''Salome of the Tenements'' 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 ...

adapted to the screen by Sonya Levien from the

Anzia Yezierska Anzia Yezierska (October 29, 1880 – November 20, 1970) was a Jewish-American novelist born in Mały Płock, Poland, which was then part of the Russian Empire. She emigrated as a child with her parents to the United States and lived in the ...

novel of the same name. Made by Jesse L. Lasky and Adolph Zukor's

Famous Players–Lasky Corporation Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and t ...

, a division of Paramount Pictures, it was directed by

Sidney Olcott Sidney Olcott (born John Sidney Allcott, September 20, 1872 – December 16, 1949) was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter. Biography Born John Sidney Allcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great direc ...

and starred

Jetta Goudal Jetta Goudal (, born Julie Henriette Goudeket; July 12, 1891 – January 14, 1985) was a Dutch-American actress, successful in Hollywood films of the silent film era. Early life Goudal was born on July 12, 1891, the daughter of Geertruida (' ...

and

Godfrey Tearle Sir Godfrey Seymour Tearle (12 October 1884 – 9 June 1953) was a British actor who portrayed the quintessential British gentleman on stage and in both British and US films. Biography Born in New York City and brought up in Britain, he was t ...

. The film, which was inspired by accounts of the real life of

Rose Pastor Stokes Rose Harriet Pastor Stokes (née Wieslander; July 18, 1879 – June 20, 1933) was an American socialist activist, writer, birth control advocate, and feminist. She was a figure of some public notoriety after her 1905 marriage to Episcopalian mill ...

, tells the story of poor immigrants living in New York's

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish Lower East Side. It was shot at the Paramount Astoria studios.

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, Sonya Mendel (Goudal) works at a Jewish newspaper. She interviews John Manning (Tearle) on the erection of a new settlement. He invites her to dinner and she borrows clothes from Jakey Salomon (Ruben) so that she looks presentable. She also borrows money from Banker Ben (Tenenholz) and in return she gives a note promising to repay $150 when she marries Manning. After she is married, Ben threatens to show Manning the note unless she "calls him off" from prosecuting Ben. When he learns of the note, Manning forgives his wife.

Cast

Death of Fanny Weintraub

The movie used several elderly extras who were residents at the Home of Old Israel. The residents were told the morning of the premier that they were invited to attend, to see Fanny Weintraub's performance. Mrs. Weintraub was overwhelmed and died from the excitement.

Preservation

With no prints of ''Salome of the Tenements'' located in any film archives, it is a

lost film A lost film is a feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing char ...

.''Salome of the Tenements'' at Lost Film Files: ''Lost Paramount films - 1925''
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References

External links

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website dedicated to Sidney Olcott 1925 films American silent feature films Films directed by Sidney Olcott American black-and-white films Famous Players-Lasky films American films based on actual events Films based on American novels Lost American romantic drama films Films with screenplays by Sonya Levien 1925 romantic drama films Films based on works by Anzia Yezierska 1920s American films Silent American romantic drama films {{silent-romantic-drama-film-stub