''According to Hoyle'' is a

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

1922 American silent adventure film directed by

W.S. Van Dyke Woodbridge Strong Van Dyke II (Woody) (March 21, 1889 – February 5, 1943) was an American film director and writer who made several successful early sound films, including ''Tarzan the Ape Man'' in 1932, ''The Thin Man'' in 1934, ''San Franci ...

and starring David Butler,

Helen Ferguson Helen Ferguson (July 23, 1901 – March 14, 1977) was an American actress later turned publicist. Biography Born in Decatur, Illinois, in 1901, Ferguson graduated from Nicholas High School of Chicago and the Academy of Fine Arts. Ferguson wa ...

, and Philip Ford.Progressive Silent Film List: ''According to Hoyle''
at silentera.com

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, 'Boxcar' Simmons (D. Butler) is tramping the railroad ties to nowhere when from a car window blows a set of rules telling how to be a success for life. The idea rather appeals to Simmons so he sets out to live by them, changing his hobo garb for better clothes for, as the rules state, "God helps those who help themselves." Simmons is mistaken for a millionaire mining man. Dude Miller (F. Butler) and Jim Riggs (Todd) set out to sell him a rock-studded farm. Simmons discovers that Doris Mead (Ferguson) and her brother Jim (Ford) were previously swindled by the two slickers. He "

salts In chemistry, a salt is a chemical compound consisting of an ionic assembly of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, which results in a compound with no net electric charge. A common example is table salt, with positively c ...

" the ranch and the slickers pay out a large sum to buy his option, thinking it to be a rich silver ore deposit. Simmons turns this money over to Doris and her brother. The slickers, finding that they have been tricked, crack the hotel safe and steal Simmons' wallet and its rules for success. Once safely away they open the wallet and find and read the last rule: "Once you get a good start -- keep going!"

Cast

* David Butler as 'Boxcar' Simmons *

as Doris Mead * Philip Ford as Jim Mead * Fred J. Butler as Dude Miller *

Harry Todd Harry Todd (December 13, 1863 – February 15, 1935) was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 400 films between 1909 and 1935. On Broadway, Todd was a member of the ensemble in '' The American Way'' (1939). Todd died in Glendale, Cal ...

as Jim Riggs * Bud Ross as Silent Johnson *

Hal Wilson Hal Wilson (also credited Harold Wilson; born Hippocrates Wolfarth, October 2, 1861 – May 22, 1933), was a character actor who appeared in silent films. He was born in New York City.(14 October 1914)Hal Wilson's Career: Eclair Character Actor B ...

as Bellboy * Francis X. Bushman

References

Bibliography

* Munden, Kenneth White. ''The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1''. University of California Press, 1997.

External links

* * 1922 films 1922 adventure films American adventure films Films directed by W. S. Van Dyke American silent feature films 1920s English-language films American black-and-white films Lost American films 1922 lost films 1920s American films Silent adventure films {{silent-adventure-film-stub