''Idle Tongues'' 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

Lambert Hillyer Lambert Harwood Hillyer (July 8, 1893 – July 5, 1969) was an American film director and screenwriter. Biography Lambert Harwood Hillyer was born July 8, 1893, in Tyner, Indiana. His mother was character actress Lydia Knott. A graduate of ...

and produced by

Thomas H. Ince Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent film - era filmmaker and media proprietor. Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films. He revolutionized the mo ...

, one of his last efforts before his death that year. It starred Percy Marmont and Doris Kenyon and was distributed by

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

Plot

As described in a review in a film magazine, Dr. Nye (Marmont) returns to Ostable after spending five years in prison for the theft of church funds. Daniel Copeland (Gillingwater), brother of the doctor’s dead wife Fanny (Clayton), wants to install a municipal water system, but he is opposed by Cyrenus Stone (Torrence), his arch enemy. The townspeople, with their propensity for gossip, turn against Dr. Nye with the exception of Katherine Minot (Kenyon), who loves him. Typhoid fever breaks out and Dr. Nye believes that pond water which is piped by Copeland's water system is responsible for it. He accuses Copeland and is mobbed by the townspeople. He calls on Copeland and discloses how he went to prison to save his dead wife's reputation, as she was the real thief. Copeland is overcome to learn that his daughter stole the church money. Katherine overhears the conversation and provides additional details of how Dr. Nye’s wife once schemed to win him away from her. Copeland has previously opposed the marriage of his daughter Faith (Ricksen) to Tom (McGregor), the son of his arch enemy. Dr. Nye forces him to approve the marriage. Dr. Nye finds happiness in marriage with Katherine.

Cast

Preservation

With no copies of ''Idle Tongues'' located in any film archives,The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Films: ''Idle Tongues''
/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

External links

* * 1924 films Lost American films American silent feature films Films directed by Lambert Hillyer First National Pictures films Films based on American novels American black-and-white films Silent American drama films 1924 drama films 1924 lost films Lost drama films 1920s American films 1920s English-language films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub