''The Village Sleuth'' is a 1920 American silent

comedy drama film 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 ...

directed by

Jerome Storm Jerome Storm (November 11, 1890 – July 10, 1958) was an American film director, actor, and writer. He acted in 48 films between 1914 and 1941 and directed 47 films between 1918 and 1932. He was born in Denver, Colorado, and died in Desert ...

and written by

Agnes Christine Johnston Agnes Christine Johnston was an American screenwriter who wrote for more than 80 films between 1915 and 1948. Biography Early life Johnston was born in Swissvale, Pennsylvania, to John Johnston and Isabel McElhany. She attended the Horace Man ...

. The film stars Charles Ray, Winifred Westover,

Dick Rush Richard T. Rush (born 1884) was an Australian-born American character actor of the silent and sound film eras. During his 28-year career, he would appear in between 160 and 300 films (depending on the source). The large majority of his parts wer ...

, Donald MacDonald,

George Hernandez George Hernandez I (June 6, 1863 – December 31, 1922) was an American silent film actor. Hernandez was born , in Placerville, California. From late 1897 through May 1899, Hernandez was a traveling Shakespearean actor with the Janet Waldorf ...

, and

Betty Schade Betty Schade (born Frida Feddersen; March 27, 1895 – March 27, 1982) was a German-born American actress of the silent era. She appeared in about 135 films between 1913 and 1921. Schade was born in Geestemünde (Bremerhaven), Germany and m ...

. The film was released on September 12, 1920, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. A copy of the film is in the

Gosfilmofond Gosfilmofond is a state film archive in Russia. It is the main film archive of the Russian Federation and a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF). It is a state cultural institution — curator of films collection and oth ...

film archive.

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, William Wells (Ray), a farm boy with a consuming desire to be like Sherlock Holmes, takes his first "detective" commission from his father Pa Wells (Morrison) and seeks to discover the identity of some watermelon thieves. Discovering the culprits among his own gang of friends and his father finding this out, he goes on a wider path to become a detective. Obtaining work as a hired man for a health resort, William begins an untiring hunt for a mystery. He gets a taste of the real thing when a robbery and murder come rapidly racing one over the other. In the end, the man supposedly murdered makes his appearance and the sleuth uncovers the robbery culprit in an ex-convict guest of the resort. Pinky (Westover), a chorus girl in cahoots with the "murdered" man, gives William a lively time in keeping faith in her, but proves her trust in the end.

Cast

* Charles Ray as William Wells * Winifred Westover as Pinky Wagner *

as David Keene * Donald MacDonald as Dr. Roberts *

as Mr. Richley (credited as George F. Hernandez) *

as Mrs. Richley *Louis Morrison as Pa Wells (credited as Lew Morrison) Village Sleuth newspaper ad

Promotion

From a newspaper advertisement for the film: :"As a country boy, with aspirations to become a great detective, Charles Ray is said to afford considerable laughter and a few thrills in ''A Village Sleuth'' . . . After his attempts to round up some melon thieves in his dad's apple orchard, have gotten him into hot water, Charlie goes out and gets a real job in a private sanitarium. There he encounters a real mystery and, his detective instincts aroused starts to unravel it. The results are surprising in the extreme. Charlie is revealed not only as the logical successor to Sherlock Holmes but wins a pretty girl in the bargain. ''A Village Sleuth'' was written by Agnes Christine Johnston, scenarist of '' Twenty-three and a Half Hours Leave'', and produced for Paramount release by

Thomas H. Ince Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent film - era filmmaker and media proprietor. Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films. He revolutionized the mo ...

. Winifred Westover is the leading woman.

directed."

Preservation status

Copies of ''The Village Sleuth'' are held at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

, Gosfilmofond,

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the archiv ...

, Academy Film Archive, and Jugoslovenska Kinoteka.''Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress'', (<-book title) p.201 c.1978 by the American Film Institute

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Village Sleuth, The 1920 films 1920 comedy-drama films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Jerome Storm American black-and-white films American silent feature films 1920s English-language films 1920s American films Silent American comedy-drama films