''The Gift Supreme'' is a 1920 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-g ...

starring

Bernard Durning Bernard Joseph Durning (August 24, 1893 – August 29, 1923) was an American silent film director and actor who worked primarily with Lon Chaney, Dustin Farnum, and Buck Jones. William A. Wellman was his assistant director and protégé. His ...

Seena Owen Seena Owen (born Signe Auen; November 14, 1894 – August 15, 1966) was an American silent film actress and screenwriter. Early life Born Signe Auen in Spokane, Washington, she was the youngest of three children raised by Jens Christensen and K ...

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

(in a villainous bit role) and

Tully Marshall Tully Marshall (born William Phillips; April 10, 1864 – March 10, 1943) was an American character actor. He had nearly a quarter century of theatrical experience before his debut film appearance in 1914 which led to a film career spanning alm ...

. The film was directed by

Ollie Sellers Ollie L. Sellers (born Oliver Sellers in 1885) was an American film director. Before becoming a director he was a production manager at Triangle Film Corporation. He worked with Gloria Swanson. He wrote the screenplay adapted from a novel and di ...

and based on the 1916 novel of the same name by

George Allan England George Allan England (9 February 1877 - 26 June 1936) was an American writer and explorer, best known for his speculative and science fiction. He attended Harvard University and later in life unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Maine. England wa ...

. Most sources do not state who wrote the screenplay, although it was probably written by Ollie Sellers. The assistant director was Justin McKlosky. The supporting cast includes

Melbourne MacDowell Willet Melbourne MacDowell (November 22, 1856 – February 18, 1941) was an American stage and screen actor. He began on the legitimate stage in the 1870s and first appeared on the silent screen in 1917. He used the stage name Virginia Drew Pres ...

Eugenie Besserer Eugenie Besserer ( – May 29, 1934) was an American actress who starred in silent films and features of the early sound motion-picture era, beginning in 1910. Her most prominent role is that of the title character's mother in the first talkie ...

, Jack Curtis,

Anna Dodge Anna Dodge (October 18, 1867 – May 4, 1945) was an American silent film actress. Anna Dodge married silent film actor George Hernandez and was frequently credited as Anna Hernandez. Filmography 1910s * ''Making a Man of Him'' (1911) * ''O ...

and

Claire McDowell Claire McDowell ( MacDowell; November 2, 1877 – October 23, 1966) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 350 films between 1908 and 1945. Early years Claire MacDowell was born in New York City on November 2, 1877, th ...

. Some sources state the film was released on April 12, 1920, but the majority say May 9.

Plot

Bradford Vinton (Bernard Durning) is disinherited by his wealthy father, Eliot Vinton, for refusing to end his friendship with Sylvia Alden (Seen Owen), a beautiful young missionary and singer from Boggs Court, a London slum. Eliot even tries to have the young girl arrested on a false charge of prostitution, for which Bradford angrily excoriates the old man. When Bradford goes to tell Sylvia he has been disinherited, he finds that she has already left town. Bradford opens a cheap restaurant in the area to feed the homeless and one night, a gangster named Merney Stagg (Lon Chaney) stabs him in a drunken rage. He later learns it was Merney Stagg who helped his father to frame Sylvia. Bradford is rushed to a hospital, where the doctors say only an immediate blood transfusion can save his life. Sylvia, who is working as a nurse there, immediately volunteers to donate her blood, giving him "the Gift Supreme". When Eliot sees how much she loves his son, he grants them permission to marry.

Cast

as Bradford Chandler Vinton *

as Sylvia Alden *

as Eliot Vinton *

as Irving Stagg *

as Martha Vinton *

as Merney Stagg, gangster * Jack Curtis as Muggs Rafferty *

as Mrs. Wesson *

as Lalia Graun * Scott McKee * Richard (Dick) Morris as Dopey Dan

Reception

"The story...is interpreted by a cast of well-known andcapable players... Lon Chaney and Tully Marshall play up to the standard of former triumphs." ---Moving Picture World "As an underworld melodrama, (the film) passes average muster. It would have been possible, with the material in this story, to make a much stronger picture had the director hung his sequences together more compactly and dramatically.... Telly Marshall, Lon Chaney and Jack Curtis are the principal figures in the corps of assisting players and the work that each does stands out through sheer skill." ---Wid's Film Daily "While 'old stuff' in the main, without any distinguishing high lights either in production, handling or cast, it is interesting...Of the character actors, Lon Chaney takes all the honors with Tully Marshall, of course, doing a small role in excellent fashion. The balance of the cast is acceptable.....The production is in six reels and runs a trifle too long." ---Variety "The scenario writers have been eating raw meat again. If you are a little tired of slick, nice-mannered and well-dressed society plays, go to see THE GIFT SUPREME and learn that life still runs wild in some places." ---Photoplay

Current Status

An incomplete print (reel one of six) survives and is preserved in a private collection. Since the film was released to the 16mm rental market in the 1920's, it is possible that a complete print may survive in the hands of a private collector somewhere, but so far only reel one has surfaced. A brief clip from the film was used in the

Kino Kino may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasters * KINO, a radio station in Arizona, U.S. * Kino FM (98.0 FM – Moscow), a Russian music radio station * KinoTV, now Ruutu+ Leffat ja Sarjat, a Finnish TV channel Fictional entities ...

produced 1995 documentary ''Lon Chaney: Behind the Mask''.

Notes

References

* * *

External links

* * (first reel) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gift Supreme, The 1920 films 1920 drama films Silent American drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films based on American novels Films set in London American independent films Lost American films 1920 lost films Lost drama films 1920s independent films Films directed by Oliver L. Sellers 1920s American films