''Making a Man'' is a 1922 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 ...

produced by

Adolph Zukor Adolph Zukor (; hu, Zukor Adolf; January 7, 1873 – June 10, 1976) was a Hungarian-American film producer best known as one of the three founders of Paramount Pictures.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'' (June 16, 1976), p. 76. He produ ...

and

Jesse L. Lasky Jesse Louis Lasky (September 13, 1880 – January 13, 1958) was an American pioneer motion picture producer who was a key founder of what was to become Paramount Pictures, and father of screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky Jr. Early life Born in to ...

, distributed 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 ...

, and directed by

Joseph Henabery Joseph Henabery (January 15, 1888 – February 18, 1976) of Omaha, Nebraska, was a film actor, screenplay writer, and director in the United States. He is best known for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in D.W. Griffith's controversial 1915 sile ...

.''The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1921-30'' by The American Film Institute, c. 1971 Starring Jack Holt, the film is based on the

Peter B. Kyne Peter Bernhard Kyne (October 12, 1880 – November 25, 1957) was an American novelist who published between 1904 and 1940. He was born and died in San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Many of his works were adapted into screenplays star ...

story "Humanizing Mr. Winsby".Progressive Silent Film List: ''Making a Man''
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 ...

, small town millionaire and snob Horace Winsby (Holt) finds himself in love with his neighbor's daughter Patricia Owens (Novak), who has just returned from

finishing school A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the education, wit ...

. He boasts of his wealth and takes it for granted that she will marry him, but instead she refuses him and says that no woman would marry him. Horace feels highly insulted and, in a rage, he forecloses on all the mortgages he holds. The farmers join forces and go to his office and demand additional time to pay. Horace is threatened and his bank manager advises him to leave town at once until the matter blows over. He goes to New York City and stays at an expensive hotel. During his stay, some crooks steal his wallet. Returning to the hotel, he is presented with the week's account but is unable to pay. He tries to wire for money but the hotel refuses him credit for the message, and he is put out into the street. In the park a bum named Shorty (Nelson) acquaints him with the ways of those down and out. He gets a job as a waiter and is there discovered by Patricia and her father Jim (Lockney) during their visit to New York City. Patricia realizes that he has become a man and accepts his marriage proposal this time.

Cast

* Jack Holt as Horace Winsby *

J. P. Lockney John P. Lockney (March 17, 1867, date of death unknown) was an American actor of the silent film era. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1937. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Partial filmography * ''The Bride of Hat ...

as Jim Owens *

Eva Novak Eva Barbara Novak (February 14, 1898 – April 17, 1988) was an American film actress, who was quite popular during the silent film era. Biography On February 14, 1898, Eva Barbara Novak was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Joseph Jerome Nov ...

as Patricia Owens *

Bert Woodruff William Herbert "Bert" Woodruff (April 29, 1856 – June 14, 1934) was an American actor of the silent era. Woodruff was born in Peoria, Illinois, and was the son of Mrs. Hannah Woodruff. He performed on stage before he began acting on fi ...

as Henry Cattermole *Frank Nelson as Shorty * Robert Dudley as Bailey

Preservation status

''Making a Man'' is now considered to be 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

* *
Lantern slide
1922 films Lost American films Films directed by Joseph Henabery Paramount Pictures films American silent feature films 1922 drama films Silent American drama films American black-and-white films 1922 lost films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub