''The Legend of Hollywood'' is a 1924 American silent romantic

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 ...

directed by

Renaud Hoffman Renaud Hoffman (1895–1952) was a German-born American film director, screenwriter and producer of the silent and early sound era. He directed the 1929 musical ''Blaze o' Glory''.Bradley p.76 Selected filmography * '' Strangers of the Night ...

and starring

Percy Marmont Percy Marmont (25 November 1883 – 3 March 1977) was an English film actor. Biography Marmont appeared in more than 80 films between 1916 and 1968. A veteran film actor by 1923, he scored a big hit that year in ''If Winter Comes'', later rem ...

Zasu Pitts Zasu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas, including Erich von Stroheim's epic 1924 silent film ''Greed'', and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the ...

, and

Alice Davenport Alice Davenport (née Shepphard; February 29, 1864 – June 24, 1936) was an American film actress. She appeared in 140 films between 1911 and 1930. She was born Alice Shepphard in New York City, and died in Los Angeles, California. She mad ...

.Munden p. 428

Plot

As described in a review in a film magazine, a boarding house in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

shelters a variety of persons who are seeking success in the movies. Among them is John Smith (Marmont) who is writing what he hopes will be the screen's greatest story. Filled with enthusiasm, he visits the studios but without result. The landlady tells him his rent is overdue, but allows him to stay in the room for seven more days if he does not take meals. He determines to end it all by taking poison, but notices the room has seven glasses, so he gambles with death by filling the glasses with wine and one with poison, and drinking one each days. The first six days of despair is nothing to the seventh day when, with the final glass remaining, there is no longer any element of chance. He drinks the last glass just as a friend walks in, bringing a letter saying the story has been accepted. Mary Brown (Pitts), the young woman who cleans his room and is his friend comes by and finds John apparently dead. Then he opens his eyes and she explains that one day she accidentally knocked a glass of wine off the mantel, and to hide it got a replacement glass of wine. She was just about to leave for home, but he persuades her to stay and share in his success.

Cast

as John Smith *

as Mary Brown *

as Mrs. Rooney * Dorothy Dorr as Blondie

References

Bibliography

* Munden, Kenneth White. ''The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1''. University of California Press, 1997.

External links

* 1924 films 1924 drama films 1920s English-language films American silent feature films English-language drama films American black-and-white films Films directed by Renaud Hoffman Producers Distributing Corporation films 1920s American films Silent American drama films {{1920s-US-film-stub