''The Incorrigible Dukane'' is a

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

silent

dramedy Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

and farce produced by

Daniel Frohman Daniel Frohman (August 22, 1851 – December 26, 1940) was an American theatrical producer and manager, and an early film producer. Biography Frohman was born to a American Jews, Jewish family in Sandusky, Ohio. His parents were Henry (1826&nda ...

and released by

Famous Players Film Company The Famous Players Film Company was a film company founded in 1912 by Adolph Zukor in partnership with the Frohman brothers, powerful New York City theatre impresario. History Discussions to form the company were held at The Lambs, a famous th ...

. Directed by James Durkin, it stars

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...

in his fifth feature film. Adapted from the novel of the same name by George C. Shedd, it is the earliest known surviving John Barrymore feature film.

Synopsis

Through mistaken identity, a rich contractor's son is impressed into the labor force building his own father's dam at Silver Peak. When construction of a dam in Silver Peak, Colorado threatens their land, rancher Crofton (William MacDonald) and his daughter Enid (Helen Weir) confront New York contractor James Dukane, Sr. (William T. Carleton). Dukane sends his son James "Jimmy" Dukane, Jr. (

) to manage construction and to deal with the dam's impact on the locals, hoping that the task will help his son mature. However, en route to the construction site, Jimmy is waylaid by a vagabond, and his clothing and identification are stolen. Dressed in the tramp's clothes, Jimmy finally meets with the construction foreman Corbetson (Stewart Baird), who scoffs at his claimed identity and instead puts him to work with a pick and shovel. During his labors, Jimmy learns that Corbetson has been using sub-par materials and embezzling monies from Dukane Sr, and that to hide his crime, Corbetson is planning to blow up the dam.

Cast

as James Dukane Jr. *

William T. Carleton William T. Carleton (1859–1930) was an English-born actor, and producer. He died in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1930. Some sources erroneously list him as being related to William P. Carleton, another actor. He is also not to be mista ...

as James Dukane Sr. * Helen Weir as Enid Crofton * Stewart Baird as Corbetson * William MacDonald as Enid's father * William Meech as Lantry ''uncredited'' *

May Irwin May Irwin (born Georgina May Campbell; June 27, 1862 – October 22, 1938) was an actress, singer and star of vaudeville. Originally from Canada, she and her sister Flo Irwin found theater work after their father died. She was known for her per ...

or Helen Marlborough -

Charwoman A charwoman (also chargirl, charlady or char) is an old-fashioned occupational term, referring to a paid part-time worker who comes into a house or other building to clean it for a few hours of a day or week, as opposed to a maid, who usually ...

Production

''The Incorrigible Dukane'' was Barrymore's fifth feature film as well as his fifth film under contract to Famous Players. It was James Durkin's first directorial effort for Famous Players.

Style

The Day The Day may refer to: Film and television * ''The Day'' (1914 film), an Australian silent film * ''The Day'' (1960 film), a short film * ''The Day'' (2011 film), a Canadian film * ''The Day'' (2022 film), a Bangladeshi–Iran joint production ...

'' said that the film had "crystal clear photography ndhomey, every day realistic and intensely interesting settings" that made it a "superb production". Joseph W. Garton said in his book, ''The film acting of John Barrymore'', that the "direction and photography are adequate" and that the "well developed narrative line is unusually strong".

Critical reception

Reviews in the ''Motion Picture News'' and the ''New York Dramatic Mirror'' were positive, generally acknowledging Barrymore as the main attraction. The New York trade paper ''Review'' called it the "best acrobatic show in town". George Blaisdell in ''Moving Picture World'' pointed out a few directorial slips, but still predicted that the film would be liked. ''

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), ...

''s Sime Silverman gave it a negative notice, writing, "... 'comedy' is a misnomer unless one will accept as funny John Barrymore's attempts to imitate Charlie Chaplin." ''

'' called the film a "straightforward story told in a hearty boyish style with all the merriment of youth crowded into the four parts required to unfold the plot". The '' Meriden Morning Record'' considered it to be a "lively and very enjoyable photoplay". The ''

Grey River Argus Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

'' said that it was a "splendid drama" that, in terms of Barrymore, "gives us that legitimate actor in his happiest vein". The ''Ohinemuri Gazette'' considered it to be a "picture that will be enjoyed by everyone". The ''

New Zealand Truth ''New Zealand Truth'' was a tabloid newspaper published weekly in New Zealand from 1905 to 2013. History ''New Zealand Truth'' was founded in 1905 by Australian John Norton in Wellington, as a New Zealand edition of his Sydney ''Truth'', aim ...

'' described it as a "thoroughly amusing filmatisation" and that it had "some exciting scenes during the industrial flare-up and plenty of dramatic and humorous happenings".

Preservation

This film is extant. A 35mm print is preserved in the

George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection The George Eastman Museum Motion Picture Collection in Rochester, New York comprises about 28,000 titles, including features, shorts, documentaries, newsreels, and experimental moving images. The collection is renowned for its holdings of silent f ...

, and another print is in the

BFI National Archive The BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was founded as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955, its name became the N ...

. Of Barrymore's earliest performances on film, encompassing a few shorts for

Lubin Lubin (; german: Lüben, szl, Lubin) is a city in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is the administrative seat of Lubin County, and also of the rural district called Gmina Lubin, although it is not part of the territory of ...

and ten feature films for Famous Players, all are presumed

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 ...

except this one.

Synopsis

Cast

Production

Style

Critical reception

Preservation

Notes

References

External links