''Don't Call It Love'' is a 1923 American silent

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film directed by

William C. deMille William Churchill deMille (July 25, 1878 – March 5, 1955), also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into ...

and written by

Clara Beranger Clara Beranger (' Strouse; January 14, 1886 – September 10, 1956) was an American screenwriter of the silent film era and a member of the original faculty of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Biography Beranger was born Clara Strouse in Balti ...

and Julian Street based upon the play ''Rita Coventry'' by Hubert Osborne. The film stars

Agnes Ayres Agnes Ayres (born Agnes Henkel; April 4, 1896 – December 25, 1940) was an American actress who rose to fame during the silent film era. She was known for her role as Lady Diana Mayo in '' The Sheik'' opposite Rudolph Valentino. Career Ayres b ...

, Jack Holt,

Nita Naldi Nita Naldi (born Mary Nonna Dooley; In this reference Naldi's birth name Nonna is mistakenly cited “Donna”. Naldi's birthname in this reference is also incorrectly cited as “Donna”. November 13, 1894 – February 17, 1961) was an Ameri ...

Theodore Kosloff Theodore Kosloff (born Fyodor Mikhailovich Kozlov, russian: Фёдор Михайлович Козлов; January 22, 1882 – November 22, 1956) was a Russian-born ballet dancer, choreographer, and film and stage actor. He was occasionally cr ...

Rod La Rocque Roderick Ross La Rocque (November 29, 1898 – October 15, 1969) was an American actor. Biography La Rocque was born in Chicago, Illinois to Edmund La Rocque and Ann (née Rice) La Rocque. His father was of French-Canadian descent and his mo ...

, and

Robert Edeson Robert Edeson (June 3, 1868 – March 24, 1931) was an American film and stage actor of the silent era and a vaudeville performer. Life and career Edeson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of manager and actor George R. Edeson. Afte ...

. The film was released on December 24, 1923, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, vampish opera diva Rita Coventry is attracted to wealthy New Yorker Richard Parrish and determines to add him to her long list of admirers, much to the annoyance of her conductor Luigi Busini, who is jealous of the many loves of his star. Richard is easily led on, too easily, in fact. While the two are at

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

, Rita promptly forgets his presence when Patrick Delaney, a young piano tuner, plays one of his compositions to her. She rushes back to New York City to arrange a hearing for him. Meanwhile Alice Meldrum, an unassuming young woman who really loves Richard, hears of his infatuation. Her friend Clara Proctor advises her to play Richard instead of allowing him to take her as a matter of course. However, when Richard returns, Alice cannot deny him her love.

Cast

References

External links

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Stills
at silentfilmstillarchive.com

at silenthollywood.com 1923 films 1920s English-language films Silent American comedy films 1923 comedy films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by William C. deMille American black-and-white films American silent feature films American films based on plays 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-comedy-film-stub