''You Can't Believe Everything'' is a 1918 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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Jack Conway and starring

Gloria Swanson Gloria Mae Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most famously for h ...

. It is not known whether the film currently survives, and it is likely to be a

lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...

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 ...

, Jim Wheeler (Peil), believing himself hopelessly crippled, stifles his love for Patricia Reynolds (Swanson), the belle of society's favorite summer colony. A number of thoughtless flirtations have resulted in a few of the young men falling desperately in love with her. One of these attempts to force his love on her, but she leaps from his automobile. On the way back to the hotel she rescues Jim from drowning, the method he had chosen to end his life. She promises to keep his secret and, when accused of being in a roadhouse by the social leaders, she is unable to explain her whereabouts on the night in question. To protect her name, Haston Carson (Richardson) says that she was with him. In the meantime Jim has left with a medical specialist, to be cured or killed. He returns a well man just in time to save Patricia from social ostracism from her supposed indiscretions.

Cast

as Patricia Reynolds *

Darrell Foss Darrell Foss (born Darrell Burton Foss; March 24, 1892 – September 15, 1962) was a film actor. He had a leading role in films including in ''The Loyalty of Taro San'', a Triangle Film Corporation production, and opposite May Allison in at ...

as Arthur Kirby * Jack Richardson as Hasty Carson * Edward Peil Sr. as Jim Wheeler * George Hernandez as Henry Pettit * Iris Ashton as Amy Powellson * James R. Cope as Club Danforth *

Claire McDowell Claire McDowell ( MacDowell; November 2, 1877 – October 23, 1966) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 350 films between 1908 and 1945. Early years Claire MacDowell was born in New York City on November 2, 1877, the da ...

as Grace Dardley * Grover Franke as Ferdinand Thatcher * Kitty Bradbury as Mrs. Powellson * Bliss Chevalier as Mrs. Morton Danforth

Reception

Like many American films of the time, ''You Can't Believe Everything'' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors cut, in Reel 1, view of young woman in low-cut gown after emerging from the water, Reel 2, closeup of man looking at young woman in low-cut gown, first two scenes of Kirby and young woman talking together and she is in low-cut gown, Reel 3, young woman taking off wet undergarments before fire, Reel 4, two scenes of Hasty letting sail down, the three intertitles "We can't stay here all night", "Why not, aren't you comfortable", and "You're mine, Pat, all mine", and first struggle scene.

References

External links

* {{Jack Conway , state=collapsed 1918 films 1918 drama films Silent American drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by Jack Conway Films shot in Los Angeles Triangle Film Corporation films 1910s American films