''Straight Is the Way'' is a surviving 1921 American silent

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Robert G. Vignola Robert G. Vignola (born Rocco Giuseppe Vignola, August 7, 1882 – October 25, 1953) was an Italian-American actor, screenwriter, and film director. A former stage actor, he appeared in many motion pictures produced by Kalem Company and later mov ...

, written by

Frances Marion Frances Marion (born Marion Benson Owens, November 18, 1888 – May 12, 1973) was an American screenwriter, director, journalist and author often cited as one of the most renowned female screenwriters of the 20th century alongside June Mathis a ...

and Ethel Watts Mumford, and starring Matt Moore, Mabel Bert,

Gladys Leslie Gladys Leslie Moore (March 5, 1899 – October 2, 1976) was an American actress in silent film, active in the 1910s and 1920s. Though less-remembered than superstars like Mary Pickford, she had a number of starring roles from 1917 to the ea ...

, George Parsons, Henry Sedley,

Van Dyke Brooke Van Dyke Brooke, ''né'' Stewart McKerrow (22 June 1859–17 September 1921) was an early American actor, screenwriter and film director, whose works include '' The Reprieve: An Episode in the Life of Abraham Lincoln'' (1908) and '' Lights of New ...

, and

Emily Fitzroy Emily Fitzroy (24 May 1860 – 3 March 1954) was an English theatre and film actress who eventually became an American citizen. She was at one time a leading lady in London for Sir Charles Wyndham. She made her film debut in 1915. Her debut i ...

. It was released on March 6, 1921, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Plot

An old woman and her niece, an orphan, consult an

ouija board The ouija ( , ), also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and grap ...

to locate a hidden treasure in order to save their mortgaged home.

Cast

* Matt Moore as 'Cat' Carter *

Mabel Bert Mabel Bert (née Scott, 1862 – ?) was an Australian-born American actress. Early life Bert was born in Australia in 1862. Her father was A.C. Scott whose family was very wealthy. They immigrated to the United States in 1865, settling in Sa ...

as Aunt Mehitabel *

as Dorcas *George Parsons as 'Loot' Follett *Henry Sedley as Jonathan Squoggs *

as Const. Whipple *

as Mrs. Crabtree *Peggy Parr as Bobby

Preservation status

A copy of ''Straight Is the Way'' survives in 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 ...

collection.The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''Straight is the Way''
/ref>

Edward Lorusso Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

produced a DVD of the film in 2021 with a music score by

David Drazin David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

References

External links

* * 1921 films 1920s English-language films Silent American comedy films 1921 comedy films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Robert G. Vignola American black-and-white films American silent feature films Films with screenplays by Frances Marion 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-comedy-film-stub