''Public Be Damned'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Stanner E.V. Taylor and starring

Mary Fuller Mary Claire Fuller (October 5, 1888 – December 9, 1973) was an American actress active in both stage and silent films. She also was a screenwriter and had several films produced. An early major star, by 1917 she could no longer gain roles ...

, Charles Richman and

Chester Barnett Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border, English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: Peop ...

. The film's negative portrayal of food hoarding at a time of increased shortages due to the American entry into World War I led to it being publicly endorsed by Herbert Hoover, who shot a prologue to introduce the film. It was followed shortly afterwards by a similarly-themed production '' The Food Gamblers'' by

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan, was ...

.Lombardi p.77

Cast

as Marion Fernley * Charles Richman as John Black *

as Robert Merritt *

Joseph W. Smiley Joseph W. Smiley (born June 18, 1870, in Boston, Massachusetts) was an actor and director in the United States. His films include ''The Gray Horror'' (1915), ''The Other Sister'' (1915) and ''The Living Fear'' (1914), as well as many other film ...

as Bill Garvin * Russell Bassett as David Higgins * Herbert Hoover as Himself

References

Bibliography

* Frederic Lombardi. ''Allan Dwan and the Rise and Decline of the Hollywood Studios''. McFarland, 2013.

External links

* 1917 films 1917 drama films Silent American drama films Films directed by Stanner E.V. Taylor American silent feature films 1910s English-language films American black-and-white films Selznick Pictures films 1910s American films {{1910s-drama-film-stub