''The Ghost Patrol'' is a 1923 American silent romantic melodrama film directed by

Nat Ross Nat Ross (June 13, 1902 – February 24, 1941) was an American film director and producer of the silent film, silent era. He directed more than 60 films between 1922 and 1931, and produced films until 1937. He was born in San Francisco, Cal ...

from a short story by

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American writer and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States (and the first from the Americas) to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was ...

, produced and distributed by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

. It starred

Ralph Graves Ralph Graves (born Ralph Horsburgh; January 23, 1900 – February 18, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director and actor who appeared in more than 90 films between 1918 and 1949. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Graves had alre ...

and

Bessie Love Bessie Love (born Juanita Horton; September 10, 1898April 26, 1986) was an American-British actress who achieved prominence playing innocent, young girls and wholesome leading ladies in silent and early sound films. Her acting career spanned ei ...

and is now considered

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

. The film is a member of the Universal-produced and

Carl Laemmle Carl Laemmle (; born Karl Lämmle; January 17, 1867 – September 24, 1939) was a film producer and the co-founder and, until 1934, owner of Universal Pictures. He produced or worked on over 400 films. Regarded as one of the most important o ...

-selected "The Laemmle Nine", which also includes ''A Dangerous Game'', '' The Flaming Hour'', ''

Kindled Courage ''Kindled Courage'' is a 1923 American silent Western film directed by William Worthington and featuring Hoot Gibson. It is not known whether the film currently survives, and it may be a lost film. The film is a member of the Universal-produc ...

'', ''

The Scarlet Car ''The Scarlet Car'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse and featuring Lon Chaney, Edith Johnson and Franklyn Farnum. The film was written by William Parker, based upon the novel ''The Scarlet Car'' by Richard Harding ...

'', ''The Power of a Lie'', ''The First Degree'', ''The Love Letter'', and ''The Gentleman from America''.

Plot

In the neighborhood of "Little Hell", Terry Rafferty (Graves), a reformed thief, has fallen in love with Effie Kugler (Love) and is seeking her hand in marriage. Effie's father (Williams) refuses, which prompts Terry to get drunk and assault a politician. Terry is sent to prison. Don Dorgan's (Nichols) 30-year career as a police officer ends when the new commissioner (MacDowell) decides that he is too old. Don realizes that the neighborhood still needs him, and wears his old uniform, becoming "The Ghost Patrol". After serving his sentence, Terry is released from prison, and Don brings him to Effie, reuniting the couple. When the commissioner learns of the good that Don has been bringing to the neighborhood, he rehires him and promotes him.

Cast

Production

Edith Roberts Edith Roberts may refer to: * Edith Roberts (actress), American silent film actress * Edith A. Roberts, American botanist * Edith Roberts (writer) Edith Roberts may refer to: * Edith Roberts (actress) Edith Roberts ( – August 20, 19 ...

had originally been cast as the female lead.

Release and reception

The film had its Los Angeles premiere at the

Million Dollar Theater The Million Dollar Theatre at 307 S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles is one of the first movie palaces built in the United States. It opened in 1917 with the premiere of William S. Hart's '' The Silent Man''. It's the northernmost of the collect ...

. Some theaters showed it with the short ''Dad's Boy'', while others showed it the Baby Peggy short ''Sweetie''. Overall, the film received positive reviews.Negative review: * Bessie Love's performance was well-received, while Ralph Graves was deemed as miscast.

References

External links

* * * * 1923 drama films 1923 lost films 1923 films American black-and-white films American drama films American silent feature films Films based on short fiction Films based on works by Sinclair Lewis Films directed by Nat Ross Lost American films Lost drama films Melodrama films Universal Pictures films 1920s American films Silent American drama films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub