Francis Presto ...
*Fred Manly as Attorney-General
Edward Bates
Edward Bates (September 4, 1793 – March 25, 1869) was a lawyer and politician. He represented Missouri in the US House of Representatives and served as the U.S. Attorney General under President Abraham Lincoln. A member of the influential ...
*William von Hardenburg as Attorney-General
James Speed
*R. J. Duston as Postmaster-General
William Dennison, Jr.
William Dennison Jr. (November 23, 1815 – June 15, 1882) was a Whig and Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 24th governor of Ohio and as U.S. Postmaster General in the Cabinet of President Abraham Lincoln during the American C ...
Awards
The movie won the
''Photoplay'' Medal of Honor for 1924 given out by ''Photoplay Magazine'', the most prestigious American film award of its time.
Preservation status
Incomplete prints of the film, including some color-tinted and color-toned footage, exist in various film archives, including the
National Film and Sound Archive
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...
and the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
.
See also
*
Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln
Since his death in 1865, Abraham Lincoln has been an iconic American figure depicted, usually favorably or heroically, in many forms. Lincoln has often been portrayed by Hollywood, almost always in a flattering light. He has been depicted in a w ...
*
List of incomplete or partially lost films
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
List of actors who have played the President of the United States of America
References
External links
*
Progressive Silent Film List: ''The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln''at silentera.com
Theatrical_advert_for_the_New_Lyric_Theater_in_November_1924,_announcing_the_film,_which_shares_dual_space_with_''Circe,_the_Enchantress''_with_Mae_Murray.html" ;"title="Circe, the Enchantress">Theatrical advert for the New Lyric Theater in November 1924, announcing the film, which shares dual space with ''Circe, the Enchantress
'' with Mae Murray">Circe, the Enchantress">Theatrical advert for the New Lyric Theater in November 1924, announcing the film, which shares dual space with ''Circe, the Enchantress
'' with Mae Murray
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln
1924 films
Fictional depictions of Abraham Lincoln in film
Films directed by Phil Rosen
American Civil War films
First National Pictures films
American silent feature films
Films with screenplays by Frances Marion
American black-and-white films
American historical films
1920s historical films
Cultural depictions of John Wilkes Booth
Cultural depictions of Ulysses S. Grant
Cultural depictions of Robert E. Lee
Cultural depictions of Allan Pinkerton
Photoplay Awards film of the year winners
1920s American films