''Manhattan Madness'' is a 1925 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 McDermott and starring

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. ...

and

Estelle Taylor Ida Estelle Taylor (May 20, 1894 – April 15, 1958) was an American actress, singer, model, and animal rights activist. With "dark-brown, almost black hair and brown eyes," she was regarded as one of the most beautiful silent film stars of the 1 ...

, a then real life husband and wife duo. It was produced by Fine Arts Pictures and distributed through

Associated Exhibitors Associated Exhibitors was an American film distribution company active during the silent era. The company did not produce its own pictures but released productions by independent producers, handling a mixture of low-budget and more prestigious fi ...

. This film is a remake of

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thie ...

's 1916 film '' Manhattan Madness''.

Plot

As described in a film magazine reviews, young Westerner Steve O’Dare comes to New York City in search of thrills but finds it very dull. A host of his friends decide to whoop things up a bit. An attractive young woman (Taylor) to whom Steve has been introduced has been suddenly kidnapped and sends him an S.O.S. from a house on Long Island. In good faith, Steve rushes to the rescue. The Long Island place appears to be possessed or the habitat of an evil gang determined to exterminate him by any means possible. Mysterious happenings occur in the house such as sliding walls, trap doors, dungeons, and what not. Steve gets busy and tackles them one at a time or altogether, and finally rescues the fair damsel, only to find that it was all a joke. Steve’s ire is aroused and he kidnaps the young woman and makes her his wife.

Cast

Production

Oscar Price, of

, made plans to remake 1916's '' Manhattan Madness'' in early 1925 and served as its producer.

was unable to participate in any boxing matches as stipulated by his contract for the film. It was initially claimed that the Dempseys were paid $250,000, but it was denied by Jack's manager

Jack Kearns Jack "Doc" Kearns (born John Patrick Leo McKernan; August 17, 1882 – July 7, 1963) was an American boxer and boxing manager. He was born on a farm in Waterloo, Michigan to Phillip H. McKernan and Frances M. Knauf (aka Hoff, later Quigley), dau ...

. Filming started on March 23, 1925, and ended in April.

Reception

Roberta Nangle, writing in ''

Chicago Daily Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television are ...

'', criticized the film as "old stuff" and "an incoherent jumble of fist fights, kidnapings, shootings, and similar rough stuff capped by a romantic but rather silly climax". Laurence Reid of ''

Motion Picture News The ''Motion Picture News'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1913 to 1930. History The publication was created through the 1913 merger of the ''Moving Picture News'' founded in 1908 and ''The Exhibitors' Times'', founded ...

'' stated that "it is a hokum picture which is built entirely on the premise of surprise" and "It is well done allowing for some colorless comedy relief expressed by a pair of eccentric cowpuncher - and some repetitious incident leading up to the climax."

Allene Talmey Allene Rosamond Talmey (January 11, 1903 March 13, 1986), later Allene Talmey Plaut, was an American columnist, editor, reporter and a film reviewer. She worked with various magazines and newspapers, including ''Vogue'' magazine, where she was a ...

described it as "undoubtedly one of the worst films ever produced".

Preservation

The film is preserved at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

and

George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection The George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection in Rochester, New York comprises about 28,000 titles, including features, shorts, documentaries, newsreels, and experimental moving images. The collection is renowned for its holdings of silent f ...

.The Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''Manhattan Madness''
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References

Works cited

External links

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Stills of Jack Dempsey and Estelle Taylor
an
Dempsey in western clothes
at gettyimages.com 1925 films 1925 drama films American black-and-white films Silent American drama films American silent feature films Films directed by John McDermott Associated Exhibitors films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub