''Gerald Cranston's Lady'' is a 1924 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Emmett J. Flynn Emmett J. Flynn (November 9, 1891 in Denver, Colorado – June 4, 1937 in Hollywood, California) was an American director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. Filmography As director * 1917 : ''Alimony'' * 1918 : '' The Racing Strain'' ...

and starring James Kirkwood,

Alma Rubens Alma Rubens (born Alma Genevieve Reubens; February 19, 1897 – January 21, 1931) was an American film actress and stage performer. Rubens began her career in the mid 1910s. She quickly rose to stardom in 1916 after appearing opposite Douglas F ...

, and

Walter McGrail Walter B. McGrail (October 19, 1888 – March 19, 1970) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 150 films between 1916 and 1951. Besides feature films, he appeared in ''The Scarlet Runner'', a 12-chapter serial. McGrail was born in ...

. It is based on the novel of the same title by

Gilbert Frankau Gilbert Frankau (21 April 1884 – 4 November 1952) was a popular British novelist. He was known also for verse (he was a war poet of World War I), including a number of verse novels, and short stories. He was born in London into a Jewish fami ...

published the same year as the film was released.

Plot

As described in a review in a film magazine, wealthy Englishman Gerald Cranston (Kirkwood) makes a bargain with Lady Hermione (Rubens) to marry her. Love is not to enter into the affair as he is marrying for social prestige and she to secure financial independence for herself and young son. Gordon Ibbotsleigh (McGrail), who loves Hermione, goes on a venture to Africa which unknown to him Gerald finances. Before going, Gordon taunts Hermione with being a purchased woman and endeavors to make love to her. Hermione respects Gerald and is jealous of the way her little son loves him. So she goes to the country. Angela (De La Motte), her cousin who loves Gerald, makes love to him and uses all her powers to win him, even following him to Paris in an airplane. Hermione returns, realizing she has begun to love Gerald, but this is turned to disgust when she learns of his trip to Paris. She taunts him with it. Just then, a discontented mob from Gerald’s factories attacks him and he is badly beaten. Angela comes to Hermione and tells her that Gerald is true to her. When he is brought in the house helpless, Hermione, who has repulsed all of Gerald’s previous advances, tells him she loves him. She offers the entire fortune he has settled on her and the child in order to save him from threatened financial ruin.

Cast

Production

''Gerald Cranston's Lady'' was filmed in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, by Fox Film. Although adopted from a novel in which a sexual theme was paramount, the film's plot was modified so that love and not passion was the dominating motivation in all situations except for a suspicion of infidelity during the Paris trip, which is afterwards proved to be groundless.

Preservation

With no prints of ''Gerald Cranston's Lady'' located in any film archives,Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: ''Gerald Cranston's Lady''
/ref> it is 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

Bibliography

* Kennedy, Matthew (2004). ''Edmund Goulding's Dark Victory: Hollywood's Genius Bad Boy''. University of Wisconsin Press. * Solomon, Aubrey (2011). ''The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography''. McFarland.

External links

* * 1924 films 1924 drama films Silent American drama films Films directed by Emmett J. Flynn American silent feature films 1920s English-language films Fox Film films Films set in London Films set in England American black-and-white films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub