''Alias Jimmy Valentine'' is a 1920 American

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

crime drama starring

Bert Lytell Bertram Lytell (February 24, 1885 – September 28, 1954) was an American actor in theater and film during the silent film era and early talkies. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films. Background Born in New York City, Lyt ...

, directed by Edmund Mortimer and

Arthur Ripley Arthur DeWitt Ripley (January 12, 1897 – February 13, 1961) was an American film screenwriter, editor, producer and director. Biography In 1923, he joined the Mack Sennett studio as a comedy writer. In the 1920s, he worked closely with Fr ...

, and released through

Metro Pictures Metro Pictures Corporation was a Film, motion picture production company founded in early 1915 in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a forerunner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The company produced its films in New York, Los Angeles, and sometimes at leas ...

. The film was based on a 1910 stage play by Paul Armstrong, which in turn was based on the 1903 short story "

A Retrieved Reformation "A Retrieved Reformation" is a short story by American author O. Henry first published in '' The Cosmopolitan Magazine'', April 1903. The original title was "A Retrieved Reform". It was illustrated by A.I. Keller. History The story describes ...

" by O. Henry. An earlier version of the play was filmed in 1915, and a later version, also called '' Alias Jimmy Valentine'' (1928) and starring

William Haines Charles William Haines (January 2, 1900 – December 26, 1973) was an American actor and interior designer. Haines was discovered by a talent scout and signed with Goldwyn Pictures in 1922. His career gained momentum when he received favo ...

, was produced by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

Plot

Based upon a review in a film magazine, Jimmy Valentine (Lytell), a prisoner in

Sing Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...

for

safe-cracking Safe-cracking is the process of opening a safe without either the combination or the key. Physical methods Different procedures may be used to crack a safe, depending on its construction. Different procedures are required to open different safes ...

, although guilty, maintains his innocence. When he obtains a pardon, he goes straight, influenced by a beautiful girl (Vale). He assumes a new identity as Lee Randall and diligently works at a bank for three years. When he is about to get married, Detective Doyle comes to town with proof of Valentine's guilt. However, the Randall identity is complete, and just as the detective is convinced and about to leave, word comes that a little girl is trapped in the bank safe and no one has the combination. Although the detective is nearby, Valentine uses his skills to open the safe, knowing that it will give away his identity. After the girl is rescued, the detective decides to leave without arresting Valentine.

Cast

- Lee Randall/Jimmy Valentine *

Vola Vale Vola Vale (born Vola Smith; February 12, 1897 – October 17, 1970) was a silent film actress. Early career Vale was born in Buffalo, New York and educated in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Her high school friends in Rochester, New York, where she w ...

- Rose Lane *

Eugene Pallette Eugene William Pallette (July 8, 1889 – September 3, 1954) was an American actor who worked in both the silent and sound eras, performing in more than 240 productions between 1913 and 1946. After an early career as a slender leading man, ...

- 'Red' Jocelyn *

Wilton Taylor Wilton Taylor (1869 – January 24, 1925) was an American stage and silent screen actor. He usually played gruff men of authority like wardens, judges or the police commissioner in Tod Browning's '' Outside the Law'' (1920). Of some other su ...

- Detective Doyle *

Marc Robbins Marc Robbins (January 3, 1868 – April 5, 1931) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 78 films between 1914 and 1923. He died in Los Angeles, California. Morey was from Topeka, Kansas, and he acted with the Morey Stock ...

- Bill Avery * Robert Dunbar - Lt. Gov. Fay *

Winter Hall Winter Hall (21 June 1872 – 10 February 1947) was a New Zealand actor of the silent era who later appeared in sound films. He performed in more than 120 films between 1916 and 1938. Prior to that, he had a career as a stage actor in Austr ...

- William Lane * Jim Farley - Cotton

Preservation status

This 1920 film is now considered a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

References

External links

* * 1920 films American silent feature films American films based on plays Lost American films American black-and-white films 1920 crime films Films directed by Edmund Mortimer American crime films 1920 lost films 1920s American films {{1920s-US-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Preservation status

See also

References

External links