''The Nut'' is a 1921 American silent film comedy directed by

Theodore Reed Theodore Reed (June 18, 1887 – February 22, 1959) was an American film director, producer and former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Selected filmography * '' Say! Young Fellow'' (1918) * ''Arizona'' (1918) * '' ...

. Fairbanks biographer

Jeffrey Vance Jeffrey Vance (born May 21, 1970) is an American film historian and author who has published books on movie stars including Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Career While working as an archivist for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists he met El ...

writes, "Admittedly a minor work, ''The Nut'' is frequently dismissed in critical assessments of Fairbanks's career. This is unfortunate, for it contains some fascinating sequences and reveals much about the actor-producer's state of mind at the time it was made." Vance also notes, "The picture is like a chaotic funhouse, filled with magical masquerades, illusions, and gimmicks of great momentary amusement."

Plot

Based upon a summary in a film publication, Charlie (Fairbanks) has a girlfriend Estrell (De La Motte) who has a theory that if rich people would take a number of poor children into their homes each day, the environment would cause the children to grow up properly. Since Estrell does not know any of these rich people, Charlie offers to arrange a meeting. However, Charlie thinks impostors will do as well as the real rich people, so first he hires some men who turn out to be burglars and gamblers. Then he tries using dummies, but Estell is not fooled and becomes indignant. A wealthy man working as a reporter goes to investigate a report of a man dragging a body which turns out to be Charlie moving a dummy, allowing Charlie to finally meet someone rich. Estell is satisfied and agrees to marry him.

Cast

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 Thi ...

as Charlie Jackson *

Marguerite De La Motte Marguerite De La Motte (June 22, 1902 – March 10, 1950) was an American film actress, most notably of the silent film era. Early years Born in Duluth, Minnesota, De La Motte was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph De La Motte. She was a ...

as Estrell Wynn *

William Lowery William Lowery (July 22, 1885 – November 15, 1941) was an American silent film actor. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was signed by the Thanhouser Company in 1914. Lowery's parents were actors, and he first acted at age 9. He enliste ...

as Philip Feeney *

Gerald Pring Gerald Pring (1888 – 1970) was a British stage and film actor. He played a number of supporting roles in British and American films during the silent and sound eras. In 1930 he appeared in the West End in the comedy '' Almost a Honeymoon''. ...

as Gentleman George *Morris Hughes as Pernelius Vanderbrook Jr *

Barbara La Marr Barbara La Marr (born Reatha Dale Watson; July 28, 1896 – January 30, 1926) was an American film actress and screenwriter who appeared in twenty-seven films during her career between 1920 and 1926. La Marr was also noted by the medi ...

as Claudine Dupree *

Sidney De Gray Sidney De Gray (16 June 1866 – 30 June 1941) was an English actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1913 and 1940. He was born in England and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected filmography * ''Luke's Fir ...

(credited as Sydney dé Grey)

Frank Campeau Frank Campeau (December 14, 1864 – November 5, 1943) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1911 and 1940 and made many appearances in films starring Douglas Fairbanks. On Broadway, Campeau appeared in ''Rio Gr ...

Jeanne Carpenter Theo-Alice Jeanne Carpenter (February 1, 1917 – January 5, 1994) was an American child actress of the silent era

Charles Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consid ...

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

and Charles Stevens appear uncredited. Fairbanks biographer

disputes the claims of many film historians that Charlie Chaplin appears in the film. "It is clearly as Chaplin imitator, not Chaplin himself, who appears briefly in the party sequence wearing the Tramp costume."Vance, Jeffrey. ''Douglas Fairbanks''. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2008. p.91 .

References

External links

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''The Nut''
at Virtual History 1921 films American silent feature films 1920s English-language films American black-and-white films 1921 romantic comedy films Films directed by Theodore Reed American romantic comedy films Articles containing video clips 1920s American films Silent romantic comedy films Silent American comedy films {{1920s-romantic-comedy-film-stub