''The Silent Power'' is a 1926 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 ...

directed by

Frank O'Connor Frank O'Connor (born Michael Francis O'Donovan; 17 September 1903 – 10 March 1966) was an Irish author and translator. He wrote poetry (original and translations from Irish), dramatic works, memoirs, journalistic columns and features on a ...

and starring Ralph Lewis,

Ethel Shannon Ethel Shannon (May 22, 1898 – July 10, 1951) was an American actress. She appeared in over 30 silent movies in the early 20th century. Early life and career Ethel Shannon was born in Denver, Colorado, the daughter of James and Agnes (Kn ...

and

Charles Delaney Charles Delaney (August 9, 1892 – August 31, 1959) was an American actor. Biography Delaney was born in New York City in 1892. He was originally a motor mechanic and having learned to fly during World War I, he started doing flying vaud ...

.Connelly p.255 It was produced by the

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

company

Gotham Pictures Gotham Pictures Company was an American movie production business established in San Antonio in 1916 during the silent film era. Marshall W. Taggart was the company's president. Property in Hot Wells, Texas near San Antonio was planned as an area ...

Synopsis

The manager of a

hydro-electric plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

manages to secure his reckless

college graduate Bachelor's degree or higher is a commonly used term by the United States Census Bureau and other U.S. government agencies on the federal as well as state and local level. The term describes the portion of the population that has either a bachelor ...

son a job working on the construction of a new

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

. He falls in love with a woman, but when her crazed brother kills his boss he is arrested and convicted for murder. Sentenced to the

electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...

it seems that it will be the unfortunate duty of his father to supply the electricity that will execute his son.

Cast

* Ralph Lewis as John Rollins *

as Olive Spencer *

as Rob Rollins *

Vadim Uraneff Vadim Uraneff (6 February 1895 – 5 April 1952) was a Russian actor and librettist who helped John Barrymore and Katharine Hepburn when it was hoped they would appear in '' The Song of Solomon''. He was also a mime who played Lucianus in ''Haml ...

as Jerry Spencer *

Robert Homans Robert Edward Homans (November 8, 1877 – July 28, 1947) was an American actor who entered films in 1923 after a lengthy stage career. Life and career Robert Homans was born November 8, 1877, in Malden, Massachusetts. Although he studied ...

as David Webster

References

Bibliography

* Connelly, Robert B. ''The Silents: Silent Feature Films, 1910-36, Volume 40, Issue 2''. December Press, 1998. * 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

* 1926 films 1926 drama films 1920s English-language films American silent feature films Silent American drama films Films directed by Frank O'Connor American black-and-white films Gotham Pictures films 1920s American films {{1920s-US-film-stub