''On Time'' is a 1924 American silent

comedy drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by

Henry Lehrman Henry Lehrman (March 30, 1881 – November 7, 1946) was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. Lehrman was a very prominent figure of Hollywood's silent film era, working with such cinematic pioneers as D. W. Griffith and Mack S ...

and starring

Richard Talmadge Richard Talmadge (born Sylvester Alphonse Metz; 3 December 1892 – 25 January 1981) also known as Sylvester Metzetti, Ricardo Metzetti, or Sylvester Ricardo Metzetti, was a German-born actor, stuntman and film director. Early life Born ...

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, Harry Willis, a

spendthrift A spendthrift (also profligate or prodigal) is someone who is extravagant and recklessly wasteful with money, often to a point where the spending climbs well beyond his or her means. "Spendthrift" derives from an obsolete sense of the word "thrift" ...

who has lost a fortune, promises his sweetheart Helen Hendon that he will amass another one within six months. However, by the end of that time limit, he has failed. At a

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

party he saves some valuable antiques from being stolen by Horace Hendon. The next day he is approached by a stranger who offers him $10,000 if he will obey the instructions he is given for one day. He agrees to the offer and action immediately follows. He attempts to rescue a woman in distress and falls into the hands of insane Doctor Spinks, who tries to operate on him and remove Harry's brain so it can be implanted into an ape. Later he is mixed up in a series of exciting incidents in a Chinese temple. He is involved in many fights, and finally escapes. He later discovers that his escapades over that day have been filmed with motion picture cameras and is offered an acting contract by a film studio. He accepts and wins the affections of Helen.

Cast

Production

Talmadge arranged the stunts in the film, which included a dozen fight sequences. Wilson played the comic role of the valet Casanova Clay in

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

Preservation

With no prints of ''On Time'' located in any film archives,The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''On Time''
/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

On Time at IMDb.com
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Lobby card
1924 films 1920s English-language films Films directed by Henry Lehrman Lost American films American black-and-white films 1924 comedy-drama films 1924 lost films Lost comedy-drama films Films with screenplays by Garrett Fort 1920s American films Silent American comedy-drama films {{1920s-silent-comedy-film-stub