''The Lamb'' is a 1915 American silent

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film featuring

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thie ...

in his first starring role.''The Lamb'' at silentera.com
/ref> Directed by W. Christy Cabanne, the film is based on the popular 1913 Broadway play ''The New Henrietta'', in which Fairbanks co-starred with

William H. Crane William Henry Crane (April 30, 1845March 7, 1928) was an American actor. Early years Crane was born in Leicester, Massachusetts on April 30, 1845. He grew up in Boston and graduated from Brimmer School. Career He made his first professional ap ...

Amelia Bingham Amelia Swilley Bingham (March 20, 1869 – September 1, 1927) was an American actress from Hicksville, Ohio.''Amelia Bingham, Actress Is Dead'', New York Times, September 2, 1927, pg. 17. Her Broadway career extended from 1896 until 1926.

and a very young

Patricia Collinge Eileen Cecilia "Patricia" Collinge (September 20, 1892 – April 10, 1974) was an Irish-American actress and writer. She was best known for her stage appearances, as well as her roles in the films ''The Little Foxes'' (1941) and ''Shadow of a Do ...

. A copy of ''The Lamb'' is preserved at the

George Eastman House The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as ''George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film'', the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in ...

Cast

– Gerald *

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 ...

– Mary * William E. Lowery – Yaqui Indian Chief *

Lillian Langdon Lillian Langdon (November 25, 1860 – February 8, 1943) was an American film actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 80 films between 1912 and 1928. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Langdon was a descendant of Montgomery Pike, dis ...

– Mary's Monther *

Monroe Salisbury Monroe Salisbury (May 8, 1876 – August 7, 1935) was an American actor. He appeared on the stage for several years and then became an early film star. Salisbury was a matinee idol. He began his acting career on the stage in 1898, appearin ...

– Mary's Cousin *

Kate Toncray Kate Toncray (1867 – December 6, 1927) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 170 films between 1905 and 1925. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri and died in Manhattan, New York City.Alfred Paget Alfred Paget (2 June 1879 – 8 October 1919) was an English silent film actor best known for his portrayal of Prince Belshazzar in D.W. Griffith's 1916 historical epic ''Intolerance''. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1908 and 19 ...

– Bill Cactus * Eagle Eye – Yaqui Indian Chief *

Tom Kennedy Thomas or Tom Kennedy may refer to: Politics *Thomas Kennedy (Scottish judge) (1673–1754), joint Solicitor General for Scotland 1709–14, Lord Advocate 1714, Member of Parliament for Ayr Burghs 1720–21 *Thomas Kennedy, 9th Earl of Cassilis ...

– White Hopeless (uncredited) *

Julia Faye Julia Faye Maloney (September 24, 1892 – April 6, 1966), known professionally as Julia Faye, was an American actress of silent and sound films. She was known for her appearances in more than 30 Cecil B. DeMille productions. Her various roles ...

– Woman (uncredited) * Charles Stevens – Lieutenant (uncredited) *

Mary Thurman Mary Thurman (née Christiansen; April 27, 1895 – December 22, 1925) was an American actress of the silent film era. Early life Mary Christiansen was born in Richfield, Utah on April 27, 1895, one of seven children raised in the Church of ...

– extra role (uncredited)

Production

D. W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

, writing under the pseudonym Granville Barker, along with director Christy Cabanne, essentially expanded the play beyond the plush

nouveau riche ''Nouveau riche'' (; ) is a term used, usually in a derogatory way, to describe those whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. The equivalent English term is the "new rich" or "new money" ( ...

apartment setting of the play, and provided a western element to the story. This would give Fairbanks a chance to show his physical prowess cinematically and loosen the play from what would be stage bound constraints. Griffith also altered characters; Fairbanks' character's name is changed to Gerald, with his parent being his mother (

Kate Toncray Kate Toncray (1867 – December 6, 1927) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 170 films between 1905 and 1925. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri and died in Manhattan, New York City.Triangle Film Corporation Triangle Film Corporation (also known as Triangle Motion Picture Company) was a major American motion-picture studio, founded in July 1915 in Culver City, California and terminated 7 years later in 1922. History The studio was founded in July 1 ...

, the film premiered at the Knickerbocker Theater in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on September 23, 1915 along with the Keystone ''The Valet'' and ''The Iron Strain''. ''The Lamb'' outperformed the other two features and was a hit with audiences and critics who praised Fairbanks' performance.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lamb, The 1915 films 1910s adventure comedy films 1910s Western (genre) comedy films American adventure comedy films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Films directed by Christy Cabanne Triangle Film Corporation films 1915 comedy films Silent American Western (genre) comedy films 1910s American films Silent adventure comedy films 1910s English-language films