''My Own United States'' is a 1918 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

John W. Noble John Winthrop Noble (born Winfield Fernley Kutz; June 24, 1880 – September 10, 1946) was an American film director and screenwriter during the silent era. Career John Winthrop Noble was the professional name of Winfield Fernley Kutz (someti ...

and starring

Arnold Daly Arnold Daly (October 22, 1875 – January 13, 1927) was an American actor, playwright, and producer. He was the father of actress and Algonquin Round Table personality Blyth Daly. Biography He was born Peter Christopher Arnold Daly in Brook ...

Charles E. Graham Charles E. Graham (1865–1948) was an American film actor of the silent era.Wlaschin p.87 Selected filmography * ''Arizona (1913 film), Arizona'' (1913) * ''The $5,000,000 Counterfeiting Plot'' (1914) * ''A Modern Magdalen'' (1915) * ''The Curio ...

, and Duncan McRae. It is based on the short story ''

The Man Without a Country "The Man Without a Country" is a short story by American writer Edward Everett Hale, first published in ''The Atlantic'' in December 1863. It is the story of American Army lieutenant Philip Nolan, who renounces his country during a trial for t ...

'' by

Edward Everett Hale Edward Everett Hale (April 3, 1822 – June 10, 1909) was an American author, historian, and Unitarian minister, best known for his writings such as "The Man Without a Country", published in ''Atlantic Monthly'', in support of the Union dur ...

. It was distributed by

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 original story, with its strong patriotic theme, was written during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

in order to increase public support for the Union cause; the film had a like function with regard to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, in which the United States was deeply involved at the time.

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 ...

, Philip Noloan (Daly) is a young American who entertains

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

views about the

American entry into World War I American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry ...

because of his selfish desire to maintain his own comfort. His father, to arouse his duty to his country, tells him the tragic story of his ancestor the first Philip Nolan's (Daly) treason by relating the incidents from the story ''

''. His father then tells of incidents from the

where a later ancestor, also named Philip Nolan (Daly), did all he could to wipe the stain of that treason from the family name. At the conclusion, Philip has become so thrilled by the great deeds of his family that he rises to the occasion and offers his services to his country to make the world safe for democracy.

Cast

as Lt. Philip Nolan I, II, III, IV *

as Col.

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...

* Duncan McRae as Gen. Alexander Hamilton *

Sidney Bracey Sidney Bracey (born Sidney Bracy; 18 December 1877 – 5 August 1942) was an Australian-born American actor. After a stage career in Australia, on Broadway and in Britain, he performed in more than 320 films between 1909 and 1942. Early lif ...

as Capt. Rene Gautier * P.R. Scammon as President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

* Thomas Donnelly as Gen. George Churchill * John Levering as Justice Col. George Morgan * Eddie Dunn as Gen. Wilkinson * Claude Cooper as William Bayard * William V. Miller as Mr. Van Ness * Frederick Truesdell as Mr. Pendleton * F.C. Earle as

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

Mary Carr Mary Carr (née Kenevan; March 14, 1874 – June 24, 1973), was an American film actress and was married to the actor William Carr. She appeared in more than 140 films between 1915 and 1956. She was given some of filmdoms plum mother roles in ...

as Mrs.

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

Shorty Hamilton Shorty Hamilton (September 9, 1879 – March 7, 1925) was an American actor and silent film comedian who appeared in more than 80 films, mostly westerns, from 1909 to 1925. His birth name was William John Schroeder, and he was also known as "Ja ...

as Lt. Gaines *

Richard Wangermann Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

as Dr. Hossack * Fred Herzog as Adm.

Stephen Decatur Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was an American naval officer and commodore. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County. His father, Stephen Decatur Sr., was a commodore in the Unite ...

Anna Lehr Anna Lehr (November 17, 1890 – January 22, 1974) was an American silent film and stage actress.''At The Majestic'', ''Sheboygan Press'', May 24, 1916, p. 2 Biography Born in New York City to Austrian immigrant parents, Frank Lehr and Emilie Fr ...

as Agnes Churchill

Reception

Like many American films of the time, ''My Own United States'' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors cut, in Reel 3, the shooting in the duel and changed the Lincoln quotation to read "Let us have faith that Right makes Might".

References

External links

* 1918 films 1918 drama films Silent American drama films 1910s English-language films Films directed by John W. Noble American black-and-white films American silent feature films Metro Pictures films 1910s American films {{1910s-drama-film-stub