''The Lone Wolf'' is a 1917 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 ...

based on the 1914 novel ''The Lone Wolf'' by

Louis Joseph Vance Louis Joseph Vance (September 19, 1879 – December 16, 1933) was an American novelist, screenwriter and film producer. He created the popular character Michael Lanyard, a criminal-turned-detective known as The Lone Wolf. Biography Louis Jo ...

. Starring

Bert Lytell Bertram Lytell (February 24, 1885 – September 28, 1954) was an American actor in theater and film during the silent film era and early talkies. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films. Background Born in New York City, Lyt ...

and

Hazel Dawn Hazel Dawn (born Henrietta Hazel Tout; March 23, 1890 – August 28, 1988) was an American stage, film and television actress, and violinist. She was born to a Mormon family in Utah, and studied music in Europe where her father was a missionary. ...

, it was

adapted In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

for the screen by George Edwardes-Hall and produced and directed by

Herbert Brenon Herbert Brenon (born Alexander Herbert Reginald St. John Brenon; 13 January 1880 – 21 June 1958) was an Irish-born U.S. film director, actor and screenwriter during the era of silent films through the 1930s. Brenon was among the early film ...

. No prints of the film are known to survive, so it is currently classified as

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

Synopsis

Burke is a master crook who adopts a young boy (Marcel) after the boy saves him from being arrested by the police. Burke then teaches the youngster how to be a crook, and after he becomes a master in the profession, he changes his name and works as Michael Lanyard. The Paris police give him the moniker of "The Lone Wolf", due to his unique work in the profession. However, a gang of criminals (The Pack) has taken notice of his clever work, and tell him that unless he joins their gang, they will destroy him. Lucy is an undercover agent posing as a crook to infiltrate the gang, and goes on to help the Wolf escape the gang via a plane to England. The Pack follows them, but are killed in a plane crash. After the gang is killed, "The Wolf" swears he will go straight and he eventually marries Lucy.

Cast

as Lucy Shannon *

as Michael Lanyard (The Lone Wolf) *Cornish Beck as Marcel *Stephen Grattan as Burke *

Alfred Hickman Alfred Hickman (25 February 1873 – 9 April 1931) was an English actor. He was married to actress Nance O'Neil Gertrude Lamson (October 8, 1874 – February 7, 1965), known professionally as Nance O'Neil or Nancy O'Neil, was an American ...

as Eckstrom *Ben Graham as Thibault *Robert Fisher as Bannon * William Riley Hatch as De Moriban *Joseph Chailles as Popinot * William E. Shay as Werthheimer *

Edward Abeles Edward Abeles (November 4, 1869 – July 10, 1919) was an American actor. He appeared in eight films between 1914 and 1918. Before working for Famous Players-Lasky, of which he was one of the founding members, he had a lengthy stage career. Abe ...

as Ducroy *Florence Ashbrooke as Madame Troyon *Juliet Brenon as Thibault's maid

Background

The character

The Lone Wolf The Lone Wolf may refer to: * ''The Lone Wolf'', a 1914 novel by Louis Joseph Vance Louis Joseph Vance (September 19, 1879 – December 16, 1933) was an American novelist, screenwriter and film producer. He created the popular character M ...

was a popular crime figure in theaters from 1917 to 1949, and was featured in at least twenty-four films. The character was initially developed by Vance in his 1914 novel of the same name. Selznick later purchased the rights from Vance for his 1917 film. Bert Lytell was the first actor to play the role, but

Warren William Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Pe ...

who appeared in nine films featuring the character from 1939 to 1943, was arguably the most closely associated with the role. In 1946

Gerald Mohr Gerald Mohr (June 11, 1914 – November 9, 1968) was an American radio, film, and television character actor and frequent leading man, who appeared in more than 500 radio plays, 73 films, and over 100 television shows. Early years Mohr wa ...

followed William as the Wolf for three films through 1948; additionally the

Mutual Radio Network The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. rad ...

broadcast a radio series with

as the title character, which aired for about six months. In 1954, a television series was created based on Vance's character with

Louis Hayward Louis Charles Hayward (19 March 1909 – 21 February 1985) was a Johannesburg-born, British-American actor. Biography Born in Johannesburg, Louis Hayward lived in South Africa and was educated in France and England, including Latymer Upper Scho ...

playing the title role. The series was in syndication for one season with 39 episodes produced. The show was also sometimes titled ''Streets of Danger''.

Reviews and reception

Joseph L. Kelley, film critic for ''

Motion Picture News The ''Motion Picture News'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1913 to 1930. History The publication was created through the 1913 merger of the ''Moving Picture News'' founded in 1908 and ''The Exhibitors' Times'', founded ...

'', gave ''The Lone Wolf'' high marks, describing it as "a most remarkable production, bristling with tense moments, strong action, human incidents and powerful drama". Kelley also praised Lytell's performance, stating that he "moves with the agility and pep of a

Fairbanks Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...

", while Hazel Dawn is noted as being "average" in her performance. A review in ''

The New York Clipper The ''New York Clipper'', also known as ''The Clipper'', was a weekly entertainment newspaper published in New York City from 1853 to 1924. It covered many topics, including circuses, dance, music, the outdoors, sports, and theatre. It had a ...

'', said the film "is a criterion in intense melodrama of the most advanced style. Its embellishments, refinements and polish is the last word in modern picture plays". The ''Clipper'' also reported that the film had "gone over heavier than any big feature shown in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

within the last year", and that Selznick had received a big advance demand for the film throughout the country.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lone Wolf, The 1917 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films American crime drama films Films based on American novels Selznick Pictures films 1917 crime drama films The Lone Wolf films 1910s American films Silent American drama films