''The Honeymoon Express'' is a

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 ...

1926 silent film drama directed by

James Flood James Joseph Flood (1895-1953) was an American film director. Born in New York City, Flood became an assistant director with Biograph in 1912 and was active through 1952. Career When working on ''The Swellhead'', Flood decided he wanted to ...

, starring

Willard Louis Willard Louis (April 19, 1882 – July 22, 1926) was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1911 and 1926. He was born in San Francisco, California. Louis had an art studio before he b ...

and

Irene Rich Irene Rich (born Irene Frances Luther; October 13, 1891 – April 22, 1988) was an American actress who worked in both silent films and talkies, as well as radio. Early life Rich was born in Buffalo, New York. At age 17, she wed Elvo Elc ...

. It was never originally meant to be released. Two runtimes were reported at two separate showings.

Plot

The members of the Lambert household do not get along with each other, so Margaret and her youngest daughter Mary leave their home. Margaret becomes an interior director, resulting in her regaining her happiness. Margaret's son Lance becomes angry at his father John due to the people who are invited over to their home, and Lance starts a career with the help of his mother. John wants Margaret to return, but she refuses to do so. Margaret and her employer Jim become a couple, and so do Mary and Jim's brother Dick. The family becomes reunited, but with Jim as the head of the household.

Production

The film is based on a play titled ''The Doormat''. It was directed by

and the screenwriter was

Mary O'Hara Mary O'Hara (born 12 May 1935) is an Irish soprano and harpist from County Sligo. She gained attention on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Her recordings of that period influenced a generation of Irish female singer ...

. The film was released by

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of ...

. It was reported by ''

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' on July 16, 1926, that Jack L. Warner of Warner Bros. Pictures was withdrawing the film from the releasing schedule, but it was later screened in September 1926 in New York City. The September 8, 1926, showing of the film in New York City was stated by ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' to be 64 minutes long, but it was reported by the magazine that an October 6, 1926, showing was 78 minutes long. The second reported length is more likely to be correct, considering its

film reel A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the ends ...

length of 6,768 feet. The book ''American Film Cycles: The Silent Era'' states that ''The Honeymoon Express'' is one of a few silent films that "reflected the decade's extended social tolerance of premarital and extramarital sex, and emphasized that these new freedoms brought additional responsibilities."

Reception

The ''

Palladium-Item The ''Palladium-Item'' is the daily morning newspaper for Richmond, Indiana, and surrounding areas. The paper is a merger of two older papers, the ''Richmond Palladium'' and the ''Richmond Item'', and traces its history back to 1831, making it the ...

'' said, "Your critic is willing to stake his reputation on the opinion that ''The Honeymoon Express'' is the sort of picture to be loved at sight and remembered gratefully long afterward". A review from ''

The Tuscaloosa News The '' Tuscaloosa News '' is a daily newspaper serving Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, and the surrounding area in west central Alabama. In 2012, Halifax Media Group acquired the ''Tuscaloosa News''. Prior to that, the paper's owner was T ...

'' praised the cast and stated, "All members of the family should see ''The Honeymoon Express''".

Cast

as John Lambert *

as Mary Lambert *

Holmes Herbert Holmes Herbert (born Horace Edward Jenner; 30 July 1882 – 26 December 1956) was an English character actor who appeared in Hollywood films from 1915 to 1952, often as a British gentleman. Early life Born Horace Edward Jenner, (some sou ...

as Jim Donaldson *

Helene Costello Helene Costello (June 21, 1906 – January 26, 1957) was an American stage and film actress, most notably of the silent era. Early life and career Born in New York City, Costello was the youngest daughter of the prominent stage and pioneering ...

as Margaret Lambert *John Patrick as Nathan Peck *

Jane Winton Jane Winton (October 10, 1905 – September 22, 1959) was an American film actress, dancer, opera soprano, writer, and painter. Early years Winton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1905. The deaths of her father when she was four yea ...

as Estelle *

Virginia Lee Corbin Virginia Lee Corbin (December 5, 1910 – June 4, 1942) was an American silent film actress. Early years Corbin was born Laverne Virginia Corbin in Prescott, Arizona to Leon Ernest Corbin and Virginia Frances (Cox) Corbin, and she had a siste ...

as Becky * Harold Goodwin as Lance *Robert Brower as Dick Donaldson

References

External links

The Honeymoon Express @ IMDb.com
*
lobby card
with Irene Rich, Virginia Lee Corbin {{DEFAULTSORT:Honeymoon Express, The 1926 films American silent feature films Lost American films Films directed by James Flood Warner Bros. films 1926 drama films American black-and-white films Transitional sound drama films American drama films American films based on plays Lost drama films 1920s American films